True French and Itailian breads contain 5, and only 5 ingredients.
6 cups-freshly ground Hard White Wheat
2 cups-warm water (100 degrees)
1/3 cup Olive Oil
3 Tbsp yeast
1-1/2 tsp-salt
There are a few other ingredients that we will use on the outside, to make a crunchy crust.
1-egg white
1 Tbsp cornmeal
1-Tbsp water
In your mixer on low-med, using a dough hook, starting with the water, add water, oil, yeast, salt and 2 cups of the flour. When this is mixed, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a smooth doughball is formed. It should not be sticky. Knead the dough for 8 minutes, and allow it to rise until doubled.
Punch the dough down and turn out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
Roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick. Roll long-wise into loaves. Moisten the edges with water and seal. Taper the ends.
Grease a large baking sheet and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Place loaves seam-side-down on the cornmeal and baking sheet. Beat the egge white with 1 tbsp of water and brush the loaves with it. With a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf, about 1/2" deep. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and allow to rise once again until nearly doubled (around 30-40 minutes). Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Place loaves into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. If you want the crust even crunchier, you can periodically mist the loaves with water from a sprayer as they bake. Remove them and brush once again with the egg mixture. Return the loaves to the oven and bake until bread tests done (usually around 20 more minutes). The loaves should sound 'hollow' when thumped.
Remove loaves from oven, place on cooling racks and allow to cool.
For Italian Bread, brush loaves with melted butter while still warm, and sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds on top.
There are a few tricks to making certain styles of bread. One is to place a pan of water in the bottom of your oven while baking. This makes absolutely wonderful tall, moist loaves. Another trick is to use oven bricks.
Congratulatons! You have just created classic old-world French and Italian Bread, suitable to grace the table of any restaurant in the world!
Add 1/3 cup of olive oil to the dough.
Here is the recipe for the Taste Of Home Sourdough French Bread (pardon my tears of outrage).
This is adjusted for use with fresh ground hard white winter wheat.
3 Tbsp active dry yeast 1-3/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°) 5 cups fresh ground hard wheat flour 1/4 cup Sourdough Starter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons salt CORNSTARCH WASH: 1/2 cup water 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
In your mixer, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the rest of the water, oil, honey, salt, Sourdough Starter,and mix well. Add the flour a cup at at time until you get a nice ball of soft dough. Knead on medium speed for 8 minutes. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch ends to seal. Place, seam side down, on two greased baking sheets; tuck ends under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
With a sharp knife, make four shallow diagonal slashes across top of each loaves. In a small saucepan, combine water and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Brush some over loaves. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush loaves with the remaining cornstarch wash. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves. Sourdough Starter
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast 2 cups lukewarm water 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 cup milk
In a large glass jar or crockery pot, dissolve yeast in water. Add flour; beat until smooth. Let stand overnight at room temperature. Cover loosely and refrigerate for 5 days, stirring each day. On the fifth day, add sugar, water and milk. Refrigerate, stirring daily, for another 5 days before using. Starter may be kept in refrigerator indefinitely. Always replace unused portion with equal amounts of flour and water. Yield: 6 servings.
I do not use yeast in my sourdough starter. That is cheating. I leave my lids loose so air can circulate, bringing in the natural yeast spores present in my local. That's what makes sourdough bread so cool is the different local tastes because of predominate yeast varieties. That's what sourdough is all about. But that is just my opinion.
Personally don't like this recipe because it cheats several times. True sourdough bread uses ONLY sourdough starter for leavening. Adding yeast to it is like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. And true French Bread does not use sourdough starter. This is just sourdough bread in a long shaped loaf. So it bugs me on two levels. I can't help it. I am a culinary purist.
But that's just me. If you like it, then by all means, enjoy...with my complete blessings. That's the neat thing about kitchens......when you're cooking...you are the ultimate authority
If you've ever had one of those large, warm, delicious Old-World-Style pretzels, you know what a treat they are. Here is my recipe for these tidbits from the old country.
3-1/2 cups freshly ground Hard White flour
1 cup warm water (aprox 120 degrees F)
4 Tbsp brown sugar or succanat
2 Tbsp yeast
2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water, for egg wash
Couse Sea Salt for sprinkles
In addition, you will want to boil 3 cups of water with 4 Tbsp baking soda disolved in it.
Mix warm water, sugar, yeast, table salt and the flour in your mixer. Mix until it forms a smooth ball.
Divide the dough into 6 or 8 pieces. Make each piece into a rope aprox. 18+" and tie into pretzel shape. Allow to rise until double in size.
Boil the water and baking soad mix on top of the stove. Drop each pretzel in the water (one-at-a-time) and boil for 1-2 minutes a side. Remove it and drain. Place in a greased baking sheet. Repeat for all the pieces. (this is critical).
Brush each pretzel with the egg wash, lightly sprinkle course sea salt on each and bake in a 400-450 degree oven to 10-12 minutes, or until nice and dark brown.
Place on a cooling rack to cool. Serve with Pretzel Dip.
Pretzel Dip:
1 cup Mayonaise or Salad Dressing
5 Tbsp mustard
5 Tbsp sugar, honey or succanat
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Mix all ingredients together completly until smooth. Refrigerate any left over sauce.
There are 2 types of dumplings. This recipe works for both.
This will make enough for a 4 Qt. batch of chicken and broth.
I am assuming you know how to prepare the chicken and broth, so I will just give you the dumpling recipe.
2 cups-freshly ground soft white wheat.
1 tsp-Baking Soda
1 tsp-Baking Powder
1/2-tsp salt
3 Tbsp-shortening, lard, margarine or butter. Olive Oil can also be used.
Aprox. 3/4 cup-Whole Buttermilk (not reduced or lowfat). If you don't have whole buttermilk, allow 3/4 cup of whole milk to warm to room temperature, then stir in 1 tsp of vinegar. Allow to set for 5 minutes, or until the milk curdles. Use this in place of buttermilk. And for the ultimate fluffy baked goods, next time your milk goes sour, don't throw it away, use it in place of buttermilk. Sour milk is the best for baking.
Mix the dry ingredients and sift them together at least 3 times (this assures that no one bites into a large chunk of Baking Soda, or Baking Powder). Cut in the shortning, oil or margarine until it has the consistency of very course meal. Add the buttermilk a little at a time, until the dough forms a soft ball. Turn out onto a flat, floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. NO MORE THAN THIS. You just want to be able to handle the dough, not make it stiff.
Now, it is decision time. To make drop dumplings, pat the dough out to 1/4" thickness, and pinch off 1-1/2" pieces. Drop them immedeatly into the boiling broth (one-at-a-time).
To make cut dumplings, roll dough out to 1/4" thickness and cut into 3" x 1" strips. Drop into broth (one-at-a-time). Cook dumplings for 8-10 minutes.
If you stir the broth periodically while the dumplings are cooking, it will keep them from sticking to each other.
The secret to good dumplings is the same as for biscuits. The less you handle them, the more tender they will be.
If you don't already know, these dumplings work well with other types of meat as well. You can use the same recipe as for chicken, but substitute beef, or pork, and the appropriate broth for the type of meat. Try it sometime for something different.
For every 2 cups of Self-Rising flour,
Combine: 2 1/2 cups soft white wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Bon Apetit!
Bon Apetit!
Bon apetit!
Here is the recipe for the Taste Of Home Sourdough French Bread (pardon my tears of outrage).
This is adjusted for use with fresh ground hard white winter wheat.
In your mixer, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the rest of the water, oil, honey, salt, Sourdough Starter,and mix well. Add the flour a cup at at time until you get a nice ball of soft dough. Knead on medium speed for 8 minutes. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch ends to seal. Place, seam side down, on two greased baking sheets; tuck ends under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
With a sharp knife, make four shallow diagonal slashes across top of each loaves. In a small saucepan, combine water and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Brush some over loaves. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush loaves with the remaining cornstarch wash. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves. Sourdough Starter
In a large glass jar or crockery pot, dissolve yeast in water. Add flour; beat until smooth. Let stand overnight at room temperature. Cover loosely and refrigerate for 5 days, stirring each day. On the fifth day, add sugar, water and milk. Refrigerate, stirring daily, for another 5 days before using. Starter may be kept in refrigerator indefinitely. Always replace unused portion with equal amounts of flour and water. Yield: 6 servings.
I do not use yeast in my sourdough starter. That is cheating. I leave my lids loose so air can circulate, bringing in the natural yeast spores present in my local. That's what makes sourdough bread so cool is the different local tastes because of predominate yeast varieties. That's what sourdough is all about. But that is just my opinion.
Personally don't like this recipe because it cheats several times. True sourdough bread uses ONLY sourdough starter for leavening. Adding yeast to it is like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. And true French Bread does not use sourdough starter. This is just sourdough bread in a long shaped loaf. So it bugs me on two levels. I can't help it. I am a culinary purist.
But that's just me. If you like it, then by all means, enjoy...with my complete blessings. That's the neat thing about kitchens......when you're cooking...you are the ultimate authority
3-1/2 cups freshly ground Hard White flour
1 cup warm water (aprox 120 degrees F)
4 Tbsp brown sugar or succanat
2 Tbsp yeast
2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water, for egg wash
Couse Sea Salt for sprinkles
In addition, you will want to boil 3 cups of water with 4 Tbsp baking soda disolved in it.
Mix warm water, sugar, yeast, table salt and the flour in your mixer. Mix until it forms a smooth ball.
Divide the dough into 6 or 8 pieces. Make each piece into a rope aprox. 18+" and tie into pretzel shape. Allow to rise until double in size.
Boil the water and baking soad mix on top of the stove. Drop each pretzel in the water (one-at-a-time) and boil for 1-2 minutes a side. Remove it and drain. Place in a greased baking sheet. Repeat for all the pieces. (this is critical).
Brush each pretzel with the egg wash, lightly sprinkle course sea salt on each and bake in a 400-450 degree oven to 10-12 minutes, or until nice and dark brown.
Place on a cooling rack to cool. Serve with Pretzel Dip.
Pretzel Dip:
1 cup Mayonaise or Salad Dressing
5 Tbsp mustard
5 Tbsp sugar, honey or succanat
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Mix all ingredients together completly until smooth. Refrigerate any left over sauce.
There are 2 types of dumplings. This recipe works for both.
This will make enough for a 4 Qt. batch of chicken and broth.
I am assuming you know how to prepare the chicken and broth, so I will just give you the dumpling recipe.
2 cups-freshly ground soft white wheat.
1 tsp-Baking Soda
1 tsp-Baking Powder
1/2-tsp salt
3 Tbsp-shortening, lard, margarine or butter. Olive Oil can also be used.
Aprox. 3/4 cup-Whole Buttermilk (not reduced or lowfat). If you don't have whole buttermilk, allow 3/4 cup of whole milk to warm to room temperature, then stir in 1 tsp of vinegar. Allow to set for 5 minutes, or until the milk curdles. Use this in place of buttermilk. And for the ultimate fluffy baked goods, next time your milk goes sour, don't throw it away, use it in place of buttermilk. Sour milk is the best for baking.
Mix the dry ingredients and sift them together at least 3 times (this assures that no one bites into a large chunk of Baking Soda, or Baking Powder). Cut in the shortning, oil or margarine until it has the consistency of very course meal. Add the buttermilk a little at a time, until the dough forms a soft ball. Turn out onto a flat, floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. NO MORE THAN THIS. You just want to be able to handle the dough, not make it stiff.
Now, it is decision time. To make drop dumplings, pat the dough out to 1/4" thickness, and pinch off 1-1/2" pieces. Drop them immedeatly into the boiling broth (one-at-a-time).
To make cut dumplings, roll dough out to 1/4" thickness and cut into 3" x 1" strips. Drop into broth (one-at-a-time). Cook dumplings for 8-10 minutes.
If you stir the broth periodically while the dumplings are cooking, it will keep them from sticking to each other.
The secret to good dumplings is the same as for biscuits. The less you handle them, the more tender they will be.
If you don't already know, these dumplings work well with other types of meat as well. You can use the same recipe as for chicken, but substitute beef, or pork, and the appropriate broth for the type of meat. Try it sometime for something different.
Combine: 2 1/2 cups soft white wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Bon Apetit!
Bon Apetit!
Bon Apetit!
Chicken Hand Pies
Oh gosh, I love this recipe!! I make the pies, prick and do the egg wash, then freeze unbaked on a cookie sheet then move to a ziplock. Then I bake them from frozen until brown and bubbling - it doesnt take much longer than cooking them from fresh. It makes enough for at least 3, usually 4 meals (for 2 adults and a toddler)
I haven't tried different flours but I'm sure it could work....but honestly? I love the pastry just the way it is -- it's kind of decadent with all that cream cheese and butter. And it's the easiest pastry I have ever rolled out, it's just lovely.
My top two tips: homemade broth is a must, it absolutely makes it. Also, the leftover pastry makes very amazing turnovers - try it with chocolate chips or jam. Oh.My.
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