Clover Rolls

You wouldn't really HAVE to shape them this way...but it's fun to pull them apart!

Ingredients

1¾ C whole milk, room temp

½ C sugar

2¼ tsp yeast

¾ C butter, softened

½ C butter, melted

6¼ C flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

coarse sea salt for topping

Directions
Heat ° cup of the milk to 105-110° F. Combine warmed milk, sugar and yeast in stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes until foamy. Add softened butter, egg, half of flour and half of remaining milk; mix on medium speed until combined. Add remaining flour, milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Knead until dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away from sides of bowl.

Place in large bowl lightly coated with oil (or non-stick cooking spray), cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1½-2 hours, until doubled in size.

Brush muffin tins with melted butter. Divide dough in half; divide each half into 12, divide each 12th into three (do the same with the other half; you should have 24 rolls -- 72 little chunks of dough, 3 for each roll). Roll into balls, placing three in each muffin tin. Brush generously with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Remove rolls from refrigerator 1 hour before baking; remove plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 375° F.  Bake 20-25 minutes. Brush again with melted butter; sprinkle lightly again with coarse sea salt.

Pan Pizza Dough

I already have a good, basic pizza dough recipe. This one has one rise, in the pan, and involves very little 'tossing' (or patting, stretching, etc.) It's a softer, less chewy, more breadlike dough -- not better or worse, just different. It would, I think, be better for going 'deep dish' in a smaller pan, though it's already fairly thick.

Ingredients
9 oz (250g) flour -- about 1¾ C flour
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp yeast
6 oz (¾ C) water
¼ C olive oil (may not need it all!)

Directions
Combine flour, salt and yeast in large bowl (bowl of stand mixer). Add water and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix until dough comes together and no dry flour remains. Knead, by hand or with mixer & dough hook, 5-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic; it should still be fairly sticky, pulling away from the sides of the mixer bowl, but still sticking to the bottom.

Pour as much of the remaining oil is needed to generously coat a 9x13 rimmed baking sheet. Coat dough with oil and gently stretch to a rough rectangle on the baking sheet; it does NOT need to cover the entire pan at this point. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and let rise 1½ to 2 hours; dough should nearly fill the pan and be light and pillowy.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Carefully remove plastic wrap and gently lift edges/corners of dough to stretch and fill the pan to all edges. Top pizza as desired. Bake 15-18 minutes until bottom crust is crisp and top is browned and bubbling.

Balsamic Caramelized Onion & Asiago Focaccia

This was actually quite sweet, even for my tastes!

Ingredients
4 tsp olive oil, divided
½ C choped onion
1 T honey, divided
½ t fresh thyme (or pinch dried)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt, divided
1 t yeast
½ C warm water (~105)
1¾ C flour
1½ oz grated fresh Asiago cheese

Directions
Heat 2 tsp oil in a skillet (medium heat). Add oinion nad thyme, cooking until onions are translucent and browned. Remove from heat, stir in half the honey (1½ tsp), balsamic vinegar, ½ tsp salt. Set aside to let cool.

Dissolve yeast with remaining honey in the warm water. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to bloom.

Add half the flour, remaining 2 tsp oil, remaining ½ tsp salt, and onion mixture; mix until soft dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading and adding additional flour as needed until dough is smooth and elastic and barely sticks to your hands (7-8 minutes)

Place dough in large bowl coated with oil (or non-stick cooking spray), turning dough to coat. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes.

Gently press dough into a ¼ sheet jelly roll pan (or 9x13 pan) lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray and/or lines with parchment. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in thickness (about 25 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400°. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread II

I already have a recipe for a honey-wheat bread, which is delicious. It has three different windows for rising and proofing. This version cuts it down to just two, one of which is only about half an hour. That may not be ideal for great textured bread, but working with students and classes that meet for little more than an hour a day...multiple rising and proofing steps present a challenge to fit into our schedule. So this will likely be the better option for that reason.

Ingredients:
1 T regular active dry yeast
¼ C warm water (105-115°F)
½ C honey
¼ C butter, softened
1 T salt
2½ C very warm water (120-130°F)
4½ C whole wheat flour
3 C AP flour

Directions
Dissolve yeast in ¼ C warm water (105-115°F). Let stand 5 minutes.

Blend in next 4 ingredients (honey, butter, salt, water). Add 3 cups whole wheat flour, stirring (or blending in electric mixer with dough hook attachment) until flour is thoroughly incorporated.

Add remaining whole wheat flour and AP flour a little at a time until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl with non-stick spray or a bit of oil; turn dough in bowl to coat all sides. Cover; let rise in a warm place about 40 minutes, until doubled in size.

Coat 2 loaf pans with non-stick spray. Divide dough in half. Briefly knead to deflate, shaping dough into loaves. Place dough in pans; cover and let rise about 40 minutes again until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375°F. Bake loaves 30 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350°F; continue baking another 15 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately to cooling racks.

Easy Soft Pretzels

These were always a fun favorite with my sister and brother and I when we were young. We weren't very good at twisting them into a traditional pretzel knot, but eagerly ate them up even if all we could manage were pretzel 'logs'.

Ingredients
1 pkg yeast
1 T sugar
1½ C warm water
4 C flour
2 t salt
1 egg, beaten
Optional: additional coarse salt for sprinkling

Directions
Mix yeast and sugar with warm water; let stand 5-10 minutes until bubbly. Add flour and salt, kneading until smooth and elastic. Shape on ungreased cookie sheet (lined with parchment for easy clean up!) Brush with beaten egg; sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired.

Let pretzel rest while oven preheats to 400°F. Bake 15 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of pretzel shapes) or until golden.

Serve with yellow mustard.

Raised Doughnuts

 National Doughnut Day (the first Friday in June) is coming right up. My students -- our Trojan Cafe cooking club -- have elected to celebrate by making our own. So, of course, I had to test out the recipe in advance. Really, the sacrifices I make for my students... ;)

Ingredients

2 t yeast

2 T warm water (105-115°F)

¾ cup milk

¼ cup sugar

½ t salt

1 egg

2 T + 2 T butter or shortening

2½ cups flour

oil for frying

powdered sugar, sugar & cinnamon, icing(s), sprinkles, etc.

You can get as creative as you want, here! I'm sure at school we'll have a lot more colorful icings; I just used what I had on hand here at home!

Directions

Combine lukewarm water and yeast in bowl of stand mixer. Let it sit until dissolved (about 5 min).

Meanwhile in glass bowl, heat milk until very warm, but not boiling; let cool slightly while yeast is blooming (bubbling, producing a froth).

Add milk, sugar, salt, egg, butter and 1 cup of flour to bowl with yeast. Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add remaining flour, continue mixing dough. Scrape down sides. Dough will be very sticky.

Transfer dough to large bowl coated lightly with oil. Cover loosely with cling wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled (1-2 hours).

Roll dough out on a floured surface to about ½” thickness. Cut using a donut cutter or large & small round cookie cutters. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Fill electric skillet approx. 1” deep with vegetable oil; heat oil to 375°F.

Carefully place doughnuts in hot oil, a few at a time; do not crowd doughnuts. Do not let oil temperature drop below 350°F.  Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on cooling rack positioned over paper towel covered tray.

Glaze doughnuts with your favorite frosting, thinned with milk or water. If desired, top with nuts, sprinkles, etc.

French Quarter Beignets

My students have asked to make beignets, so I'm testing out a recipe I've had for ages -- seeing how we can make the rising stage work to fit our schedule...

Ingredients
¾ C warm water
¼ C granulated sugar
1¾ tsp yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
½ C evaporated milk
3¾ C flour
2 T shortening

non-stick cooking spray
oil, for deep-frying
confectioner's sugar
optional: cinnamon, syrup(s) for dipping

Directions
In a large bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast; let sit 10 minutes.

In another bowl, while the yeast is blooming, beat egg, salt and evaporated milk. In a third bowl, measure out flour.

After 10 minutes, stir egg mixture into large bowl with yeast mixture. Blend in half the flour. Add shortening and continue cutting in the shortening and continue to mix in remaining flour.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, adding just enough flour to keep it from sticking.

Wash the large bowl and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Return dough to bowl; cover with plastic wrap lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise for at least an hour.

Punch down dough to remove excess air bubbles. Roll out dough -- on a very lightly floured surface -- to ¼ inch thick. Use a bench knife to cut into 2-inch squares.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer, electric skillet or fying pan to 350° F. Deep fry beignets, flipping constantly with a fork (or slotted spoon, or tongs...) until they are light golden brown. Remove and drain on briefly paper towels.

Toss gently in a bowl with powdered sugar. Optional: Toss with powdered sugar and cinnamon...and/or serve with fruit syrup dipping sauce. Raspberry is my favorite!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread (Whole Wheat)

I got this recipe from another FCS teacher. (Family & Consumer Sciences) It's good, but I may fiddle with it a bit. The bread was very dense (could be the yeast wasn't really fresh?), and with only a half cup of pumpkin, that flavor doesn't come through as much as I'd like. But it's a good starting point.

Ingredients
Dough:
2 tsp yeast
¾ C warm water
¼ C brown sugar
2¼ C flour
1½ C whole wheat flour
1 C quick rolled oats
½ t ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ C pumpkin purée
2½ T maple syrup
2½ T butter, melted
1 egg
Swirl filling:
3 T butter, softened
½ C brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon

Directions
Stir yeast and brown sugar into warm water in bowl of a stand mixer; let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix flours, oats, spices and salt in one bowl; stir together pumpkin, maple syrup, melted butter and egg in another.

Add half of flour mixure to yeast, then add egg mixture, then remaining flour mixture. Knead -- in mixer or by hand -- until dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Lightly coat with oil and place in a bowl, in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

Lighlty coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Punch down the dough and roll dough out to a rectangle, roughly 9x15". Spread with 3 T butter; sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Starting with a short edge, roll dough into a log pinching the seam to seal. Place log into loaf pan. Let rise 40 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 375. Bake 45 minutes or until goalden brown.

Cool 15 minutes in pan before removing to wire rack to cool compeltely.

Soft Pretzels

 This recipe (a slight adaptation of FoodNetwork's version) makes a dozen LARGE pretzels, or 2 dozen smaller pretzels or pretzel 'knots'. (See lower photo.) For the knots, I used  half whole wheat flour; some are simply lightly salted, some I topped with shredded cheese, some I brushed with honey butter and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Lots of options...

Ingredients
3 T butter, cubed, then softened
2 T butter, melted
2 T dk brown sugar
1 pkg (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
6 C flour
2 tsp salt
1/3 C baking soda
coarse salt for sprinkling on pretzels
mustard, for dipping

Directions
In bowl of stand mixer, combine 2 C warm water, cubed butter, and brown sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top; let stand 10 minutes.

Add 3 C flour and 2 tsp salt; mix on low speed using dough hook; increase speed to medium as flour incorporates. Return to low speed; add remaining 3 C flour. As flour incorporates, increase speed to
medium, mixing until dough leaves sides of bowl and balls around dough hook. Continue kneading -- in mixer or by hand -- 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Coat a large bowl with oil; add dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Punch down dough. Divide in half; divide each half into 6 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough into a 'rope'...work on flat surface, start in middle roll out to 24"; occasionally lift dough by ends, slapping middle against the counter to stretch evenly. Lay rope in a 'U' then cross ends twice and fold ends downward to create pretzel shape. Gently place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with all 12 pieces.

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes; pretzels should be slightly puffed.

Preheat oven to 425˚.

Cut parchment into separate 'squares' around each pretzel*; remove from baking sheets. Reline sheets with parchment. Fill a wide pot with 6 C water. Add baking soda, whisking to dissolve; bring to simmer. Using parchment, gently transfer pretzels into simmering water*; simmer until pretzels plump (about 45 seconds per side). Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon, letting excess water drain off. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake until golden brown (12 to 15 minutes). Rotate, upper to lower rack, half way through when cooking two trays. Brush with melted butter. Serve with mustard for dipping.

* As BIG as these pretzels are, the parchment paper squares really did help transferring them from one surface to another and into the simmering water bath. With the smaller 'knots' I was able to do it easily enough by hand.

No-Fuss Focaccia

3 Tbls olive oil; additional oil for topping bread
1½ C warm water
4 tsp (2 pkgs) active dry yeast
1¼ tsp salt
3¼ C (bread) flour
Italian seasoning or dried herbs of your choice for topping

Lightly grease a 9x13" rectangular pan...drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in bottom of pan, tilt to coat.

Combine water with yeast. Add remaining oil, salt and flour; beat on high speed for 1 minute. Scoop sticky batter into prepared pan; cover pan and let rise at room temperature until it becomes puffy (about 90 minutes).

Preheat oven to 375°. Drizzle dough with additional olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning or herbs of choice. (I also added a bit of grated parmesan.) Bake bread until golden brown (35-40 minutes). Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes then turn out of pan. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Rolls

¼ C warm water
1 pkg yeast
¼ C + ½ tsp sugar
3 C flour
1 tsp salt
¼ C shortening
¾ C milk, slightly warmed
1 egg

butter, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, nuts...

In a small bowl or glass, mix yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar with warm water and set aside.

In a large bowl, cut shortening into flour, salt and remaining sugar. Add warm milk, egg and yeast mixture. Up to ½ C more flour can be added, but dough should be sticky, just handle-able. Knead 5 mintutes. Form ball; let rise, covered, 1 to 1½ hours. Punch down. Roll out to oblong (about 15x9"). Spread with butter; sprinkle generously with sugar (I use brown), cinnamon, nuts, raisins, etc. as desired. Roll into a long log, pinching ends together. Cut into 12 rolls. Place in greased pans. Let rise until double (about an hour). Bake at 375°, 25-30 minutes.

Butter alone or a simple powdered sugar icing is all these really need, but they're especially tasty with a cream cheese icing. :)

OR...

Same recipe, just a different technique for preparing the dough & filling. Not exactly the same, but inspired by BH&G (https://www.bhg.com/recipe/gingerbread-cinnamon-rolls/) 

I did not use the BH&G recipe -- with molasses & mashed potatoes -- just the basic technique. I used the cinnamon roll recipe above.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Rolls

(recipe makes 2 dozen)

1½ C warm milk
2½ tsp yeast
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 Tbls salt
1 egg
¾ C canned pumpkin (or puréed squash)
5 Tbls shortening
4-5 C flour
2 Tbls butter, melted
2 tsp poppy and/or sesame seeds

In a large bowl, combine milk, yeast, sugar, and salt; let stand 5 minutes.

Add egg and beat well to combine. Add pumpkin and shortening, mixing until shortening is in small pieces. Add 1½ C flour and mix well. Gradually mix in more flour, a little at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (you may not use all 5 cups of flour). Knead 2 minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 - 1½ hours).

Butter (or coat with non-stick cooking spray) a large baking sheet. Punch down dough; knead until dough is smooth and supple (7 minutes). Divide dough into 4 equal balls, then divide each ball into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a round; place rounds on baking sheet so they barely touch. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy/sesame seeds. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°.
Remove plastic wrap; bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool, pull apart to serve.

Herb Rolls

1 Tbls yeast
3 Tbls sugar (or honey)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbls each fresh minced parsley, dill, chives and rosemary
(I had fresh dill and chives,
but used dried parsley and rosemary)
2 Tbls melted butter
1 large egg
1 C milk or half & half
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 C flour
1 Tbls lightly beaten egg
1 Tbls coarse salt

Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 C barely warm water; let stand until dissolved (5 min). Stir in sugar, salt, herbs, butter, egg and milk.

Add 3 1/4 cups flour and stir to combine. Knead dough until elastic and not sticky (15 minutes), adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Shape dough into 12 equal balls; place in a buttered 9x13" pan (or one coated with non-stick spray).

Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled (about 60 minutes). Preheat oven to 350°. Brush rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until deep golden, 25-30 minutes.

I'm sure you could get creative with the herb mixture and come up with endless variations!

Yeast Bread

(Pictured: cheese bread, see options below)

5 C (more or less) flour
1 Tbls sugar
2 ½ tsp salt
1 envelope yeast
2 C very warm water
2 Tbls softened butter
olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast and sugar with ½ C warm water; let stand until bubbly (5 min). Stir in butter and salt until combined/dissolved. Add 4 C flour and the rest of the warm water and mix 3 - 4 minutes. Continue to add the remaining flour until a very soft dough forms; it should still be very sticky. Knead (by hand or machine) 8-10 minutes or until dough is very smooth and elastic.

Thinly coat a large bowl with olive oil; place dough in bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Punch down and knead until smooth. Divide dough in half; shape each half into a log and place each in a greased loaf pan. Let stand/rise until almost doubled (40 minutes to an hour).

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Brush crust with butter if desired.

Options: Cheese Bread: add 1-2 C shredded cheese(s), sprinkle some on loaf tops; Garlic Bread: add 6-8 cloves crushed/diced garlic, roasted; Beer Bread: use flat beer instead of water

Honey-Wheat Bread

If the multiple rising and proofing times in this recipe (which is delicious!) are not something you have the time -- or patience -- for, here is another recipe that has fewer. It still needs to rise (!!), but not quite as long or as many times.

Ingredients
1½ cups very warm water
1 pkg yeast 
½ cup honey (or molasses)
2 cups bread flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon salt
3+ cups whole wheat flour
olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/4 cup honey. Add white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Knead (by hand or machine) with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter or sides of bowl, adding up to 1 or at most 2 cups of additional whole wheat flour. Place dough in a bowl thinly coated with olive oil, turning once to coat. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

Punch down, and divide into 2 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, and allow to rise in a warm place until dough has topped the pans by about one inch (40 minutes to an hour).

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes; do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Options: Use bran flour, rye flour, ground oats, or any combination; add other nuts, grains or seeds as desired.

PIZZA!

Homemade, hand-tossed...my nephews were very willing guinea pigs as I tried out a pizza dough recipe; I had two or three that I experimented with to see which I liked best - taste, texture, "toss"-ability... :) Turns out, simple is best:

Pizza Dough
1 tsp/pkg fresh yeast
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
6 cups flour
3 Tbls salt
water

Put yeast, oil, and 2 C cold tap water in bowl of a stand mixer; mix using dough hook on lowest speed 5 minutes or until yeast has completely dissoved. Add flour; mix another 5 minutes. Cover bowl loosely with a damp towel. Let dough rest and rise for 20 minutes.

Add salt; mix on low speed another 5 minutes. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. For thin crust pizzas (12") divide into 6 equal portions. I divided mine in to 4; for an even thicker crust, divide it in thirds. Roll each into a ball and place on a floured tray (or dust it with cornmeal). Cover the tray tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at least 4 hours at a warm room temperature. The dough balls will be soft and pillowy.

Roll, pat and/or toss each dough ball forming it into a 12" circle. (Work from the edges first, not the center, or you'll end up with a very thin center...or a hole!) Place on a pizza stone, pizza pan or use a cookie sheet. -- dust it with cornmeal if desired.



With a thicker crust, you may want to bake the crust alone for 4-5 minutes before adding toppings, especially if you're using a solid pan (some pizza pans have holes which typically makes for a crispier crust).







Add your choice of toppings. Bake @ 425° for 10-12 minutes. Check the pizzas earlier, especially if they're thin crusts which may bake faster. Thicker crusts--and toppings!--of course take a bit longer, maybe 15-18 minutes.

You can use the same recipe to make calzones...just fold the dough in half over the ingredients, and seal the edges before baking. You'll probably need to adjust the baking times too - longer, since it's thicker. Flip it halfway through if desired.









Here's a simple recipe if you're making your own sauce:
Basic Tomato Pizza Sauce
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbls parsley flakes

Or...skip the sauce. Spread a well drained can of petit diced tomatoes on the crust instead, then add other toppings.

Naan

Great with Quick Curried Chicken.

Combine, and let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy/bubbly:
2/3 C milk
2 Tbls yeast
2 Tbls sugar

While yeast is sitting; mix together:
4 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt



Add yeast mixture to flour mixture.
Then, add to dough:
4 Tbls warm milk
2/3 C plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
Mix thoroughly.

Coat a bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat with oil.
Top with a damp towel, and place bowl in a warm place for 2 hrs, until dough has doubled and is puffy/spongy.

Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead 2-3 minutes.
Divide into 8 pieces, form into balls.
Roll each ball (with a rolling pin) into an oval – pulling/stretching as needed.
2 Tbls melted ghee (purified butter or oil)
½ C chopped coriander

Brush ovals with melted ghee (butter) and top with chopped coriander. Place dough ovals on a cooking sheet or in a baking dish. Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes until naan is golden brown. Serve warm.

Sourdough Bread

I've got a jar of sourdough hooch in the back of my frig. I don't bake my own bread often, and I figured I needed to use and feed the hooch before it went much longer. I've had this one going for long enough that it's got a really nice tang to it now. That takes a while to really develop. The bread always tastes delicious, but it's more dense than I like. If I baked bread more often maybe I'd play around more with the first and second rising times - more or less on one or the other might produce a lighter loaf? Refrigerating the dough between risings is also a method in some recipes. And spraying the loaf with water periodically during baking is supposed to help produce a crisp, golden crust. I don't always do either of those things, but feel free to experiment...

Sourdough Bread
1 pkg yeast
1/2 C water
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/3 C sourdough starter
1/2 C vinegar
2 Tbls oil
3 C flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
cornmeal

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a bowl; let stand until bubbly. Blend in starter, vinegar and oil. Add flour, salt and soda until well blended. Let rise until double -- about 1 hour. Knead 3 minutes. Grease pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Put in/on pan; let rise 1 hour. Bake (400°) 30-40 minutes until dark golden in color.


Sourdough Starter
1 C milk
3 Tbls plain yogurt
1 C flour

Heat milk to 90-100°
Pour into a clean jar or bowl. Stir in 3 Tbls yogurt; let stand in a warm place at least 24 hours. After a curd has formed, gradually stir in flour. Cover and let stand 3-5 days in a warm place. Cover and store in the frig until ready to use. NOTE: if hooch turns pink, discard and start over with fresh ingredients.

After baking bread, feed leftover starter with:
1/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
1/2 C milk
1 C flour
Leave in a warm place for 24 hours before refrigerating again for future use.