Tag Archives: yeast

Breads and Pancakes

Basic Wholewheat Sourdough

Sourdough starter

  • 1 cake yeast ( or 1 pkg dry)
  • 1 t sugar
  • 2 cups warm potato water

Combine all ingredients and place in a glass or pottery jar. Cover with cloth and let stand at room temperature for 48 hours. Stir down occasionally.

To make sponge starter: Add equal parts of flour and water (usually 2 cups per recipe) and let stand in warm place for at least 8 hours. Take 1 cup of starter to store, covered, in the fridge. Use rest for recipe.

Basic wholewheat sourdough bread

  • 1 recipe starter (4 cups)
  • 3 T honey
  • 2 t salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6-1/2 to 7-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Prepare starter 10 hours ahead of time, adding 2-1/2 cups warm water and 4 cups flour to sponge. In a large bowl mix starter, honey, salt and milk. Stir in flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead until elastic. Divide into 2 parts, shape in 3″ diameter rolls. Sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet. Put loaves on top, brush with cream or oil, and cover. Allow to double. Bake at 374F for 40 minutes. Servings: 2 loaves

Breads and Pancakes

Bagels

  • 4-1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 3 T sugar
  • 5 t active dry yeast (2 pkgs.)
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt. Stir in 1-1/2 cups lukewarm water, and with an electric mixer beat at high speed 3 mins. Stir in 2 more cups flour and knead for 5 mins. Add as much of the remaining flour as is necessary to make a smooth dough. Let rest, covered, 15 mins. Divide into 16 pieces, roll each into a 7″ roll, and form into rings, sealing ends with a bit of water. Put bagels on lightly floured sheets and let rest, covered, for 5 mins. In a large pot bring 6″ of water to a boil. Boil bagels, 4 at a time, turning several times, for 3 mins. each. Transfer to a towel to drain. Place bagels 2″ apart on backing sheets, brush with the egg wash, and bake in a preheated 375ºF over for 25-30 mins., or until golden. Makes 16 bagels.

Breads and Pancakes

Kifli

Rich crescent rolls filled with nuts or cheese, very similar to Hungarian beigli.

  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 2 T yeast
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 lb. butter
  • 1 t salt
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1-1/2 cups sour cream

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with 1 tbsp sugar. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour, butter and salt until crumbly.

Form a well in center and add the yolks, sour cream and yeast mixture. Knead lightly.

Refrigerate overnight, covered. Roll into tennis-sized balls. Roll each ball into a circle. Fill and roll into crescents (see fillings, below). Let rise.

Bake at 350F until golden.

Nut Filling:

Beat 1 egg. Add 1 cup ground nuts, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 T cinnamon.

Cheese Filling:

Combine 1/2 lb. cottage cheese, 2 to 4 T sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp lemon peel, 1/2 cup raisins

Breads and Pancakes

Butterhorns

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1-1/2 t sugar
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 pkg. dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg yolk

Mix flour, salt and 1-1/2 tsp sugar. Cut in butter. Dissolve sugar in water and add yeast. Add beaten egg yolk to milk. Add this to flour, blend well. Add yeast and water mix. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Roll sticky dough 1/3″ thick and cut into 6×1/2″ strips. Twist into spirals on greased baking sheet. Cover and let double. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes. While still warm, ice with thin icing sugar/ butter/ vanilla topping and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Breads and Pancakes

Spudnuts

Spudnuts are potato-based doughnuts–heavier and more substantial than regular raised doughnuts.

  • 2 pkg. yeast
  • 1 cup lukewarm potato water
  • 2 t sugar
  • 4 cups scalded milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2  salt
  • 5 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups freshly mashed potatoes
  • 15 cups flour, approximately
  • 1 cup shortening, melted

Dissolve yeast in potato water with 2 t sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. Add yeast to cooled milk, then sugar, shortening, salt, potatoes, eggs, and 1 t nutmeg if desired. Stir well. Add flour to make a very soft dough.

Let rise to double. Punch and let rise again. Roll on floured board to 1/2″ thickness. Cut into doughnuts. Place on floured paper and let rise till doubled.

Fry in deep fat placing underside up. Dip while hot in following glaze: Simmer 3 cups sugar, 3/4 cup butter and 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes. Add 2 t vanilla. Keep over hot water to avoid granulating.

Servings: 8 to 10 dozen

Breads and Pancakes

Oatmeal bread

  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 T salt
  • 2 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 8-9 cups all-purpose flour

Combine oats, butter salt and 3 cups boiling water. Let mixture cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl let the yeast, 2 T lukewarm water, and sugar sit for 15 minutes or till foamy. Stir this into the oats mixture, add the molasses and 8 cups flour, or enough to make a stiff dough.

Knead for 2 minutes, put in a well-buttered large bowl, and turn it to coat. Let dough rise, covered, for 1 hour or till doubled. Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. Form the dough into 2 loaves and place in 2 buttered loaf pans. Let rise, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Breads and Pancakes

Pan de Campo (Peasant Bread)

Country bread from Chile

These dense bread rolls, slightly toasted on a griddle and smothered with sweet Chilean butter and strawberry jam,  made one of my favorite breakfasts during my stay in Chile. The heavy, almost layered consistency of the bread made it special. To me, the heaviness of Pan de Campo was a product of baking it in the shadow of the towering wall of the Andes that stood above us in Santiago.

Chile Alps (Pan de Campo)

Ingredients for Chilean Pan de Campo (Peasant Bread)

  • 20 grams (about 3/4 oz) yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 t sugar
  • 7 3/4 – 8 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup melted shortening
  • 2 cups warm water mixed with 1 T salt

Mix yeast with 1 cup warm water and sugar. Let stand 20 minutes. Pour into a ring of flour along with cooled melted shortening.

While mixing, gradually add 2 cups warm water with salt. Work until light and shiny (10 minutes).

Form into a roll and divide into 18 pieces. Knead each piece and pat with hands into 2 cm (3/4″) thick rounds. Pierce with fork. Let rise.

Bake at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes.


Noodles and Dumplings

Knedliky

Raised dumplings

  • 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 2 T yeast
  • 1 t sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • 7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water with sugar. Beat eggs, butter and 1 1/2 cups warm water. Add salt flour to form a dough thicker than bread dough. Knead and let rise, covered and in a warm place, until doubled. Punch down, knead and roll into dumplings the size of a small ladle. Cover and let rise 1 hour. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to brisk boil. Throw two or three dumplings at a time and boil 4 minutes. Turn and boil another 4 minutes. Remove and cut in half with string.