Category Archives: Bread

My Grammie Wasn’t French

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YouTube posted a video demonstrating how someone’s Grandmother made an easy french bread. Well, apparently my Grammie wasn’t French.

My bread tasted fine and was fairly fast and easy to make. My problem was with fermenting and proofing the dough. Although I followed the directions and used the standard “poke test,” my loaves were under-proofed.

When I mixed the water, milk, sugar and yeast I didn’t see the usual activation of the yeast. To test it I mixed a tablespoon of water with teaspoons of sugar and yeast. Within 5 minutes the yeast was bubbly so, it tested good.

I continued on with the instructions, while in retrospect, should have extended the proofing time.

The final baked bread resulted in a good color, a minimal rise, nice crust and flavor. It needed a better, more open structure to be a good loaf.

French Bread from a French Grandmother

INGREDIENTS
• 200 ml of warm water.
• 200 ml of warm milk.
• 1 Tbl of sugar.
• 8g (2½ tsp) dry yeast.
• 1 egg, separated
• 90 ml of vegetable oil.
• 700 g of bread flour, divided (600g & 100g)
• 1 tsp of salt.

METHOD

  1. Whisk water, milk, sugar and yeast, cover, and leave for 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves.
  2. Separate the egg, cover the yolk with cling film for later use.
  3. Add egg white and vegetable oil to bowl and mix well with a spoon.
  4. Sift in 600 g of bread flour and 1 teaspoon of salt mix well with a spoon
  5. Sift in the remaining 100 g of flour and mix by hand.
  6. Sprinkle the table with flour.
  7. The dough should be medium soft and formed into a large ball.
  8. Coat the bowl with vegetable oil, place ball, smooth side, up in the oiled bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes.
  9. Place on lightly floured table, de-gas, roll into a ball and divide into 3 parts and roll each part into a ball, cover, and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
  10. Roll out the dough into a ~12 x 16” rectangle on the lightly floured table.
  11. Roll from the smaller side into a batard, pinch the edges and ends together, place on parchment paper, cover and leave for 15 minutes.
  12. Coat the surface with milk. (Or egg wash?)
  13. Make 6 diagonal cuts on each batard, dust top with flour.
  14. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/360°F for 35-40 minutes.

Turkish Bread – Francala

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I saw a video on YouTube on how to make Turkish Bread. It caught my attention because of the “sauce” baked inside each loaf. The sauce is a mixture of water, flour and oil painted on the flattened circle of dough before it is rolled up.

The bread is soft, flavorful with a crisp crackling crust.

The published recipe instructed me to make 12 loaves, but after forming the first two I combined them to make six larger loaves (as pictured.) These are about 6” long .

Turkish Bread – Francala – Somum Ekmek

INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
• 10 g (1 Tbl) dry yeast
• 20 g (1 Tbl) sugar
• 100 ml milk
• 200 ml water
• 420 g (3.5c) bread flour
• 8 g (1 tsp) salt
• 20 ml (2 Tbl) oil
For the sauce:
• 20 g (1 Tbl) flour
• 10 ml (1 Tbl) oil
• 30 ml (3 Tbl) water

METHOD

  1. Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix into a shaggy mass
  2. Knead in the bowl to a smooth sticky dough then cover and let ferment until it doubles in size
  3. Add the flour, oil and water in a small bowl and mix until it is a smooth consistency
  4. Deflate the dough on a lightly floured surface then form into a ball and divide it into 6 pieces
  5. Shape each piece into a ball then use your fingers to pat the dough into a flat bumpy circle about 5” diameter turn over and repeat
  6. Coat the dough with the sauce and fold it over pressing the seam as you go. Pinch the ends and seam together and roll out slightly to taper the ends
  7. Place on a baking sheet, cover and let sit for an hour
  8. After 30 minutes preheat the oven to 450ᵒF
  9. Sprinkle flour on top then cut with a curve, lengthwise score with a lame
  10. Add a cup of hot water to a container in the oven
  11. Drop the temperature to 375ᵒF and bake for ~20-30 min? Check internal temperature after 20 min.
  12. Should be finished baking when ~ 210-220ᵒF

No Knead Crusty White Bread

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KAB to the rescue! I made their No Knead Crusty White Bread this morning. Mix ingredients, let sit 2 hours, refrigerate 2 (and more) hours shape, let rise, bake, enjoy.

This is a very easy 75% hydration bread that takes very little hands on time and is exceptional. I made half (630g) on a stone today and will make the other half in a day or two, but use a Dutch Oven.

No Knead Crusty White Bread – KAB

INGREDIENTS
• 7 1/2 cups (900g) AP Flour
• 3 cups (680g) water, lukewarm
• 1 tablespoon (18g) table salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (14g) instant yeast

METHOD

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. “Lukewarm” means about 105°F.
  2. Mix and stir everything together for a minute in a stand mixer with blade to make a very sticky, rough dough. It will weigh roughly 1225g.
  3. Transfer to a greased plastic proofing bucket and let the dough rise for 2 hours at room temperature.
  4. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you’re pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it’ll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it’ll rise, then fall. That’s OK; that’s what it’s supposed to do.
  5. When you’re ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 400g to 540g piece, if you have a scale. It’ll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.
  6. Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Roll around the table to tension the surface.
  7. Place the loaf on a piece of parchment (if you’re going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking. Drape the bread with greased plastic wrap or cover it with a reusable cover.
  8. Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won’t appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it’ll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven to 450°F while the loaf rests. If you’re using a baking stone, position it on a middle rack while the oven preheats. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.
  9. When you’re ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2″ deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that’s OK, it’ll pick right up in the hot oven.
  10. Place the bread in the oven — onto the baking stone, if you’re using one, or simply onto a middle rack, if it’s on a pan — and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It’ll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.
  11. Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it’s a deep, golden brown.
  12. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack.
  13. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature

Notes:
• To freeze the dough, divide into 2 parts, deflate, roll into balls, wrap in plastic wrap and label. Store in freezer for up to 2 weeks

Pan de Cristal – Revisited

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I first made this bread about two years ago. I was hesitant to make it again as it isn’t the easiest loaf to make. It’s 100% hydration which means equal parts flour and water. This makes a very soft, slack, tricky dough to handle, However, this weekend I saw a great tutorial on YouTube by Martin Philip at King Arthur Baking. He demonstration how to make it much easier, I decided to give it another try. (My no golf weekend is not over.)

Watch his tutorial and give it a try. It still isn’t the easiest, even with his help, but it is well worth the effort. It has a crisp crust and the texture of air inside. A little butter, or some oil and vinegar REALLY sets this bread off.

Pan de Cristal

INGREDIENTS
• 500g water (80 F in warm weather, 100F if cold)
• 500g Bread Flour
• 2.5g (3/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
• 10g salt
• 15g olive oil

METHOD

  1. To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the water, flour, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined and homogenous. Note: The dough starts off very slack and wet. That’s OK; it will transform itself through time and folds.
  3. Oil a two-quart rectangular baking dish (10” x 7”) with the olive oil. If you don’t have a 2-quart dish, an 8” or 9” square pan will work. Don’t worry about any pan you use being oven-safe; you won’t be baking the bread in it.
  4. Pour the dough into the pan. Check the dough’s temperature by inserting a digital thermometer into the center. If it’s less than 72°F, move the pan to a warmer spot, e.g., your oven with the light turned on.
  5. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  6. Start with a bowl fold: Use your wet hands to grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Repeat this around the pan eight to 12 times.
  7. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  8. Then do a coil fold: With wet hands, reach under the dough and stretch the middle upward until the dough releases from the dish. Roll it forward off your hands, allowing it to fold over (or “coil”) on itself. This is called a coil fold. Rotate the dish 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat. Continue performing this folding action until the dough feels like it won’t stretch and elongate easily, usually four to five times initially. Note: You’ll be doing this three more times, each time building strength and developing the dough.
  9. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  10. Repeat the coil fold. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  11. At this point, the dough should be easier to handle and feel tighter. Repeat the coil fold using only two or three folds this time. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
  12. Repeat the coil fold one last time, using only one or two folds if the dough is relatively strong. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for about 80 minutes.
  13. To divide the dough: As gently as possible, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, maintaining the rectangle or square shape – be careful not to deflate the delicate dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough, leaving no exposed sticky spots. Then, working as gently as possible, use a bench knife or other sharp knife to divide it into four pieces. Gently place two pieces on a piece of parchment, leaving space between them. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough, placing them on another piece of parchment.
  14. Allow the loaves to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, uncovered. While the loaves are resting, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on a lower rack. Allow the oven to preheat for 1 hour to ensure it’s thoroughly heated. The loaves are ready for the oven when there are a few large bubbles on the surface of each loaf and they feel light and airy.
  15. To bake the bread: Carefully slide the two loaves (still resting on the parchment) into the oven onto the preheated stone or steel. If space is tight and the full sheet of parchment won’t fit on the stone or steel, cut the parchment between the two loaves and arrange them as best you can. Allow the other two loaves to continue to rest.
  16. Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then transfer them, from the stone or steel, directly onto a rack in the upper third of the oven for an additional 13 to 15 minutes. Moving them allows the baking stone or steel to become hot again in preparation for the next two loaves. After a total of 30 minutes of baking, remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack.
  17. Repeat the process with the two remaining loaves. Cool the bread fully before slicing.
  18. Storage information: Wrap the bread loosely and store it at room temperature for up to several days; freeze for longer storage.

ET Call Home

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Another winning recipe from King Arthur Baking – Everything No-Knead Bread.

What’s nice about this bread is how easy it is to prepare and bake. It has a fantastic flavor and texture. It took about 30minutes to mix the ingredients (by hand), before it fermented, covered for 8 hours. It’s shaped, popped into a Dutch oven to proof for 1.5 – 2 hours, then baked for about an hour. That it! (Check the proofing by using the poke test. The first loaf was over proofed after 2 hours.)

No Knead Everything Bread – KAB

INGREDIENTS

Dough
• 2 1/4 c (510g) water, cool
• 5 1/2 c (660g) Unbleached Bread Flour
• 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp (12g) table salt
• 2 Tbl (18g) Everything Bagel Topping
• 2 Tbl (25g) olive oil
Topping
• 1 Tbl Everything Bagel Topping

METHOD

  1. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Mix the dough ingredients in a large bowl to make a sticky dough. Or beat in a stand mixer for 3 minutes.
  2. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours; the dough will become bubbly and rise quite a bit, so make sure it’s in a large bowl.
  3. Lightly grease a 14″ to 15″ long lidded stoneware baker, or 9″ to 10″ round lidded baking crock. Our bread baking crock and bread pot are both great choices.
  4. Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface; the dough will be slack. To shape the loaf, fold the dough over onto itself using a bench knife or well-floured hands. Because the dough is slightly sticky, it’s best to work quickly.
  5. Place the dough in the prepared pan, smooth side up.
  6. Cover and let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until a slight indentation remains when you poke it with your finger.
  7. Just before baking, spritz or brush the dough with water and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon Everything topping over the dough. Using kitchen scissors, make several 1/2″ deep cuts in a decorative pattern on the top of the dough to allow the bread to expand.
  8. Replace the lid on the pot and put it in a cold oven; set the temperature to 450°F.
  9. Bake the bread for 50 minutes (start the timer once the bread goes into the oven), then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until it’s deep brown in color, and a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F.
  10. Remove the bread from the oven, turn it onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

Christmas ‘23 – Like No Other

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Covid sucks. No sense in beating around the bush, Covid just plain sucks. It totally disrupted our holiday today, and tomorrow and…

We were invited to a family dinner tonight and I was asked if I could bring my dinner rolls and one of my desserts, to which I said “Of course!” I decided to make rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree and eclairs suitable for a Christmas dinner.

When I contacted our relative and begged off due to possible Covid exposure she said I shouldn’t bring the rolls and dessert. I told her how I was looking forward to baking and making them and would be very disappointed to not be able to. (I dropped them off this afternoon.)

I know her husband loves the my eclairs so I modified my usual ones to be “Christmasy.” I glazed a few with my normal dark chocolate and made colored white chocolate for the rest, I reserved some of the white chocolate glaze and colored it using oil based food coloring. I “painted” the faces etc and realized in the future I need to make the eclairs larger to have a larger “canvas” to paint on. I call this “Tim Burton’s Eclairs for Christmas” eclairs.

Christmas Tree Dinner Rolls

INGREDIENTS
• 488 g (2 cups) warm milk
• 2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
• 50 g white granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons salted butter softened
• 2 large eggs
• 750-850 g (6-7c) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 egg and 1 Tbl water for an egg wash
• ½ c fresh cranberries – choose the most uniform
• Several sprigs fresh rosemary.
• ½ c water
• 1 ½ c sugar, divided 1:½

METHOD

  1. In the Pro600 stand mixer bowl, combine and mix all ingredients except the flour. (This is to remind me to use my larger mixer.)
  2. Add in 5 ½ cups of flour. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on and increase speed slowly to keep the flour from flying all over. Slowly add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (I watch the bottom of the bowl and add flour until the dough just comes clean from the bottom.) Once the dough clears, knead for 8 minutes. The dough mixture should be sticky and soft.
  3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. (I dump the dough on the counter, spray the stand mixer bowl with some olive oil and return the dough, cover and let rise 45 – 60 minutes, until doubled.)
  4. Form the the dough into into 45g balls.
  5. Arrange the balls into 8 rows, 3 for the base of the tree, then 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
  6. Reserved one ball to shape the star. (I used a star cookie cutter.)
  7. Cover and let rise 45 – 60 min.
  8. Preheat oven to 375⁰F 15 minutes before the end of the final proof.
  9. Mix egg and water to make an egg wash and lightly brush the rolls.
  10. Bake the rolls for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned.
  11. Remove rolls from oven and brush with melted butter. Best when served warm. To cool, let rest in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Once cooled completely, store in a plastic bag.

Sparkling sugar cranberries and Rosemary

  1. Wash cranberries and put in a heat proof bowl
  2. Bring the water and 1 c sugar to a simmer
  3. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes then pour over the cranberries
  4. Cool for 1-2 hours in the fridge.
  5. Strain the berries and let dry
  6. Roll in granulated sugar, spread on parchment paper and let dry
  7. Repeat with the rosemary

1 Apple and 3 Bananas a Day…

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We returned from Kauai VERY early this morning. When I staggered into the kitchen I found three VERY ripe banana and a very (small case on purpose) soft apple in our produce rack. Instantly, I thought apple-banana bread.

This recipe is an amalgam of several I found online. One note: my brown sugar was very clumpy so I ran it through a sieve before adding it to the other dry ingredients. I was able to break up the clumps with my fingers.

Apple-Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
• 260 g (1¾ c) AP flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 75 g (⅓ c) granulated sugar
• 110 g (⅔ c) light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ c butter (very soft)
• 3 Tbl milk
• 3 small/medium bananas (mashed)
• 1 large apple (peeled, cored, chopped)

METHOD

  1. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices.
  2. Blend in eggs, butter, and milk.
  3. Stir in banana and apple.
  4. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
  5. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until toothpick test comes out clean. (Internal temperature was 193F.)
  6. Rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then on a cooling rack until room temperature (if you can wait that long.)

Olive Breadsticks Revisited

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I made Paul Hollywood’s Olive Bread Sticks in 2017 and thought it was high time to repeat. It was another perfect golf day (but not a perfect score.) I love olives and I love bread. Ta Da!

See the recipe and method on the link above. Easy to make, although a tad messy. The dough is very slack and requires a lot of flour to be able to shape and move it. I also brush the finished breadsticks to remove excess flour after they have cooled.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread from White Gold

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This will be my last Gluten Free recipe (at least for now.) It is a sandwich bread from White Gold Gluten Free flour.

I used their recipe with minimal changes (Calcium free milk and butter replacing the original ingredients.) I also use an egg-white wash rather than a full egg wash.

The crumb and texture are excellent and the flavor approaches a wheat flour loaf. Use a digital thermometer and remove from oven when the interior temp reaches 200F.

(Tent the bread when it browns at about 20 minutes of baking.)

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread (White Gold)

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package (1.1 Lb) Extra White Gold gluten free bread flour
• 1 Tbsp. dry yeast (1 envelope)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 c. lukewarm almond milk
• 3 Tbl softened butter (replacing ¼ cup vegetable oil)
• ½ tsp salt (replacing 1 ½ tsp. salt)
• 1 egg for egg wash
• Sesame seeds (optional)

METHOD:

  1. Add the flour, honey and yeast to a stand mixer bowl. Mix for 3 minutes with a paddle attachment.
  2. Add the eggs and almond milk and mix for 3 minutes. (NOTE: I used ¼ cup heavy cream and ¾ c 2% calcium free milk.)
  3. Add butter (or vegetable oil) and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. The dough should be sticky.
  4. Let it rise for 90 minutes, in the mixer bowl, covered, in a warm dry place. (Such as a proofing oven)
  5. Pour/scape the dough in a bread loaf. (A narrower bread pan will help shape the bread.)
  6. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes.
  7. Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg. Place a shallow dish in the lower part of the oven
  8. Brush the bread gently with an egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds (optional).
  9. Place the bread pan on a center rack and pour 1 cup of water into the shallow dish.
  10. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown. (Don’t over bake!)

Gluten Free Berry Drop Scones

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Continuing the thread of gluten free bakes, this one provides a nice gluten free snack or breakfast without being “breads.”

The only changes I made to the original recipe are including xanthan gum and substituting milk and cream for almond milk.

Gluten Free Berry Drop Scones

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free AP flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 1 ½ tsp xanthan gum (optional)
    • Zest of 1 small lemon
    • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening chilled and cut into cubes
    • 150-175g fresh raspberries
    • 1 cup almond milk (See NOTE below)
    • Coarse or turbinado sugar for topping

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum (optional), salt, sugar and zest. Pulse a few times to incorporate.
  3. Add the cubed Crisco and pulse to incorporate. The mixture should resemble very coarse sand.
  4. Empty the flour mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the almond milk and stir until just barely incorporated. (NOTE: I use ¼ c heavy cream and ¾ c 2% calcium free milk)
  5. Gently fold in the berries. It’s fine if the raspberries break up a little – it adds a nice pink stain to the dough. The dough should just be moist, not wet, but also not crumbly or powdery looking. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of cold water.
  6. Spoon (I used my hands, wetted if necessary to form small balls of dough) the dough into 9-12 equally sized pieces on the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some coarse or turbinado sugar over the top, if desired.
  7. Bake for 16-19 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The scones should be lightly golden and cooked through.
  8. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then carefully remove to a cooling rack.