Sourdough Rye Bread

 

400 grams bread flour

100 grams rye flour

340-350 grams warm filtered water 

10 grams salt

100 grams active sourdough starter

Mix and cover.  Let it rest for 1 hour. Dough will be sticky.  Do not add extra flour.  

After an hour

Stretch and fold the sourdough without ripping the dough.  Fold it over to the middle of bowl.  Repeat this process on all sides  Cover and let rest for 45 minutes. 

Do three sets of stretch and folds.

After the last stretch and fold, cover and let rest for another 45 minutes.  

Do not dust any flour on the countertop or on silicone mat. Fold over each side and roll into a ball.  Tuck in sides. Dust with rice flour. Put in a parchment lined bowl or banneton and cover tightly.  Put in fridge.  The unbaked loaf can proof in the fridge for a week.

Place Dutch oven into the oven with lid closed and preheat the oven to 500 degrees

While oven is heating, take the loaf out of the fridge and gently flip the dough onto parchment paper. 

Score the bread so it controls where you want the bread to expand. 

Take out dutch oven and carefully place the dough and parchment paper in it.  Close lid.

Lower temp to 475 

Bake 30 minutes at 475 degrees.

After 30 minutes remove the lid from the Dutch oven for an additional 3-10 minutes till the preferred toasted color. 

Let cool on rack. 

This rye bread was delicious.  I tweaked the ingredients from my sourdough bread recipe to add the rye and it turned out great. The dough was a little more wet at first, but it worked out after the stretch and folds.  Rye absorbs more liquid in the dough.

 I ate it all week toasted with Sun Butter and my homemade strawberry jam on it.  So good! :)

Sourdough Bread

500 grams of bread flour

325 grams filtered water

10 grams salt

100 grams active sourdough starter (fed in the last 12 hours)

Mix and cover. (Saran wrap or towel. Not a tight seal. ) Let it rest for 1 hour. Dough will be sticky.  Do not add extra flour.  

After an hour

Stretch and fold the sourdough without ripping the dough.  Fold it over to the middle of bowl.  Repeat this process on all sides  Cover and let rest for 45 minutes. 

Do three sets of stretch and folds.

After the last stretch and fold, cover and let rest for another 45 minutes.  

Do not dust any flour on the countertop or on silicone mat. Fold over each side and roll into a ball.  Tuck in sides. Dust with rice flour. Put in a parchment lined bowl or banneton and cover tightly.  Put in fridge.  The unbaked loaf can proof in the fridge for a week.

Place Dutch oven into the oven with lid closed and preheat the oven to 500 degrees

While oven is heating, take the loaf out of the fridge and gently flip the dough onto parchment paper. 

Score the bread so it controls where you want the bread to expand. 

Take out dutch oven and carefully place the dough and parchment paper in it.  Close lid.

Bake 30 minutes at 500 degrees.

After 30 minutes remove the lid from the Dutch oven and lower the heat to 450 degrees for an additional 3-10 minutes till the preferred toasted color. 

Let cool on rack. 

This recipe can be easily doubled for 2 loaves.  I included everything bagel seasoning and parmesan cheese during stretch and fold in the above loaf of bread.  It was very good.  Pairs well with homemade tomato soup. :)

Carol

Burger Buns...So Good!

 

Buns

3/4 to 1 cup warm water 

2 Tbsp butter room tempurature

1 large egg

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp instant yeast

Combine yeast, sugar, warm water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and knead until smooth.  Cover the dough and let it rise till doubled about 1-2 hours. 

Shape the buns.  This full recipe will make 8 large buns.  Recipe can be cut in half keeping the same amount of yeast (or a little less if preferred) and egg. The pic above is 1/2 recipe.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet and let raise 1 hour.  

Preheat oven to 375F

Butter glaze

3 Tbsp butter melted

Brush on buns before baking

Seed topping optional

1 large egg white whisked with 2 Tbsp water *

Sesame seeds or any seeds of choice

Brush on buns before baking

*You can add the egg yoke to the bun ingredients for added richness and color.

Bake 15-18 minutes

This bun is the perfect softness for a bean burger bun.  It was so good smothered with sautéed onions. :)

Carol

Cinnamon Rolls

4 1/2 teaspoons of yeast or 2 packages
1/2 cup warm water 105 degrees
1/2 cup milk (scalded then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
4 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Wait 5-10 minutes to make sure the yeast is active.  Stir in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter and 2 1/2 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.   After adding enough remaining flour till dough is easy to handle, transfer to counter to knead by hand. Knead for 5 minutes. Place in a bowl (tablespoon of oil on the bottom of bowl) Then turn greased side up.  Cover and let raise for 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down dough.  

At this point I divided the dough in half and made cinnamon rolls and fried buns.  Or you can make the whole batch of dough into cinnamon rolls.  

For the cinnamon rolls, let rise an hour then use a rolling pin to flatten.  Add some melted butter on the dough then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll up and cut and place in greased pan.  Let rise for about 30 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes or so at 375 degrees.  Make icing of powered sugar (a cup or more), a little bit of vanilla and a little bit of milk till you get the consistency you want. (Add the milk a tablespoon at a time)  Stir and pour on when the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven.  

Cinnamon rolls or fried buns?  They are both so good.  :)

Carol

Homemade Italian Bread

I served this bread with homemade veggie marinara sauce over spaghetti squash. :)

 2  1/4 teaspoons yeast or 1 active dry packet
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup water 104 degrees
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 -3 cups flour
1 egg white

Dissolve yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup hot water, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and oil.  Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix.  Stir in yeast mixture.

Add 1-1 1/2 cups more flour and knead till the desired texture.

Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll.  

Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under.  Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife.

Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk the egg white and brush over the top of loaves.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

This recipe can be doubled easily for 2 loafs of bread.  This is an excellent tasting Italian bread that is awesome in dipping oil.  :)

~Carol~

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

             

DOUGH:               

White whole wheat flour  225g   (1 1/2 cups)
White flour  175 g   (1 1/4 cups)
Sourdough starter  250 g  (1 cup)
Water (warm)  200 g  (1 cup)
Salt  7g  (1.4 tsp)

FILLING:

1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons white flour
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup raisins (74g)

Make the dough and let raise for 2 hours.
Roll the dough into a rectangle.
Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture and sprinkle it evenly with the filling and raisins.  Leave a 1" wide strip along one short edge so the dough will stick after rolling.
Put in a 9"x 5" loaf pan that was lightly greased and cover with cloth.
Let raise 3 hours.

Bake 400 degrees 40  minutes.  Check after 30 minutes and add extra 10 if needed.
This loaf pictured was baked 40 minutes.
Cool completely.

This recipe is a combination of my Rosemary Parmesan Sourdough and the filling from a King Arthur bread recipe. 

Makes excellent french toast.  :)

Carol  :)

Bagels

DOUGH

1 tablespoon yeast

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (100-105 degrees)

WATER BATH

2 quarts water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1. Combine all of the dough ingredients and knead for 10 minutes with a dough hook or up to 15 minutes by hand to create gluten.  The dough will be stiff.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and set it aside to rise until it's noticeably puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Use silicone mats, lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment and grease the parchment. Divide it into eight pieces. 
4. Working with one piece at a time, roll it into a smooth, round ball. Place the balls on one of the prepared baking sheets. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.
5. While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water and sugar to a very gentle boil in a large, wide-diameter pan.  I used my 5 1/2 qt dutch oven.
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
7. 
   
   
8. Poke a hole through the center of each ball using your finger. You can twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole.  
9. Transfer the bagels, four at a time to the simmering water.  Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil if necessary.  
10. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more.  Using a skimmer or strainer, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.
11. Bake the bagels for 20-25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like, turning them over about 15 minutes into the baking time (this will help them remain tall and round).  I usually don't flip them because I have seeds on them.
12. Remove the bagels from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
13. Variations: To make sesame seed or any other seeded bagel, brush each bagel just before baking with a glaze made of 1 egg white beaten until frothy with 1 tablespoon of water.  Glaze each bagel and sprinkle heavily with seeds.
14. *recipe from King Arthur Flour 
15. I was craving an everything bagel and this recipe did not disappoint. I feel that it was the best bagel I ever had!  Not sure if it was because I made it or because it really was!  lol  It tasted like a true water bagel in texture and taste.  My love of baking bread of all kinds continue to expand. When I think about it, I've been making homemade bread for over 40 years! 
    
    
    "Happiness is the smell of freshly baked bread!"
16. Carol

New Years Soft Pretzel

1 1/2 cups warm (110) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
2 ounces unsalted butter
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar and salt and yeast. Sit for 5 minutes.
Add the flour and butter and mix on low speed with dough hook until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and sit in a warm place for approximately an hour or until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Use a silicone sheet or parchment paper on a sheet pan. Set aside. Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan.  In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other to form the shape of a pretzel.  Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Put them on the sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and top with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to cool on a rack.

~ These pretzels tasted excellent! The tradition of pretzels eaten on New Years Day are said to bring good luck to the coming year. ~
Carol  :)

Rosemary Parmesan Sourdough

    I've been wanting to try a new bread combination using the sourdough starter and also wanted to incorporate the Rosemary that I dried from last years harvest.  Today was the day!  I will say this bread was delicious! 
      

                                     
White whole wheat flour  225g   (1 1/2 cups)
White flour  175 g   (1 1/4 cups)
Sourdough starter  250 g  (1 cup)
Water (warm)  200 g  (1 cup)
Salt  7g  (1.4 tsp)

2 Tablespoons of dried Rosemary
1/4 cup (heaping) shredded Parmesan


Knead first 5 ingredients and let rest for 2 hours or so. I weighed the ingredients, but it's roughly the cup measurements listed.  Mix in the rosemary and Parmesan and place in a parchment lined proofing basket for another 3 hours.  I use rice flour to coat the bread.  It's gluten free which makes it great for preventing the dough from sticking.  It also has a very high burn threshold. That's why you see white (rice) flour on bread at the bakery!

Place stoneware in a 400 degree oven while it's preheating. When oven is ready, transfer dough from a wooden pizza peel (coated with rice flour) to the stone.  Place a small pan with a cup of boiling water in the oven while it bakes.  This gives a great crust.

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.  (You should hear a hollow sound when you thump the bottom of the bread.)  :)

Enjoy!

~Carol~

Neujahrsbretzel (German New Year's Pretzel)

1. 4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3.  4 Tbsp sugar
4.  1 tsp salt
5.  4 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp.
6. 1 egg at room temp.
7. 2 cups milk using 4-5 cups of flour)
8. *******
9. 1 egg for egg wash
10. 
    
11. Combine milk, yeast and sugar and let set till bubbly.  Add salt and flour and knead.
12. Raise 1 hour.  Make into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.  Let raise another 45 minutes or so.  Brush with a whipped whole egg and add any toppings before putting in oven.  This pretzel had sesame seeds and Pink Himalaya salt on top.  
13. Bake 400 degrees 25-30 minutes or until done. 
14. Delicious  :)
15. ~Carol~
16. 1-1-2022  I cut this recipe in half for all ingredients except the flour and yeast.  I used about 2 1/2 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of yeast.  

Hard Red Whole Wheat Flour vs Hard White Whole Wheat Flour

This bread was made with 100% Hard White Whole Wheat Flour.  In previous bakes, this recipe  had called for part whole wheat and part unbleached white flour.  I used all White Whole Wheat Flour (Hard White Whole Wheat Flour) in  feeding the starter and when making this loaf.  It came out great and tasted great.  

What's the difference between Hard Red Whole Wheat Flour and Hard White Whole Wheat Flour?

 Hard White Whole Wheat Flour is a 100% whole grain flour milled from a different version of wheat than conventional whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is 100% whole grain milled from hard red wheat, while the hard white whole wheat flour is milled from hard white wheat. The hard white wheat gives a lighter color and flavor than hard red wheat.  The terms “red” and “white” are used to identify the color of the kernel and not of the flour that is eventually milled from those kernels.  The red wheat can have a bitter taste, where the white is milder.  The red wheat has slightly more protein which produces a rustic harder bread loaf.  The hard white wheat has moderate protein which makes for a softer loaf. The hard white wheat was originally developed from red wheat.  They created it to have a flour with the same nutritional value but with different baking characteristics. 

The whole wheat flour kernel is milled with the bran, germ and endosperm.  Unbleached White Flour has had the bran and germ stripped away, so it is not whole grain. That is the main difference- one is whole wheat and one is not. Both have about the same amount of protein, but a whole wheat flour will produce a denser, more flavorful baked good. 

My preference?  Homemade bread. Period. Any way you slice it.  :)

~Carol~

Basic Whole Wheat sourdough bread

187.5 grams Wheat flour  (about 1 1/3 cups)

187.5 grams White floor   (about 1 1/3 cups)

250 grams sourdough   (1 cup)

175-225 grams water  (200 grams is 1 cup)

7.5 grams salt. (1 teaspoon)

Mix together with dough hook or by hand.  Let raise 2 hours first raise and then 2-3 hours second raise.  

Preheated oven 400 degrees

Put a cup of boiling water in a pan Then put in the oven when you put the bread in to steam the oven. 

Bake for at least 30 minutes or until hollow tapping sound. 

Let bread completely cool before cutting. 

Raise option: (1 hour first raise and then put in refrigerator over night covered with Saran Wrap. Take out in the morning and set out for an hour before you bake it.)

Enjoy!

Carol

Sourdough Starter

Feeding the Starter:

Add 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and less than 3/4 cup warm water (make it a good 1/2 cup).  Mix with a spatula or plastic (no metal).  Consistency should be like thick cake batter.

Let the sourdough starter set on counter 8-10 hours with lid on. 

Starter should double in size.  Take out 1 cup starter to use in recipe.  If you are not making bread, either toss it or share it.  Put the remaining 1 cup sourdough starter back in the fridge with lid on.  It can stay in the fridge for a week without feeding it.  If you go over a week, the starter can get a little sluggish and you might have to repeat the feeding step twice.  Feed, discard a cup, feed, use or discard a cup.

Also, the top of the starter can turn gray and get a liquid on top.  This is called hooch.  It's a form of naturally-occurring alcohol which indicates that your sourdough starter is hungry.  Just stir it in when you feed it.

Tip:  Wash out the measuring cup, spatula or bowl that has starter in it right away.  If not, it is very difficult to clean if it dries.

The above picture is before the starter is fed.

The starter will double in size after the 8 hours and will be ready to use.


Have fun feeding and watching your live wild yeast grow!
~ Carol ~ 

Easter Egg Bread

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
4 to 5 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine 1 cup flour, sugar,salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well.

Put milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.

Add liquid mixture to flour mixture, stirring constantly. Beat in eggs and 1/2 cup of flour. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time. Put dough on floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.


Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat all surfaces with oil. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Divide dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long rope about 36 inches long and 1-1/2 inches thick. Use ropes to form a loosely braided ring, with spaces to insert eggs. Slide eggs between braids of dough. Cover loosely with a towel and let raise again about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When dough has doubled in size, brush with melted butter and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a  rack to cool. 

This rich egg bread tasted awesome! Why wait till Easter to make this bread.  Omit the hard boiled eggs and just make the bread anytime!  :)

~Carol~ 

**I used this recipe for my 2021 New Years Pretzel and it was delicious.  This recipe is definitely up there as a favorite. :)

Corn Bread

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup corn meal

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Use a whisk and blend. Spray pan.

420 degrees for 20-25 minutes

9" x 9"

Here's a 1/2 recipe in a 6 inch cast iron skillet.  Perfect!

I made the Harvest Vegetable Chowder soup and wanted some kind of bread to go with it.  I went looking for a cornbread recipe and found this slip of paper in my mom's old cookbook!  A short time later I had great tasting cornbread to go with the soup.

 Thanks mom. :)

~ Carol ~

Dave's Original Rye Bread

250 grams (~2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour

250 grams (~2 cups) rye flour

1 cup water

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

10 grams (2 teaspoons) salt

1 tablespoon molasses 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Optional:

1 tablespoon cocoa 

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

Mix all the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add all of the other ingredients. 

The cocoa and caraway seeds are optional. The cocoa adds a slight chocolatey taste, and also makes the bread turn out darker. The caraway seeds add a lot of flavor to the bread. Experiment with using it verses omitting it and see which you prefer. I like it with and without.

Knead with dough hook or by hand. Put a little olive oil in a bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or towel (I use both) and let sit for 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Fold dough ball into itself and make dough into a round ball. Place back in the bowl for 2 to 3 hours, or until doubled.

I like to bake my bread in a dutch oven. I use Le Creuset, but any will do. If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can bake the bread on a pan or in any bread tin.

If using a dutch oven, place in oven before preheating. If not using dutch oven, place a medium size bowl of water in the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

When the bread is ready, take a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it with flour (I use rice flour because it has a higher burn threshold). Then gently remove the dough from the bowl and place on the parchment paper. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough. With a sharp knife (I use a x-acto knife), cut a couple of deep slashes across the top. Finally, pick the bread up by the parchment paper and place it in the preheated dutch oven. Try not to burn yourself.

If using a dutch oven, let the bread bake for 20 minutes, then remove the lid. Change the temperature to 425 and bake for 20 more minutes.

.

If not using a dutch oven, make for roughly 30 - 35 minutes, or until you think it is done.

Once finished baking, let sit for an hour or so to cool and let itself continue to cook the insides.

Makes one dense loaf of bread.*

Dave

* Dave makes excellent bread.  He mills his own flour from whole wheat/rye berries. Grinding the berries keeps the bran and germ in the flour. The flour you buy in the store has the germ removed.  Since the germ contains oil, it would make the flour rancid while sitting on the shelf if it wasn't removed.  Grinding whole wheat berries as you need them keep the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the flour. 

Dave also made his own sourdough starter in May 2016 using whole wheat, green apple and water. He now uses 1/4 cup wheat berries and 1/4 cup rye berries for the starter. The wild yeast of the whole grain flour gives the sourdough starter it's life.

I was excited to be the recipient of a shared portion of his sourdough starter this past weekend and look forward to many delicious sourdough breads.  :)
Carol