Bread

From Martha Stewart

• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for bowls, pans, and brushing
• Nonstick cooking spray

1. Place warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle over yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and whisk to combine. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together 3 1/4 cups flour, salt, and remaining tablespoon sugar in bowl of a standing mixer. Attach dough hook, and mix on low speed adding yeast mixture, milk, and egg. Increase speed to medium and mix until dough comes together, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. If dough does not come together, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 1/4 cup.
3. Continue kneading for 10 minutes. Add butter and mix until incorporated and dough is smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. (Dough may come apart before coming back together.)
4. Meanwhile, butter a large bowl. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Transfer dough to the prepared bowl, turning dough to coat. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
5. Place dough, top-side down, on lightly floured work surface to deflate. Shape dough into a ball and return to the buttered bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
6. Butter a 4 1/2-inch-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Place dough, top-side down, on lightly floured work surface to deflate. Pat dough into a 7-inch square using your hands. Fold bottom edge two thirds of the way up, and fold again so that the top edge meets the bottom edge as you would a business letter. Pat dough a second time into a 7-inch square. Roll dough to form a tight log and pinch to seal. Pat the ends just enough to fit into the pan, and place the dough seam side down into the prepared pan.
7. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let stand in a warm place until dough has risen about 3 inches beyond the top of the pan and leaves an indentation when gently pressed with a fingertip, 60 to 75 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or 400 degrees for a convection oven) with rack set in the center.
9. Remove plastic wrap, and spritz surface of dough lightly with water. Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees (or 350 degrees for a convection oven) and continue to bake until deep golden-brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees when inserted into the center of the loaf, about 25 minutes more. If browning too quickly, tent lightly with foil.
10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly; turn out loaf. Brush top with butter to coat and let cool almost completely before slicing.

FOR THE DOUGH

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for bowls, pans, and brushing
• Nonstick cooking spray

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Prepare the dough: Combine raisins and orange juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain raisins and place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess moisture. Alternatively, combine raisins and orange juice in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Place cup warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle over yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and whisk to combine. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes
3. Whisk together 3 1/4 cups flour, salt, and remaining tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Attach dough hook, and mix on low speed, adding yeast mixture, milk, and egg. Increase to medium speed and mix until dough comes together, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. If dough does not come together, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and up to 1/4 cup.
4. Continue kneading for 10 minutes. Add butter and mix until incorporated and dough is smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. (Dough may come apart before coming back together.) Add reserved raisins and knead to combine.
5. Meanwhile, butter a large bowl. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Transfer dough to the prepared bowl, turning to coat. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
6. Place dough, topside down, on lightly floured work surface to deflate. Shape dough into a ball and return to the buttered bowl. Cover lightly with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.
7. Butter two 4 1/2-inch-by 8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Prepare the filling: Combine brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir to form a smooth paste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
8. Place dough, top side down, on lightly floured work surface to deflate. Pat dough into a 7-inch square using your palms and fingertips. Fold bottom edge two-thirds of the way up, and fold again so that the top edge meets the bottom edge as you would a business letter. Cut the dough in half crosswise with a bench scraper.
9. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough out into a 7-inch-by-13-inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with half of the filling using an offset spatula. Roll dough to form a tight log and pinch to seal. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half lengthwise. Place one piece of dough, cut side up, on top of the other to form an “X.” Working from the “X”, twist dough together, pinching ends and tucking under dough to form a loaf. Transfer dough, cut side-up, to prepared pan. Repeat process with the remaining dough and filling. Alternatively, the loaves may be shaped by rolling to form a tight log before pinching ends, and tucking under.
10. Cover each loaf with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let stand in a warm place until dough has risen 1 to 2 inches above edge of pan and an indentation forms when gently pressed with a fingertip, 45 to 60 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or 400 degrees for a convection oven) with rack set in the center.
12. Remove plastic wrap and transfer pans to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees (or 350 degrees for a convection oven) and continue to bake until deep golden-brown and they reach 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer when inserted into the center of a loaf, about 20 minutes more. If browning too quickly, tent lightly with foil.
13. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly; turn out loaf. Brush top with melted butter and let cool almost completely before slicing.

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 pgk dry yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 cup tomato juice and pulp from 3 or so fresh tomatoes
• 4 cups flour
• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 tsp salt

Place yeast, warm water, and sugar in mixing bowl. Let proof about 5 minutes.

Add ginger, juice, salt, 3 cups flour, and butter. With dough hook, mix well, adding more flour to make a soft but not too sticky dough. Mix for about 10 minutes.

Turn dough out to a floured surface and knead a few minutes.

Roll into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled.

Punch down and form into a round or oblong loaf. Place on a well-floured or corn meal-covered bread peel – if using a baking stone – or onto a floured or corn meal-covered sheet pan and let rise again, until doubled.

Place into a 350°F oven and bake about 45-55 minutes.

• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/3 cup cream
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups shredded pecorino cheese
• 1 egg white mixed with water
• sesame seeds

Mix yeast with water and cream to proof. In a stand mixer, add half the flour and begin to mix. Slowly add the grated cheese and the rest of the flour, mixing until it all holds together. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes or until a firm, smooth dough is made.

Form into a ball, rub a bowl with oil, coat dough, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled.

Punch down, turn out to counter, and let rest about 15 minutes.

Divide into three pieces and form each into a rope about 18″ long. Braid ropes together, tucking ends under. Place ona baking peel liberally coated with corn meal. Cover, and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven with baking stone to 375ºF (190°C).

When dough has risen, brush with an egg white mixed with water. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and bake for 40-45 minutes or until nicely browned and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Cool on wire rack.

Olive Oil Bread
adapted from Carol Field’s The Italian Baker

• 2 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 1/3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp lard, melted and cooled
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• olive oil and sea salt for topping

Sprinkle yeast over water and let sit about 5 minutes or until it gets creamy. Stir in the oil and the lard and then with dough hook and mixer on low, slowly add the flour and salt.

Knead with machine 5 to 7 minutes or until dough is velvety and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll into tight balls and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet – 6 per sheet – in a ring – about 1-1 1/2 inches apart.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly brush rolls with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Adapted from Kindred, Davidson, NC

Ingredients

• 5⅓ cups bread flour, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup mild honey
• 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• Flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or other toppings, optional

Preparation

Cook ⅓ cup flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a thick paste forms (almost like a roux but looser), about 5 minutes. Add cream and honey and cook, whisking to blend, until honey dissolves. Cool to no more than 110°F.

Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add milk powder, yeast, kosher salt, 2 eggs, and 5 cups flour. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

Add butter, a piece at a time, fully incorporating into dough before adding the next piece, until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

If making rolls, lightly coat a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Divide each piece into 4 smaller pieces (you should have 24 total). They don’t need to be exact; just eyeball it. Place 4 pieces of dough side-by-side in each muffin cup.

If making a loaf, lightly coat a 9×5″ loaf pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Nestle pieces side-by-side to create 2 rows down length of pan.

If making split-top buns, lightly coat two 13×9″ baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape each into a 4″-long log. Place 6 logs in a row down length of each dish.
Let shaped dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (dough should be just puffing over top of pan), about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat remaining egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl to blend. Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt or other seasonings, if desired. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until bread is deep golden brown, starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and is baked through, 25–35 minutes for rolls, 50–60 minutes for loaf, or 30–40 minutes for buns. If making buns, slice each bun down the middle deep enough to create a split-top.

Let milk bread cool slightly in pan on a wire rack before turning out; let cool completely.

adapted from Carol Field’s The Italian Baker

• 2 cups roasted, unsalted pistachios
• 2 1/2 tsp or 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup cane syrup or honey
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Chop them to coarse crumb in a food processor.Stir the yeast and cane syrup or honey into water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until foamy.

Combine the flour, salt and pistachios and stir into the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough looks brownish and coarse. Knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough should be soft, moist and fairly dense, but easy to work, although not elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover tightly and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. WITHOUT PUNCHING IT DOWN OR KNEADING IT, shape it gently into a log and join the end to make a ring.

Place on a cornmeal-dusted bread peel. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven with baking stone to 400° F. Slide bread onto stone and bake for 10 minutes; reduce the heat to 350° F and bake 40 minutes longer.

Bread

• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, me;ted
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten – for glaze

In large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 2 cups flour, melted butter, milk, sugar, salt, and 1 egg. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. With wooden spoon, stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough – about 2 cups. Spoon onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: In small bowl, combine onion, melted butter or margarine, poppy seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

Punch dough down. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 20×8-inch rectangle. Cut in half from 8-inch side, forming two 20×4-inch rectangles.  Spread onion filling onto each to within 1/2 inch of edges. Pinch seams to seal forming a long rope. Repeat with remaining dough. Twist the ropes together. On lightly greased baking sheet, form dough into a ring. Cover and let rise, in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulkm about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush dough ring with the remaining egg. Sprinkle with additional poppy seeds and chopped onion, if desired. Bake for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with fingers. Cool slightly on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf, about 28 1-inch slices. About 150 calories per slice.

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish spiced fruit bread.  Traditionally, the fruit is soaked overnight in 2 cups of strong Irish tea. Being the non-traditionalist I can sometimes be, I soak the fruit in 2 cups of Irish whisky overnight.

• 3 ½ cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter (Kerrygold or Plugra European style butter!)
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tsp mixed spices (allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon…)

Soak the dried fruit in 2 cups of Irish whisky (or strong Irish Tea) overnight.

Warm the milk slightly (no more than 110°.) Stir in the teaspoon of sugar and the yeast and let proof about 10 minutes.

Mix the flour, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the butter or margarine. Add the yeast, the beaten egg and the spice. Drain any remaining liquid from the fruit and add the fruit to the mixture. Mix well to make a smooth dough (add more flour if the mixture is too wet).

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead it thoroughly.  (I use my KitchenAid and mix about 6 minutes.) Place the dough in a well-greased 8”-9” springform pan, cover with a cloth, and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 – 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Place the pan in a preheated 350° oven and bake for about 50 minutes. The loaf will be ready when it sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Makes two 14-inch loaves

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• cornmeal

Combine the yeast and water in a mixing bowl and allow to proof. Add the salt and flour and mix, forming a somewhat smooth ball. Continue mixing about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto the counter, knead by hand for a few seconds, shape into a ball, and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to completely coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 24 hours. The dough will double in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to bake, return the dough to room temperature.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Cut it into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 450°F.

Pat 1 ball of dough into a rectangle about 4″ x 5″. Fold in half, sealing the dough with your palm. Spin, and fold in half, again, also sealing with your palm.

Fold the resulting piece in half, again, sealing the edges with your fingertips. Roll into a 14-inch-long cylinder with slightly tapering ends.

Place on peel that has been liberally sprinkled with cornmeal.

Repeat with the remaining ball of dough.

Cover with a towel and set aside to rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Make three diagonal slashes with a very sharp knife. Sprinkle lightly with flour and slide onto the baking stone.

Lower the oven temperature to 425°F.

Bake the bread for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, misting with water from a spray bottle 3 times during the first 10 minutes.

Cool the bread on a rack and serve at room temperature.