5 minute a day bread

[Jens]

This bread dough, is absolutely amazing!  We have been using it for over a month now, and it just keeps becoming more, and more versatile.  Some of the things we have made with it are: Naan, pizza, cinnamon raisin bread, cinnamon rolls, we are going to be doing stromboli tommorrow night.  My wife, who grew up with fresh home baked bread as the norm, is in love with it herself.  As she says, it is so great to just have dough in the fridge, that you can use for whatever.  I have also made garlic rosemary dough, and it turns out very good (chop the rosemary first).  I want to try onion bread, and bagels out of the dough too. 

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Jens, I've been making it with 1/3-1/2 whole wheat and it has even better flavor.  But you're right... it is about the easiest and most versatile bread ever.

[Jens]

Even running 100% whole wheat, it does quite well.  That is kinda unusual too, as most wheat recipes call for a mix.  My friend Marc did some experimenting, and found that you can use the old scrapings at the end as starter for the new dough.  Gives it a bit more sourdough flavor, and you don't need yeast.  He says after about 4 batches, it gets to taking a bit longer to rise though, and he doesn't like the flavor, too sour by then maybe.  We haven't tried this yet, but will let you know once we do.

[NM_Shooter]

Recipe please?

-f-

[Dog]

Thanks for the reminder about the dough Jens! You're right. It's so versatile. You mix all kinds of nice herbs with it and it's absolutely delicious!  Recipes would would be great. My naan bread never comes our right.

[NM_Shooter]

OK.. I got tired of waiting for you slackers to post a recipe so I looked it up myself.  Sigh..... good help is so hard to find!

http://www.startribune.com/video/11967361.html

[Jens]

We made stromboli with it tonight, turned out very nice.

3.5 cups water (lukewarm) edit...3 cups water, sorry everybody
1.5 tablespoons yeast
1.5 tablespoons salt
6.5 cups flour

or if you have a large enough container, 13c flour, 7c (6c water, sorry) water, 3tbs yeast, 3tbs salt.

Dissolve the yeast and salt in warm water, mix in the flour once yeast is dissolved, until evenly mixed.  You can do this with a mixer, I just use a (clean) hand.  If you want herbs, or spices, mix them in at the same time.  Let the bowl sit out, loosely covered, for about 2-4 hours, then put it in the fridge.  It is best if in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.  

Once refrigerated, pull off a bit of dough, enough for your loaf or whatever.  Turn the dough in your hands, pulling it around to the underside (this stretches it gently, smoothing it out better to make it pretty), place on floured, corn mealed, or oat mealed surface to slide it into oven.  Make cuts in the top so it can stretch.  Let the dough sit for an hour.  Pre-heat the oven to 450 for 20 minutes or so before you put the dough in, and while preheating, have your baking surface (pan, cast iron, baking stone) inside, middle rack.  Have an empty cake or bread pan on rack below.  Put your loaf in, pour water into the bread pan, and immediately close the oven door.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Variations:  Naan, pull off a small bit, press down with palm on well floured surface, roll the dough out until about 1/8" thick.  Cook on hot skillet, using Ghee (clarified butter), or oil.  Cook covered, one side, flip, and cook other side.  It is easier to cook in the oven, again, use a preheated surface.  As soon as it comes out, brush with ghee.

Cinnamon rolls:  Roll out dough into rectangle, wash with melted butter, liberally sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (and nuts if you like).  Roll up along short direction, cut into rolls, set these rolls in baking dish.  Let the dish set for an hour or so to rise (covered), then bake (uncovered) at 450 for about 30 minutes.  Let them cool a bit, then pour on icing of powdered sugar and water, or spread on cream cheese icing.

Cinnamon raisin bread:  Roll out into rectangle, butter wash, sprinkle cinnamon, raisins, fold on long direction, or lightly roll until tube.  Tuck the edges under and in, so filling doesn't fall out, tuck into bread pan, lightly press in to fill into edges of pan, let rise 1-3 hours, bake 30 minutes, bring out the butter, or icing!

Pizza dough, and stromboli are pretty much naan, just bigger.  

You can give your loaves an egg, or butter wash before baking, makes it nice and golden, sweet crust, crunchy but not stiff.  

Still wanna make breadsticks, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, and bagels with it.  

Anybody with other ideas, please add, it is after all, the staff of life.

[NM_Shooter]

Oh yeah, sure.  NOW you chime in 

[Jens]

Sorry!  you beat me by a minute.  Some of us actually have stuff to do you know ...ok, not always, but...

[Dog]

LOL!

oh guys..let's Break Bread and live in Peace. I like this bread topic. 

[Jens]

Can we drink tea or wine at the same time?

[Sassy]

I think I'll whip up a batch today!  Did you say you used all whole wheat, Jens?  I'm making chicken soup on the wood stove & picked celery, onion, carrots, swiss chard, brocolli & cauliflower from the garden to put in the soup.  Think I'll put a little barley or brown rice in it, too.  The fresh, hot bread will taste good with it.

[Jens]

We did a batch with all whole wheat.  It makes it a denser bread.  Could do a mix for lighter bread, but that kind of soup goes well with a hearty bread.

[southernsis]

Now, I have to go to the store and buy flour. Used my last on Wednesday and only have a cup. Great sounding recipe. Love homemade bread and rolls.

[Sassy]

I made a double batch - only had unbleached white flour (organic) so added some oatmeal & oatbran - turned out pretty good - great with the chicken & veggie soup I made.

Also made a 6 layer pumpkin pecan cake with cream cheese frosting. 

I'll have to buy some whole wheat flour - I like a heavy bread, too.

[Jens]

Wife just made some more cinnamon rolls to take to church today, and another loaf of bread.  The new batch of 13, 3, 3, 6 (double batch) that she made on Friday is now gone!  We eat a lot of bread, and bread products, love to have bread with dinner and stuff.  We only eat meat occasionally, because we can't afford it, so there is a lot of bread and beans, and rice in our diet.  Even when using organic flour, 8 loaves cost about $5! 

A big thank you to the people who wrote the book, Mother Earth News, and Homegrown Tomatoes for reminding me to try it.  Now I gotta get our outdoor, woodburning oven built so that we can bake for the neighborhood!  Bring hearty, organic loaves of handmade bread to market, and sell for $2, or $2.50, what could be better!  Everybody deserves good food, and here is just one way to give it.

[Dog]

Absolutely Jens about the good food. Homemade bread is delicious and you can be creative with it. Make a big bath and share. It's inexpensive as well. Add some fresh veggies and you have a meal. Personally, I can do without the meat (sorry hunters:) Just not my thing.

[Jens]

I don't dislike meat, but definitely prefer it in smaller quantities.  I am also having a huge problem with pork, just making me queazy, mostly psycho-schematic (sp?) I think.  Between my wife reading the section of The Maker's Diet to me about pork, and thinking about the poor quality available, just don't dig it anymore.  Veggies in the bread might be good too.  Kind of a vegetarian meatloaf.

Honey is very good in the bread as well. 

Few things in life are as glorious as a fresh hot loaf of bread, a stick of butter, and a bottle of wine with friends or family.  Such simple pleasures could heal the world.

[Sonoran]

Dissolve the yeast and salt in warm water, mix in the flour once yeast is dissolved, until evenly mixed.  

Are you sure about this part?  I've started learning how to make bread and this is different than the way I do it. But I know that there are two types of yeast...one is active and the other is fast active. 

I think this might work if you use fast active...but if you use active you have to let it activate using sugar. 

I use active and I was making a double recipe...the first time the yeast activated but the second time it didn't.  I tried it three times before I realized I was mixing in salt instead of sugar.

If you guys already know this than I am sorry.  I just wanted to make sure.

[considerations]

"Dissolve the yeast and salt in warm water, mix in the flour once yeast is dissolved, until evenly mixed.  Are you sure about this part?"

Yes, except I use a teaspoon of salt instead of the 1.5 Tablespoons.  It just turns out too salty for my taste...maybe check the "use me before" date on your yeast?

[Jens]

Yeah, just regular yeast.  Make sure the water temp is right, too hot and it'll kill it, to cold and it won't activate.  Even still, from what I've been told, under activated yeast will work it's way through the batch and activate on it's own if you give it enough time.  The yeast we have now is "bread machine yeast", and might be fast activating, but I don't know.  I just grab yeast.  You can definitely lower the amount of salt, but Don't neglect it altogether, it will be inedible.  I like salty bread, myself.  I have actually thought about putting rock salt on the top too.

[Jens]

Well...made a double batch the other day.  Didn't have enough of any kind of flour, so it ended up having white, whole wheat, and rye flour.  I don't know, maybe I miscounted on the flour or something, but the loaves were all raw inside.  Every one of them.  Not raw, raw, but not fully cooked.  What a downer!  Now it will be made into bread pudding, and bread crumbs for other stuff, but was really looking forward to bread with dinner last night!

[southernsis]

If yeast gets old and isn't store correctly, it doesn't work very well. When that happen, I flush it down the toilet. It is suppose to help a septic system. Don't know if its true or not.
I tried a batch of the bread. Got too impatient, so it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. It was still good. Made cinnamon rolls, they turned out pretty good. They are all gone.

[Sassy]

I made a double batch a couple days ago, used a couple cups of oat bran & probably a cup of oatmeal.  Baked another loaf today.
With my 1st batch, the 1st loaf didn't turn out too good, but the rest of the loaves from that batch were fine. 

I buy the big bag of yeast from Costco - less that $4, put that bag in a ziplock bag & keep it in the freezer, seems to be ok, we'll see in a year... 

[Jens]

Our yeast never has a chance to get old   Don't really know what happened, oh well.  Mixed up a double batch trying the starter method...hasn't risen at all I fear.  Gonna try a loaf still, may end up like a passover feast!