Bread Machine (131 page)

Serves 4

Pork, cranberries, and prunes—a toothsome combination. Buy the wonderfully thick-cut pork chops for this entree. It is a convenient dinner, baked in the oven. Serve the pork chops with roasted potatoes and homemade applesauce.

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loaf homemade white, whole wheat, Prune
  
Bread
, or other flavored bread

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large or 2 medium shallots, chopped

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

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cup canned whole cranberry sauce

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cup chopped pitted prunes

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cup canned chicken broth

4 loin pork chops, 1 to 2 inches thick, bone-in

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the bread into chunks and whirl in the food processor to make about 1
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cups fresh breadcrumbs. In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil and cook the shallots until limp, but not browned, 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the orange zest, sage, cranberry sauce, prunes, and 3 to 4 table spoons of chicken broth to moisten; stir to combine.

Oil the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or baking dish. With a small sharp knife, make a pocket in each chop by cutting from the outer side of the meat through the center to the bone. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff each pocket with a quarter of the stuffing. Lay side by side in the baking dish and pour the remaining chicken broth over.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer, or until the pork chops are tender. Serve immediately.

ROSEMARY—GOLDEN RAI SIN BREAD
                        
Makes 1 round loaf

I
go wild for this bread, even though at one time I didn’t like rosemary in bread. A small amount of rosemary, never more, adds just a hint of herbal flavor to this unusual Italian egg bread, often served for Easter.
Pane rosmarino
is baked in the oven so that its crust can turn a luscious dark brown.

1
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-OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES

3 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

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cup water

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cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

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cup nonfat dry milk

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cup sugar

1
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teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
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teaspoons bread machine yeast

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cup golden raisins

In the workbowl of a food processor, combine 1 cup of the flour with the rosemary. Pulse to pulverize the rosemary.

Place the ingredients, including the rosemary flour but not the raisins, in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, using a dough scraper, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Pat into an uneven oval loaf shape. Sprinkle with the raisins and fold in half. Knead gently to distribute evenly. Even out and smooth the dough. Shape into a tight round. Place on the baking sheet and brush the top with olive oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush the surface of the loaf again with olive oil, and, using a sharp knife, slash an X on the top, no deeper than
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inch. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until dark brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Place the loaf on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

CARROT BREAD WITH CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

C
arrots are so sweet that no sugar is needed to make this bread. It is studded with bits of crystallized ginger that melt into the bread and burst with flavor in your mouth. You can use leftover steamed carrots and puree them, or, more conveniently, use a jar of junior baby food carrots. This bread is sure to become a favorite.

1
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-POUND LOAF