Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Dilled Rye with White Whole Wheat
Dill is a traditional ingredient in Scandinavian-style breads, and we decided to showcase it in a rye that contains white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat products are marvelous for kids who don’t like the slightly bitter flavor of traditional whole wheat. It’s as rich in bran and wheat germ as traditional whole wheat, but the flavor is mild and the color is a lighter brown.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
2¾ cups rye flour
2½ cups white whole wheat flour
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (2 teaspoons dried), plus additional for sprinkling on crust
4 cups lukewarm water
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the dill and water and mix without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with paddle), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days.
5. On baking day,
dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size piece). Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6.
Elongate the ball into an oval. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F
, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water, and then sprinkle with the additional dill. Slash the loaf with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts, using a serrated bread knife.
9.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone if you used one.). Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 30 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack two-thirds of the way through baking. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.
100% Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Dinner Rolls with a Salt Crust
These crusty whole grain rosemary rolls (with soy flour for extra protein) have a lovely soft-textured crumb because of the potatoes. We admit that our inspiration for these salty rolls are French fries. Not everyone loves salt as much as we do, so feel free to cut back. This is also true for anyone on a low-sodium diet—you can eliminate the salt crust altogether.
Makes enough dough for at least five batches of 8 rolls (40 rolls)
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
¼ cup soy flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped fine
3 cups lukewarm water
¼ cup olive oil
3 cups diced raw potatoes, in ¼-inch cubes (clean the potatoes but don’t peel them)
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt for the top crust
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped rosemary for the top crust
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, vital wheat gluten, and 2 tablespoons rosemary in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the liquid ingredients and potatoes and mix without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.
5. On baking day,
dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6. To form the rolls:
Divide the ball into 8 roughly equal portions (each about the size of a golf ball). Shape each one into a smooth ball. Allow them to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 40 minutes (20 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the rolls on a silicone pad–lined cookie sheet or on a greased cookie sheet.
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F
, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising rolls.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crusts of the rolls with water, and sprinkle the rolls with the sea salt and chopped rosemary.
9.
Slide the cookie sheet directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 20 minutes, until richly browned and firm.
10.
Allow the rolls to cool on a rack before eating.
Buckwheat Bread
“The flavor of buckwheat reminds me of being freezing cold and soaked to the bone. My husband and I were in Normandy, touring the magical Mont-Saint-Michel in spring. It was glorious but rainy and cold. We found comfort in a café with Calvados and buckwheat crêpes. The flavor of the grain is so wonderful in this bread that you won’t mind what weather conditions you may find yourself in while you eat. The unground buckwheat groats add a lovely texture to the bread. You can find them in your local co-op or on the Internet.”
—Zoë
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
½ cup buckwheat groats
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
4½ cups lukewarm water
1.
Soak the groats in 1 cup of the lukewarm water for 30 minutes.
2. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
3.
Add the groats (including the soaking water) and the remaining 3½ cups water and mix without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
4.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
5.
The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.
6. On baking day,
dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
7.
Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
8. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F
, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
9.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water. Slash the loaf with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts across the top, using a serrated bread knife.
10.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone if you used one). Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 30 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack two-thirds of the way through baking. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
11.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.
Anadama Corn Bread
Pretty much every traditional American cookbook we own contains a recipe for this bread, a Native American–inspired loaf sweetened with molasses. The corn and molasses are perfect at Thanksgiving or served with a hearty stew. Newer books seem to ignore anadama bread, and that’s a shame, because this classic is a winner. This loaf spreads and bakes flatter than most.
Molasses is an unrefined sweetener that imparts a complexity that white sugar lacks. There are actually some bitter and caramel notes to savor—it beautifully rounds out the whole wheat we used to boost the fiber and vitamin content of the bread.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
1½ cups cornmeal
¼ cup wheat germ
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
3½ cups lukewarm water
½ cup molasses
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the cornmeal, wheat germ, flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Combine the water and molasses and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.
3.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4.
The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days.
5. On baking day,
dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6.
Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450°F
, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with water. Slash the loaf with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts, using a serrated bread knife.
9.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone if you used one). Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 30 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone or an oven rack two-thirds of the way through baking. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time.
10.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.