A long, cold winter is good for baking. I did a lot of that. Once upon a time I tried to turn into an artisan bread snob. Which turned out worse than my even thinking about being a foodie. I went from not being able to make a simple loaf of white bread to trying to grow mold...on raisins...under the full moon, etc. Then there is feeding different starters. It is a little like having a newborn in the house, the feedings are spaced out a little longer. Baking bread, once enjoyable, became a chore. Mold, which is easy to come by in the South, did not want to grow on raisins in my kitchen, and my starters were hit and miss and my bread was nothing to brag about for all the trouble. I was on message boards with too many rules, the main one being no commercial yeast, and I needed chemistry lessons. Not a bad thing, but I wanted to enjoy bread again. It was with a homicidal heart that I ended the life of all but one of my starters. It is all a matter of what works best, if I don't have yeast on hand, I use potato. Most breads I make do not require starter. I love to bake bread.
I joined a bread group and this book was all the rage:
After seeing pictures of breads made from the recipes of this Better Homes and Gardens 1973 edition book, I bought one (did you think anyone had to twist my arm on this?). I shelled out $1 on Amazon used, plus shipping. I love this book.
This is Pilgrims' Bread (pg. 61), made with white, wheat, rye, and cornmeal. This double loaf recipe lasts quite a while.
Best-Ever Muffins (pg. 87), were a hit as well and were made with the blueberries picked and frozen from last year.
Hoagie rolls were not from the book, were from a shared recipe:
Amie's Sub/Hoagie Rolls
1 1/2 tsp. (about 1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
In a small bowl, add honey to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast and let sit for 5 minutes, or until frothy/foamy. Add oil and stir to combine.
Combine salt and flours in a medium mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer, or by hand, add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Beat until smooth on medium speed. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour to make the dough soft.
On a lightly floured surface (or in the mixer bowl with bread hook), knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with a bit of oil and place dough into bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to 400 degrees.
Punch down dough and, on a lightly floured surface, divide into 8 balls. Shape each ball into a long oval, roughly the size of the hoagie roll you wish to make. Arrange long ovals on parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Cover again and let rise an additional 25 minutes. Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
Very good but because of the sodium content will not make very often.
This was baked on the same day so since I had the oven going in went a lasagna:
I guess I should have made some Italian bread!
I joined a bread group and this book was all the rage:
After seeing pictures of breads made from the recipes of this Better Homes and Gardens 1973 edition book, I bought one (did you think anyone had to twist my arm on this?). I shelled out $1 on Amazon used, plus shipping. I love this book.
This is Pilgrims' Bread (pg. 61), made with white, wheat, rye, and cornmeal. This double loaf recipe lasts quite a while.
Best-Ever Muffins (pg. 87), were a hit as well and were made with the blueberries picked and frozen from last year.
Hoagie rolls were not from the book, were from a shared recipe:
Amie's Sub/Hoagie Rolls
1 1/2 tsp. (about 1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
In a small bowl, add honey to the warm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast and let sit for 5 minutes, or until frothy/foamy. Add oil and stir to combine.
Combine salt and flours in a medium mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer, or by hand, add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Beat until smooth on medium speed. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour to make the dough soft.
On a lightly floured surface (or in the mixer bowl with bread hook), knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with a bit of oil and place dough into bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with dish towel and let rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set oven to 400 degrees.
Punch down dough and, on a lightly floured surface, divide into 8 balls. Shape each ball into a long oval, roughly the size of the hoagie roll you wish to make. Arrange long ovals on parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Cover again and let rise an additional 25 minutes. Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
This was baked on the same day so since I had the oven going in went a lasagna:
I guess I should have made some Italian bread!
...well dear, it appears you are becoming a foodie after all...i don't feel as bad 'bout my breads now, i resigned after a few mediocre results...anyway, that lasagna looks fantastic, the Mrs is making sauce this week so i see a batch in our future as well...
ReplyDelete...see ya soon
Damn.
ReplyDeleteYou did say you had a post written in your head. Glad you got it out there.
LOL Ken, my food isn't nearly that attractive, thank you for the compliments on the lasagna, it is the middle son's favorite, I guess that 1/4 part Italian comes in handy. Yep Marica, think I hurt my brain lol.
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