Rye Bread

1 cup lukewarm water    1 tbls yeast    1 tbls salt    3 tbls caraway seeds
2 cups white flour    1 cup whole wheat flour    3 cups rye flour

In a large bowl, blend together the yeast, salt, and water. Blend the flour and seeds together in another bowl. Sift in and mix together one cup of dry ingredients into proofed yeast at a time. Cover and let rise in a warm location for two hours. Pre-heat the oven to 425*. Pull out desired amount of dough and form gently on a lightly floured surface. Slice the top and set aside for thirty minutes. Place dough on a well greased pan with a pan with water in it on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Slice thin for sandwiches or thick and serve with butter and soup.

Bistro Bread

This recipe came from Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoë François's Artisan Bread in Five website. Which is stretching it a bit, as it really takes what seems forever for this to produce it's perfect crumb and crust...but perhaps the 5 minutes isn't for how it takes to make it, but rather, how long it takes to eat the whole loaf.

You start with a 6 quart container with a lid, into which you pour 3 cups of lukewarm water (105/110*).

Add 1 tablespoon of yeast. Make certain to use fresh! Then add 1 1/2 tablespoons flake salt. Let rest for 20 minutes.

 Add in 6 cups of sifted white flour. Stir with a large wooden spoon. Cover but not snugly, leave just enough space to allow some gases to escape, or you can pop a hole in the middle of the lid and snap it onto the container. Leave the dough in the bottom of the container undisturbed for 2 to 4 hours (depends on room temperature, cold rooms take longer than warmer ones).

At first it's flat and dense...

...and after a while it fills the whole container with it's pale air-filled loveliness.




The dough will eventually flatten out and shrink slightly. Remove the lid, sprinkle several tablespoons of flour, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Set the oven to 450*. Measure out one pound (16oz) of dough. Gently form and set on waxed or parchment paper for 40 minutes. Heat a glass lidded crockpot, pizza stone, or cast iron pan in the oven while the dough rests.

If you use the pizza stone, sprinkle it with coarse meal before setting the dough on it. If the cast iron pan, add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set a metal pot with one cup of hot water 5 inches under the stone or cast iron.

The crockpot will not need anything. See this link for the crockpot bread directions.

Make five slashes with a serrated knife 1/4 to 1/2 inch in depth to prevent the bread from splitting or cracking on top or the bottom.

Bake for 35 minutes, do not open that oven door until the time is up!


Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting into the loaf.

The remaining dough can be covered and refrigerated. Over time the dough mellows, making for even more lovely bread.

Here is another loaf. This one is 50% hard red berry wheat, locally grown and ground.

Spinach Parmesan Fougasse

Although this bread is known by many names throughout the Mediteranian region, the French version from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is my favorite. A fougasse is an herbed French bread molded into a beautiful leaf shape.

1 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Herbes de Provence or
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sugar

Proof the yeast. Leave for five minutes until the yeast mixture is fluffy. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture, then pour in the proofed yeast. Use a wooden spoon to to mix the flour into the dissolved yeast to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and wait until it rises for about 20 minutes.

Remove the towel and add the oil, parmesan cheese, and herbes de provence or spinach to the flour well. Flour your working surface and knead the dough on it until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to coat evenly with the oil, then cover it with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for ten minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a tear shape, about fourteen inches long and 3/4 inches thick. Oil your baking sheet or place a piece of silicon lining on it.

Form the dough into a leaf shape, and make diagonal slashes across the dough. Pull out each slash gently with your fingers. Cover the shaped dough, then proof until an imprint of your finger springs back slowly, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 40 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve warm.

Duff's

Duff's brought Buffalo one of the finest versions of wings back in 1969 and has continued to do so ever since. They are hot, there doesn't appear to be a mild, but even so, despite the heat, the flavor is full on from first taste to finish. To top it all off, they are undeniably addictive.

Their hot sauce is locally made and their house beer is brewed by Rochester's CB's Brewing Company. If you visit their home base in Amherst, NY, ask for Maggie as your waitress, she's a real sweetheart!








We ordered the 1/2 pitcher of house brew, fries, and 20 wing special and Blue and Bacon Burgers. What impressed me were the crisp shoestring fries, the equally crisp bacon, and the soft rolls from Costanzo's Bakery!

Nothing destroys a perfectly good blue cheese and bacon burger than stringy under-cooked bacon or a crappy cheap roll, and as you can see pictured below this was not the case. It was a stupendous burger! If only this post was scratch & sniff.

      

Sweet Sponge Bread

2 tsp yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tbls sugar
3 1/4 cups white flour, sifted very fine
1 tbls salt
1 tbls sugar
3 tbls sunflower seed oil

Proof the yeast with the sugar for 20 minutes until a thick foam forms. Add the all of the other ingredients in a large metal bowl. Form dough, mixing by hand.

Once a ball forms, roll it out onto the counter and then scrub the bowl very well until the bowl is clean and hot. Butter the bottom half of the bowl and roll the dough ball around inside until coated. Cover with a towel and set near the oven. Pre-heat to oven to 400 degrees. Let rise for one hour. Divide and roll each ball out to 1/4" and brush on a thin layer of melted butter and roll up very tight.



Set on a greased cookie sheet and cover for 30 more minutes and then bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and it knocks hollow on the bottom of the loaf. Serve warm with whipped butter. The sponge from this recipe is amazing. Fluffy like an angel cake.

Raita and Naan

2 tsp each of yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup warm water, 3 cups of flour, 4 tbls sesame seed oil, and 1 tbls salt

Proof the yeast for 20 minutes. Blend all of the ingredients together. Allow to rise in a covered, oiled bowl for 1 hour. Divide into six even pieces. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and add the cookie sheet to warm. Roll out each piece and lay them on the hot pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Oil,  minced garlic, flake salt, and parsley are great on these!

Raita is slivered cucumber, strained yogurt, juiced ginger, mint, crushed coriander seeds and ground cumin. Blend well and chill before serving. Excellent with spicy dishes.

Bread & Books

Sarah Gilmartin of B. Ferrante's Italian Bakery in the Westside has only recently taken an excursion into bread at the shop. She presented me with this dense, sweetly flavored, salty and yeasty scented loaf to try. It was easy to slice thinly, and it toasted beautifully. It's density and tight sponge held onto the butter and crunched delightfully!

Now unfortunately not everyone can stop by this sweet little shop, but if you'd like to try this bread, here is an excellent recipe.

Westside Stories has an extensive
number of unusual cookbooks and more

1 1/2 tablespoons aniseed
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon water

Place aniseed in a pot with the water and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool to lukewarm.

Add the yeast, aniseed water (including the seeds), and sugar to the bowl and mix. Let rest five minutes.

Add the flour, butter, and salt and knead together by hand.

Slowly add the bread flour and continue to knead for about ten minutes until it is smooth and elastic and pulls away smoothly from the sides of the bowl. Add a couple more tablespoons flour if the dough seems to sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and roll into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for ten minutes.

Flatten into an slighly oval shape, using a rolling pin if necessary. Starting at one end of the oval, roll dough up into a spiral. Place seam side down on a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Let the loaf rise in a warm place for a half hour. 

Bake for twenty five minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm, room temperature, or toasted.



Both B.Ferrante's and Westside Stories are a great combination of inspiration, fine company, and excellent offerings. If you are in WNY, I recommend adding visiting these two spots to your itinerary.

Pita Bread

1 package of yeast, 2 1/4 tsps
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for ten minutes until the water is creamy.

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast water into the center. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water and stir with a spatula until well blended and elastic.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for four minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, set the ball aside to rest and clean the flour off the kneading surface.

Wash the bowl you created the dough in and then coat lightly with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl. Turn the dough thoroughly until coated, then cover with a clean dish towel. Set near the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out into a rope, then pinch off 10 pieces. Place the pieces on a lightly floured surface. Let them sit covered for ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the rack is at the very bottom of the oven. Place your baking sheet in the oven at this time.

Roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin into rounds, about five inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Bake each round for four minutes until the bread puffs up, flip and bake for two more minutes.


Remove each pita with the spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

Take the spatula and gently push down the center of the puff. Set out to cool, then stack and store in storage bag. They can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to specifically use freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.

Very Blueberry Bread - No Eggs!

Taken from Rosemarie Emro's Bakin' Without Eggs. So far I've been pretty impressed with the quality of the recipes. One thing I'd recommend though is to mix your wet and dry ingredients separately, and then blend them together quickly before pouring to keep the batter light.

3 cups flour plus 1 tbls (to coat the berries)
1 1/4 cup sugar plus 2 tbls lemon juice
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp grated lemon peel if you'd like a little extra tang
2 cups fresh or frozen, not thawed, blueberries



Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 inch pan.

In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend well. Wash and drain the blueberries. Sprinkle a little flour on the berries and toss till coated. Fold the berries into the batter.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Lembas Bread - Made 3x in size to satisfy Hobbit appetites (Lord of the Rings)

1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup warm milk
1 tbls baking powder
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
8 tbls butter (1 stick, room temperature)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbls cinnamon and sugar or garlic and oregano

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Chop butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives until you get a crumbly mixture. Add sugar and mix. Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms. Roll the dough out about 1 inch thick. Cut out two 8x8 inch squares and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Score each square from corner to corner with a knife. Bake for about 20 minutes or until set and lightly golden.

Chard, Wild Herbs, and Garlic & Herb Jack Cheese Focaccia Ring

This is a take on the Spinach and Garlic & Herb Jack Cheese Ring.

2 tsp sugar
1/4 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound herbed cheese

4 oz wild herbs

shredded pecorino parmesan

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

While waiting for the yeast to proof, take a selection of herbs and mince them finely, adding olive oil to the bowl you set them aside in. Rough chop the chard.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with flour; stir well to combine. Stir in additional water, 1 tbls at a time, until all of the flour is absorbed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly for about 1 minute.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface; knead briefly. Roll the dough and layer in the minced herbs, rough chopped chard and pieces of cheese. Roll tightly and seal the ring and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the dough with oil and sprinkle with salt and shredded pecorino parmesan.

Bake the focaccia ring for 20 minutes, depending on desired crispness.

Chard Pie

Approximately 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes are thinly sliced.

Three pounds of chard is steamed and then rinsed in cold water.

Fistful of fresh thyme.

Eight cloves worth of minced garlic, 4 tbls of olive oil and thyme heated on low.

Chard is squeezed and rough chopped and added to the pan. Sauted for ten minutes.

10 oz of cheese, shredded.

Using an oiled cheese cake pan, bread is layered first, then tomatoes, then chard, and then cheese.

Repeated until the pan is filled. Pressed down to compress the layers and then baked at 400 degrees for thirty minutes.

Set out to cool for 10 minutes and then removed from the form.

Sliced and served with steamed zucchini and watermelon.

You can use any kind of vegetable combination you'd like for this pie. Such as tomato and zucchini or onion, garlic, and leek. Use your imagination!