Uses for Bread Recipes

If you love the taste of pizza, rolls, pitas, and bread, you might be surprised to know that you can make all of them with the same basic dough.  For example, if you find a bread recipe that’s easy for you to work with, you can toss it into a pizza shell, in addition to shaping the dough into loaves.  Or you may want to shape some of the bread into rolls, and then sprinkle them with sesame seeds before baking them.  There are many ways to shape bread dough into different food bases, and at the same time, you’ll be saving an enormous amount of money on each item.

Budgeting Advantages

If you buy bread in the store, it’s likely to cost you over $2.00 per loaf, while frozen pizzas may cost three to five times as much.  On the other hand, one five-pound bag of flour is more than enough to make two loaves of bread, plus three large pizzas, for only a few dollars a bag.  All you’ll need to do from there is add your toppings.  In many cases, you’ll find that whatever products you bake at home wind up being at least 50% cheaper than their pre-made, store-bought counterparts.

Finding Bread Recipes

If you have a basic cookbook at home, you may already have access to a good bread dough recipe, or you can find some excellent bread recipes online.  As you browse the online listings, authors will detail whether you’re working with a soft dough or a stiffer one.  You’ll also be able to read reviews left by other people that have tried these recipes.  In some cases, you may even find suggestions for recipe changes, as well as tasty additions.

Baking Bread on a Schedule

Of course, few people have the time to bake bread on a daily basis, since the process may take a few hours.  That said, if you can carve out a single five hour block of time in your weekly schedule, you should be able to bake enough bread, pizza and desserts for the rest of the week.  If you enjoy cooking, you may even find that the soothing process of baking bread becomes the part of the week that you enjoy most.

Every time you buy bread – or any other food that is based on bread dough – it’s as if you’re throwing away half the money in your food budget.  In many cases, if you can dedicate just a few hours a week to baking, you’ll have delicious, healthy bread products for your family to eat, since when you do your own cooking, you won’t be adding the preservatives or other harmful additives that commercial breads often contain.  At the same time, you’ll save money over grocery store alternatives, allowing you to stretch your food budget even further.

Accustomed to the puffy softness of white breads, some people balk at the strong flavor and chewy texture that comes with whole grains, especially in whole-grain breads. There are easy ways around this.

First, try baking whole-grain bread at home, where you have more control over the consistency of the final product. Second, try a transitional recipe, one that blends whole-wheat and white flours.

Johnson & Wales University baking instructor Peter Reinhart has developed an innovative technique that makes it relatively simple to produce whole-grain breads with rich flavors and pleasant textures.

Reinhart uses a two-day method and creates two “pre-doughs” that separate the functions of flavor development and leavening. On the second day the two doughs are combined into a final dough, which then is formed into loaves and baked.

This technique gives you more flexibility. Traditional bread must rise several times, then be baked without delay. With Reinhart’s method, you can create the two pre-doughs, called the soaker and the starter, in little time, then hold them in the refrigerator for up to three days before combining them into a final dough for baking.

This recipe for Transitional Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Reinhart’s book, “Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads,” looks daunting but requires less than an hour of hands-on time.

The resulting bread is moist with a crisp crust and pleasant texture. Whole-grain skeptics and lovers will appreciate the comforting cinnamon flavor and the personal touch that goes into home baking.

Transitional Cinnamon

Raison Bread

For the soaker:

21/4 cups whole-wheat flour

5/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soy milk or rice milk

11/3 cups raisins (optional)

For the starter:

21/4 cups unbleached bread flour

1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

3/4 cup milk, buttermilk, yogurt, soy milk or rice milk, at room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

For the final dough:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

5/8 teaspoon salt

21/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (3 tablespoons sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon)

To make the soaker:

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and milk. Mix for 1 minute, or until all the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough. If using the raisins, knead them into the dough.

Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. If it will be more than 24 hours, refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing.

To make the starter:

In a second large bowl, mix bread flour, yeast, milk and egg until they form a ball of dough. Knead the dough for 2 minutes in the bowl. The dough should feel very tacky.

Knead it for another minute. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.

About 2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the starter from the refrigerator.

To make the final dough:

On a lightly floured counter, use a metal pastry scraper to chop soaker and starter into 12 smaller pieces each. Sprinkle pieces with flour to keep them from sticking together.

In the mixer bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dough pieces with flour, salt, yeast, honey, butter and cinnamon. Mix with the paddle attachment (preferable) or dough hook on slow for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium-low, occasionally scraping down the bowl, until everything is well-combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll dough in the flour to coat. Knead by hand, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the dough feels soft and tacky, but not sticky, 3 to 4 minutes. Form into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

Resume kneading dough to strengthen the gluten and make any final water or flour adjustments, about 1 minute. The dough should have strength, yet feel soft and supple, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball. Place in prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until it is about 11/2 times its original size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

When dough has risen, lightly coat 2 standard loaf pans with cooking spray.

Dust work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and gently transfer dough to work surface with a plastic bowl scraper (try not to rip or tear the dough).

Divide dough in half, then roll each piece into an 8-inch square about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle each square with some of the cinnamon sugar. Tightly roll up each square. Place loaves into pans.

Mist tops of loaves with cooking spray, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the loaves crest above the pans, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pans on middle rack of oven, lower temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees and continue baking, until the loaves are a rich brown on all sides, sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, and register at least 195 degrees at the center, another 25 to 40 minutes.

Transfer loaves to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 2 loaves.

1. Combine i cup flour, sugar, salt and dry yeast in a large bowl.
2. Heat milk, water and shortening in a saucepan until warm (shortening will not melt completely). Add milk mixture and egg to flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
3. Mix oregano, garlic powder, cheese, mint, basil, onion, and sesame seed. Stir into dough. Gradually add more flour to form a stiff dough.
4. Turn into greased loaf pan. Cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour)
5. Bake at 350 F about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 cups hot tap water (120 to 130 F)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

1. Blend flour and cornmeal. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour mixture, sugar, yeast, and salt in large mixing bowl.
2. Stir water, oil, and egg into flour mixture; beat until smooth, about 3 minutes on high speed of electric mixer.
3. Gradually stir in enough more flour mixture to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic (5 to 8 minutes)
5. Place in an oiled bowl, turn to oil top of dough. Cover; Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour)
6. Punch down dough. Divide in half; shape into loaves. Place in 2 greased 9×5x3-inch loaf pans. Cover; Let rise until double in bulk (about 30 minutes)
7. Bake at 375 F 35 to 40 minutes, or until done.

—-

Hearty Potato Bread

6 1/2 to 7 cups flour
2 packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/4 cup hot potato water
1 cup warm unseasoned mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons oil

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add potato water (see Note), potatoes, and oil to flour mixture; beat about 3 minutes on high speed of electric mixer.
3. Stir in enough more flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface; Knead until smooth and elastic (5 to 8 minutes)
5. Place in an oiled bowl; turn to oil top of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour)
6. Punch down dough. Divide in half; shape into loaves and place in 2 greased 9×5x3-inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (about 1 45 minutes)
7. Bake at 375 F 40 to 45 minutes, or until done.

Note: To make potato water, cook 2 pared, cut up potatoes until tender in about 3 cups water. Drain, reserving water. Mash potatoes and cool for bread.

Ingredients
50g rice semolina (Cream of Rice cereal)
180g granulated sugar
3 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
240ml milk
180ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 plantains, mashed (or 4 green bananas)

How to cook:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix the eggs, oil, vanilla extract and mashed plantains in a smaller bowl. Add milk to the dry ingredients, whisk-in then add the contents of the smaller bowl.

Pour the mixture into a well-greased baking dish and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 35–40 minutes (or until done).

Allow to cool slightly, tip out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. This ‘bread’ can be served with coffee or it can be cut into squares and served as an accompaniment to a main meal.

-From:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-liberian-rice-bread

Use your own homemade bread dough recipe, store-bought bread dough, or puff pastry.
Cabbage Bread

1 small green cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons black pepper
Yeast bread dough
# In a large pot, melt the butter and add the shredded cabbage. Stir to coat well. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
# In the meantime, brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Add the salt and pepper and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
# Add the ground beef mixture to the cabbage pot. Mix. Transfer the mixture to a colander and let it drain and cool completely, 1-2 hours.
# Roll out your bread dough very thin. Cut in rectangles about 5″ X 8″. Place a large spoonful of the cabbage mixture in the center of each rectangle. Draw up the edges and seal.
# Place the sealed side down on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise 10-15 minutes (if you’re using a yeast dough.) Bake at 425° until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold, plain or with deli mustard, if desired.

Option:
Substitute rolled out puff pastry sheets for the bread dough. Bake just until golden brown.

Source: http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/stuffed-bread-recipe.html

Italian Semolina Bread Recipe

Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day say “White, free-form loaves flavoured with semolina and sesame seeds are the fragrant products of southern Italy. Semolina is a high-protein wheat flour that gives loaves a sweetness, and an almost winey aroma. The flavour of the sesame seeds is inextricably linked to the semolina flavour (like caraway and rye). Be sure to use semolina flour that’s labelled ‘durum,’ other semolina flours won’t do as well this method.”

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
• 1 ½ tablespoons salt
• 3 cups durum flour
• 3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• Sesame seeds for top crust, approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons
• Cornmeal for the pizza peel
• Cornstarch wash (see below).

Cornstarch Wash

1. Using a fork, blend ½ teaspoon cornstarch with a small amount o water to form a paste.
2. Add ½ cup water and whisk with the fork. Microwave or boil until mixture appears glassy, about 30 to 60 seconds on high. It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks; discard if it has an off smell.

Mixing and Storing the dough:

1. Mix the yeast and salt with the lukewarm water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the flours without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you’re not using a machine, you man need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

On Baking Day

1. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece.
2. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3. Elongate the ball to form an oval-shaped free-form loaf. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking time

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
2. Just before baking, paint the surface with cornstarch wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and slash the surface diagonally, using a serrated bread knife.
3. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustment in baking time.

Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Recipe printed with the permission of Zoë François.

Visit the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day web site for more recipes and information on events and classes.

Ingredients

2/3 C. shortening
2 3/4 C. sugar
4 eggs
2 C. pumpkin, fresh pureed or canned
2/3 C. water
3 1/3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cloves, ground
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. walnuts, chopped or crushed
8 wide mouth jars with lids and rings for sealing, (8 pint-sized or 4 18-oz. jars)
8 wax paper circles cut to fit – inside; jars
Directions

Cream shortening and sugar together, adding sugar slowly. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and water. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ground cloves, allspice, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir well. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into greased canning jars, filling only half-full. Place jars in a pan of water. Bake upright in preheated 325-degree oven for about 45 minutes. (Cake will rise and pull away from sides of jar.) When done, remove one jar at a time from oven. If cake rises above the top of the jar, slice off the excess.
While still hot, place wax paper circle on the top end of the cake. Wipe sealing edge of jar. Place lid on jar and close tightly with ring. Turn jar upside down. (Cake will loosen at this time.) Repeat with other jars. Leave jars upside down until sealed. (Jar is sealed if lid remains flat when pressed in center.)

To serve: Open jar, slide a knife around inside of the jar to loosen the cake, and remove the cake from the jar. Warm cake in the oven if desired, or slice and toast. Slice and serve with whipped cream or butter. Because the jar is sealed, the cake keeps indefinitely. It can be made ahead of the holidays.

Source: http://www.cookingwithpumpkin.com/pumpkin-nut-bread-in-a-jar-recipe/

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powered milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 jalapeno pepper chopped or slightly diced [can use two peppers for a hotter kick]
1/2 cup water [milk or buttermilk can be use if preferred]
Vegetable oil or Canola oil

Sift flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix jalapeno to water or milk, then add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir the dough with a fork [for better formation use your hands, form hands like a tiger claw] stop mixing when dough forms into a clump.

Do not knead! Scrap excess mixture off your hands and fingers, flour your hands and shape dough into a firm ball then cut into fours or more (if you want bread smaller). Take each piece and shape, pat, stretch, and form each piece to about 3 – 5 inches in diameter, depending on how big you want them. And no they don’t have to be perfectly shape.

Pour oil into a cast-iron skillet or you can use a fryer, [cast-iron makes the bread taste better; everything taste better when made in a cast-iron… Paula Deen said so]. The oil should be about 1 inch deep.

Lay bread into the hot oil [hot oil test, throw a pinch of flour in the oil if it sizzle its hot] carefully and often press the dough down while frying it with a wooden spoon so the dough is submerged under the oil. Flip bread over after about 2 or 3 minutes or when golden brown. Golden brown on each side, lay bread onto paper towels to remove excess oil and place in a 200 degrees warmer oven until ready to serve.

Toppings for fry bread are of such varieties, it is whatever you can think of. We usually serve them plain with different sauces to choose – example: tomato chutney (made with tomatoes, red/green peppers, onions, okra, and cucumbers) Mozzarella cheese, sweet jams (blackberry, strawberry, or kiwi). Or you can make a taco pizza, have a breakfast disk (with eggs, bacon, and sour cream) or simple eat them plain.

Source: http://roadfoodie.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/fry-bread-recipe/

Mary Ann Ford of Cockeysville, Md., sent in a recipe given to her by her mother-in-law when she was married in 1967. Her mother-in-law told her that it came from a box of Grape-Nuts cereal in the 1940s. Ford says it is still a family favorite.

The only change I made to the original recipe was to substitute buttermilk for sour milk. This bread is wholesome-tasting but a bit plain. I suggest serving it with cream cheese or jam.

If I were to make it again, I would add 1 teaspoon or so of orange or lemon zest and maybe some nuts or raisins.

Grape-Nuts Bread

½cup Grape-Nuts cereal
1 cup sour milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten

Dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour

**

Mix first 6 ingredients together. Sift together the last 3 ingredients and add to first. Put into a greased loaf pan. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes 1 loaf; serves 8 to 10.

Per serving (based on 10 servings): 213 calories, 4 grams protein, 2 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 44 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 23 milligrams cholesterol, 246 milligrams sodium.

BY JULIE ROTHMAN

Source: http://www.kansas.com/living/food/story/538663.html