Bread of Life Recipes

Here are the recipes for the Bread of Life Activity:

No Knead Bread - Artisan Style - 18 Hour Raise
(Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, Recipe Posted in New York Times)

Video demonstrations and recipe variations found on breadtopia.com and No Knead internet sites.

3 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups plus about 2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast (SAF for instance - Doesn’t work with the regular yeast)

Instructions:
1 . In a large bowl (5 qt) combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water + 2 Tbsp and stir until blended; dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest from 12-24 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature, about 70 degrees. (The resting allows the action, without kneading.)
2 . After resting, dough will be dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rest about 15 minutes. (Optional)
3 . Using just enough flour (or oil) to keep dough from sticking to work surface or fingers, gently shape dough into a ball. (Consider putting ball onto a sheet of parchment, in case it is too runny to transfer into a dutch oven or baking sheet later.) Cover with parchment or oiled plastic wrap. It is ready when is doesn’t spring back readily when poked with a finger. This will be approximately 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
4 . At least 1/2 hour before dough is ready to bake, turn oven on per instructions below.

• If you have a heavy covered pot, (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic that can withstand 450 degrees), the original recipe calls for you to bake in it. It makes for a crispy crust, although we haven’t been successful yet in making it crispy and not tough. If you use this method, turn the oven to 450 degrees 1/2 hour before. When dough is ready, carefully removed pot from oven. Place ball in pot, slash top with greased bread knife. (If the dough seems to difficult to transfer, leave dough on parchment and place all onto cooking surface. Cover quickly with lid and bake 30 minutes*, then remove lid and bake another 15 - 30 minutes until loaf is nicely browned, or 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Cool on a rack.

****A black dutch oven cooks faster and hotter, so bake for 20 minutes with lid, 10 without.

• If you want to try for the artisan crispy crust and don’t have a covered pot, preheat oven for 1/2 hour to 450 with broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour a cup of water in the broiler pan when you put the loaves in the oven, shutting the door quickly to trap the steam.

• OR We just baked the breads in a 350 degrees preheated oven on a baking sheet for about 25 minutes, and we were pleased with the outcome. If we wanted the crusts softer, we buttered them when hot.


Variations: 

Pecan Cinnamon
Add 1/2 cups pecans and 1/2 cups craisins to dry mix before adding water; cinnamon chips

Multi-grain Peasant Bread
1 cup rye flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup cracked wheat, sunflower seeds, or
other grains and seeds, etc. 4 cups white all purpose flour; 1 Tbsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp yeast; 3 1/4 cups room temperature water. Mix same as above for basic.


NO KNEAD BREAD - ARTISAN FREE-FORM LOAF -REFRIGERATOR OPTION
(Jeff Herschberg’s Simply Crusty Bread)

MASTER RECIPE:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour

Instructions:
1. Mix the yeast, salt, and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
2. Mix in the flour with a spoon, or mixer.
3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses,
about 2-3 hours.
4 . The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. If
not baking at this point, refrigerate in a lidded, not airtight container and use over the next several
days.
5 . When ready to bake, grapefruit sized piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly
stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Let rest 40 minutes.
6 . Place broiler pan on bottom of oven, and baking pot in oven or baking stone in oven, and heat for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. OR preheat to 350 and bake on a baking sheet for about 25 minutes.
7 . Dust dough with flour, slash the top with serrated knife. Slide onto baking stone, or into dutch oven,
and cover. If using stone, or baking sheet, then pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut
oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until browned for about 30 minutes. Can put into a loaf pan for baking if desired.


100% WHOLE WHEAT REFRIGERATED NO- KNEAD BREAD
ARTISAN FREE-FORM LOAF OR REGULAR LOAF

1 1/2 Tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
l Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup honey (can substitute sugar
5 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
6 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix the yeast, salt, honey oil, milk and water in a bowl or container. Then follow directions above.
You can either make this into free form loaf per instructions above, or put into a greased loaf pan(s).
This bread would be suitable for sandwiches. Bake at 350 if baking in loaf pans. Baking time will
depend on size of pans or whether baking as free-form loaf.


Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls
(Internet version forms cinnamon rolls. This is a revised version forming balls instead of the rolled out cinnamon that is much faster.)

Topping: 
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

Coating:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix butter and brown sugar together and pat into the bottom of a 9 inch pan. Take dough and form form balls, roll in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar mix. Place in pan with a pecan under each ball, if small, two for larger balls. Let raise 60 minutes, if from refrigerated dough, 40 minutes if from fresh batch. Bake 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until done. Turn out onto platter, with pecan side up.

Whole Wheat Bread - Quick and Easy!
(Adapted recipe from Jamie Rasmussen; As demonstrated by Ann Alexander)

From start to baked in less than 90 minutes - (Knead by hand or machine)- Makes 4 (8x4 inch) loaves.

7 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. wheat gluten
2 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast (like saf instant yeast)
5 cups steaming hot tap water (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 Tbsp. salt
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cups honey or 1 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
5 additional cups flour (could use white)

Mix together first three dry ingredients. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey or sugar and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour-1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl, if using a mixer. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled surface; divide, shape into loaves, and place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven (175 degrees or lowest setting on oven) for 15 - 30 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook and are kneading this by hand, gradually add last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. You may have to add more flour when kneading by hand. With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist. Knead 10 minutes before shaping dough into loaves.

NOTE: Gluten is a natural protein derived from wheat. It is used in bread to provide elasticity and strength, added texture and helps retain moisture in bread and doughs. It helps prevent crumbling and extends the shelf life of baked bread. Lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhance which gives bread a fine, light texture.

Raspberry Butter

1/2 lb. butter

4 oz. honey

4 oz. raspberry preserves

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip butter until light and fluffy.  Add honey, raspberry preserves and vanilla.  Continue to whip until mixed.  Chill.

Herb Dipping Oil

1/4 c. fresh basil- finely chopped
1/4 c. fresh Italian parsley- finely chopped
1/4 c. garlic- minced
4 tsp. dried thyme- finely chopped
4 tsp. dried oregano- finely chopped
4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. kosher or ground sea salt
2 tsp. rosemary- finely chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. olive oil