Peasant Bread

Tags

bread, yeast

I’ve always been afraid of baking bread. Not quick breads of course, since they’re so easy! But there’s something about yeast… and I don’t know why. I’m slowly working up my nerves. I’ve been making my own pizza dough a little more regularly now, and I have made bread a couple of times, though they haven’t all come out as I hoped.This bread came out wonderfully though! And there are so many great things about this recipe. First of all, if you’re at all intimidated by yeast and everything it involves then this recipe is perfect. It involves no kneading, with very short rise times. And this one recipe makes 4 separate loaves, which can be stored in the frig and baked over a 2 week period. Now, whenever I want bread, I can just throw a loaf in the oven and voila I have homemade bread!

I pretty much went through one of these loaves in one day. I had some with dinner, breakfast, snack, pre-dinner snack, and dinner again! 🙂 I guess I need to bake up another one so my husband will be able to try some… good thing there are three more loaves waiting to be baked in my frig!!Peasant Bread
Yield: Four 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1½ tablespoons instant yeast
1½ tablespoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal and additional flour for dusting the dough and peel

In a 4 or 5 quart bowl, mix yeast and salt with water. Mix in the flours without kneading, using your hands if need be to get the last bit of flour mixed in. Cover with plastic wrap or a light towel and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and then collapses or flattens on top, about 2 hours. After the initial rise, the dough can be used immediately or covered and refrigerated for up to 14 days.

To prepare the dough to bake, dust the surface of the dough with flour and cut the dough into 4 equal sections, each about 1-pound and the size of a grapefruit. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the edges of the dough around to the bottom, rotating the ball as needed. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.

As dough rests, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and place a baking stone on the middle rack. Remember that it’s ideal to have a hot stone to bake the bread on.

Once the second rise is complete, sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross, scallop, or tic-tac-toe pattern on the top, using a serrated bread knife; leave the flour in place for baking, but tap some of it off before slicing. In a cast iron pan or broiler tray, pour 1 cup of hot tap water; place in the preheated oven on a lower rack. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot baking stone. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top crust is deeply browned and very firm; smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. Remove loaf to a cooling rack. Serve while still warm, or let cool completely.

Source: Adapted from Honey & Jam via Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Glaze

Tags

bread, cinnamon, Pumpkin, yeast

The pumpkin bug has finally bit me. After seeing so many pumpkin recipes on all the blogs, and with the weather finally starting to cool down here, it has happened. It finally feels like fall is here. The pants and long sleeve shirts are coming to the front of the closet again, and I’m making sure I find my gloves and beanie for work. Snow has fallen on the mountains, and we’ve had some cold and wet days where I just wanted to curl up with cocoa and a book. If only we had a fireplace… hehe.

The temps have gotten cool enough to where I have wanted to turn the heater on! But instead, I bake and the heat from the oven warms the apartment. This bread was made on one such day and I actually had to turn the oven on really low to create a warm enough place for the dough to rise.I’m sure a lot of you have seen the Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread that spread around the blogosphere a while back. This is a delicious pumpkin adaptation I found while browsing for more pumpkin recipes. The bread had always looked like a lot of effort to me, and so I had passed on it. Besides, yeast still kind of worries me… and it requires so much waiting and planning… But when I saw this pumpkin version, I knew I had to try it. And man, was it worth it! A fluffy, light pumpkin flavor with the cinnamon sugar combo reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, and a deliciously spiced glaze that compliments the bread perfectly! Get in the spirit of the season, and give this bread a try!

Are you already in fall/pumpkin mode?Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Spiced Glaze
Note: Dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight after the first rise, but pull the dough out of the refrigerator to let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling it out.

Bread:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup milk
2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups bread flour

Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Glaze:
⅓ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

To make the bread: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but be sure to remove it from the heat before it burns and turns black. Once browned, pour the butter into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Pour the milk into the same saucepan and warm it thoroughly. Add it to the butter in the mixing bowl; allow the mixture to cool to about 100-110 degrees F then stir in the sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit for a few minutes while the yeast activates and bubbles or foams up.

Slowly mix in pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Knead for 4 to 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

To make the filling: While the dough is rising, in a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. When the dough is almost doubled in size, melt the butter and set aside to cool. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

To assemble: When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1 to 2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Periodically check to make sure the dough isn’t sticking. If the dough seems difficult to roll out and is too elastic, cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough then evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. With the long edge of the dough towards you, cut the rectangle into 6 vertical strips using a pizza cutter or a bench scraper. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares. Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F for metal pans, or 325 degrees F for glass pans. Once the dough has risen, bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is a very deep golden brown (it is important to not pull it out at light golden brown, or the bread may be raw in the center). Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Once cooled, use a butter knife to loosen all sides of the bread from the loaf pan and gently turn it out onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip it to turn it right side up.

To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in the butter, then add 1 tablespoon of milk. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over the top of the bread.

Source: Adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego and Willow Bird Baking

Pizza Dough

Tags

pizza, yeast

I have always been a pizza lover. For the longest time, it was my meal of choice and I would have it as often as I could. When I was looking at colleges, I would always try their pizza. You can always judge a place by its pizza, right? 😉

This dough is delicious, and very versatile. You can of course use it to make pizza, but it can be used for breadsticks, calzones, pizza rolls, or anything you can imagine with pizza dough! And this dough freezes wonderfully. By always having some on hand, you can make pizza any time the craving hits (which for me, is quite often)! Pick and choose your toppings and make a pizza that you really want, without the hassle of going out.

I would highly recommend a pizza stone for baking your pizza. I don’t have one myself, but it’s on my wish list! With pizza and any bread you bake at home, the stone will help make a nice crunchy bottom crust while keeping the inside tender and soft.Pizza Dough
Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

½ cup warm water
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1¼ cup water, at room temperature

Measure the warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top; let sit for about 5 minute or until the yeast dissolves and swells. Slowly stir in the olive oil.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour, salt, and garlic powder, mixing briefly to blend. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water-oil mixture. Slowly add the room temperature water, reserving about ¼ cup of water. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed, adding the reserved water as needed.  Switch to the dough hook.  Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.

If freezing, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a Ziploc bag and freeze immediately. To use the dough, pull it to defrost the night before or that morning. Proceed with the baking instructions.

To bake the pizza, preheat the oven 500 degrees F. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven while it preheats for at least 30 minutes.

Before shaping the dough, let it relax at room temperature for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes. Lightly sprinkle parchment paper or a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. For a little garlic flavor, add some granulated garlic to the cornmeal or flour. Transfer the dough to your prepared surface, and shape the dough to your desired size with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Annie’s Eats, who adapted it from Baking Illustrated