Perfect Sandwich Bread

How many recipes do you know where you can cut the loaf into whisper-thin (1/8”) slices, without it crumbling? Not many, I’d wager.




Perfect Sandwich Bread
based on a recipe from King Arthur's


1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups water, depending on the time of year (more in the winter, less in the summer)
1 heaping tablespoon honey or sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk granules
2 tablespoons real butter
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Place the ingredients in your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, and program the machine for white or basic bread, or for the dough cycle. Press Start.

If you're using the dough cycle, after the cycle is complete, allow the dough to continue to rise in the machine until it has really doubled in bulk. Remove the dough, shape it into a loaf, and place it in an 9" x 5" loaf pan. Let it rise until almost doubled. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read 195°F to 200°F.

Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread
Makes 1 large Bundt pan

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 200F. Lightly oil a large Bundt pan or other baking pan.

In a large bowl, add melted butter, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and yeast. Stir together, and then add the flour and salt. Mix with mixer until dough comes together in a shiny mass, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Put the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and place in the preheated warm oven for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. When the dough has risen, take it out of the oven and pour the melted butter into a small bowl. Put the sugar and cinnamon into a second bowl and whisk well to combine.

Punch down the dough to knock the air out of it and then form and roll small balls in your hand or on the counter. Dip them first in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar and layer them in the Bundt or other baking pan.

Put the pan into the oven to rise for a second time, for about 45 minutes, until the dough balls reach the top of the pan and double once again.

Remove from the oven, and increase the heat to 350F. Once hot, place the pan back into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Potica

POTICA (PAW'-TEE-TZAH)


1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
4 tablespoons milk, lukewarm
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
4 tablespoons white sugar, I used vanilla sugar from Penzy's
6 egg yolks
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup butter, melted
2 (6 ounce) jars honey
1 to 2 cups raisins
1 1/2 pounds walnuts, chopped
ground cinnamon

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one large baking sheet.

2 Dissolve yeast in 4 tablespoons lukewarm milk. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Stir well and set aside.

3 Cream 1 cup butter with 4 tablespoons sugar. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Add yeast mixture and mix well.

4 Add 5 cups sifted flour, salt and 1 1/3 cup milk and beat well. Beat dough for 10 minutes or until bubbles form. Cover with flour and let rise 2 hours.

5 Cut dough in half and roll out each half as thin as possible on floured board. Spread each half with melted butter, honey, raisins, walnuts and douse with cinnamon.

6 Roll up like jelly roll, place on baking sheet, allow to rise and bake for one hour.

Makes 24 servings

Naan

Naan


 1/2 cup warm water
 1 1/2 tsp yeast
 1 1/2 tsp sugar
 1 tsp salt
 1 and 1/2 cups flour
 1/3 cup butter, melted
 3 Tbsp yogurt

Pour the water into a medium bowl, and then pour the yeast and sugar over the water. Wait for the yeast and sugar to dissolve.

Stir in the flour, salt, and then the melted butter and yogurt. Mix until a sticky dough is formed.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise 60-90 minutes

When the dough is finished rising, punch it down and then lightly knead it for a few minutes. The dough will be very sticky, so you’ll need to add flour to it as you knead. When you’ve reached a smooth consistency, divide the dough into balls and then roll them out on a floured surface. Place a few pieces at a time into a heated sauce pan coated in vegetable oil.

Fry until each side is golden brown.

Steakhouse Wheat Bread

This recipe is just like the yummy bread you get at restaurants on the little carving board served with a crock of whipped butter.

Steakhouse Wheat Bread

Ingredients:


3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon Penzy's unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Directions:

Place the warm water, butter, honey, salt, coffee, cocoa, sugar, bread flour, whole wheat flour, and dry yeast in the pan of a bread machine in the order listed. Put on regular or basic cycle with light crust.

** You can remove the dough at the end of the rise stage and cook in mini loaf pans or make rolls etc.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread


3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (or use 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour plus 1 cup unbleached)
1/2 to 3/4 cup raw or brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup golden raisins or currants
1 teaspoon dried caraway seeds (optional)



Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

Cut the butter into the flour mixture, until crumbly.

Add egg and buttermilk.

Mix until moistened.

Add raisins or currants and caraway seeds if desired.

Form into a round loaf on a greased baking sheet.

Use a knife to cut a spiral or cross on the top.

Bake one hour.

Hot Crossed Buns

Hot Crossed Buns


INGREDIENTS

Cooking Time: 15 minutes, Servings: 18

1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (one envelope)
4 1/2 to 5 cups flour (I used bread flour, but all-purpose will work)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 cup golden raisins

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter and sugar until the butter is almost melted and the temperature is about 110 ° F. (bathwater warm). If you accidentally heat the milk too much, just let it cool down.

Stir together 2 cups of the flour, the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Set aside.

Combine the warmed milk and the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy. Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the flour/spice mixture to the milk and beat on medium/high speed for about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and knead for about 5 minutes, or until a soft dough forms, adding more flour as needed.



Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently by hand briefly until no longer sticky (be careful not to add too much flour). Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it so that both sides are lightly oiled. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a draft free area for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 ° F. Punch down the dough and form into 18 rolls. Brush each roll with a little melted butter and let rise again until doubled, about 35 minutes. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool for ten minutes and pipe icing* in a cross form on each bun.

*Icing: Stir together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and enough orange juice to make a spreadable frosting.

Ruhlman’s Buttermilk Rolls

I found the recipe here at Ruhlman's website and followed the direction and recipe to the best of my ability. However, I had a bit of trouble with the cook time and internal temperature. The recipe says, “bake them for 40 minutes (to an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees F./90-93 degrees C.” Mine were 210 degrees F at 28 minutes. They smelled done so it was a good thing I checked.Maybe it was because I cooked these rustic on a jelly roll pan.

Ruhlman’s Buttermilk Rolls
Ingredients:
28 ounces/800 grams AP flour (5 1/2 C)
20 ounces/570 grams buttermilk, room temp or microwave for 40 to 60 seconds to take the chill off it
1/4 ounce/7 grams (1 package) active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 ounce/14 grams kosher salt (1 tablespoon)
1.5 ounces/40 grams honey (2 tablespoons)
vegetable spray or butter for greasing a 9-inch pan
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (or poppy seeds)
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter, optional

Directions:
Combine the flour, buttermilk, yeast, salt and honey in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix on medium till the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Cover and let rise till doubled in volume (dough shouldn’t spring back when you poke it with your finger). This will take at least two hours or more depending on the temperature of your dough and the temperature of your kitchen.

Turn the dough out onto your counter and give it a good knead. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions (about 3 ounces each). Form each into a tight ball by rolling it on the counter (see video). Spray or butter a 9-inch square pan and line with parchment. Fit the balls into it, cover it with a damp towel and let the dough rise for an hour.

Whisk the egg until it’s uniformly yellow. When the rolls have risen again, brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle them with the seeds and bake them for 40 minutes (to an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees F). Let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long.

My Favorite Dinner Rolls

My Favorite Dinner Rolls

I don’t know about your family but mine loves fresh baked breads. The give the entire house a really stay at home mom “homey” smell. I use the recipe provided by “Cuisine at Home Magazine,” only I half it and cheat a bit to save time and effort. Of course, this is a secret; I let people think I am kneading dough all day.

This is my bread machine version of the recipe and what I do:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 egg beaten
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon table salt
3 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 bread machine

1. Put the yeast in warm water with the pinch of sugar and cover for 10 minutes
2. Stir together the egg, sugar, salt, and oil put in the bottom of the machine
3. Put the 3 ½ cups of flour on top of that
4. Pour in the yeast mixture
5. Start machine on basic setting
6. Remove dough after rising
7. Punch down and roll into balls the size of golf balls and place on jelly roll pan
8. Cover & let rise a second time in a warm place for 40 – 45 minutes
9. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes

This made 24 for me which I basted with Italian herb butter after removing them from the oven and then sprinkled with pecorino romano cheese.

Picture scanned from magazine