Ginger - I forgot when I was typing - when you mix the water, sweetener and yeast, only use about 1/2 C of the water - the rest goes in the stand mixer bowl to have flour blended in.
Reprt back! I want to know if it works well for you. I don’t buy bread anymore - it’s no big deal to make it, and it tastes so much better, and it’s cheaper than good bakery bread.
StG
Well, I came in here to post a challah recipe, but I see I’ve been beaten, and there are some fine sounding recipes already.
Soo…Georgian Cheese Bread(that’s Russian Georgia)
2 packs dry yeast( that’s five teaspoons, 1/2 ounce, or 15 grams)
3-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup milk, lukewarm(235 milliliters)
3-1/2 cups flour, plus 1/2 cup(17 ounces, or 480 grams)
2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened(4 ounces. or 115 grams)
Sprinkle the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar into the milk, in a small bowl. Wait a couple of minutes, then stir it up until the yeast is pretty much dissolved. Allow the mix to bubble up, for about five minutes, until it’s almost doubled.
Place the 3-1/2 cups flour in a big mxing bowl. Pour in the milk, the 3 teaspoons sugar the salt and the butter. With a large spoon, stir the ingredients until smooth. Gather the dough into a soft ball and place it on a lightly floured surface.
Begin kneading the dough, using the heels of your hands. Knead for at least ten minutes. Every so often use a little of the extra 1/2 cup flour, if needed, to keep from sticking. Be patient and don’t add too much flour.
When dough is smooth and elastic place it it a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel. Keep the bowl in a warm place, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. If it’s cool in your kitchen, place a bowl of steaming water in your unwarmed oven, and put the bowl of dough in with it to rise.
When dough has doubled punch it down and let it rise again for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled again.
While dough is rising prepare the cheese filling.
2 pounds finely grated cheese(I’ve used cheddar or Muenster)
2 tablespoons soft butter(1 ounce or 28 grams)
1 egg
Mash the above ingredients until smooth, or puree in a food processor.
Roll the dough into a circle about 22 inches across. Underneath it, in the center, place a nine-inch cake pan. Place the cheese mix on top of the dough, in the center where the pan is. Pleat the dough up over the top of the filling, in even folds all around the loaf. To seal the top squeeze the dough at the center top into a knob. Allow the loaf to rest for about fifteen minutes, then bake at 375 degrees Farenheit(190 Celsius), for an hour, or until golden and brown. Let bread rest in pan for about five minutes, then turn out onto a bread rack and cool before serving.
Cut into thin wedges and serve.
Ooh! Nigella Lawson has a recipe for that in Feast. I haven’t tried it yet.
I made focaccia yesterday, too. Layered with thyme, roasted peppers, mozzarella, garlic and parmesan. I’m not sure of the proportions- it’s a wet white bread dough with about half a cup of olive oil added. like St. Germain, I bake (almost) all my own bread, and buy flour at Costco.
Keep 'em coming folks. I don’t have a bread machine, so I am loving all the basic-non-machine recipes.
Why yes, I gave it away after having it for years and never using it, now as a new mom, I have a found interest in making breads/deserts/foods
Herb and Onion Bread
1/2 c. warm milk
1-1/2 T sugar
1 T melted butter
1 t salt
1 package (scant tablespoon) dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2-1/4 c. flour
1/2 sm. onion, finely diced
1/2 t dried dill (or more to taste, or fresh if available)
1 t dried rosemary
Mix sugar and water; add yeast, and let rest until yeast proofs. Mix in dry ingredients and knead for a few minutes. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (one nice trick is to do this in a lightly oiled bowl, so it doesn’t stick); beat down and knead, then let rise again in pan (or on pizza stone/baking sheet, if you want to bake it free-form) until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350 for ~1 hr.
It’s also good with some parmesan mixed into the dough, and I bet it would be great with some roasted garlic cloves squeezed into the dough.
P.S. If you get heavily into the bread-baking thing, I heartily recommend Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. There is a raisin/pecan bread recipe in there that will kick your butt. It takes time (multiple risings/fermentations), but most of it isn’t active prep time, and the results are amazing.
Julia Childs’ recipe has begun. I’m waiting for the yeast.
Okay, it’s together. It makes a lovely dough, after kneading in the mixer for ten minutes, and then about fifteen by hand. I added another perhaps half cup of flour while kneading. I put it in the bowl to rise at 2:45.
The bread is on its second rising. It’s going to make two very large loaves.
This is a tremendously fragrant and tasty loaf. It’s a batter bread, so no kneading required. I don’t know how it would work in a bread machine, as I don’t own one. It’s terrific with soups, and the loaf usually doesn’t get a chance to cool before being nearly gone. Makes good toast, too.
Herb-Parmesan Bread
2 cups warm water
2 pkg. yeast
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp soft butter
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tbsp dried oregano leaves
4-1/4 cups sifted flour
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and mix in. Add sugar, salt, butter, 1/2 cup of cheese, oregano, and 3 cups of flour. Beat at low speed until blended, then at medium until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and gradually beat in the remaining flour. Cover and let rise. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish. Stir down the batter and beat vigorously for about a half minute. Turn into the casserole dish. I let it rise until it just tops the casserole dish. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and pop it in the oven for about 35-45 minutes, or until nicely browned. Take out, loosen the loaf by running a table knife around the side, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. The smell will drive you crazy, so have a cube of softened butter standing by.
The bread came out after 35 minutes. I rubbed the tops with a little bit of butter and let them cool about five minutes. The texture is very nice, less dense than my Ummie’s recipe which I posted in the OP. It has a nice chewy crust, and is very soft. I’ve taken some pictures which I will upload in a bit.
It’s very tasty, as well. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of just one, because I’m crazy like that.
Ginger - I’m so glad it worked well for you. Did you make both loaves? Since I live alone I only make one at a time, although there are usually plenty of takers for fresh bread. It makes wonderful sandwiches and toast, and I use the stale for french toast.
Do consider going to Costco or Sam’s to buy your yeast in bulk.
StG
You can also buy it in bulk in health food and bulk food stores.
Chefguy, I’m trying that recipe soon. I’ve never made batter breads before.
God, Bulk food stores. How I miss them. They don’t seem to have them around here. My kingdom for a Bulk Barn!
Generally, batter breads don’t require a second rising. But I’ve found that if you let it rise just a bit that the bread isn’t quite as heavy. Too much and it becomes impossible to slice.
You don’t have bulk stores? Whereinheck do you buy fun stuff like interesting flour, and seeds, and things? Bulk stores are the best!
Chefguy, what happens if it overrises? Does it get crumbly?
Yeah, too much air in this type of bread makes for a loaf that’s hard to manage.
Sorry I missed this yesterday. Yes, I did make both, and it’s a good thing I did. We’ve just cut into the second loaf.
It’s an awesome recipe. I think, though, it’s an awful lot of work for just two loaves. Have you ever made this doubled? My 4.5L mixer won’t handle a double, but I can do it by hand.
Ginger - I’ve never doubled it, being single I’ve never needed to. Maybe it’s time you bought a bigger and better stand mixer? This is what I want when I win the lottery.
It’s gotten so I can whip up a batch after work with little trouble. Most of the time is spent rising or baking.
StG
Perfect timing! I just finished icing the bread that I baked this afternoon.
Orange Coffee Braid
5-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packets yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 tablespoon orange rind (optional)
Combine the sugar, the salt, the yeast and 2 cups of flour in a large bowl; set aside. Heat the butter, milk and water in a saucepan until the mixture is very warm to the touch (between 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F – butter does not need to melt completely). Add to the flour mixture and mix at a medium speed until the ingredients are combined.
Add two of the eggs and another cup of flour; mix at a low speed until you have a sticky dough. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board or countertop and stir in the orange rind and the remaining flour (about 1-1/2 cups). Knead the dough for 15 minutes. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning once to coat all sides of the dough, and set in a warm place to rise for one hour.
Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and knead for 10 minutes. Return it to the bowl and set aside to rise for another 45 minutes. Turn the dough onto a floured board; knead for 3 to 5 minutes. Divide dough into three sections and roll into three equal strips. Join the strips at one end, braid them and form a ring. Place on a baking sheet and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake bread for 20 minutes. While bread is baking, combine remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush bread with half of egg mixture and bake for another 5 minutes. Brush bread with remaining egg mixture and bake five minutes more. Set bread aside to cool (it should sound hollow when tapped).
Icing:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 cups confectionary sugar
Let butter soften at room temperature; mix with confectionary sugar and vanilla/almond extract. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until icing reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled bread.
Ha! I just got my Kitchenaid K45 last year. Perhaps when the kids go off to college, it’ll be time for a new mixer.
