A few days ago, I got really antsy to do some baking. I wanted to make some steak (or other random cut of beef... I never know what I'm buying) and breadsticks for dinner.
Last summer, I had a job, and Austin was kind of the stay-at-home-husband who did lots of shopping, cooking, cleaning, (and still managed to come to work with me to hang out half of the time). When he was at home, he'd sometimes bake bread, experimenting with some methods and recipes from a great bread book we got for our wedding. Sometimes we'd joke that I was the breadwinner and he was the bread baker.
Now it was my turn.
Ingredients:
10.5 oz whole wheat bread flour (about 2 1/3 cups)
7 oz white bread flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons fine-grain salt
12 1/2 oz water (about 13 fl. oz. in a glass measuring cup)
garlic-cheese powder or other filling of your choice
Mix the two flours together and rub in the yeast, using your fingertips. Add the salt and the water (add the water gradually, and you might not need all of it. Start with 10 fl. oz. and you can add more later if the dough is too dry.
Knead the dough. You want to stretch it and get as much air into it as possible. It works well to slide your fingers underneath with your thumbs on top, swing it upwards, then slap it back down, away from you, onto the counter. It will be really sticky at this point. Stretch the front of the dough towards you, then lift it back over itself in an arc to trap the air, still stretching it forwards and sideways and tucking it around the edges. Repeat this for maybe 10-15 minutes. (I know, it's hard to picture.)
The dough will start to come together and become elastic-y, less sticky.
Flour the counter and make a tight ball with the dough, making it smooth on top by tucking the edges underneath repetitively. Put it into a bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place. It should double in size.
After 1 hour, spread the dough into a rectangle on the counter, and sprinkle the powder or topping of your choice on top. Then fold the dough into thirds as if folding a letter. Austin helped me here.
Last summer, I had a job, and Austin was kind of the stay-at-home-husband who did lots of shopping, cooking, cleaning, (and still managed to come to work with me to hang out half of the time). When he was at home, he'd sometimes bake bread, experimenting with some methods and recipes from a great bread book we got for our wedding. Sometimes we'd joke that I was the breadwinner and he was the bread baker.
Now it was my turn.
Ingredients:
10.5 oz whole wheat bread flour (about 2 1/3 cups)
7 oz white bread flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons fine-grain salt
12 1/2 oz water (about 13 fl. oz. in a glass measuring cup)
garlic-cheese powder or other filling of your choice
Mix the two flours together and rub in the yeast, using your fingertips. Add the salt and the water (add the water gradually, and you might not need all of it. Start with 10 fl. oz. and you can add more later if the dough is too dry.
Knead the dough. You want to stretch it and get as much air into it as possible. It works well to slide your fingers underneath with your thumbs on top, swing it upwards, then slap it back down, away from you, onto the counter. It will be really sticky at this point. Stretch the front of the dough towards you, then lift it back over itself in an arc to trap the air, still stretching it forwards and sideways and tucking it around the edges. Repeat this for maybe 10-15 minutes. (I know, it's hard to picture.)
The dough will start to come together and become elastic-y, less sticky.
Flour the counter and make a tight ball with the dough, making it smooth on top by tucking the edges underneath repetitively. Put it into a bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 1 hour in a warm, draft-free place. It should double in size.
After 1 hour, spread the dough into a rectangle on the counter, and sprinkle the powder or topping of your choice on top. Then fold the dough into thirds as if folding a letter. Austin helped me here.
Cut the dough widthwise into 10-12 strips about 1/2 inch -1 inch wide. Twist each strip, stretching it to the length of your baking tray and rolling it in remaining filling mixture or powder if desired. Place the strips on a cookie sheet leaving a gap between each one. Let rise 10-15 minutes.
Place in a preheated (475 degree) oven, mist the inside with a water spray, turn the temperature down to 425 degrees, and bake them for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Adapted from the book Dough by
Adapted from the book Dough by
