Bread Machines For Dummies (36 page)

Read Bread Machines For Dummies Online

Authors: Glenna Vance,Tom Lacalamita

Great Food for Kids: Bread Sticks and Corn Dogs

We don't know anyone who doesn't like bread sticks. They make great appetizers, and they're quite portable. And kids love 'em too. This section has recipes for a couple of variations on the classic bread stick, and an easy corn dog recipe as well.

Bread Sticks

Bread sticks are like soft pretzels; they're great for snacking and go well with soup or salad. You can serve them warm or cold.

Preparation time:
Approximately 3 hours

Yield:
24 sticks

1 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

3 to 4 tablespoons of poppy or sesame seeds (optional)

1 Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them in the bread pan in the order listed.

2 Select the Dough or Manual setting and press Start.

3 After the machine has completed the cycle, remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into four parts. Then divide each fourth into six pieces.

4 Roll each piece into an 8-inch rope, place the ropes on a greased cookie sheet, and brush with egg white glaze (1 egg white whisked together with 1 tablespoon water). Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

5 Cover and let rise in a warm place for about ten minutes.

6 Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the breadsticks are a deep, golden brown. Remove them from the cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.

Per serving:
Calories 80; Protein 2g; Carbohydrates 13g; Dietary fiber less than 1g; Total fat 1.5g; Saturated fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 200mg.

Cheesy Bread Sticks with Prosciutto

These fabulous sticks are small enough to make elegant hors d'oeuvres.

Preparation time:
Approximately 3 1/2 hours

Yield:
30 bread sticks

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 large egg

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup dry vegetable soup mix (without noodles or meat)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

3 2/3 cups bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Cream cheese or Robiola (a creamy, mild cheese from Italy)

1 pound thinly sliced prosciutto or Virginia ham

1 Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them in your bread pan in the order listed.

2 Select the Dough or Manual setting and press Start.

3 After the machine has completed the cycle, remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into thirds. Divide each third in half (you should have six dough pieces now). Then divide each piece into 5 equal balls so that you have 30 pieces total.

4 Roll the balls into short logs and place them on lightly greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for about 15 minutes.

5 Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 15 minutes. Cool the bread sticks on racks.

6 Spread cream cheese or Robiola cheese on the sticks and wrap prosciutto around them.

Per serving:
Calories 60; Protein 4g; Carbohydrates 2g; Dietary fiber 0g; Total fat 4g; Saturated fat 1.5g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 200mg.

Cheese Corn Dogs

The ol' pigs in a blanket are still popular with kids of all ages. We've developed a good, textured bread for the wieners by adding cheddar cheese and cornmeal to the dough.

Preparation time:
Approximately 3 hours

Yield:
10 corn dogs

1 cup water

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornmeal

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

10 wieners

1 Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them (all except the wieners) in your bread pan in the order listed.

2 Select the Dough or Manual setting and press Start.

3 After the machine has completed the cycle, remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half.

4 Roll each half into a circle 1/4-inch thick. Cut the circles into five wedges. Beginning with wide edge of the wedge, roll the dough around a wiener.

5 Place the corn dogs on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for approximately 15 minutes.

6 Bake in a preheated oven at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Variation: You can slit the wieners lengthwise and insert a strip of cheddar cheese into the slit before wrapping the wiener with dough.

Tip: Corn dogs brushed with mustard butter are delicious. To make mustard butter, melt 1/2 stick of butter and combine the butter with 1 tablespoon of prepared mustard.

Per serving:
Calories 380; Protein 13g; Carbohydrates 36g; Dietary fiber 1g; Total fat 20g; Saturated fat 8g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 860mg

Pizza

Pizza is the second most popular fast food in the United States, behind hamburgers. Making pizza dough is the second most popular use of bread machines, behind making white bread.

Given pizza's popularity,
Bread Machines For Dummies
wouldn't be complete without some pizza recipes. We give you a basic dough recipe and then add variations so that you can give your family and friends a real taste treat with homemade pizzas. Of course, you can treat yourself with these pizzas, too!

Pizza

The traditional toppings for pizza always include pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, with any combination of the following: crumbled sausage, thinly sliced pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, anchovies, black olives, and diced tomatoes.

Preparation time:
1 hour

Yield:
2 pizzas or 10 to 12 servings

1 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Your favorite toppings

1 Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them (except the toppings) in your bread pan in the order listed.

2 Select the Dough or Manual setting and press Start.

3 After the machine has completed the kneading cycle, press Stop or Clear and remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. For pizza dough, the machine does not have to go through the entire rising cycle.

4 Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

5 Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll or pat each part into a 12-inch circle. Press each into a generously greased, 12-inch round pizza pan sprinkled with cornmeal.

6 Prebake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated 400° oven until the edge of the dough begins to turn golden brown. Add the desired toppings and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The amount of sauce and number and amount of toppings is your creation. The following are only approximations to give you an idea of where to begin the construction of your signature pizza. Each 12-inch pizza crust will hold approximately 3/4 cup of prepared pizza sauce and 8 ounces of grated cheese.

Mozzarella cheese is the most common on pizza and you can buy it already grated for a price comparable to the same amount of cheese in a whole block. We like the combination of six or eight cheeses, grated together in a package. They make a smooth topping with a full-bodied flavor.

Variation:
To make a deep-dish pizza, roll the dough into one 16-inch round crust (for a 14-inch round pan) or a 15- x 11-inch rectangle (for a 9-x-12 or 10-x-13 baking pan).

Variation:
To make a whole-wheat pizza crust, either substitute whole-wheat flour for 1/2 of the white flour or use whole-wheat blended flour.

Tip: For a more Italian flavor in the crust, add 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Per serving:
Calories 120; Protein 4g; Carbohydrates 22g; Dietary fiber less than 1g; Total fat 2.5g; Saturated fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 200mg.

Spanish Pizza

Thanks to Tom, here's another recipe from Spain. After you try Spanish Pizza, you will be glad we included it. The toppings are unusual for those of us who only think of pizza as the American tomato-and-cheese pizza we are accustomed to eating.

Use the crust from the basic pizza recipe and top with the following ingredients.

1 cup pesto

16 to 20 sliced black olives

Two 8-ounce jars artichokes, drained and chopped

1 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped red or yellow pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Pesto sauce looks like a green paste. We find it in the produce department packaged in a heavy, plastic, transparent tube.

Pesto sauce is a snap to make if you have a food processor. But it takes a lot of fresh basil—like two cups of it (loosely packed). Put the basil in the food processor with pine nuts (about 1/2 cup), peeled garlic cloves (two or three depending on how much you like garlic) and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Start the machine and slowly pour approximately 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil through the feeding tube. We say approximately 1/2 cup because it may take more or less depending on the consistency of the sauce. It should be thick, not runny. After you have it out of the food processor, start tasting and adding salt and pepper to suit yourself.

Per serving:
Calories 300; Protein 13g; Carbohydrates 27g; Dietary fiber 3g; Total fat 16g; Saturated fat 5g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 510mg

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