Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Quinoa Bread
Quinoa (pronounced
keen-wah
) is something of a wonder grain. It’s high in protein, calcium, and fiber. Native cultures of South America made this grain a staple millennia ago, and it’s been rediscovered by natural food fans after years of neglect.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3 cups white whole wheat flour
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole grain quinoa, uncooked
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
3¾ cups lukewarm water
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, quinoa, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the 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.
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 10 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.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow the loaf to rest 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. 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.
Toasted Millet and Fruit Bread
“I got the idea for this bread after eating a memorable millet cookie my friend and pastry chef Michelle Gayer serves at the Salty Tart, her bakery in Minneapolis. I loved the crunch and the earthiness mixed with the sweet.”
—Zoë
Millet has a very subtle flavor, so we like to toast it first. This gives the grain a more complex taste that comes through in the bread. Because the dough is quite wet and will be refrigerated (giving the millet a chance to absorb water), there’s no need to pre-cook this hard grain; it will soften just enough. The chewy sweetness of all the dried fruit adds a wonderful contrast to the crunch of the millet, but you can make a plain millet version by leaving out the fruit if you like.
Makes enough dough for at least five 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
1 cup millet
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1½ tablespoons kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
3¾ cups lukewarm water
3 cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried currants)
MILLET
is a major component of bird seed. Birds just seem to love it, and the tiny, beadlike grains are great for adorable songbirds. Tweet tweet.
*
But it turns out that millet is very nutritious for humans as well, with as much protein as wheat, and it’s particularly high in niacin, vitamin B
6
, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Because it’s a drought-resistant crop, it’s important for basic survival all over arid parts of the African continent.
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Before mixing, toast the millet in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring and shaking constantly until it turns golden brown. Whisk together the millet, flours, brown sugar, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the water and fruit 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 must be refrigerated for at least 24 hours before use. 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 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. Because of the millet and dried fruit the loaf will never be perfectly smooth.
6.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with flour or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes. 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 375°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. 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 40 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 loaf to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Red Wine and Cheese Bread
The flavors of red wine and cheese make such a natural combination, and they’re often served with a nice crusty bread. So, why not put them both
in
the bread? It turns out to be a fabulously tasty loaf. The bread goes beautifully with hearty stews like beef bourguignon.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
½ cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
1½ cups lukewarm water
1½ cups red wine
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, or your favorite hard cheese
RED WINE MAY BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH (IN MODERATION):
Red wine may help prevent premature hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which causes heart at tack and stroke.
Resveratrol
is the phytochemical (plant-based chemical) that provides the happy effect, coming mainly from the grape skin; this explains the higher resveratrol dose from red wine, which is fermented in contact with the highly colored skin for a much longer time than white wine. Harvard scientists recently linked resveratrol with protection of cells from the aging process and even from radiation damage. So red wine may become the new Botox. Maybe.
Speaking of happy effects, don’t expect to get tipsy from eating winey bread. Alcohol boils off at oven temperature and virtually none of it is left in the finished product.
Pharmaceutical companies are hard at work trying to isolate resveratrol for nutritional supplements, but we’d much prefer to get our daily dose in bread or liquid form (raisins, which are dried grapes, have it, too).
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, and salt in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the liquid ingredients and cheese to the dry ingredients 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.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow the dough 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 diagonally 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 it 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 loaf to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
100% Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread (Get Rid of Those Leftovers!)
“I grew up on brown rice. When I cook with it today, I am transported straight back to Mullen Hill, the commune where I grew up in Vermont. Back then it was pure hippie fare, but today you find it everywhere, and for good reason—it’s good for you, and it tastes great. The nutty flavor and chewy texture are so much richer and more complex than white rice.”
—Zoë
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
5½ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup ground flaxseed
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
1 cup cooked brown rice
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flour, flaxseed, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Combine the water and rice and mix into 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 its 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.
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 a narrow oval. Allow 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 for water 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. 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 35 to 40 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 and eating.