Beard on Bread (9 page)

The loaf can be frozen successfully for 2 months, and it will keep well in the refrigerator for several days.

The potato and butter in this loaf give it a distinctive, very pleasant flavor. Moist and rather heavy in texture, it keeps extremely well in the refrigerator if stored in a plastic bag. It is nice for sandwiches or toast or as a breakfast or tea bread, and is reminiscent of breads that used to be common in the nineteenth century.

[1 round loaf or 2 regular loaves]

Dissolve the yeast and tablespoon of sugar in the warm water and let proof for about 5 minutes. Then add the warm milk or potato water, butter, ½ cup sugar, salt, and the eggs to the yeast mixture, and stir to blend thoroughly. Add the mashed potatoes and stir well. Then add the flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, to make a thoroughly stiff dough. (You may not need the full 6 cups.) Turn out the dough on a floured board and knead for 10 or 12 minutes, until the dough is very smooth and shows great elasticity. Shape into a ball. Butter a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat all sides with the butter. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight to let rise. (In testing, we have refrigerated it as much as 16 to 18 hours.)

Remove from the refrigerator, punch down, and turn out on a floured board. Let rest for 5 to 6 minutes, then knead vigorously for 4 or 5 minutes
and let rest again. Shape into two loaves, using either of the
methods
given. Place in two well-buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch tins, or form into a ball and place it in a well-buttered 9-inch pie tin to make a single round loaf. In either case, let the dough rise until it is doubled in bulk. (Because it has been refrigerated for a lengthy period, the rising time may be as long as 4 hours. So be patient.) Preheat the oven to 375° and bake the loaf or loaves for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the bread from the tins and rap the top and bottom with your knuckles. If you get a hollow sound, it is done. Return the bread, standing free now, to the oven, placing it directly on the oven rack to bake and crisp and color the crust. Cool thoroughly before slicing.

• Before baking, brush the loaves with white of egg, lightly beaten, and slash the tops diagonally in two or three places with a very sharp knife or razor blade.

• If you are baking a round loaf, slash the top twice to make a cross, which gives the loaf a nicely finished look.

• Use half whole-meal, whole-wheat, or graham flour.

• If you wish, you may omit the ½ cup sugar entirely.

This fine example of gutsy Middle European peasant bread, from
The Cuisine of Hungary
, is baked free form, rises well, looks appetizing, and has a delicious “nose.” Its pungent flavor is completely different from that of most other breads, and is much better the second day. It also stores well in the refrigerator, and because of its rather tight texture, makes extraordinarily good toast. All in all, it is a most satisfactory loaf of bread, delicious with heavily sauced dishes because it is a perfect dunking bread. It’s also great for a bread, cheese, and wine meal.

[1 large free-form loaf]

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their skins until tender. Drain them, then peel and mash or put through a potato ricer while they are still warm. Allow the potatoes to cool. Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of the warm water, mix well with 3 tablespoons of the flour in a large bowl, and let this “starter” rise for 30 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of warm water, the salt, and the caraway seeds, then add the remainder of the flour and the mashed potatoes and mix well. Turn out on a floured board and knead until the dough is elastic and supple and has great life in it, about 12 to 15 minutes. Shape into a ball. Oil a bowl, put the dough in it, and turn the dough to coat with oil. Place in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 to 2 hours to rise until doubled in bulk.

Remove the dough, punch down, and knead for 4 or 5 minutes. Shape into a large round loaf, place in a buttered 12-inch ovenproof skillet with rounded sides, and let rise for about 30 to 35 minutes. Brush the loaf with water, and then make a deep incision in the form of a cross in the center. Bake it in a preheated 400° oven for 1 hour, or until it is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped with the knuckles. (The baking time can vary, taking even as long as 1¼ hours.)

1. If you find the dough is not too soft, you might try letting it rise in a free-form shape on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Then slide it directly onto hot
tiles
to bake.

2. You may want more salt in this bread the second time you make it; I find that 2 tablespoons is not too much.

This is a very rich bread with a slightly acid flavor and a wonderful texture. I invented it one day when I set out to make buttermilk bread and didn’t have any buttermilk. I resorted to sour cream instead, and the results were highly satisfactory. I like it as a fresh bread, with plenty of butter, or as toast, and I must say it also makes delicious sandwiches.

[2 loaves]

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water, and allow to proof for 5 minutes. Put the sour cream, salt, and soda in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture. Then add 4 cups of the flour, cup by cup, to make a very wet, sticky dough, beating hard with a wooden spoon after each addition. Scrape out onto a lightly floured board. Using a baker’s scraper or a spackling knife, lift the flour and the dough, and fold the dough over. Turn it clockwise slightly and repeat the lifting and folding process until the dough is less sticky and can be worked with your hands. Add only enough flour to prevent sticking. (This entire kneading should take about 10 minutes, possibly longer if you are inexperienced.) Shape the dough into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat it with the butter. Cover with plastic and let sit in a warm spot to double in bulk.

Punch the dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for a minute, then divide into two equal pieces. Butter two 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tins. Shape the dough into loaves and fit into the tins. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom. Cool thoroughly before slicing.

This recipe comes from a delightful cookbook called
Good Things
by an English writer, Jane Grigson, who has a fine palate and the ability to evoke vivid pictures of food. It makes one of the most attractively flavored and textured breads I have eaten in a long time. If you can’t find walnut oil, you can use a fruity olive oil. Baked in intriguing small, round loaves, it is light and has a pleasant crust, delicious “nose,” and a delicate onion flavor. It’s good with broiled or roasted meats, or with some cheeses, notably goat.

[4 free-form loaves]

“Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a warm bowl. Dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm milk, and pour it into the middle of the flour, together with the walnut oil (or butter) and the rest of the milk. Knead well until the dough is firm and blended into a smooth, springy ball (about 10 minutes). Leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hours (or in a cool place overnight). Punch down the dough, mix in the walnuts and onion, shape into four rounds, and leave on a greased baking tray to rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath.”