Category: Breads

1¼ cups warm water
1 tablespoon + ¼ teaspoon yeast
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Bath
4 cups warm water
½ cup baking soda
¼ cup melted butter

Salted
Kosher or pretzel salt

Cinnamon Topping
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl or cup. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water with yeast and vegetable oil. Stir with a spoon and then use your hands to form the dough into ball. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Dough will be nice and smooth when it’s ready. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and store it in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.

When dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Make a bath for the pretzels by combining the baking soda with the warm water and stir until baking soda is mostly dissolved.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into eight even portions. Roll each portion on a flat non-floured surface until it is about 3 feet long. Pick up both ends of the dough and give it a little spin so the middle of the dough spins around once. Lay the dough down with the loop nearest to you. Fold the ends down toward you and pinch to attach them to the bottom of the loop. The twist should be in the middle.

Holding the pinched ends, dip each pretzel into the bath solution. Put each pretzel on a paper towel for a moment to blot the excess liquid. Arrange the pretzels on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. If you want salt, sprinkle pretzels with kosher salt or pretzel salt. Don’t salt any pretzels you plan to coat with cinnamon sugar. You will likely have to use two baking sheets, and be sure to bake them separately. Bake the pretzels for 4 minutes, then spin the pan halfway around and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the pretzels are golden brown.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes. If you want to eat some now, brush ’em with melted butter first, if desired, before serving. If you want the cinnamon sugar coating, make it by combining in a small bowl. Brush the unsalted pretzels you plan to coat with a generous amount of melted butter. Sprinkle a heavy coating of the cinnamon sugar onto the entire surface of the pretzels over a plate. Munch out.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in.

Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Starter

1 cup warm water (95-105 F)
2 teaspoons fresh yeast (or 1 tsp active yeast, or 2/3 tsp instant yeast)
1 cup whole-wheat flour

Dough

3/4 cup warm water (95-105 F)
3 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons fresh yeast (or 2 tsp active yeast, or 1 1/3 tsp instant yeast)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, plus
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening (2 oz)
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (23 oz)
1 tablespoon salt

Make the starter.

Combine yeast and water in a medium size mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast is fully dissolved. Add flour and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Cover with a cloth and let stand for exactly 30 minutes.

Make the dough.

Combine water, honey, and yeast in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. Stir until the yeast is fully dissolved. Add shortening, flour, salt and the starter.

Mix on low speed until the dough is fully developed. To determine whether it is fully developed, start testing after the dough comes together and leaves the sides of the bowl. To test, stop the mixer, and take a small piece of dough and stretch it slowly with the thumb and fingers of each hand. If the dough tears easily, mix it for a few more minutes, and test again. It’s fully developed when the dough forms a translucent “window” when stretched.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. Place on a pastry mat or on waxed paper (or in a proofing basket) and cover with a warm, damp cloth. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes exactly.

Preheat oven to 400°F now (so it will be thoroughly hot when time to bake).

Form the dough into loaves, place into loaf pans, if using them. Cover with a warm, damp cloth, and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature (or in a slightly warmer spot, like the top of the oven).

Make three 1/2″ scores on the top of each loaf with a sharp knife. Spray with water, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crusts are deep golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 190-200°F If not using loaf pans, you can place the loaf directly on a hot baking stone.

Remove the bread from the oven and remove from the loaf pans (if using). Cool 30 minutes before slicing.

Store in a paper bag or in a bread box. You can freeze one baked loaf, allow to thaw for a few hours, and reheat in the oven.

First Beating

¾ cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons yeast
½ cup lukewarm milk
½ teaspoon sugar
1 cup bread flour

In to a bowl, put 110-120F of lukewarm water (about 30seconds in the microwave). Sprinkle yeast over water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in lukewarm milk, sugar and flour. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth. Cover the bowl with a clean towel (use a large pan or plate preferred). Set the bowl into a pan of warm water until the mixture doubles in size (about 20 to 25 minutes).

Second Beating

5 egg yolks (plus 1 egg white), beaten
¼ cup sugar
2 cups bread flour

Mix the beaten yolks, sugar and flour. Beat well. Add to the above mixture. Knead and shape into a ball. Cover and let rise again in a pan of warm water until double in bulk (30 to 40 minutes).

Third Beating

5 egg yolks (plus 1 egg white), beaten
½ cup sugar
2 cups bread flour
¾ cup creamed butter
2 cups grated cheese (i prefer shredded parmesan)

When above dough is double in volume, add beaten egg yolks and white sugar, flour and creamed butter. Mix. Place in a greased board. Knead until satiny and smooth (about 10 minutes). Shape into smooth ball. Place ball of dough into greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double in size (40 to 60 minutes). Punch down. Divide the dough into separate pieces. Roll each piece thinly on a greased board. Spread butter and sprinkle grated cheese on rolled out dough. Starting from one end, twist dough to form a cone. Grease molds and put in the twisted dough. Cover and let rise in a pan of warm water until dough has doubled (about 40 to 60 minutes. Remove from baking molds and let cool for 5 minutes. Top with creamed butter, sugar, and grated cheese (if preferred sprinkle with more sugar).