Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours,
herbes de Provence
, saffron powder, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the garlic, fennel, and the liquid 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 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 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, 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 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.
Lentil Curry Bread
Lentils are a great source of fiber and vitamins, but some kids won’t eat curried lentil soup. Here’s a great way to get them to try the flavor—we haven’t found a kid yet who won’t eat this. It’s one of our all-time favorites, and lentils are loaded with protein, folic acid, and B vitamins.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
The Lentils
4¼ cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1 tablespoon curry powder
The Dough
2 cups 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
)
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
2 cups lukewarm water
¼ cup neutral-flavored oil
1. Preparing the lentils:
Place the water and lentils into a medium-size saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer for approximately 30 to 60 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add small amounts of water to the lentils to keep them just covered during cooking. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2.
Without draining the liquid, pour the mixture into a blender, add the curry powder, and process until smooth.
3. 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.
4.
Add the liquid ingredients and the lentils 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.
5.
Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
6.
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. As the dough ages, its surface might develop a yellow-green color from the curried lentils. This is normal.
7. 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.
8.
Elongate the ball into a narrow 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.
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 crust with water. Slash the loaf diagonally with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts, 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 and eating.
Mesquite Bread
“
Zoë and I were privileged to teach at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School in Phoenix. Barbara helped introduce Americans to great Southwestern cooking on her PBS television series
Savor the Southwest.
The school is in her lovely home, and we were captivated by the photographs on her kitchen wall. The first ones our eyes fell on were of Julia Child and Jacques Pépin teaching in her kitchen—a bit intimidating, but Barbara immediately put us at ease by digging in and helping us with the prep work.
“
As we left, Barbara pressed a sample of mesquite flour into my hands, and suggested that I might like it in bread. I enhanced the mesquite flavor with a few other Southwestern and Mexican ingredients: agave syrup, hot serrano peppers, masa flour, and cilantro. Flavor aside, hot peppers may have potent health effects, and corn masa is a rich nutrient source (see
sidebar
). For a great Southwestern flatbread, try this dough in Southwestern Focaccia with
Roasted Corn and Goat Cheesey
.”
—Jeff
HOT PEPPERS CONTAIN CAPSAICIN, A POTENT PHYTOCHEMICAL (BENEFICIAL PLANT CHEMICAL):
Capsaicin is what makes spicy peppers hot and it also may decrease the likelihood of blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.
Corn masa
, also called
masa harina,
is a Latin American corn product treated with alkali, which produces the distinctive flavor in Latin American dishes like tamales and tortillas; it also releases niacin from nondigestible parts of the corn. Corn, whether alkali-treated or not, is an excellent source of lutein, an antioxidant that may prevent some cancers and some vision problems. If you use mesquite dough for the South western
Focaccia
with
Roasted Corn and Goat Cheesey
you’ll be getting a good helping of both kinds of corn.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
1 cup mesquite flour (sometimes sold as mesquite powder or meal)
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup corn masa
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
¼ cup agave syrup
2 serrano peppers, finely minced after removing the seeds (use rubber gloves for handling cut hot peppers and substitute jalapeños if you want less heat)
½ cup chopped cilantro
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, corn masa, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the liquid ingredients, peppers, and cilantro and mix without kneading, using a spoon, 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 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, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with corn masa 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 400°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 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.
Four-Leaf Clover Broccoli and Cheddar Buns
“My seven-year-old son will eat just about anything. Sushi or mussels in white wine sauce are among his favorites—he’ll even do liver pâté and recently had escargots. But he won’t touch spinach or broccoli. I suppose I could let it go, considering what he is willing to eat, but broccoli is so good for him. It contains vitamins like A, C, and K that I want him to have, not to mention all the fiber. It is good for your eyes, bones, and immune system and even helps to prevent some forms of cancer. So it was very exciting when I made these cute green buns in the shape of four-leaf clovers, packed with broccoli and sprinkled with cheddar cheese—he loved them.”
—Zoë
Makes at least three batches of 8 buns (24 total)
15 ounces (about 5 cups) raw broccoli florets
1½ cups water for cooking the broccoli
3 cups whole wheat flour
4 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
1¾ cups lukewarm water
Neutral-flavored oil for greasing the muffin tin
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for sprinkling on the buns, per batch
1. Cooking the broccoli
: In a medium-size saucepan, bring water to a boil, add the broccoli, and cook on medium-high heat, with the lid on, for 3 to 4 minutes. It is very important not to overcook the broccoli or it will taste bitter. It should be bright green. Remove from the stove and place the broccoli and the cooking water into a blender to puree. Puree as finely as you can, but don’t expect it to be perfectly smooth. This will yield 3 cups of broccoli puree. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or in a lidded (not airtight) food container.
3.
Add the 1¾ cups lukewarm water and broccoli puree 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 its initial rise, although it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a non-airtight lidded container and use over the next 7 days.
6. On baking day,
grease a muffin pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a loose 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. To form the rolls,
divide the ball into 8 roughly equal portions (each about the size of a plum). Cut each of the plum-size pieces into 4 smaller pieces. Shape each one into a smooth small ball. Put the 4 rounds together to form the clover leaf and place in the cups of the muffin tin. Allow to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 40 minutes (20 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
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 buns.
9.
Just before baking, sprinkle the buns with the cheddar cheese, being careful not to get it on the pan.
10.
Slide the muffin tin 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 to 25 minutes, until richly browned and firm. The cheese will be melted and a bit caramelized.
11.
Remove the buns from the pan and allow them to cool slightly before eating.