Christmas Break and Bread Baking
Lots of recipes follow. Very long post.
From King Arthur Flours
Brioche 1
Brioche is a yeast bread that's so rich, it can be eaten pleasurably with absolutely no adornment at all. Which isn't to say that a tart-sweet raspberry preserve, or orange marmalade, or peach jam, Devon cream or butter aren't all welcome additions; simply that a bite of brioche can proudly stand alone.
Brioche can be shaped in the traditional shape, a fluted round with a jaunty topknot; but it can also be made into sandwich-type loaves, or divided into balls and the balls laid side by side to make a ring, or piled into a loaf pan to make a kind of French "monkey bread." However you shape it, brioche is a versatile loaf which can move easily from plain sliced, to toasted with jam, to French toast, to slices of savory (rather than sweet) brioche serving as the base for smoked salmon, caviar, roasted asparagus and hollandaise -- now that's gilding the lily!
With all of its butter, this is a difficult dough to develop by hand, and we don't suggest trying it. An electric mixer or bread machine is ideal for the task; if you have access to either of these helpers, don't hesitate to tackle this recipe. It's only a tad more challenging than any other yeast bread recipe, and the results are out of this world.
2 1/2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (+ 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cool water (about 70°F)
4 large eggs + 1 yolk for glaze
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
Place 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) of the flour, the yeast, water and eggs into the bowl of a mixer or the bucket of your bread machine. Beat at medium speed (or knead in the bread machine) until smooth. Cover the mixture and let it sit for 45 minutes. It'll develop some bubbles, but not change very much due to the thinness of the batter. The yeast, however, is getting a jump-start.
Add the remaining 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) of flour, and beat (or knead in the bread machine) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and is shiny and elastic.
Sprinkle a work surface with the 2 tablespoons of flour. Place the sticks of butter onto the flour. Pound the butter with the side of a rolling pin until it's become a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Fold it over several times as you pound; it'll become pliable without getting too warm or soft. Add the butter to the dough and beat until it's fully incorporated.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 1 hour. It'll be very soft at this point, and should have grown by about one-third. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over several times. (Use a bench knife to scrape up any bits that stick to the table.) Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours, and up to about 16 hours. The dough will firm up considerably.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into a round loaf. Work quickly, because as the dough warms it becomes very sticky. Place it into a 9-inch brioche pan. Note: We've chosen not to make the topknotted brioche here; it's a fair trick to get the knob on top to stay centered throughout the rising and baking process, and as we don't like the look of tipsy brioches, we usually just form it into a plain round. Cover the dough lightly and allow it to rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until it's doubled and is crowned well over the top of the pan.
Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush all exposed surfaces with the egg wash. (Try not to let any egg wash drip onto the edge of the pan, as the bread will stick there.) Cut four slashes into the top of the loaf. Bake the brioche in a preheated 375°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until its internal temperature reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer and it's golden brown. For brioche with lighter crust, tent it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking.
Remove the brioche from the oven and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan, and cool it completely on a rack. Serve the brioche when it's completely cool. Yield: 1 round loaf.
Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/12 of loaf, 68g): 268 cal, 18g fat, 5g protein, 19g complex carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 116mg cholesterol, 320mg sodium, 69mg potassium, 183RE vitamin A, 1mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 13mg calcium, 65 mg phosphorus.
This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (r) (Vol. XI, No. 6, Autumn 2000 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue(r), P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055. (The Baking Sheet and The Baker's Catalogue are both registered trademarks of The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.)
Brioche 2
This egg- and butter-rich bread is delightfully tender. We love to use this dough for shaped and filled sweet breads.
Dough
2 3/4 cups (11 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) dried whole milk or Baker’s Special Dry Milk
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces) butter, soft but not melted or warm
1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini chocolate chips, optional (not Classic, but good)
Egg wash
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
In a stand mixer or bread machine (programmed for dough), mix together all of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips and egg wash) to form a smooth, shiny dough. Don't worry; what starts out as a sticky mess becomes beautifully satiny as it kneads. This dough takes longer than most to develop, so be prepared to let the dough knead for up to 20 minutes in a stand mixer. Also, we don't recommend trying to knead it by hand. If you're using a bread machine, let it complete its kneading cycle, then continue as directed below. Gently mix the chocolate chips into the fully developed dough. Form the dough into a ball (it'll be very soft), place it in a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and it let rise for 1 hour. Then refrigerate the dough for several hours, or overnight. This will slow the fermentation and chill the butter, making the dough easier to shape.
Divide the chilled dough into 12 pieces to make mini-brioches*, or leave it whole for one large round brioche or a 9 x 5-inch loaf. Place the dough into the greased pan(s) of your choice, cover lightly, and let rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until it's doubled and looks very puffy. Brush the brioche with thoroughly with the egg wash just before baking.
To bake a large brioche (round or 9x 5-inch loaf): Place the pan into a preheated 425°F oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven heat to 350°F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes more. Check the brioche after 15 minutes; tent with aluminum foil if it appears to be browning too quickly. Brioche should be a deep, shiny brown when done, and should sound hollow when tapped. (It's easy to underbake, since it browns so quickly!) Remove the brioche from the oven, and after 10 minutes remove it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
To bake the mini brioches: Place the pan(s) into a preheated 375%deg;F oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes (tent after 10 minutes if they’re browning too quickly). Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Slice and serve plain, toasted, or with preserves or butter. It also makes wonderful French toast.
Yield: 1 loaf or 12 mini-brioches.
*If you are using a 6-cup silicone mini brioche pan, you can keep half the dough refrigerated to bake the next day. Or, go ahead and shape all 12 pieces. Place the extra 6 pieces in a lightly greased 8 to 9-inch cake pan, cover, and let rise (in a slightly cooler location if possible). When you’ve finished baking the first batch (in the silicone pan), turn them out, let the pan stand for about 5 minutes to cool, then carefully transfer the 2nd batch into the pan (no need to grease it again). Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes (to let them recover from the transfer), then bake.
Pain au chocolat
Bread and chocolate--a typical after-school snack for Parisian children. This recipe goes together in a snap, and is much lower in fat than the traditional (puff dough) version, but it has a rich flavor and the soy flour creates a very tender texture.
3 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1/4 cup low-fat soy flour
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups milk 18 pain au chocolat sticks
sparkling white sugar OR cinnamon sugar (optional garnish)
*Or, use 1 1/2 cups each King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat and all-purpose flours
In a large bowl, or the bucket of a bread machine, combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate sticks and sparkling sugar. Mix and knead until smooth, adding additional all-purpose flour or water if needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until puffy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 18 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls, then flatten them into ovals. Place a chocolate stick in the center of each and fold the dough over, crimping the edges shut. Place seam-side-down onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 1 hour, or until puffy. Sprinkle with sugar if desired, then bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until light golden brown. Best served warm, with the chocolate still gooey!
Nutrition per serving (1 roll, 56g): 150 cal, 3.5g fat, 5g protein, 24g total carbohydrate, 7g sugar, 0g dietary fiber, 15mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium.
Panettone 1, with overnight starter
This traditional Italian holiday bread will stay fresh longer when it's made with an overnight starter.
Biga (Overnight Starter)
3/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/16 teaspoon yeast (just a pinch)
1/3 cup water
Dough
all of the biga (above)
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia flavoring OR 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
2 1/4 teaspoons Fermipan Brown yeast (special for sweet breads) OR 1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup slivered dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries or flavored fruit bits
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
2 tablespoons orange or lemon zest
The Biga: Combine the biga ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover, and allow them to rest overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients except the fruit, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk). Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone pan or other straight-sided, tall 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise till it's just crested over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.
Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake an additional 10 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely.
This recipe reprinted from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet, Vol. III, No. 2, December, 1991.
Panettone 2
Here's a quick and easy recipe for panettone, a lovely Italian holiday bread.
3 packages (3 scant tablespoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil)
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup golden raisins
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon, salt and butter; beat well. Gradually stir in the flour, adding just enough flour to make a soft dough. Transfer dough to well-floured work surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until dough is smooth. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Punch dough down, and place on well-floured work surface. Knead in the raisins. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered 2-quart casserole pan. Set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake panettone in a preheated 400°F oven (375°F oven if using a glass pan) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (325°F for a glass pan), and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Cover panettone with aluminum foil if it begins to get too brown.
Pita
Pita bread is another ancient flat bread made from the same sort of dough that pizza and focaccia is. It's the way it's baked that creates the pocket. Here's a recipe for the kind of pita you'll find on the grocery shelf.
Pita Plain
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet or scant tablespoon active dry yeast
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 scant tablespoon salt
Pitas are best made ahead of time so they'll have a chance to cool and deflate before you fill them. So if you're going biking or hiking on the weekend, you'll probably want to make them up during the week.
If you work away from home during the day or even if you work at home, you can make up a sponge with about half the flour. The easiest way to make up a is to make a sponge. Putting a sponge together takes almost no time at all, and because it will work for several hours on its own, it produces unequalled flavor in the finished product. (You can use this method to make any bread, which makes it possible for anyone who has to be away during the day to make their own unsurpassable homemade bread, focaccia, pizza, sticky buns, on ad infinitum.)
In the morning before you go off about your day, stir together in a mixing bowl the water, sugar, yeast, and enough unbleached flour to make about 1 cup of flour altogether. After 5 minutes or so, give this brew another stir to make sure the yeast is well dissolved and distributed. Then cover it with plastic wrap and let this sponge go to work.
When you get back to the sponge later on, add the salt and enough flour to make a dough that is a bit stiffer than that for a focaccia, one that you can easily knead by hand.
Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and bouncy, adding only enough more flour to keep it from sticking to the board or you. Give it a rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten and make it more cooperative about being shaped.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand and then roll each piece with a floured rolling pin, or a pin with a cover, on a floured surface into a circle about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. You may need to let the pieces rest occasionally to relax the dough.
Sprinkle baking sheets with cornmeal and place two circles on each. Or place circles on pieces of parchment paper. Let the dough circles rest here for at least 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to a hot 500°F.
When the pita circles have finished resting, place the baking sheet on the oven bottom or, if this is not possible, on the lowest rack. If you're using a baking stone, make sure it's on the oven floor, or on the lowest rack. Use a peel to transfer the pitas-on-parchment to the stone. Close the oven door and keep it shut for 1 minute. Don't peek or the pocket may not form. It's this initially fast, hot searing of the outside dough of the pita that makes it separate from the inside. The carbon dioxide gas created by the yeast expands inside and accentuates the separation until the pita blows up like a balloon and the pocket is created.
At the end of the minute, place the sheet on a rack higher in the oven and continue baking anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes, until the pitas have blown up into balloons and are lightly browned. If the pitas baked right on the stone, you'll probably want to transfer them to a baking sheet, which is already in place on the oven rack, for this second part of their baking. When they're done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, slide the pitas off and let them cool. They will probably deflate somewhat after cooling. Once they're thoroughly cool you can press more air out of them so they take up less storage room.
From King Arthur Flours
Brioche 1
Brioche is a yeast bread that's so rich, it can be eaten pleasurably with absolutely no adornment at all. Which isn't to say that a tart-sweet raspberry preserve, or orange marmalade, or peach jam, Devon cream or butter aren't all welcome additions; simply that a bite of brioche can proudly stand alone.
Brioche can be shaped in the traditional shape, a fluted round with a jaunty topknot; but it can also be made into sandwich-type loaves, or divided into balls and the balls laid side by side to make a ring, or piled into a loaf pan to make a kind of French "monkey bread." However you shape it, brioche is a versatile loaf which can move easily from plain sliced, to toasted with jam, to French toast, to slices of savory (rather than sweet) brioche serving as the base for smoked salmon, caviar, roasted asparagus and hollandaise -- now that's gilding the lily!
With all of its butter, this is a difficult dough to develop by hand, and we don't suggest trying it. An electric mixer or bread machine is ideal for the task; if you have access to either of these helpers, don't hesitate to tackle this recipe. It's only a tad more challenging than any other yeast bread recipe, and the results are out of this world.
2 1/2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (+ 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cool water (about 70°F)
4 large eggs + 1 yolk for glaze
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
Place 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 ounces) of the flour, the yeast, water and eggs into the bowl of a mixer or the bucket of your bread machine. Beat at medium speed (or knead in the bread machine) until smooth. Cover the mixture and let it sit for 45 minutes. It'll develop some bubbles, but not change very much due to the thinness of the batter. The yeast, however, is getting a jump-start.
Add the remaining 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) of flour, and beat (or knead in the bread machine) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and is shiny and elastic.
Sprinkle a work surface with the 2 tablespoons of flour. Place the sticks of butter onto the flour. Pound the butter with the side of a rolling pin until it's become a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Fold it over several times as you pound; it'll become pliable without getting too warm or soft. Add the butter to the dough and beat until it's fully incorporated.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 1 hour. It'll be very soft at this point, and should have grown by about one-third. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over several times. (Use a bench knife to scrape up any bits that stick to the table.) Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours, and up to about 16 hours. The dough will firm up considerably.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into a round loaf. Work quickly, because as the dough warms it becomes very sticky. Place it into a 9-inch brioche pan. Note: We've chosen not to make the topknotted brioche here; it's a fair trick to get the knob on top to stay centered throughout the rising and baking process, and as we don't like the look of tipsy brioches, we usually just form it into a plain round. Cover the dough lightly and allow it to rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until it's doubled and is crowned well over the top of the pan.
Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush all exposed surfaces with the egg wash. (Try not to let any egg wash drip onto the edge of the pan, as the bread will stick there.) Cut four slashes into the top of the loaf. Bake the brioche in a preheated 375°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until its internal temperature reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer and it's golden brown. For brioche with lighter crust, tent it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking.
Remove the brioche from the oven and cool it in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out of the pan, and cool it completely on a rack. Serve the brioche when it's completely cool. Yield: 1 round loaf.
Nutrition information per serving (1 slice, 1/12 of loaf, 68g): 268 cal, 18g fat, 5g protein, 19g complex carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 116mg cholesterol, 320mg sodium, 69mg potassium, 183RE vitamin A, 1mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 13mg calcium, 65 mg phosphorus.
This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet (r) (Vol. XI, No. 6, Autumn 2000 issue). The Baking Sheet is a newsletter published six times a year by The Baker's Catalogue(r), P.O. Box 876, Norwich, Vermont 05055. (The Baking Sheet and The Baker's Catalogue are both registered trademarks of The Baker's Catalogue, Inc.)
Brioche 2
This egg- and butter-rich bread is delightfully tender. We love to use this dough for shaped and filled sweet breads.
Dough
2 3/4 cups (11 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) dried whole milk or Baker’s Special Dry Milk
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (2 ounces) water
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces) butter, soft but not melted or warm
1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini chocolate chips, optional (not Classic, but good)
Egg wash
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
In a stand mixer or bread machine (programmed for dough), mix together all of the ingredients (except the chocolate chips and egg wash) to form a smooth, shiny dough. Don't worry; what starts out as a sticky mess becomes beautifully satiny as it kneads. This dough takes longer than most to develop, so be prepared to let the dough knead for up to 20 minutes in a stand mixer. Also, we don't recommend trying to knead it by hand. If you're using a bread machine, let it complete its kneading cycle, then continue as directed below. Gently mix the chocolate chips into the fully developed dough. Form the dough into a ball (it'll be very soft), place it in a greased bowl, cover the bowl, and it let rise for 1 hour. Then refrigerate the dough for several hours, or overnight. This will slow the fermentation and chill the butter, making the dough easier to shape.
Divide the chilled dough into 12 pieces to make mini-brioches*, or leave it whole for one large round brioche or a 9 x 5-inch loaf. Place the dough into the greased pan(s) of your choice, cover lightly, and let rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until it's doubled and looks very puffy. Brush the brioche with thoroughly with the egg wash just before baking.
To bake a large brioche (round or 9x 5-inch loaf): Place the pan into a preheated 425°F oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven heat to 350°F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes more. Check the brioche after 15 minutes; tent with aluminum foil if it appears to be browning too quickly. Brioche should be a deep, shiny brown when done, and should sound hollow when tapped. (It's easy to underbake, since it browns so quickly!) Remove the brioche from the oven, and after 10 minutes remove it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
To bake the mini brioches: Place the pan(s) into a preheated 375%deg;F oven and bake for 14 to 16 minutes (tent after 10 minutes if they’re browning too quickly). Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Slice and serve plain, toasted, or with preserves or butter. It also makes wonderful French toast.
Yield: 1 loaf or 12 mini-brioches.
*If you are using a 6-cup silicone mini brioche pan, you can keep half the dough refrigerated to bake the next day. Or, go ahead and shape all 12 pieces. Place the extra 6 pieces in a lightly greased 8 to 9-inch cake pan, cover, and let rise (in a slightly cooler location if possible). When you’ve finished baking the first batch (in the silicone pan), turn them out, let the pan stand for about 5 minutes to cool, then carefully transfer the 2nd batch into the pan (no need to grease it again). Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes (to let them recover from the transfer), then bake.
Pain au chocolat
Bread and chocolate--a typical after-school snack for Parisian children. This recipe goes together in a snap, and is much lower in fat than the traditional (puff dough) version, but it has a rich flavor and the soy flour creates a very tender texture.
3 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
1/4 cup low-fat soy flour
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter or oil
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups milk 18 pain au chocolat sticks
sparkling white sugar OR cinnamon sugar (optional garnish)
*Or, use 1 1/2 cups each King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat and all-purpose flours
In a large bowl, or the bucket of a bread machine, combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate sticks and sparkling sugar. Mix and knead until smooth, adding additional all-purpose flour or water if needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, until puffy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 18 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls, then flatten them into ovals. Place a chocolate stick in the center of each and fold the dough over, crimping the edges shut. Place seam-side-down onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 1 hour, or until puffy. Sprinkle with sugar if desired, then bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until light golden brown. Best served warm, with the chocolate still gooey!
Nutrition per serving (1 roll, 56g): 150 cal, 3.5g fat, 5g protein, 24g total carbohydrate, 7g sugar, 0g dietary fiber, 15mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium.
Panettone 1, with overnight starter
This traditional Italian holiday bread will stay fresh longer when it's made with an overnight starter.
Biga (Overnight Starter)
3/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/16 teaspoon yeast (just a pinch)
1/3 cup water
Dough
all of the biga (above)
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia flavoring OR 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1/8 teaspoon orange oil
2 1/4 teaspoons Fermipan Brown yeast (special for sweet breads) OR 1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup slivered dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries or flavored fruit bits
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
2 tablespoons orange or lemon zest
The Biga: Combine the biga ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, cover, and allow them to rest overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients except the fruit, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk). Gently deflate the dough, and knead in the fruits and zest.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a panettone pan or other straight-sided, tall 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise till it's just crested over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.
Bake the bread in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes; reduce the oven heat to 375°F and bake an additional 10 minutes; then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 25 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil if the crust appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the panettone from the oven and cool completely.
This recipe reprinted from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet, Vol. III, No. 2, December, 1991.
Panettone 2
Here's a quick and easy recipe for panettone, a lovely Italian holiday bread.
3 packages (3 scant tablespoons) active dry yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil)
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened butter
2 1/2 to 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup golden raisins
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon, salt and butter; beat well. Gradually stir in the flour, adding just enough flour to make a soft dough. Transfer dough to well-floured work surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until dough is smooth. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Punch dough down, and place on well-floured work surface. Knead in the raisins. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered 2-quart casserole pan. Set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake panettone in a preheated 400°F oven (375°F oven if using a glass pan) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (325°F for a glass pan), and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Cover panettone with aluminum foil if it begins to get too brown.
Pita
Pita bread is another ancient flat bread made from the same sort of dough that pizza and focaccia is. It's the way it's baked that creates the pocket. Here's a recipe for the kind of pita you'll find on the grocery shelf.
Pita Plain
2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet or scant tablespoon active dry yeast
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 scant tablespoon salt
Pitas are best made ahead of time so they'll have a chance to cool and deflate before you fill them. So if you're going biking or hiking on the weekend, you'll probably want to make them up during the week.
If you work away from home during the day or even if you work at home, you can make up a sponge with about half the flour. The easiest way to make up a is to make a sponge. Putting a sponge together takes almost no time at all, and because it will work for several hours on its own, it produces unequalled flavor in the finished product. (You can use this method to make any bread, which makes it possible for anyone who has to be away during the day to make their own unsurpassable homemade bread, focaccia, pizza, sticky buns, on ad infinitum.)
In the morning before you go off about your day, stir together in a mixing bowl the water, sugar, yeast, and enough unbleached flour to make about 1 cup of flour altogether. After 5 minutes or so, give this brew another stir to make sure the yeast is well dissolved and distributed. Then cover it with plastic wrap and let this sponge go to work.
When you get back to the sponge later on, add the salt and enough flour to make a dough that is a bit stiffer than that for a focaccia, one that you can easily knead by hand.
Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and bouncy, adding only enough more flour to keep it from sticking to the board or you. Give it a rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten and make it more cooperative about being shaped.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand and then roll each piece with a floured rolling pin, or a pin with a cover, on a floured surface into a circle about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. You may need to let the pieces rest occasionally to relax the dough.
Sprinkle baking sheets with cornmeal and place two circles on each. Or place circles on pieces of parchment paper. Let the dough circles rest here for at least 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to a hot 500°F.
When the pita circles have finished resting, place the baking sheet on the oven bottom or, if this is not possible, on the lowest rack. If you're using a baking stone, make sure it's on the oven floor, or on the lowest rack. Use a peel to transfer the pitas-on-parchment to the stone. Close the oven door and keep it shut for 1 minute. Don't peek or the pocket may not form. It's this initially fast, hot searing of the outside dough of the pita that makes it separate from the inside. The carbon dioxide gas created by the yeast expands inside and accentuates the separation until the pita blows up like a balloon and the pocket is created.
At the end of the minute, place the sheet on a rack higher in the oven and continue baking anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes, until the pitas have blown up into balloons and are lightly browned. If the pitas baked right on the stone, you'll probably want to transfer them to a baking sheet, which is already in place on the oven rack, for this second part of their baking. When they're done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, slide the pitas off and let them cool. They will probably deflate somewhat after cooling. Once they're thoroughly cool you can press more air out of them so they take up less storage room.
posted by a lau @ 18:13
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