Flat bread

These are really great to keep on hand. I try to under cook them slightly, through them in the freezer and then when I need them I can through them in the toaster oven for a minute to make them soft or 5 minutes to make crunchy chips! You can also cut them into wedges and bake them or fry them to make dip able chips!


Flat bread Recipe

1 cup warm tap water
2.5 tsp sour dough start (or 1 1/4 tsp yeast)
1 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
2.25 cup white flour (or your favorite)
cornmeal for the bread stone (optional)

I mix the dough in the bread machine. (email me if you want the directions for doing this without the machine) Place the ingredients in the bowl of the bread machine:
If using sour dough start: Place warm water, sour dough start and oil in the bowl, then top with flour and salt.
If using yeast: Place warm water and oil in the bowl, then top with flour. Add the yeast in the middle and the salt in a corner. Set the machine to dough cycle and .. wait.

After the sough cycle is complete pull the dough out of the bowel and let it rise for an hour or so. Then divide the dough into even round balls. You should have about 8 or 10 small balls, depending on the size of flat bread you want. Roll out the sough using a rolling pin or something.

Heat the oven to 425 with a bread stone in. Let the dough rest while the ove is heating. Bake the flat breads for about 2 - 4 min on each side. Cool o a wire rack or serve warm!!

Basic Hungry Hill Sourdough Casera Loaf

The word 'Casera' means of the house, which is how this bread got it's name. This is a great sourdough for any meal, and one of my personal favorites. It has a lightly sour flavor. (It might even be great for cinnamon toast!) I'm using a bread machine for the dough here but you don't need one. (Let me know if you would like instructions for no-bread machine! (Although its very much the same!)) I'll try to get the 'non-bread machine' recipe up here soon!

Basic Hungry Hill Sourdough Casera Loaf Recipe

3/4 cup sourdough starter
1.5 cup warm water
3.5 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt

In the bowl of your bread machine, add the water and the start. On top of this add 3.5 cups of flour) (letting it float on the liquid) sprinkle the salt on top of the flour and place in the bread machine. Set to the dough setting and press start. It should be about 1.5 hours before the dough is done and ready to bake!



Form the dough into a smooth ball and slash a few cuts into the top. Let it sit while you preheat the oven, with a baking stone in, to 400 degrees. When the oven is heated put the bread in and bake for 45-50 min or until hollow souning when tapped on the bottom.

Sour dough bread

Day 1

Combine 3 heaping tablespoons of white flour, 1 heaping tablespoon whole wheat flour, the juice of 1/2 a fresh orange, and enough water to make a thick, but stir-able dough (about 1/4-1/3 cup). Beat this mixture together thoroughly, to blend all ingredients and incorporate a bit of air. Cover loosely and place in a warm spot (by the fire, in a sunny summer window, or even in the bathroom with the heater on...)

Day 2, 3, 4 and so on..

Add 3 heaping tablespoons of white flour, 1 heaping tablespoon whole wheat flour, and about 1/4 cup room temp water to the start and beat together thoroughly, to blend all ingredients and incorporate a bit of air. Cover loosely and place, again, in a warm spot (by the fire, in a sunny summer window, or even in the bathroom with the heater on...). Repeat each day there after. You are ready to use the start after 4 days or so, or when the start starts smelling sour and delicious.

Simply use some of the start in your bread recipe and then replenish the start with 3 more tablespoons white flour, 1 heaping tablespoon whole wheat flour, and about 1/4 cup room temp water. Even is you don't use any of the start one day it is still a good idea to feed it with fresh flower and water to keep it well fresh!

Lucia Buns

Happy Saint Lucia Day! Went up to my Grams this morning for breakfast.
It's a tradition we have carried out ever since I remember; to eat Lucia buns on this day!
St. Lucia day is Swedish holiday, celebrating "light", I believe... or lake there of!


St. Lucia Bun Recipe

2 tsp yeast
1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 1/2 c. lukewarm milk
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. softened butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. ground cardamom
zest of 1 orange
3/4 tsp. salt
7-7 1/2 c. flour
1 slightly beaten egg
1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. sugar
raisins

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, eggs, cardamom, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth. Place in a bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
Divide into 24 parts. Shape each piece into an S-shape rope; curve both ends into a coil. May place raisin in center of each coil. Place rolls on cookie sheet. . Mix egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush buns lightly.. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Amandas' Squash Bread

I had a great pumpkin/squash harvest this year, thanks to all the starts given to me Last spring! The pic above is just a fraction!


My good friend Amanda came up with this recipe for a squash bread, like a pumpkin bread; and you could use pumpkin or any kind of squash puree. It was great and a good way to store some of this squash cuz it freezes well!


Squash bread Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 cup vegie oil

2 cups and type squash puree

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon bk powder
2 teaspoons bk soda

pumpkin spice(or) cinnamon, nutmeg, ground allspice

1 to 1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cups raisins (I used golden raisins)

Preparation:

Combine wet and dry Mixture together adding Nuts and Raisins last

Pour into two greased bread pans

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minets or until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the bread.cover top with parchment paper when there is 30 min's or so left(so the top wont burn) Cool in pan for 10 min's before cutting.

Thanks Amanda! This was wonderful!

A mini loaf

This morning I was woken up, early early; by my cat. He was thinking about cat food, I was thinking about bread.

So I decided to bake some bread from scratch for once. I usually use a bread machine that I have. mmm... Bread with honey, bread with jam, bread with olive oil and sea salt, bread with butter, bread with hummus- seriously ... bread...
Anyways I think this quite possibly could be the best loaf of bread I have ever made! I also made a whole wheat version. Mmmm.

Okay here's the recipe that I made today. I just halved the original recipe!

3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1.5 cup water, or a few drops more.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl using a whisk, then add water and stir until combined. Cover tightly with plastic and let it sit for some where warm for around 15-20 hours.
After the first rise, scrape the dough out onto a heavily floured surface and flop it over onto itself once or twice, don't over-handle it. It doesn't need to look all perfect. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then, quickly form the dough into a ball (folding the corners into the middle works well) and set it seam-side down onto a well flowered surface and cover with a non-terrycloth towel. Let it just sit there for another 2 hours. Before the bread goes in the oven, preheat it to 450˚f with your baking pan in there. After the half hour is up, take out your pan, sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal, and dump the dough in, seam-side up. Cover and return to the oven. Bake 20 minutes covered, 20 minutes uncovered, give or take a few at the end depending on how brown you want your crust.

This mini-recipe will yield a small loaf of crusty white bread, suitable for dipping in homemade soups, drenching in half-melted butter, diping in tastey olive oil w/ herbs ... or whatever else you like to do with your bread. It's a nice, small amount and if you end up eating half the damn loaf (like I did), you don't have to feel like a pig about it. Rock and roll!