BREAD

JUST A NOTE:

CARBS ARE LIFE - BREAD, PIZZA, PITA AND THE LIST GOES ON...

DON'T USE YOUR MIXER, DO USE A SCALE

IT WILL NOT BE PERFECT THE FIRST NOR SECOND TIME

THE SCIENCE OF WHOLE WHEAT SOURDOUGH

Makes 2 loaves

PREFERMENT

20g active starter

90g whole wheat flour

90g lukewarm water (80°)

Mix ingredients 12-24 hours before you mix your dough. Try to keep it temperature controlled between 75-85°. Pro Tip: Oven lights are your best friend.

DOUGH

200g active preferment

500g whole wheat flour

500g bread flour

800g warm water (85°)

20g sea salt

Pro Tip: It's all a matter of proportions, so you can mess around with the amounts, but I've found that wet dough makes a less crumbly crust, dry dough means crumbs everywhere and a cleaning nightmare.

Autolyse: In a plastic bucket, using your hands, mix the ingredients less of 100g of water and the salt until there are no dry spots remaining. Let it rest 20 minutes. Try to keep the temperature between 78-82°. (Wasn't kidding about the science part...)

After 20 minutes, add the remaining water and salt and mix it up. Let your dough sit for 30 minutes. Pro Tip: Throw your bread away if you forget the salt.

After 30 minutes, keeping the dough in the bowl with your hands, stretch and fold the dough to give it strength and redistribute the yeast. The dough will tear easily when it's ready to rest - about 10 pulls of the dough. Let it rest for 30-45 minutes. Repeat this step 2 more times. After the last interval, let it rest 20 minutes, until billowy.

SHAPING TIME

1 cup Rice Flour

Lightly flour your surface and plop out on your dough, divide into 2 equal portions.

Stretch the bottom of the dough to resemble a rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds, like you're trying to mail an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper in a rectangular envelope. Try to have the seam sit in the middle of the dough.

Rotate 90° so the seam is perpendicular to you. Take the top left corner and pull it to the middle of the right side. Take the top right corner and pull it to the middle of the left side (like the dough is giving itself a hug). Take the peak in the top middle and pull it down. Using your palm, seal the seams of the dough so you have a semi-circle.

Take the dough and toss in the rice flour. Pro Tip: Buy one bag of rice flour, put it in a Tupperware and only use it to toss your bread, saves on cleaning time. Take the dough and place it seam side up in your proofing basket. This product will get you the ripple pattern on your loaf. Leave your loaf on the counter for 1-4 hours, or in the fridge 10-20 hours.

BAKE!

Place an empty dutch oven with lid in the oven. Then preheat the oven to 475.

Place your dough on parchment paper and score the top so air can escape. Also pop any air bubbles you may see. Place your dough in the dutch oven and cover it quickly to keep the steam in. Bake for 20 minutes and uncover the loaf, picture-left is post 20 minute bake. The bake for another 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours. Finally enjoy your loaf.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

Day 0 at 8pm - Mix Preferment

Day 1

8:30am - Mix Your Dough, Autolyse

8:55am - Add remaining water and salt

9:30am - Stretch & Fold, Round 1

10:00am - Stretch & Fold, Round 2

10:30am - Stretch & Fold, Round 3

10:50am - Shape the dough

12:00pm - Preheat your oven

12:30pm - Score and Bake

12:50pm - Remove the lid

1:20-1:30pm - Remove your bread

3:30pm - Eat!

LESSONS LEARNED

1. Buying bread is a lot easier, but your house won't smell as good.

2. Wet dough seems to work better. The dryer the dough, the more crumbly it gets, which is not the purpose of sourdough. You want a good chewy crust.

3. Tang isn't just an orange drink. The stinkier, tangier (not a word but whatever) your starter and preferment are, the better the sourdough will taste.

4. I finally had a good loaf after my third try. So fail, it's character building. Also a great activity for when you're "shelter in place" (Thanks COVID-19...)

5. Cost savings - Flour is cheap, but better quality flour yields better quality bread. King Arthur is good flour, and that's only $5/bag, so spend an extra $1 for the good stuff. As for the tools, there's a bit of investment upfront - Scale $15, Bucket $15 (Can also use large Tupperware), Dutch Oven $40. However, they're good kitchenware investments.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

Makes 1 loaf

BREAD

1 cup milk, 110º
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins

FILLING
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons melted butter (or Oil)

Combine milk, brown sugar, and yeast in a bowl or measuring cup. Let sit for 10 minutes, until foamy. Pour the yeast liquid into a bowl, then add oil and eggs. Whisk to combine the wet ingredients, then add flour and salt. Roughly combine the wet and dry ingredients into a shaggy dough. Add the raisins, then knead for 10 minutes. When kneading is complete, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Flour your countertop as lightly as possible, then spread and stretch the dough into a rectangle that is the length of your loaf pan, about 9 in. x 18 in. Make the cinnamon filling by stirring together brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Spread this mixture all over the top of the dough as evenly as possible. Roll the dough up as tightly as possible. Place the roll seam-side down into a greased loaf pan, then cover with a kitchen towel to let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF, then bake bread for 40–50 minutes until the inside reads 190º. Let the bread cool then enjoy!

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Makes enough to share

1 1/3 cups 110° water

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

3 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt, plus extra for garnish

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Add water, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Let sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add flour, oil and salt to the liquid and mix until well combined. The dough should pull away from the bowl, if not add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Form into a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let sit in a warm spot for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Turn dough out onto a floured baking sheet and roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cover the dough with a piece of greased plastic wrap and let sit for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and press into the dough with your fingers to form dimples all over the surface. Drizzle olive oil over the dough. Sprinkle salt and fresh rosemary leaves on top of the dough. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes then serve warm.

GARLIC ROSEMARY BREAD

Makes enough to share

3 cups bread flour

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups 110° water

2 garlic bulbs

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

1tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp rice flour

Night before: Mix warm water, yeast, salt and flour in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 14-18 hours, preferably in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 400. Cut the garlic bulbs in half and place onto a square of aluminum foil, cut side up to expose the cloves. Drizzle the olive oil on top of the garlic and wrap the foil so the bulbs are covered. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Once done, remove the cloves and allow to cool. Then roughly chop.

On a floured surface, spread dough into a rectangle. Evenly distribute the garlic and rosemary. Then fold the dough and begin to knead to evenly distribute the toppings. Work the dough into a ball, with the seam on the bottom. Cover with a floured tea towel and let sit for another 1-2 hours.

Place a dutch oven (with lid) in a cool oven and preheat to 450. Once preheated, pull the dutch oven out and sprinkle the bottom of the pan with rice flour. Place the dough in the dutch oven and score the dough so it can vent. Cover the dutch oven with the lid and bake for 35 minutes.

Pull the dutch oven out and uncover the dough, open the lid away from you so you don't get burned by the steam. Place uncovered dutch oven back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown. Let cool for at least 2 hours, by the way your house will smell amazing!

Why rice flour? Rice flour has a higher burning temperature than normal flour. By sprinkling the bottom of the pan with rice flour, you prevent the dough from sticking to the pan and you also prevent the bottom from burning.

CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Makes 2 pizzas

500g warm water

5g yeast

15g sugar

5g salt

10g olive oil

650-800g flour

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, add the yeast and sugar to the water. let sit until foamy. Add the salt, oil and 450g of flour and mix until smooth. Add additional flour, 75g at a time until the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes then knead for 30 seconds in the bowl. Repeat 4 more times (total of 5 times).

Split the dough in half and shape into large ovals. Place on your cooking apparatus and garnish with your favorite pizza toppings. Pro Tip: For an epic deep dish pizza, cook in a lightly greased cast iron pan. Bake for 40 minutes, let cool for 5 then enjoy!

BAGELS

Makes 8 bagels

STARTER

120g bread flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon instant yeast
75g cool water

In your stand mixer, stir together the starter ingredients to make a shaggy dough, then use your hand to knead gently until thoroughly combined - you're looking for a stiff dough. Cover the bowl and let the starter rest at room temperature for 4 to 14 hours; preferably overnight.

BAGELS
170g water, room temperature
13g dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
300g bread flour

Add the all the bagel ingredients to the bowl with the starter. Mix to bring the dough together at low speed of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment until stiff, supple and elastic. This will take up to 15 minutes by hand or 8 to 10 minutes at medium-low speed with a mixer. Pro tip: Do most of it in the stand mixer, but mix by hand for several minutes to make sure the consistency is what you're looking for.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest, covered with a reusable cover or plastic wrap, until it doubles in bulk. This will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, gently deflate it, and divide it into eight equal pieces (80g to 85g each). Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the edges into the center. Pinch to seal and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Starting with the first piece of dough you shaped, place it seam-side down and use your cupped hand to roll the dough into a tight ball. Once shaped into a tight ball, place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly grease the parchment; or sprinkle the parchment lightly with cornmeal to prevent the bagels from sticking. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your finger to poke a hole through the center. Rotate the dough to expand the hole to 2” to 3” in diameter, forming a ring shape. Set aside on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover the bagels with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rest about 30 minutes.

WATER BATH & TOPPINGS

1808g water
42g honey

1 large egg beaten
1/3 cup Everything but the Bagel Topping

While the bagels are resting, preheat the oven to 450°F. Start developing the water bath by combining the water and honey in a wide, shallow pot, ideally a little more than an inch deep. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once done resting, add bagels to the water two or three at a time to avoid crowding. Boil for 60 seconds, then turn the bagels over and boil for another 60 seconds. Then remove from water and set aside onto prepared sheet.

If adding a topping, brush each bagel with the egg and water (egg wash) and dip into a bowl of your desired topping before transferring back to the pan. Bake the bagels until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes and enjoy!

COFFEE CAKE

Note: I'm still in the process of tweaking this recipe since it's still not what I was envisioning, but it still makes a tasty loaf so I'm going to share anyway.

Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 cup granulated sugar and 5 tbsp for topping
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 cup granulated sugar. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Oil an oven safe tin, I used a loaf tin, but you can also use a 9 in. square baking pan. Pour the batter into the pan. In a small bowl, add 5 tbsp of granulated sugar, butter and cinnamon then combine with a fork until you have a mixture with fine crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the loaf and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Let cool slightly then enjoy!