Recipes

No-Knead Bread  Tastes like Ciabatta bread.
* 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
* 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
* 3 cups water
* 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough (*you can replace about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of white flour with any whole grain flour with great results).
* Cornmeal

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups warm water. Add flour, and stir to combine completely. Let dough rise in a warm place for at least two hours, until it rises and collapses (up to 5 hours – or even overnight won’t hurt it). The dough may be baked at this point, or refrigerated for later use.

2. Cover dough, but make sure it is not airtight – gases need to escape – and place in fridge. When you are ready to use it, throw a small fistful of flour on the surface and use a serrated knife to cut off a piece of the size you desire. (The authors recommend a 1 pound loaf – which means cutting off grapefruit-sized piece of dough). Turning the dough in your hands, stretch the surface of the dough and tuck in under. The surface will be smooth, and the bottom with be bunched.

3. Dust a pizza peel (or any flat surface – I use a rimless cookie sheet) with cornmeal. (This prevents sticking, and adds a nice, rustic crunch. You can use flour instead, but you’ll need to use a very generous dusting). Allow dough to rest in a warm place for 40 minutes – longer (up to an hour and a half) if you use some whole wheat flour in place of the white, or if you make a larger loaf.

4. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with baking stone (or overturned baking sheet) inside on the middle rack, plus a shallow pan on the top rack. Throw a small fistful of flour over the dough, slash it 2-4 times with a serrated knife (in a cross, a tic-tac-toe, or a fan), and slide it into the oven, onto the baking stone. Throw 1-2 cups of tap water into the shallow pan, and quickly shut the oven door to trap steam inside. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is well browned and bread sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.

One-Hour French Bread
1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
3 – 4 cups flour (any combination of white and whole wheat)

Preheat oven 450º. Combine water, salt, honey, and yeast in a medium bowl. Let sit 5 – 10 minutes, until bubbling. Add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until dough is no longer sticky (I’ll sometimes dump the dough out onto the cutting board with what flour is in the bowl and roll it around,adding a bit more flour, until it’s not sticky). Roll dough into a 12 – 14″ roll (or you can divide it in half and roll it into two long skinny baguettes). Place dough roll(s) on a cookie sheet (this won’t work in a bread pan), greased or sprayed with non-stick spray, cover, and let sit 20 minutes. Make diagonal slits, 1/2″ deep, on top with a razor blade. (Optional: spray with salt water). Bake 20 minutes.

Spice Bread
1 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast

1 1/2 Cup Warm Water (110-115 degrees)

4 Cups Sifted Flour

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1 Tsp. Onion Salt

Egg Whites for Glazing

Fennel Seed (optional- or I like to use Rosemary)

Grated Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water.  Then, sift the dry ingredients and stir them into the yeast mixture (this includes the fennel seeds and parmesan).  Next, work the dough with your hands until all the flour is absorbed.  Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Then, place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. (Suggestion: keep a pot of boiling water on the stove and place your dough bowl near it- it helps activate the yeast).

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and punch it down.  Divide the dough and shape it into long narrow loaves.  Place the loaves on parchment paper or a silpat and onto a cookie sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again.

3. Brush the top of the loaves with egg whites and sprinkle more fennel seeds on top.  Place into the pre-heated oven for about 35 minutes.  At 30 minutes, brush the loaves with egg whites again.

Beer Bread
make 1 loaf, prep 5 min, cook 50 min

* 3 cups self rising flour
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 12 oz beer

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a loaf pan.
2. Combine all three ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well.
3. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until loaf is golden brown.
4. Rub hot loaf all over with butter to soften the crust and cool on a rack.

If you don’t buy self-rising flour you can use the following as a substitute:

* 3 scant cups all-purpose flour
* 4 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp salt

PIZZA Dough
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 2 cups bread flour (for bread machines)or Pizza Flour. You want a High protein flour.
* 1 teaspoon instant yeast
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* Olive oil, for the pizza crust
* Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Directions

Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into the mixer’s work bowl.

Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker’s windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven.

Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.

Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.

Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)

Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese.

Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

30 Minute Rolls  From SCi-fi Chick @Bacon & Eggs blog
1 C plus 2 Tbsp warm water
1/3 C oil
2 Tbsp yeast
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 C bread flour (seems to work better but all purpose flour will also work)
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
In your mixer bowl combine the water, oil, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.  Using your dough hook, mix in the salt, egg and flour.  Knead with hook until will incorporated and dough is soft and smooth. (Just a few minutes)
Form dough into 12 balls and then place in a greased 9 x 13 pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

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