Yeast Breads

Artisan Bread

1 cup bread flour 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1, 1/4oz packet of instant yeast (Rapid Rise)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water

Add both flours, salt and yeast to a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add the water and mix until it comes together to form a soft dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 14-18 hours.  

Preheat oven to 450 and once it has come to temp, place a large cast iron pot (or enameled cast iron pot) with lid into the oven and let it set in there for 30 minutes.  While the pot is heating, pour the dough onto a floured work surface and knead it to remove bubbles (about 10-15 times), then shape dough into a ball.  Cover the dough and let it sit while the your pot is heating up.

After 30 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and place your dough ball into the center of the pot.  With a sharp knife, cut a few slits on the tip, then put the cover on the pot and place into the oven.  Let it cook covered for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and place bread onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Crusty Dinner Rolls

1 tbsp active dry yeast 
2 cups warm water  
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt5 1/4 + all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in bowl of electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in sugar and salt, and add the flour one cup at a time.  Turn mixer to med-low and let the mixer knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. Form dough into ball and place in bowl and turn over once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about an hour).

 Punch down dough, and turn out onto floured surface. Cover with towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle on a layer of cornmeal. Shape dough into 12-14 rolls, place on cookie sheet and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Slash roll tops in 2-3 places with a sharp knife, and brush rolls with a little water. Optional - sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs or coarse salt. Place a pan 1/2 filled (or 1-2 inches) with boiling water onto lower rack in oven. Place rolls on upper oven rack and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Soft Dinner Rolls

3 packages of Active Dry yeast (2 tbsp + 2 tsp)
6 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1 tbsp salt
¼ cup + 3 tbsp sugar
¼ cup + 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ¼ cup water

• Dissolve yeast in warm water, and let stand 4-5 minutes. 
• Place all dry ingredients (flour, dry milk, sugar, and salt) in mixer bowl.  Using a dough hook, blend on low speed for approximately 2 minutes.
• Add oil and blend on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Add water.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
• Add dissolved yeast and mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place dough in warm area for about an hour.  (I usually put the dough in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray and place it in the oven that had been turned on previously for a few minutes to get it a little warm.)
• Punch down dough to remove air bubbles.
• Form rolls and place on lightly oiled or sheet pans sprayed with cooking spray. Yields 22-24 rolls, depending how big you make them. 
• Place in warm area until doubled in size, 30-50 minutes.
• Bake until lightly browned in a convection oven for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

English Muffins 

 

2 tsp active dry yeast 

1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/3 cups bread flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt


Combine yeast, sugar and half of the water in a small bowl. Stir with fork until yeast is dissolved and cover with a towel for 5 minutes, or until mixture starts to foam. Add remaining water and milk and cover for another 5 minutes.

In large bowl of electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flours and salt. Add in the yeast mixture, and stir on low until just combined. Turn mixer on medium and knead for about 4-8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft.  Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic and a towel.  Allow to double in size, at least 90 minutes. The longer it's left to rise the better. I once let it rise for 4 hours and it ended up being the best batch muffins to date.

Punch down dough and remove it from the bowl onto a floured work surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball and place onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with corn meal. Cover with towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat and lightly grease with cooking spray. Allow to cook on first side for about 10 minutes. The bottom should be dark golden brown. Turn and cook on second side for another 10 minutes. 

Cranberry Walnut Rolls, Yields 12 rolls

3 1/2 cups bread flour 
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp quick-rising yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil, + extra to coat a large bowl
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Place walnuts in a dry skillet, and toast over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Mix the flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt in bowl of electric stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 95 degrees.  Add the oil and remove from heat.  Add the milk mixture and the egg to the flour mixture, and mix on low until a wet ball forms (about 1 minute).  Add the cranberries and the walnuts, and replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook.  Mix dough on medium-low until it's smooth and elastic, adding more flour by the tablespoon as needed, for about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a floured surface and knead the dough for about 2 minutes. 

Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Transfer dough to a slightly floured surface and divide dough into 12 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a smooth round ball, and place on baking sheet.  Spray a little cooking spray on the top of each roll, and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.  Preheat oven to 425.

Place rolls in preheated oven and reduce the heat to 400, and bake for about 7 minutes.  Rotate baking sheet and continue to bake until golden brown, about 8 more minutes.   

Soft White Bread

6 tbsp warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup more of warm water
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the yeast and 6 tbsp of warm water and let it set and dissolve for 5 minutes.  Add the sugar, salt, butter and additional 1 1/3 cups warm water and mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes to combine.  Add 2 cups of the flour and mix on low speed for one minute, then add the remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and turn the mixer to medium-low and let the dough hook knead the dough for about 10 minutes.  Dough should be nice and smooth and not be sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Spray a large bowl liberally with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl turning it to cover the dough with the oil from the cooking spray.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for an hour.

Punch down the dough and place onto a floured work surface.  With a rolling pin roll it into a 12x12 rectangle.  Tightly roll it up and seal the edges.  Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.  Tuck the ends of the dough tightly underneath and place the dough into the loaf pan.  Set pan in a warm spot and let it rise for another hour.  

Preheat oven to 425.  Place loaf pan on bottom rack and back for 15 minutes.  Cover the loaf with foil and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven brush the top with butter.  Cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1 1/4 tsp instant yeast  2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup whole milk (or buttermilk)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tbsp shortening, room temp
1/2 cup raisins

Filling:
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, stir together the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and flour.  Add the milk, water, egg and shortening and mix on medium-low until it comes together to form a ball.  Mix for 5 minutes, add the raisins then mix for another 2 minutes.  Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and turn out the dough.  Knead it for a couple of turns by hand just to make sure the raisins are well incorporated.

With a rolling pin roll the dough out into a 10" x 12" rectangle.  Brush with the egg wash, then sprinkle the sugar & cinnamon mixture on to cover the entire surface.  Roll the dough up to form a loaf and place into a loaf pan that's been coating with cooking spray.  Spray the top of the dough lightly with cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Place pan in a warm area of your kitchen and let it rise for 3-4 hours.  Once it's risen high enough (to the top of pan or higher), place in oven that's been preheated to 350.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate pan and cook another 20-30 minutes.  If you tap on the top (or some say the bottom) of the loaf it should sound hollow, and it should be a nice golden brown.  Remove bread from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Thin Sliced Sandwich Bread I (adapted from a King Arthur recipe)

1 1/3 cups warm milk
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp instant / rapid rise yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
4 cups all-purpose flour

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook.  Mix on medium low for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place in a lightly greased large bowl, cover it and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour.

Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Gently punch down the dough and shape it into a 9" log and place it into the loaf pan.  Cover loosely and let the dough rise for about another hour, or until it's risen to a good inch higher than the top of the pan.  Preheat oven to 350.  Place loaf pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Check it at this point and if it's getting too brown, then you can cover it with aluminum foil.  Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until it's golden brown.  Remove from bread from oven and from the pan, and allow to cool on a wire rack.