Recently in Bread Category
Thanks for the great response to the bread recipe. It really is a quick, versatile, foolproof bread anyone can make with out much effort and no skill.
I have tried another twist to the recipe that I think you will find a wonderful change.
Costco sells a "Rustic Tuscan Seasoning" that is really quite good. It is a blend of garlic, sea salt, rosemary, basil, black pepper, oregano, hot red peper flakes, red and greed bell pepper, lemon zest, onion and who knows what else. It is recommended for meats seasoning but it smells so good I was thinking yesterday about a bread that tasted as good as the seasoning smelled.
I whipped up a batch of bread but as the dough mixer was slowing bringing it to a ball I dumped in about 2 - 3 tbsp of the tuscan seasoning.
If nothing else the dough looked fabulous.
I set it to rise then formed the loaves for the second rise. When I rolled out the dough before rolling into a loaf I loaded it down with a heavy dowsing of parmesain cheese.
Well, long story short - it was so good I don't have a photo of the bread. It's all gone. Momma took the 2nd loaf to go home with her. I think she and her husband have plans for a spaghetti dinner with the bread as a feature player on the table.
I have been baking alot lately. It is one of those things I have never done well but decided I needed to perfect this skill. Bread has always been my downfall and I have never had much luck with it.
Times be changing!
I have searched high and low for one good white bread recipe that would be versatile and suit any number of bread desires*.
Thanks to a lovely young woman in southern most Virginia for sharing her recipe. (Hey, Stacey!)
Homemade White Bread
2 cups warm (almost hot) water
4 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
-Combine together and let rise for 5 minutes
1/4 cup oil
5 cups bread flour
2 tsp. salt
Add to yeast mixture and knead until smooth and elastic. (I use my KitchenAid mixer w/ the dough hook to do this. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, it makes this process MUCH easier!)
Cover and let rise for 20-25 minutes. Beat dough down and make into loaves (this recipe makes 2 loaves).Here's the trick to get your bread to come out right. You need to roll out the bread into a rectangle, then roll up into a loaf, like you would when making cinnamon rolls. Lightly slice top of bread to get diagonal cut look when baked. (refer to pic) Let loaves rise (I put my loaves on separate cookie sheets) for 20-25 minutes. Bake on 350* for 20-25 minutes, until top of loaves are golden brown. Let bread cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
And it is easy. With my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer and dough hook the bread is no work at all.
It is also versatile.
When rolling out the dough into the rectangle I have added fresh garlic I ground to a paste and italian seasonings before rolling it into a loaf. The top was sprinkled with more seasonings after a quick brush with butter. It was awesome! The aromas filling the air had people asking if I was baking pizza.
The other loaf lended itself to a lovely braid.
I have also done this recipe with cheese in the dough. Fantastic fresh ffrom the oven.
Another fabulous idea for this bread is cinnamon rolls.
In the first stage when rolling out into the rectangle smooth softened butter over the dough and top with brown sugar, raisins, pecans and lots of cinnamon.
Roll like you would a jelly roll and then cut into 1 inch pinwheels.
Line a baking sheet. My silpat is perfect for these rolls. The melting brown sugar doesn't stick and make a baked on mess.
Bake.
And eat.
Try it. Show me what you can bake with this simple but awesome recipe.
P.S. No one is watching your weight but you. Indulge. You only live once. Besides sweatpants stretch. Hahaha!
*Yes, desires. I have hot steamy lustful thoughts when it comes to bread - my one true love that is determined to keep me fat, barefoot and in the kitchen for all my born days.
How sad.
Now you can't make this wonderful quick chocolate treat.
Angie's Chocolate Choclate Chip Mini's (from starter)
2 c. flour (I use self-rising to get extra lift)1 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c. sweet bread starter
3 eggs
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 12oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 box devil's food or dark chocolate or chocolate pudding
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powde, baking soda, salt and chocolate pudding.
In another large mixing bowl mix together the sweet starter, eggs, oil and vanilla.
Combine the two mixes by gradually stirring in the sifted ingredients to the wet ingredients until just blended. Add chocolate chips. Mix well.
Spoon into mini baking cups.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes 96 mini cupcakes.
Careful to watch them. They may cook faster depending on your oven.
These are a cross between a great brownie and a good chocolate chip cookie.
Gonna make the starter now?
- then you will like this recipe.
I am in the mood for fall. Have been for a couple of weeks now. I love fall apples and baking.
Go get some apples.
We have baking to do.
Apple Pecan Bread (from starter)
2 c. flour (I use self-rising to get extra lift)
1 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 c. sweet bread starter
3 eggs
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 c. chopped pecans
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl sift together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In another large mixing bowl mix together the sweet starter, eggs, oil and vanilla.
Combine the two mixes by gradually stirring in the sifted ingredients to the wet ingredients until just blended.
Add the nuts and apples.
Divide the batter evenly between two 9x5 inch loaf pans coated with floured baking spray.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
I love sour dough bread. I love rustic grilled sandwiches made with thinly sliced meats and melty cheese. Nowhere in the world will you find better sour dough than in San Francisco but you can make awesome sour dough bread in your own kitchen from naturally occuring yeasts in the air. You just have to catch them!
1 cup bread flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk
Combine until smooth - I use a wire wisk.
Pour into a container that can sit on your countertop.
Loosely cover with cheese cloth or a dish cloth. The mix needs to breath. Wild yeast bacteria naturally occuring in the air we breath should make a home here and do all the work.
Look! I caught a wild yeast. Woot!!! It bubbles and rises. It is a living food culture.
See that line of liquid that is rising to the top? That is the 'hooch'. It is the fermented sugars we used to feed the yeast cultures. The mix does smell like rich beer. No worries! When you bake with it the alcohols cook away.
Every day the mix needs to be stirred. Every 5 days it needs to be fed. I feed it the same simple recipe - 1 cup bread flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. After the first 10 days you can begin to bake with it. Lovely breads and sweets. Anything you can do with a yeast recipe you can do with this starter. You can search google and turn up tons of awesome easy recipes for your dough starter.
If you have trouble catching a yeast you can still make your own with some starter help. In your original recipe add 1 package of dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water allowed to sit to for 10 minutes to activate. Then continue feeding the mixture the simple recipe above (1 cup bread flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk) every 5 days. On day 10 you begin cooking with it.
You much tend your starter. You must feed it. Without your TLC it will die. If you find yourself in a position where you have too much starter or you don't have time to use it you can freeze it. After having been frozen you will need to let it thaw and come up to room temerpature. Then you want to watch for it to be to activate again. You want to feed it and help it to grow. If you don't want to freeze it you can give it away by the cup full to your friends and neighbors.
Think about it. It is the perfect sharing food. You feed it and it feeds you and your family and your friends and their families.
Now go get busy. It will take you 2 minutes to make the mix. The rest of the work is done by nature.
Chop. Chop. Get to moving. I haven't asked you to do anything in a long time. ;)
