Any Home Bakers Here?

[N F C]

Here's the rustic Italian Bread I made today (and a lot of other days, ha!). It's so easy I just do it all by hand in a mixing bowl.

1 Tab dry yeast (that's more than in 1 pkt so measure)
1 Tab sugar
1 Tab salt
2 C warm water
5-6 C all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for dusting the baking sheet

Mix first 4 ingredients and let stand until all are dissolved. Gradually add flour to the liquid and mix until dough pulls away from bowl.
Turn onto floured surface.
Knead 5 minutes. Let dough rest while you clean & lightly oil the mixing bowl. Knead again 2-3 minutes.
Put dough into oiled bowl, flipping once to cover dough with oil. Cover & rise until doubled (1-2 hrs)
Turn dough onto floured surface and cut in half to make 2 loaves.
Place on cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet, cover & let rest 5 min.
Lightly slash tops of loaves 3 times diagonally and brush with cold water.
Place baking sheet with bread in cold oven with pan of boiling water underneath.
Bake at 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

I like this because it makes 2 loaves. My husband usually polishes 1 loaf off the first day (with a little help from me) and the following day we like to use the 2nd loaf for toast, garlic toast or French Toast.

Just a heads up, don't expect this to rise to the height you would get with a traditional white bread loaf. It gets about 3 1/2" tall for me, but that's Italian bread for you.

 

[jknox1982]

Your recipes look good, especially the focaccia! That's the kind of thing the 2 of us really go for

I got my cinnamon roll recipe from King Arthur's website, I've tried several different recipes but this one makes the rolls we like best. Since you have a stand mixer (that's what I use too), I'm just going to copy/paste the directions on here:

Cinna-Buns from KAF
Dough
1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut up
4 1/2 cups (19 1/2 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Filling
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) ground cinnamon

Icing
one 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) glazing or confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Manual/Mixer Method: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stirring till the mixture becomes cohesive. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes, till it’s smooth. Or knead it in an electric mixer, using the dough hook, for 4 to 7 minutes at medium speed. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to grease all sides, cover the bowl with a proof cover or plastic wrap, and let it rise for 60 minutes, till it’s nearly doubled in bulk.
My note: I use the mixer for kneading, the oiled surface kneading is messy!

Assembly: Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and roll it into a 16 x 21-inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the 1/3 cup butter. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle it evenly over the dough.
My note: Rolling the dough on a greased surface was a mess for me, I do mine on a lightly floured surface

Starting with a short end, roll the dough into a log, and cut it into 12 slices. Place the buns in a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Cover the pan with a proof cover or plastic wrap, and let the buns rise until they’re nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake the buns in a preheated 400°F oven until they’re golden brown, about 15 minutes. While the buns are baking, make the icing.

Icing: In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Spread the icing on the buns while they’re warm. Yield: 12 big buns.

LOOKS SO YUMMY!!!

 

[jknox1982]

Here's the rustic Italian Bread I made today (and a lot of other days, ha!). It's so easy I just do it all by hand in a mixing bowl.

1 Tab dry yeast (that's more than in 1 pkt so measure)
1 Tab sugar
1 Tab salt
2 C warm water
5-6 C all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for dusting the baking sheet

Mix first 4 ingredients and let stand until all are dissolved. Gradually add flour to the liquid and mix until dough pulls away from bowl.
Turn onto floured surface.
Knead 5 minutes. Let dough rest while you clean & lightly oil the mixing bowl. Knead again 2-3 minutes.
Put dough into oiled bowl, flipping once to cover dough with oil. Cover & rise until doubled (1-2 hrs)
Turn dough onto floured surface and cut in half to make 2 loaves.
Place on cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet, cover & let rest 5 min.
Lightly slash tops of loaves 3 times diagonally and brush with cold water.
Place baking sheet with bread in cold oven with pan of boiling water underneath.
Bake at 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

I like this because it makes 2 loaves. My husband usually polishes 1 loaf off the first day (with a little help from me) and the following day we like to use the 2nd loaf for toast, garlic toast or French Toast.

Just a heads up, don't expect this to rise to the height you would get with a traditional white bread loaf. It gets about 3 1/2" tall for me, but that's Italian bread for you.

you said the magic words FRENCH TOAST!!!
I have always purchased italian bread but this looks easy enough and I love it topped with sesame seeds!!!!

 

[N F C]

Went back to your earlier post and kind of chuckled when you mentioned canning. I learned how to do the basics this summer using the hot water bath and now have a one year supply of canned salsa.

I'd love to use some of our peppers in that focaccia bread recipe!

Our peppers outdid everything else in the garden other than the squash. We hope to get a second crop growing and done before the 1st frost. Being in AL, you probably get some similar weather to what I get here in North FL don't you suppose?

 

[jknox1982]

My garden did horrible this year. I was so upset. I did get 20 jars of pickles, 12 small jars of squash relish, corn relish, and pickle relish. Normally I can till I can can no more LOL
I got over taken with morning glories, because we had allot of rain and then I wasn't able to get into the garden because it was all mud and then I lost everything. My corn never grew past knee high, and I planted 6 pepper plants and 4 banana pepper plants and they never produced anything. Been a really strange year. Had us worried because we didn't have near as many bees as we normally do.

FORGOT to tell you, I put about a teaspoon of italian seasoning in the dough for the focaccia. And I only used half the recipe and it made a large cookie tray. I rolled mine out really thin next time I will use a half cookie tray and get thicker bread, but I love the feta on it.

 

[N F C]

Thanks for the tip on the focaccia. With only the 2 of us, we would only need the 1/2 size (although...it does sound good, mmmm).

 

[jknox1982]

It was super good the next day!! I also greesed the pan with olive oil for the focaccia and brushed some on the top before the veggies. Sometimes I have no idea where my mind is or how I function LOL

 

[jknox1982]

Going to make your italian bread for dinner tonight. I plan on making chicken Parmesan to go with it!!!!
Happy Baking
Jenn

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I absolutely LOVE baking - breads, cakes, cookies, pies - the works. I think that is half the reason my husband married me - or at least why he stays married to me, lol. I don't/won't even eat half the stuff I make, but I enjoy the process of doing it.

 

[jknox1982]

me too. I really think if I didn't cook we wouldn't have anything else LOL. Have to run to the store and pick up some cheese but its one of those trips where I keep asking is there anything else
Jenn