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BREAD

White Bread Dough

Bread loaves, Pita bread, Pizza, soft pretzels, Pain du Chocolat: Bread dough is versatile and it does NOT have to involve a lot of manual labor or uncertainty. Just follow these three simple rules:

  1. Use the right flour! At the health food store, the right flour will be labeled "Hard Red Winter Wheat"; at the grocery store, the right flour will be labeled "Bread Flour." No kidding!
  2. Let the sponge rise TWICE before you knead in the salt and final cups of flour.
  3. "Double in bulk" means just that: not 3 times original size. In this case, more is not better: let it rise more than twice its original size and you will end up with a bitter, worn-out dough.

Prepare your sponge:

Into a warm 8-quart bowl or pot place:

Stir a bit. Then add, cupful by cupful, enough flour to make a flexible and stretchy mud, beating well between each addition. That rubber-band texture you feel forming in the mud is GLUTEN, the key to a fine, high rising loaf of bread! Most people develop gluten by kneading! We do it the easy way!

When you have added sufficient flour, beat that mud 100 times! Then cover the bowl and put in a warm, NOT HOT, location away from drafts. Let it double in bulk (30 minutes - one hour), and then beat it down. Let it double in bulk again.

Prepare your dough:

Now you have to do a little manual labor: knead this dough on a counter top or in the pot for five - ten minutes. The dough should already be well developed (very springy) from the sponge risings; your task at this time is to fine-tune the dough, making sure that it has a seamless, non sticky resilancy. Sprinkle in flour as necessary

Then grease the original 8-quart pot/bowl again, place the dough in it, and let it rise until double in bulk.

Shape and cook your bread.

Always remember to maintain the integrity of the dough: knead every unit (loaf, pita, pretzel) before shaping so that it will acquire its own identity: it should not look ragged and torn off.

If you want to save the dough (it will keep for up to two weeks if kept punched down), place dough in plastic storage container with lid and put in refrigerator. Keep an eye on it over the next few hours; it will continue to rise until it is fully chilled. Punch down when necessary. Check dough every day and punch down when necessary. Allow to come to room temperature before attempting to use it.

BREAD LOAVES

To make bread loaves, cut off enough dough to half fill loaf pan,
knead into shape, and place into greased loaf pan. Let rise until double: cook for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

PITA BREAD

Pita breads are made from 2" diameter balls of dough, well kneaded and rolled out to 1/3"- 1/2" thick. Allow to rise until double: cook in pre-heated 475 degree oven or toaster oven for 5-10 minutes, until puffed and brown.

PIZZA

Make pizza by rolling a piece of dough 1/4"-1/3" thick. Place on greased pan. Cover with sauce, top with shredded, whole-milk mozzarella cheese. Cook in pre-heated 450 degree oven 10-15 minutes.

PRETZELS

Pretzels will not have the authentic texture and taste you want
unless you boil them briefly in a bath of water and baking soda.

  1. Roll and squeeze dough into 2' long by 1/2" pieces.
  2. Shape the pieces into pretzel shape and let rise until double in thickness.
  3. Pour 5 cups water into a shallow pan (SS, enamel, or iron: NOT aluminum) and bring to a boil.
  4. Into boiling water pour 1/3 cup baking soda.
  5. Place each pretzel into boiling water mixture for 30 seconds.
  6. Remove and place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle w/course salt.
  7. Cook in pre-heated 450 degree oven or toaster oven 8-10 minutes.

PAIN DU CHOCOLAT

Pain du chocolat is a roll with bittersweet chocolate in the center.

  1. Form rolls from 1.5" diameter balls of dough.
  2. Make a slit in dough with very sharp knife.
  3. Insert square of chocolate and reshape ball.
  4. Let rise until double.
  5. Cook on greased sheet at 350 degrees until brown.