Italian white bread

 

Baking bread: I looked at this recipe,   https://recipereminiscing.wordpress.com/italian-white-bread/ the way it was mixed adding the yeast/starter after the bulk of the dough was formed. Of course I had to try it. It may not be spot on with the flours recommended, but I like the results, none the less.

 

(comment: about 2 cups water is what I used for the main flour to water mix and a small amount to proof the yeast about .2 of a pint)

The flours I had available for use (without looking up what durum wheat flour is) were all purpose flour and soft Italian flour, the Tipo 000.

Also used the food processor for mixing versus the stand mixer.

Blending the flours…

The completed dough, nice consistency no additional flour or water needed going by the recipe weight measurements.

After a rise for about 1.5 hours, the last 20 minutes or so in the oven (warmed by just a pilot light).

The dough was formed into loaves, I thought it looked a bit too soft at this stage for the final rise while the oven heated up to about 480 degrees Fahrenheit.

The dough ballooned up more than I expected !

After turning down the heat as recommended, 30 minutes seemed too long for the finish, baked the bread by eye and temperature probe to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature of the loaf. the bevel cut could be deeper the next time.

Airy crumb, not as light as store bought Italian bread but a bit more chew to it.

Overall, I like this recipe and the method.

Focaccia with Rosemary and Onion

Not exactly, but just a slight change from this recipe,

https://recipereminiscing.wordpress.com/2017/07/07/focaccia-with-rosemary-and-onion-focaccia-med-rosmarin-og-lk/

Other focaccia type bread made in the past.

https://pmetro.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/rosemary-and-garlic-fococcia/

https://pmetro.wordpress.com/2013/06/01/bread-dough-focaccia/

 

White flour, sea salt, semolina flour, and the water/honey proofed yeast.

Flour by weight.

A  recent gift  I am learning to use, a new food processor, mixing the dough in this versus a mixer.

process the dry ingredients together

add the proofed yeast,

Just a couple of pulses and the dough comes together.

hand kneaded for about 5 minutes…

let rise in a bowl for about an hour

Pan roast some garlic

added some parsley (or whatever sprung from my parsley plant outside)

and some slightly ground rosemary

After an hour, the dough is very soft and flexible, stretch  and form into pan with depressions made with your  fingers.

Top with the garlic, rosemary, a bit of parsley, drizzle with olive oil.

Even though is was hot weather , just baked the dough in the oven, 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Though I baked it covered as the recipe indicates, I uncovered it for about the last 5 minutes of cooking.

It’s been a while since I’ve made a thick crust pizza. This focaccia was excellent The semolina gave it  a very soft crumb and crusty base. I would have preferred to have this run under the broiler for a bit of extra crunch.

Overnight bread

Yep ! Another bread recipe , this one promises to be as easy as it can get , minimal work just a required mixing for a very sticky dough. Mix the ingredients in a bowl, set it in the fridge overnight, remove, let it sit a hour or two and plop it on a tray.

The bubbling mixture removed from the fridge after it’s overnight stay.

Prepare a well floured sheet pan with parchment. (The dough has been standing at room temperature about 2hours at this point.)

After removing the  wet shaggy dough to the sheet pan, carefully gather it and flip it over , yes this is going to be a rustic style shape. The floured topped dough now goes into a cold oven and baked about 220 centigrade.

The loaf rose somewhat and finished with a classic crunchy crust. Right from the oven I was not impressed with the flavor, but later on it seemed to develop into a better tasting bread. Next day after cutting well through the center into the loaf, the very bottom was a bit under baked and compressed.  I would try this recipe with some soft Italian flour. 

I guess it’s a pretty good bread considering the amount of work that you put into it. No mixer required other than the baker ! It will get a repeat try since I’m always looking for different recipe varyations of our daily bread. Somewhat similar to other  quick and easy dough recipes.  Culled from the Recipe Reminising web site titled Lazy Lady Loaf. Just flour, yeast water and salt. 

BTW.. Try to minimize the amount of flour on the sheet pan before baking… Some smokey bakery like odor will result.

Lazy Lady Loaf (Actually from the Devondale web site.)

Eggplant calzoné

Sliced, salted and drained eggplant , with a simple tomato sauce with oregano and garlic. Add some mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmesean. Wrapped in the tipoOO flour based dough. 

The eggplant  was fried in olive oil, till browned slightly.

Ready!

Sorry didn’t get any pictures of filling when done, too delicious, they disappeared !!

But wait! Extra dough left over for supper the next night……

Chicken three cheese pizza, 1/2 chicken , 1/2 sauce and cheese. Parm, mozzarella,Romano.

Poached egg with bruschetta and tomato relish

Quick breakfast brunch, made bread with fine Italian flour with a touch of whole wheat graham flour.

Toast the sliced bread, serve egg with spicy tomato relish.

Last night loaves, one already eaten. 

Pasta and (chicken) meatballs

A bit of a change up, white chicken processed in the food processor, like chuck beef that I process for hamburger, with additions of garlic,onions, salt and pepper, and breadcrumbs that yield chicken meat balls. OK , I wanted the pasta too, semolina flour , egg and water, this proven mix makes the spaghetti type pasta that actually works in the pasta machine. Just let sit still 2o or so minutes and a soft pliable dough forms.( yep a real dough head here)!

Defrosted red sauce from a previously batch used for pizza. On the spicy side.

The other portions of pasta were bagged and frozen for future use.

Another day the chicken balls on pizza….. W/ goat cheese…

The soft Italian flour becomes my weakness…………..

Dough dreams

Using the soft Italian flour. A bit less than 4 hours from mix to plate. Now measuring by weight both the flour and water, giving consistent results when using the soft Italian flour.

My ratio is 1 lb flour, to 9.6 ozs water. Salt to taste, yeast about 1/2 a full measure. ( a King Arthur yeast measuring spoon was gifted to me.)

In about a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven the dough increases in size and gives the classic bubbles in the crust. Slid onto a sheet pan in the oven. Corn meal to aid in sliding.

Plain by standards, tomato, garlic, oregano with olive oil .added grated Parmesan  after baking. Could have peeled the tomatoes, boiling water and then ice bath but I didn’t mind. Basic crust flavor not over whelmed by toppings.

Second run, same ingredients, with the addition course sea salt, course ground pepper blend. Parmesan after baking.

Yes ! Just the right balance of salt and spice from the pepper.
The remainder of the dough a herb salt and pepper blend baton shaped loaf.

 

Ahhh, looks like I need some Italian cold cuts and cheese !