French Peasant Bread

For the sponge:

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dark corn syrup

Combine the two flours and the yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the water and corn syrup and stir until well blended and fairly free of lumps. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a cup towel and allow to stand at room temperature overnight.

To prepare the dough:

• 3/4 cup water
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• l-1/2 cups bread flour, approximately

Add the water, salt and wheat flour to the sponge. Stir in the bread flour, adding an extra tablespoon or two if the dough seems sticky. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

When the first rise is complete, punch the dough down. Shape into a smooth round ball or an oval. Flatten slightly with your hands. Place on a greased baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with wax paper and let triple in size - 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Place an empty aluminum pie plate on the bottom oven shelf. Preheat the oven and the pan to 425 degrees. Five minutes before adding the bread, carefully pour 1 cup hot water into the pan. This causes a big burst of steam, so use an oven mitt and be careful.

Sprinkle the loaf with flour. Using a serrated knife, cut 3 diagonal slashes across the surface of the loaf. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

by Tim Dineen

Irish Brown Bread

• 2½ cups Wholemeal Flour
• 1½ cups Irish white flour or unbleached flour
• ½ cup Wheat germ
• 2 teaspoon Honey
• ½ teaspoon Bread soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 3 teaspoons Butter, at room temperature
• 1 Large egg
• 2 cups Buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (Do not start until the oven is hot.)

Method

Spread the wheat germ on a baking tray and place in the hot oven for 3-5 minutes until it is lightly toasted. In the meantime mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together the egg, oil, honey and about ¾ of the milk.

When the wheat germ is done, leave it for about 2-3 minutes to cool a little then mix it in with the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into small pieces and with the tips of your fingers rub it into the flour.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mix. Quickly and bring the flour in from the edges and mix with the milk, until all the ingredients come together into a soft slightly wet dough. It should not be overly sloppy, you should feel you could pick it up without it running through your fingers, but it should be soft enough that it sinks slowly down and takes on the shape of the bowl. If it is too dry add a little more buttermilk. There is no need to knead this dough.

Put into a 9" x 5" loaf tin, the inside of which has been smeared with a little butter or oil. Place in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. The bread should be nicely browned, have a good crust and sound hollow when you tap it. If it seems a little underdone, put it back in for 10 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool in the loaf tin before turning it out.

This bread keeps for a few days, and is much easier to slice thinly if you wrap it in aluminum foil and keep it until the next day.

by Tim Dineen

Italian Easter Bread

Ingredients

• 5 dyed UNCOOKED eggs or the amount you need for your use in making a wreath, baskets, bunnies, figure 8's or twists
• 2 packages (4 teaspoon) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water - divided
• 1.5 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup shortening or butter
• 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3-4 cups sifted flour
• 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk
• tiny multi-colored candies (non-pariels)

Directions/Steps

1. Soften the yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and set aside.

2. Pour the other 1/2 cup of warm water into a large bowl and blend in the 1.5 cups of flour.

3. Mix well. Add the softened yeast to this mixture. Beat until smooth and "gooey". Cover the bowl with waxed paper and let stand until doubled (about 40 min - l hour)

4. While dough is rising:

5. Cream together the shortening or butter and sugar in a mixer or food processor.

6. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla.

7. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well.

8. The batter should be creamy and fluffy, with no lumps from the butter.

9. When the yeast mixture had doubled, add the creamed mixture to it and beat well until smooth. This "gluey" dough becomes more like a cake dough.

10. Measure the remaining 3-4 cups of flour. Add one cup at a time and blend, by hand, until smooth before adding another cup. After 3 cups have been added, turn the dough onto a floured board and knead the last cup of flour into the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky.

11. Select a bowl deep enough for the dough to double. Grease the bowl and turn the dough into the bowl so the top has been greased. Cover with waxed paper and a towel and let rise to double (about 2 hours).

12. After rising, punch dough down with your fists. Divide the dough into two equal balls, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

13. At this point, decide what you want to make with the dough. If making one large wreath (a great table centerpiece), roll out each ball and braid then form into a wreath, inserting the uncooked colored eggs in between the braid - one large wreath fits 5 eggs.

14. If making baskets cut each ball into four parts. Trim a piece off the make the handle. Roll into a strand, and make a circle, insert the egg. Roll the trim piece into a handle and place over the egg and tuck under the basket. Figure eights are just one long strand, twisted, with two eggs placed. To make a bunny, use a figure eight but make the body space larger than the head and place the two eggs in the spaces accordingly. Trim dough from the ball to make the ears and the tail and tuck under the body. This is really easy and kids love the bunnies!

15. You can make two wreaths out of this dough by using each ball to make a wreath. Split each ball in half, roll into strands, braid and form a wreath. A smaller wreath fits 3-4 eggs each.

16. Shape your dough and place the eggs in the dough where you want them. Cover loosely with a towel and set aside to rise for a few hours. Don't rush this step.

17. When breads have risen, bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and brush the breads lighty (bread might deflate if you press too hard) with the egg yolk and milk mixture, sprinkle with candies. Place back in the oven:

18. Large wreath for 30-35 minutes; smaller wreaths for 25 minutes; smaller breads (baskets, figure eights) for about 20 minutes. Breads will be brown, eggs will cook inside the bread.

19. Let cool and decorate with Easter grass and candies. Best eaten spread with butter for breakfast or tea time.

by Tim Dineen

Italian Baguette

Makes two 14-inch loaves

• 3 and 1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for the counter
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups room-temperature water, plus extra as needed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup cornmeal

Combine the flour with the yeast and sea salt in an 11-cup food processor. Process for 5 seconds. Slowly add 1 and 1/2 cups of room temperature water through the feed tube while the processor is running; the dough should come together, forming a somewhat sticky, smooth ball. Add a little more flour if the dough is wet or a little more water if it is dry.

Once the dough forms a ball around the blade of the food processor, process for 45 seconds (do not overprocess or the dough will become too hot and you will compromise the formation of the gluten strands).

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 coat with the oil on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 24 hours. The dough will double in bulk.

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, making sure you don’t press out all the air bubbles that have developed (leaving air bubbles intact ensures a lighter texture once the bread is baked). Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven with a baking stone in it to 450 degrees (preferably set on convection).

Pat 1 ball of dough into a flat 1-inch high rectangle measuring about 4 inches x 5 inches. Fold the side furthest from you over toward you and seal the seam using the heel of your hand. Turn the rectangle 180 degrees, and fold the side furthest from you over toward you; seal the seam using the heel of your hand. Fold the resulting log in half lengthwise, sealing the edges with your fingertips. Roll into a 14-inch-long cylinder with slightly tapering ends. 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.

Slash each cylinder diagonally at 3-inch intervals with a razor blade. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Place on a baking peel that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal; slide onto the baking stone. If you don’t have a baking peel, place the loaves on a reversed baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal and slide them into the oven. Be sure to leave plenty of space between the loaves as they will double in the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees (preferably set on convection).

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 of baking. (Close the oven door quickly each time to prevent heat from escaping.)

Cool the bread on a rack and serve at room temperature; alternately, freeze the bread in plastic freezer bags for up to 2 weeks and reheat for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

by Tim Dineen

Sweet Potato Bread

• 1 cup roasted sweet potato flesh (approximately 200 grams cooked weight)
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup full fat greek natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Preheat your oven to 175°C or 350°F. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Place the sweet potato, coconut flour, yoghurt, maple syrup and eggs into your processor and blend until the mixture resembles a smooth, runny batter. Add the bicarb soda and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 45 – 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before gently transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely prior to cutting.
Slice. Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

by Tim Dineen

Honey Buttermilk Bread

• 1 envelope yeast
• Pinch of powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup warm water (105F)
• 2 cups warm buttermilk (105F)
• ? cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 6 cups white bread flour, divided use
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium sized bowl mix the yeast, ginger, sugar, and warm water.
Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.

Whisk the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda together and add it to the yeast mixture.

Add three cups of flour and mix until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes on low of a stand mixer.

Pour in the butter until it is totally mixed into the batter.

Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
When dough pulls from the sides of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a lightly floured surface. Knead until elastic and smooth. You can also knead in your mixer according to manufacturer's directions.

Place in greased bowl, turn to grease the top, and cover with a clean tea towel.

Allow the dough to rise for 1½ hours, or until double.

Punch down and form into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and grease tops.
Cover, and allow to rise for 45 minutes, or until it is just about the tops of the bread pans.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Bake for 30 minutes. You can cover the tops with foil if they brown too fast.

Remove loaves from oven and brush with melted butter.

Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.

Gently run a knife around the edge between the bread and the pan to loosen it.
Turn out and cool completely on a rack.

Cover the loaves if you want soft crusts.

by Tim Dineen