Maple Whole Wheat Bread

I’m just a little bit in love with baking fresh bread. This Maple Whole Wheat Bread is certainly a hearty bread. The bit of maple syrup gives it a surprisingly delightful sweetness, but not overwhelming, which means this is still a great bread for making sandwiches with it.

Maple Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 1/2 tsps active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water or milk
4 tbsps maple syrup
2 tbsps olive oil
3/4 tsp salt

Cheddar and Dill Beer Bread

Beer bread is great because it’s quick and versatile. You don’t need to wait for it to rise because of the beer’s yeast. You can also throw whatever cheese and/or herb combination that suits your fancy into it. Fresh herbs give a great pop.

Cheddar and Dill Beer Bread

Makes one loaf

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
12 ounces beer*

*Usually, I prefer a good microbrew as it does taste like beer.

Optional cheese and herbs which I used:

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 2 tsp dried)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

I’ve also tried rosemary and feta. Yummy. The original recipe has a variety of suggestions (check out the comments) for flavors.

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Mix all the dry ingredients, including herbs and cheese. Then pour the beer in and mix. The dough will be thick.

Grease a loaf pan. Then cook for 45 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven.

Let the bread rest for 10 minutes. Then take out of the pan and put on a cooling rack. Let cool again for 10 minutes before eating. It’s great with butter.

Beer Bread

Stuffed Fried Bread Dough

Stuffed Fried Bread Dough is delicious. It’s really up to you what you stuff it with. I’ve done it with mozzarella, a little basil, tomatoes, and spinach. Jason added some pepperoni to his own. I’m sure you could make some sweet ones too.

Stuffed Fried Bread Dough

Original recipe from Not Quite Nigella

Makes about 10 turnovers.

Ingredients:

500 g plain flour
1 tbsp instant dried yeast
275-300 mls water, lukewarm
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp softened butter

Mix flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together in a bowl. Then slowly mix the water in. The dough itself won’t be completely mixed. Knead in the butter to finish the dough.

Shape the dough into a ball and put the dough back into the bowl. Place a damp tea towel on top. Let it rise for 1-2 hours.

Then punch down the dough. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough and then put about a tablespoon of your filling inside. Fold over and pinch together. Cut out the extra dough off to use.

Fry the turnovers in a generous amount of oil. Eat hot.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I love baking bread. In the past year or so, it’s become one of my favorite things. It tastes so much better than what you can buy in the store, and it’s less expensive than really good bakery bread. This Honey Bran Whole Wheat is really yummy. Makes excellent sandwich bag.

If you need to save your extra loaves for later, these freeze really well. I wrap them in saran wrap and then foil before putting in a freezer bag.

Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

The original recipe is a little different.

Makes three loaves

4 cups / 1 lb-4 oz / 568 g all-purpose flour
2 cups / 10 1/4 oz / 290 g bread flour
2 cup / 8 oz / 231 g wheat germ
1 1/2 Tablespoons / 1/8 oz / 17 g instant yeast
2 Tablespoons / 30 ml canola oil or melted butter
1/3 cup / 3-5/8 oz / 102 g honey
5 cups / 40 fluid oz lukewarm milk (about 85°F)
4 cups / 1lb-5 oz / 604 g whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons / 30 ml salt

In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, bread flour, wheat germ, and yeast together. I find that a wooden spoon works best to mix dough. Then make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add canola oil, honey, and then milk. Next, you want to add the 4 cups of white whole wheat flour. Add only one at a time; otherwise, you’re going to have a hard time mixing it.

On your baking mat, knead the dough for 5 to 7 minutes. I found this dough to be very sticky. You will need more flour. But in general, due to the whole wheat and honey, it’s a little more sticky in general.

Form the dough into a ball and place the bowl over it for 20 minutes. This is called autolyse.

Next you’ll be adding the salt. Flatten the dough out and pour half the salt over it. Knead for a bit and then add the rest of the salt for 5 to 7 minutes.

Then you’ll want to dough to rise. I put mine back in the bowl, cover it with a damp, warm tea towel, and put it in a warm place. It’ll need to rise for about 1 hour. When it’s done, it’ll be 70°F-78°F in temperature and when you poke it with one finger, it should spring back at you.

Divide the dough into three parts. Shape each loaf. The easiest way to do that is to make it into a rectangle; fold it into the middle; roll the ends onto one another; turn 90° and fold over the ends on each other again; and then roll them in on each other.

Place each loaf in a lightly oiled bread pan. Sprinkle the tops with flour and a little wheat germ. Let them rise for another hour under the damp tea towel. (Usually, I wet it again.)

I like to bake my loaves on top of my baking stone to simulate a bread baking oven. When your loaves are ready, heat your oven to 375°F. You want to cook them for 40 minutes or until their golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of them.

Time to eat the Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls

Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls

Original recipe from the Pickycook.com

Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey or sugar
2/3 cup warm milk (105–115°F), divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/3 oz)
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tbsp pieces and softened
1 tbsp water

Stir together yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy for about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk together flour (2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed.

Increase speed to medium and beat in 2 eggs until a very soft dough forms at about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, 1 tbsp at a time, until dough is elastic for about 2 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.)

Scrape dough into center of bowl and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough (do not knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Arrange rolls 1 inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a tea towel. Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (Not all of the egg wash will be used.)

Bake until golden brown for 20 to 25 minutes. Loosen edges of rolls from pan with a sharp knife and invert rolls onto a rack, then reinvert and cool at least 20 minutes. Then serve.

Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls

Rolls are best the day they’re made, but can be frozen for one month. Thaw, then reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until warmed for 5 to 10 minutes.

Then I saw this recipe by Chef Henry. Instead of a tandor oven, it uses a pizza stone, and a pizza stone fits much better with both my kitchen and my wallet. Plus, this recipe is really tasty too.

Naan fresh off the pizza stone

Homemade Naan

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup water (75° to 85°F)
1/2 cup milk*
1 tsp peanut oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
pizza stone

*Maybe a little more or a little less

In a small bowl, add the water, oil, sugar and yeast. Stir well and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Sift all the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt.

Add the water, oil, sugar, and yeast to the flour and mix it in well.

Begin adding the milk a little at a time until the dough forms a single, solid mass. You may need a little than a 1/2 cup.

Turn the dough ball out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes. You want the dough to be soft, pliable, and tacky, but not sticky. It will take the entire 10+ minutes for the moisture level to even out, so don’t worry. More flour or milk can be added if it’s too wet or too dry.

Jason captures Erica as she finishes kneading

After kneading, form the dough into a rough ball and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to relax for 10 minutes. The dough will then need to rise and will become twice its size. Find a suitable container and coat it with a thin layer of oil. Place the dough inside and cover it with plastic wrap. Let is rise for 30 minutes to two hours in a warm place until it’s twice.

Once the dough has doubled in size, put your pizza stone in the middle of your oven and turn on the broiler.

Knead the dough down with your knuckles. Don’t force it; let it move on it’s own. Then fold it in third. Knead again in this manner two more times. Then dived the dough into 8 equal places and place them under plastic wrap so they don’t dry out.

You want to form each piece into a ball. However, do not roll it in your hands. Instead, shape it by turning your squareish dough into a round ball by pinching excess top parts down to the bottom. Make sure to put them back under the plastic wrap when you’re done so they stay soft. Let them rise for 10-15 minutes.

To shape the dough into a Naan shape, place it between your thumb and fingers and quickly turn your hand over, slapping the dough into your other open hand. Do this over and over, rotating the dough until it relaxes and starts to stretch. Then put it back under the wrap. I really suggest watching Chef Henry’s video (on the bottom of his post) if you’re not sure you’re doing it right.

Open the oven and pull out the rack your pizza stone’s on. Grab the first piece you’re going to cook and stretch it one final time. Place on the stone and close oven. The naan will brown within one to two minutes. Keep track of the time so you’ll know what to cook the other ones at and can put more than one in at a time. Turn it over as needed.

Removed when sides start getting brown spots. Use a basting brush to brush it with butter or ghee and place in towels or a tortilla warmer to keep warm.

In the next few posts, I'll be sharing the recipes for the other delicious food in this picture. Enjoy the naan.

You can already check out the recipe for the Aloo Chole in the photo (potato dish).