Posted on 01/21/2017 10:04:48 PM PST by CottonBall
Hello fellow cooks! This is Cottonball, your 2nd substitute thread poster for Jamestown1630, along with Yaelle.
I decided to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies for this week’s foodie thread - I LOVE making bread. Just like growing plants, making bread for me is an act of love and creation – the little yeasties making the flour and water into something magical always excites me and gives me a feeling of accomplishment. Seeing the dough rise and take shape is like giving birth (without the pain or medical staff).
I wasn’t always able to make edible bread – I spent probably 15 years making bread that had more in common with bricks than bread. At some point though, something clicked and I decided to ignore the directions on rising times, and instead focus on what the dough actually looked and felt like. Sometimes, my dough takes twice as long to rise as recipe directions say, and other times, half as long. The dough itself now decides when it is ready, and that has made all the difference to successful loaves, rolls, or pretzels.
I have 3 favorite and beloved bread recipes to share with you this week: a surprisingly light and fluffy 100% whole wheat bread, an easy no-knead holey and crispy loaf, and a beautiful marbled rye that gets lots of compliments.
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100% Whole Wheat Bread – patience is the key to this one, let it rise until puffy and jiggle, given it time – it will get there!
prepared pantry
The key to really great 100% whole wheat bread is to extract the best flavors from the whole wheat and temper the harsh tones that sometimes accompany whole wheat flour. Good whole wheat bread has an almost nutty taste without a bitter aftertaste. A long fermentation gives the yeast a chance to produce its own flavors and convert the starch to sugar. By refrigerating the dough overnight, you can make excellent 100% whole wheat bread.
This is one of our favorite bread recipes. Yeasts perform differently at low temperatures. In this recipe, the dough is mixed the day before and refrigerated. The acids and enzymes produced by the yeast at lower temperatures temper the harshness of the whole wheat and develop wonderfully complex bread flavors. It's no more work than other recipes; you just mix the dough the day before.
Bakers note: This bread should be very light and fluffy, not dense. The secret of making it so is to make sure that the dough rises fully both in the first rise and in the pans. The dough will fill two 5 x 9-inch loaf pans and should be very soft and puffy before baking. If you let it over-rise, you may see a blister or two in the dough. Poke the blisters with the point of a knife and hurry the bread into the hot oven.
5 to 6 cups fine-ground whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten (optional)
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 seven gram packet of instant yeast (or two teaspoons)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled butter
1. Place about three cups of the flour in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the yeast. Carefully measure 2 cups room temperature (80 degrees) water. The water should feel cool to the touch. Mix the water with the flour with a dough hook for 30 seconds or until the yeast is dissolved and the ingredients begin to combine.
2. Add the salt, sugar, and butter and continue mixing. Add most of the remaining flour, the wheat gluten, and dough conditioner and continue mixing at a medium speed for at least four minutes adding more flour as needed to reach a soft dough consistency. (It is important that the dough be mixed for at least four minutes to develop the gluten.) The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but will be soft, not firm, to the touch.
3. Once the dough is mixed, place it in a large greased bowl, turning once to coat both sides, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for up to three days.
4. On the day that you would like to bake your bread, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm to room temperature--about three hours. The dough should rise to nearly double in size.
5. Once the dough has risen, form the loaves. Coat your hands with flour and gently form a loaf by pulling the dough around itself to create a slightly stretched skin. You may need to coat your hands several times if the dough is sticky. If necessary, pinch the seams together on the bottom of the loaf. Lay the loaf gently in a well-greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the second loaf. Let double again in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the dough has doubled (the loaf should be very puffy), place the two loaves on a shelf in the top half of the oven, well-spaced so that air can circulate between the loaves. Bake for thirty minutes or until done. The interior of the loaves should register at least 185 degrees when an insta-read thermometer is inserted through the bottom crust. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on wire racks. Let it cool completely before cutting.
Variation:
SWEET WHOLE WHEAT BREAD RECIPE
- I wanted to make the loaf a bit more interesting for gifts and these additions make it a delightful loaf, wonderful with peanut butter or butter. It makes great toast too.
Add 1/3 c honey, and 1 T molasses, and ½-1 cup more flour
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Crusty No-knead Holey Bread – this one has a crusty, crackling crust and a soft, moist interior. I don’t know what they mean by a roasting pan, but I’ve made this in a Dutch oven and in a disposable foil 9” cake pan, with great results.
1 ½ tsp yeast
1 ¾ cups water (70 to 75°)
3 ½ cups + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tbsp cornmeal or additional flour
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. In a large bowl, mix 3 ½ cups flour and salt. With a rubber spatula, add yeast mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until smooth (dough will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature one hour. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 9 inch square. Fold dough into thirds, forming a 9 x 3” rectangle. Fold rectangle into thirds, forming a 3 inch square. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about one hour. Punch down dough and repeat folding process. Return dough to a bowl; refrigerate, covered, overnight. Line bottom of the disposable foil roasting pan with parchment paper. Dust with cornmeal. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead gently eight times; shape into a 6 inch round loaf. Place into prepared pan; dust top with remaining 1 tbsp flour. Cover pan with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until dough expands to a 7 ½ inch loaf, about 1 ¼ hours. This will give good oven spring and bigger holes. If rise more, smaller holes. Preheat oven to 500°. With a sharp knife, make a ¼ inch deep slash across the top of the loaf. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake on 2nd or 3rd lowest rack 25 minutes (on lowest bottom will burn). Reduce oven setting to 450°. Remove foil; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool. Variations: before kneading dough after taking out of the frig, sprinkle with 4 ounces diced sharp cheddar cheese. Or sprinkle with 1 cup dried cranberries & 4 tsp grated orange peel
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Marbled Rye – makes a lovely, impressive loaf that is great with club sandwiches. It’s not as complicated as you might think – after making it once, you’ll see that and want to make it again and again.
Light rye:
1 1/2 cups of white rye flour
3 cups unbleached bread flour
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsps instant yeast
2 Ts shortening
1 T molasses
1 1/3 cups water @rt
Dark rye:
Light rye recipe
2 tsp instant coffee granules
3 Ts cocoa powder
First, mix the light rye. Mix until the dough forms a loose ball, adding an additional T of water or two if necessary to bring the dough together. The dough should feel supple and pliable but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling to coat it all over. Cover and set aside.
Next, make the dark rye in the same way. Ferment both doughs at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, or until they double in bulk.
Next, turn each of the doughs out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide each color into 6 equal segments. Use a rolling pin to roll them out into rectangles approximately 8″ by 5″ in size. Layer the rectangles so that the colors alternate, making sure that the light rye is on the bottom, using 3 light and 3 dark for each loaf. Starting on the long side of the rectangle, fold about 1/3 of the dough towards you, pinching the dough down to form a seam. Next, take the other long edge of the rectangle, and fold it up and over the rolled-up dough, again pinching the edge to form a seam. The entire outside of the roll should be covered in the white rye, stretched around the inside layers. Repeat this shaping process with the other pieces of dough.
You can place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or into well-oiled loaf 8×5″ loaf pans. Mist the loaves with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the loaves double in bulk. (Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 2 days before proofing and baking.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk one egg with 1 tsp of water, and lightly brush the loaves with this egg wash. Bake on the middle rack for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the bread is 190 degrees (you can use a meat thermometer or a fancy bread thermometer for this). Remove immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for 1-2 hours before slicing or serving.
I just went to this site & it is so amazing! I wish they did mail order.
Really liking this bread thread. Johnny (JRandomFreeper)would have loved it, he was quite the bread baker himself. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of his passing. Still miss him every time I am on FR.
It’s made with cardamon, too.
Guess it depends on the quality, origin.
I buy the cheap tea to clear the pallet after my morning coffee and homemade, rustic, toasted bread with butter and cheese.
100 tagless bags of China black from Kroger for $1.19.
Half the fun of early retirement is squeezing a penny until old Abe reveals his true nature. Ha!
Popovers are simple to make and the only time consuming part is the actual baking.
I will have to try this recipe. I generally make half a batch of savory and half of sweet before a trip. The savory get stuffed with some sort of meat and the sweet generally get a cream cheese fruit filling.
They do not make nearly the mess that bread sandwiches make in the car.
I love this popover recipe. I’m sure, sure you have it.
This recipe makes six. It’s great for carb weekends.
I let the mixture rest for some 30-60 minutes before poring it into the popover tins.
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/at1eb4nd/neiman-marcus-popovers.html
Terrific idea...stuffing popovers ...for sandwiches.
Gotta remember that gem.
This is one of my favorite ways to make bread. When I have leftover mashed potatoes, I love to make it with them now. The butter, milk and potatoes make the bread so soft on the inside. You can use fresh tomatoes, or torn up whole tomatoes from a can. I also make sandwiches with it. I grew up eating this as a side to any saucy meal and using the bread to clean my plate. This is the closest recipe to my own.
Thick Pugliese Focaccia
This yeast dough made with mashed potatoes yields two large focacce or 4 smaller ones. These are thicker than focaccia seen in other parts of Italy. It is best to make this in a stand mixer.
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 medium all purpose potatoes, peeled, and diced
1 teaspoon dried yeast
6 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon wheat gluten (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
TOPPING
5 or 6 large plum tomatoes, cut into small chunks, or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin-olive oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
Directions
Put the potatoes in a pot and cover them with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and boil them until very tender. Drain, and reserve the water.
Mash the potatoes and set aside. You should have approximately 2 cups
Add enough cool water to the reserved potato water to make 3 cups in a large bowl or pour into a stand mixer.
Stir in the yeast and the mashed potatoes. Or use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer to blend the ingredients.
Mix 5 cups of the four with the wheat gluten and salt, and add it to the yeast mixture with the olive oil; blend or mix to form a soft dough; add additional flour as needed but do not make the dough too dry.
Place the dough in an oil sprayed bowl; cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise about 1 hour or until nearly doubled.
Preheat the oven to 375F
Brush each of two baking sheets (12 x 15 1/2 inches) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Knead the dough for a few minutes then use your hands to stretch each half onto the baking sheets. The dough does not need to fill the pan. Divide and scatter the tomatoes over the dough, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of oregano evenly over the top of each dough. Drizzle the top with 1 tablespoon each of the olive oil.
Let the focacce rest covered with a towel for 20 minutes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges and bottom crust are nicely browned.
Cut into pieces for serving.
Variations for toppings can also include oil cured olives, grated cheese, and herbs.
http://www.ciaoitalia.com/seasons/16/1604/thick-pugliese-focaccia
Usually I used pitas but I forget to buy some once so I made popovers. It worked so well that I began to make them for every trip.
They stay good in a plastic bag for at least two days, maybe longer. They always get eaten before the second day is over. :)
Thank you for reminding us of the anniversary of his passing. He was the source of a lot of inspiration around here. And knowledge :-)
I miss him as well.
Sounds delicious! I had never thought of using potatoes in focaccia but I’m sure it makes it very moist and tender. That btead can be a little dried out since it is thin and cooked until it is crispy on the edges.
I always watched my mother make it with potatoes growing up. From the region in Italy she is from, the focaccia is thick. It usually rises from 1 1/2 - 2 inches high. When I told her I started using leftover mashed potatoes, she thought it was a great idea.
Where is she from? My mother was from Trieste
I’m thinking the Gruyere popovers would make great sandwiches.
Already have the cheese....just have to add a compatible filling.
Maybe ham salad?
Looks yummy Liz!
A nice “bready” treat .... so little labor involved for such a great bite.
Crusty No-knead Holey Bread sounds great.
Had this in an Irish Pub with cream cheese and smoked salmon and fell in love with this. Also great with cream cheese and jam.
Irish Brown Bread
Yield:
1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup + 1½ teaspoons whole wheat flour
½ cup + 1½ teaspoons wheat bran, oat bran or wheat germ, or a combination
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon molasses
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and put it on the center oven rack.
2. Whisk together the whole wheat flour and wheat/oat bran or wheat germ in a large bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the wheat flour mixture and whisk to combine.
4. Add the butter pieces and rub them into small pieces with the flour mixture using your fingers, until as small as possible.
5. Stir in the buttermilk and molasses until the dough is uniformly damp. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead gently, until the dough forms a smooth ball.
6. Use a sharp serrated knife (or a lame) to slice a cross deeply into the top of the bread, about 1-inch deep. Place the loaf on the hot baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaf is firm on top and when you tap the bottom, feels hollow.
8. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about one hour before serving.
Grind together smoked turkey breast and Major Gray's Chutney. Add chopped green onion and enough mayo to make it stick together.
You can really use any kind of smoked turkey and chutney but the breast was all I could find at the deli and the Major Gray's had just enough heat without overpowering.
It is now "the dish HTB is required to bring to picnics".
Multo yummy......mmmmmm.
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