Thai Fever

Our next cooking class will be held on April 28th at 7 p.m. and Jen Ferrara will share some of her favorite Thai dishes. We hope to see you there!

Bread Baking with Brittany D.

French Bread, Streusel Kuchen & Honey Whole Wheat Bread

We would like to thank Brittany for sharing her recipes and her talent with us at our recent cooking class. The bread was delicious and we had a great turnout. We have posted Brittany's recipes and tips here for those who were unable to attend. Enjoy!

French Bread
2 ½ c warm water
2 T yeast
3 T sugar
¼ c oil
1 egg yolk
6 c flour
1 t salt
1 egg white


Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, letting it grow for 5-10 mins. Add oil, yolk, salt, and 2 c flour. Stir until smooth. Add remaining flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Set in greased bowl to rise until double. Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Let rise until double and brush with egg white. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

*Editor's note: Brittany demonstrated how she rolls out and forms the French Bread. After punching the dough down place on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll from the middle of the dough to outer edges. (If dough is rolled from top to bottom it will not stretch to the proper size.) Roll stretched out dough as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Once formed pinch seams together to keep dough shape.

Streusel Kuchen
3 T yeast
½ c warm water
1 c scalded milk
½ c butter
½ t lemon extract
2 eggs
½ c sugar
4-5 c flour
1 t salt

Combine yeast and water and let grow. Melt butter in scalded milk. Add to yeast mixture along with the eggs, sugar, and extract. Add flour until dough is soft and still a little sticky. Press into pan and rise for 30 minutes. Combine sugar, flour, butter and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Glaze with ¼ c lemon juice and 2-3 c powdered sugar. Best if served warm.

Crumbles:
1 c flour
1 c sugar
½ c butter

Glaze:
¼ c lemon juice
2-3 c powdered sugar

Honey Cracked Wheat
1 c milk, scalded
¼ c honey
2 t salt
1 T oil
1 c cracked wheat
2 T yeast
½ c warm water
1 c whole wheat flour
2 ¾ - 3 c flour

Combine milk, honey, salt, oil and cracked wheat. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add yeast and flours to the cracked wheat mixture. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Knead 10 minutes. Let rise until double. Shape into loaf, brush with butter, and let rise till double. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes.

Bread Baking Tips
· Yeast needs to grow in warm water (baby bath temp, not hot). 1-2 T sugar just speeds up the process. Hot water kills the yeast, so the bread won’t rise at all.
· You can rise bread four ways: in the fridge for 2-4 hours, at room temp for 45-60 mins, in the microwave on low defrost for 1-2 mins at a time, or in a warm oven (below 170).
· Store yeast in the fridge or freezer.
· Over kneading dough or too much flour will make the bread hard and dry.
· For a crunchy crust, place a baking sheet and 6-12 ice cubes in the oven to steam the bread while it is baking.
· Always cover the dough with plastic wrap or a cloth while it is rising.
· If the bread is browning too quickly and is still doughy in the center, cover with tin foil for the remaining baking time. This stops the crust from burning or getting too dark.
· Sprinkle corn meal on the bottom of your baking sheet so that the crust doesn’t stick. It takes better than flour and adds a great crunch to the bottom crust.


Bread Variations
Cinnamon Rolls: roll out into a rectangle, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, roll up, and then cut into 1-inch segments. Let rise until double and then bake for 10-15 mins. Frost and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Loaf: prepare just like cinnamon rolls, but do not cut into segments. Place the whole loaf on a pan and bake. Once done, frost and then cut into segments.

Rolls: form into various roll shapes, let rise until double, and bake for 8-10 mins.

Herbed Bread Loaf: roll out into a rectangle, brush with oil olive, and then sprinkle with herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, or a mixture), and roll up. Let rise until double and then bake.

Pizza Crust: let rise once, then roll into a circle, place on the pan, and let it rise for 10-15 mins. Cover with sauce and toppings and then bake at 375-425 until cheese is browning.

Bread sticks: let rise once, then push dough into a greased 9x13 inch glass pan, brush with olive oil,sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and score with a knife to create sticks. Let rise 15-20 mins and bake at 350 for 12-15 mins. Serve hot with marinara sauce.