Tuscan Artisan Bread

Tuscan Artisan Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

The primary difference between breads made in Tuscany and those made in other parts of Italy is that the Tuscans tend not to salt their bread. As a result, the flavor is often bland. Serve this bread with a salty sauce like a tapanade or a bagna cauda to make the most out of it.

The other cool thing about traditional Tuscan bread is that it uses a unique technique of cooking a portion of the flour in advance. This creates a smooth texture and a distinctive taste unique to the bread. Try it and see.

“Starter”

1 cup boiling water

1 cup all-purpose flour

Combine the flour and the water and stir until smooth. Cool completely, cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

Bread

Flour paste +

½ cup water, at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until the dough comes together in a ragged ball. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead on medium until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit to rise, approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours.

When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a boule (ball), place on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to proof. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

When the dough has doubled in size, score decoratively if desired and place in the oven. Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom, approximately 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store the bread at room temperature in a paper bag or wrapped in parchment paper. If storing for longer than 2 days, tightly wrap in plastic and freeze. Bread should be thawed at room temperature.

Unleavened Bread - The Classic Flour Tortilla

Unleavened Bread - The Classic Flour Tortilla

Yield: 8 tortillas

Whether you’re cooking up burritos, tacos, or enchiladas, store bought tortillas will never compare to the ones you make at home. Don’t be frightened by the lard in this recipe. That’s where all the flavor comes from. And its lower in hydrogenated fats than vegetable shortening, so you can rest assured that you’re serving your family a healthier Mexican meal!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lard

3/4 cup water, lukewarm

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until they come together in a rough ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Thorough gluten development here isn’t necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside to rest for at least half an hour.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover or wrap the pieces and let rest for at least another half an hour. When it’s time to make the tortillas, either flatten the dough balls in a tortilla press or roll out between two pieces of waxed paper that have been lightly sprayed with cooking oil. You want to get your tortillas as thin as possible. They should end up being about 10-inches in diameter.

Heat a nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. When hot, cook the tortillas until lightly browned on both sides (about 40 seconds to 1 minute each). Cool on a wire rack. Use or serve immediately.

To store, wrap the tortillas in plastic and leave at room temperature. If storing for longer than 2 days, freezing is ideal. Refrigerator storage is fine as long as you reheat the tortillas before using.

White Yeast Bread

White Yeast Bread

Sweet, Sweet Butter Bread

Yield: 2 1-pound loaves

There’s nothing this bread isn’t good for: sandwiches, French toast, bread pudding, or simply eating with cold pats of butter. Its guaranteed to disappear in less time than it takes to make, and the time between the mixing bowl and the cooling rack isn’t that long.

4 cups bread flour

1 2/3 cups milk, lukewarm

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1-2 tablespoons butter for brushing, melted

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until the dough comes together in a ragged ball. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled container and set aside to rise.

In about 1 hour, when the dough has doubled in volume, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into either boules (balls) or batards (logs). Place the doughs on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap to proof.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

When the dough has almost doubled in size, score decoratively if desired. Brush the surface of each dough with butter and bake until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom, approximately 25-35 minutes. Remove and place on wire racks to cool. Slice and serve immediately.

To store, wrap the bread in plastic and keep at room temperature. If storing for more than 2 to 3 days, wrap tightly and freeze. Bread should always be thawed at room temperature.

Whole Grain Bread Recipes

Whole Grain Bread Recipes

Multigrain Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup 7 grain flour

3-6 cups bread flour

2 cups warm water (85°-90° F)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

3 packets of yeast

In a large bowl, combine flours and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine sugar, yeast, warm water, and olive oil. Allow to set for 5 – 10 minutes.

Pour contents of small bowl into large bowl and mix. Add additional bread flour until dough pulls away from the bowl. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes - Until smooth dough is formed.

Shape dough into a ball and place in large bowl coated with olive oil and set in a warm draft free spot to rise 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and reshape into ball and allow to rise a second time for 40 – 60 minutes.

Preheat oven, 350° F

Divide dough into two loaves and place in well oiled bread pans. Allow to rise 30 – 45 minutes.

Bake bread in center of oven. Bread needs to bake 30 – 40 minutes or until internal temperature reads 200° F - bread will be a light brown to medium brown color when done.

Cool for completely prior to storage.

Simple Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 

1/3 cup honey 

5 cups bread flour 

3 tablespoons butter, melted 

1/3 cup honey 

1 tablespoon salt 

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 

2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled. 

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

Organic Whole Wheat with Oats and Pecans

Mildly sweet and slightly crunchy, our version of whole wheat oatmeal bread is great for tuna sandwiches. Cut in thick slices, it's perfect for French toast. Shape it into rolls for a dinner party or a family picnic. For variety, add one and a half cups (seven and a half ounces) of golden raisins to the dough and shape half of it into twists; crusty and delicious, they're good for breakfast-on-the-go and afternoon snacks. This versatile bread is sure to become one of your favorites.

1 teaspoon active dry yeast 

1/4 cup (2 ounces) very warm water (105 to 115 degrees F) 

3 3/4 cups or more if necessary (18 1/2 ounces) organic whole wheat flour 

2 3/4 cups (12 1/2 ounces) organic unbleached all-purpose flour 

2 cups (6 ounces) organic old-fashioned rolled oats 

2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) kosher salt 

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) Sponge Starter 

2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) cool water (75 degrees F) 

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) honey 

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) molasses 

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Canola oil (or other vegetable oil) 

2 cups (8 ounces) pecan pieces, toasted 

Additional rolled oats for topping 

Two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans, oiled

Place the yeast and warm water in a large bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for about 3 minutes.

Whisk the whole wheat flour, unbleached flour, oats, and salt together in a medium bowl. 

Add the sponge starter, cool water, honey, molasses, and oil to the yeast mixture. Mix with your fingers for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough to break up the sponge (the mixture should look milky and be slightly foamy). Add the flour mixture to the bowl and stir with your fingers to incorporate the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself until it gathers into a shaggy mass. Don't be concerned if the dough feels very sticky at this point.

Lightly flour a work surface. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, until it becomes compact and elastic. It should be very moist but not mushy. If it feels too stiff to knead, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a soft, malleable dough. If it's sloppy wet and impossible to knead, add another 1/4 to 1/3 cup (1 1/4 to 1 2/3 ounces) of whole wheat flour. Shape the dough into a loose ball and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, on the lightly floured work surface for 20 minutes. (This rest period is the autolyse.)

Flatten the dough and stretch it gently into a rectangle about an inch thick. Spread the pecans and raisins evenly over the dough. Fold the whole mass into an envelope and knead and fold it gently until the nuts are well distributed, about 2 to 3 minutes. If the dough resists, let it rest for 5 minutes and then continue kneading. Some of the nuts may pop out of the dough, but they can easily be incorporated again after the first rise, when the dough has softened.

Shape the dough into a loose ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, along with any loose nuts. Turn the dough to coat the top with oil, and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees F) until it has doubled in volume, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (You can also refrigerate this dough overnight and shape it and bake it the next day: Let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature, or until it looks slightly puffy but not doubled, before refrigerating. The next day, let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature before shaping it.)

When the dough has doubled, loosen it from the bowl with lightly floured hands and gently pour it onto a floured work surface. Press any loose pecans into the dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a log. Spread the oats for topping on a flat plate or baking sheet. Use a pastry brush or a plant sprayer to lightly moisten the top of each log with water, and then roll the tops of the loaves in the oats. Place each loaf seam side down in an oiled 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover them with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 2 hours, or until they have doubled in size (a finger pressed into the dough will leave an indentation).

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat and place an empty water pan directly below the stone.

When the loaves have doubled, place the pans on the baking stone. Quickly pour 1 cup of very hot water into the water pan and immediately shut the door. After 1 minute, using a plant sprayer, mist the loaves quickly 6 to 8 times then shut the oven door. Repeat the misting procedure 1 minute later.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, until the loaves sound slightly hollow when tipped out of the pan and tapped on the bottom. The sides and bottom of the loaf should feel firm and slightly crusty. If the tops are browned but the sides are still somewhat soft, place the loaves directly on the stone to bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer the loaves from the pans to a rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

5 medium egg whites

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons applesauce

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

3 cups grated zucchini

1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 5x7 inch loaf pan or coat with baking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the egg whites, vegetable oil, applesauce and brown sugar until light and even. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and clove. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Stir in the zucchini (and the walnuts if using) by hand.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few sticking crumbs (pulling the bread a little earlier than normal will ensure that it stays moist and succulent). Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely, slice and serve.

To store, wrap the bread in plastic and keep at room temperature. If storing for longer than 2 to 3 days, wrap tightly and freeze. Bread should always be thawed at room temperature.

Rustic Italian Bread with Olives

Rustic Italian Bread with Olives

Poolish (Sponge):

1½ cups bread flour

1 cup water, luke warm

1 teaspoon instant yeast

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 2-4 hours. The sponge is ready if the top falls when the bowl is tapped on the counter.

Bread:

Mature sponge

½ cup water, luke warm

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup pitted olives, very coarsely chopped

Add the water and the olive oil to the risen sponge and mix in thoroughly. Stir in the flour and salt until the dough comes together in a ragged ball. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. When the dough has doubled in volume, remove to a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough into a rectangle at least 10H14 inches. Scatter the olives across the surface. Roll up lengthwise, creasing the dough frequently to seal in the olives. Couche the dough in a well floured linen or place on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to proof.

When the dough has increased in size by 1½ times, place in the oven seam side down, either on a pan or directly on a bread stone. Bake until well browned and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom, approximately 30-40 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Slice and serve immediately.

Store at room temperature in a paper bag or wrapped in waxed paper to preserve the crust. If storing for longer than 2 days, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze. Bread should be thawed at room temperature.

Soda Bread for Bread Machine

Soda Bread for Bread Machine

Yields: 1 1½-pound loaf

1½ cups bread flour

1½ cups whole wheat flour

1½ teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon oil or butter at room temperature

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

Add all ingredients to the bread machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Process on the normal bread cycle. Cool, slice and serve.