Bread Machine Magic (7 page)

FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
¹
⁄
₃
cup (1½ ounces)

DRIED BASIL
¼ teaspoon

DRIED OREGANO
¼ teaspoon

R
ED
S
TAR BRAND ACTIVE DRY YEAST
1½ teaspoons

MEDIUM RECIPE

BUTTERMILK
1
¹
⁄
₈
to 1¼ cups

OLIVE OIL
1½ tablespoons

SUGAR
1 tablespoon

SALT
1½ teaspoons

BREAD FLOUR
3 cups

FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
½ cup (2 ounces)

DRIED BASIL
¼ teaspoon

DRIED OREGANO
¼ teaspoon

R
ED
S
TAR BRAND ACTIVE DRY YEAST
1½ teaspoons

LARGE RECIPE

BUTTERMILK
1½ to 1
⁵
⁄
₈
cups

OLIVE OIL
2 tablespoons

SUGAR
4 teaspoons

SALT
2 teaspoons

BREAD FLOUR
4 cups

FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE
²
⁄
₃
cup (3 ounces)

DRIED BASIL
½ teaspoon

DRIED OREGANO
½ teaspoon

R
ED
S
TAR BRAND ACTIVE DRY YEAST
2 teaspoons

1
. Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe. Select Medium Crust setting and press Start.

2
. Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 to 10 minutes, if it appears dry and stiff, or if your machine sounds as if it's straining to knead it, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms a smooth, soft, pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch.

3
. After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

CRUST:
Medium

BAKE CYCLE:
Standard

OPTIONAL BAKE CYCLES:
Sweet Bread; Rapid Bake

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SLICE

Calories 135 / Fat 2.8 grams / Carbohydrates 22.4 grams / Protein 4.7 grams / Fiber .8 gram / Sodium 303 milligrams / Cholesterol 3 milligrams

 

Sourdough Made Easy

We condensed the many pages of sourdough data we had compiled into this brief instruction and fact sheet. If you follow this easy and nearly foolproof recipe, you can produce your first loaf of delicious sourdough bread within a week. Use
only
fresh, good-quality yogurt with live, active cultures. (We recommend Dannon, Mountain High, or Altadena brands.)

S
OURDOUGH
S
TARTER

1 cup skim (nonfat) milk

3 tablespoons plain, fresh, good-quality yogurt

1 cup bread flour

1
. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat milk to 90° to 100°F (it should be very warm but not hot to the touch).

2
. Stir in yogurt.

3
. Pour mixture into a clean 1½-quart glass or ceramic crock, jar, or bowl. Cover with a nonmetallic lid; set in a warm place (70 to 90°F) for 24 hours. (Note: On warm days, you can place the starter in a sunny window or on a countertop in a warm kitchen. On cooler days, place it in a gas oven with a pilot light, an electric oven with the light left on, on top of the water heater, or on a heating pad set on low.)

4
. After 24 hours, the milk mixture will thicken and form curds. At this point, gradually stir in bread flour until well blended. Cover with lid and set in a warm place again until mixture ferments and bubbles and a clear liquid forms on top, 2 to 5 days. Stir daily.

5
. Starter is now ready to use. Stir again, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

NOTE: IF AT ANY POINT IN THE PROCESS THE STARTER TURNS PINK, ORANGE, BLACK, OR FUZZY, THROW IT OUT AND START OVER.

Maintaining Your Starter

1
. Every time you use some of the starter, you must replace it with equal amounts of milk and flour. For instance, if you use 1 cup of starter, return 1 cup milk and 1 cup of bread flour to the jar. Allow starter to stand in a warm place for 3 to 12 hours until it bubbles again. Stir, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. (Note: We prefer a thick starter and quite often use
²
⁄
₃
cup milk for every 1 cup bread flour.)

2
. Starters maintain their vitality and sourness best if used at least weekly. If you neglect your starter for several weeks, you can perk it up by feeding it equal amounts of milk and flour (1 cup each) and leaving it in a warm spot until it starts bubbling again. (As long as you're giving it some TLC, take a moment to freshen up its container as well. Pour the starter into a clean glass or ceramic bowl, feed it, and wash out its container, rinsing well if you're using soap. Once it shows signs of life again, pour it back into its original container, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.)

S
OURDOUGH
F
ACTS

• Use only wooden utensils and glass or ceramic containers when working with sourdough starter. The acid in the starter will corrode metal.

• Do not keep sourdough starters in tightly sealed containers. Instead, cover the container loosely with plastic wrap or cheesecloth. Gases that form must be allowed to escape. If they can't escape, expect a real explosion!

• The yellowish or grayish-beige liquid that rises to the top is the hooch. This liquid is about 14% alcohol and helps give sourdough bread its unique tangy flavor. Simply stir the hooch back into the starter before use. For a milder flavor, you can pour off some of the hooch before stirring the starter.

• Fluorides and chlorine in tap water can impair or kill sourdough's effectiveness. Use bottled spring water in your recipes instead.

• For the sourest tasting sourdough bread, mix the room-temperature starter with the liquid and half the flour called for in the recipe. Cover and allow to stand in a warm place until bubbly and very sour smelling, from 18 to 24 hours. At that point, combine the mixture in the bread machine with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.

• Your starter can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before using it again, let it thaw completely at room temperature for 24 hours until bubbly. You may need to feed it once to bring it back to the bubbly stage before using. (Put starter in a warm place for 3 to 12 hours until it bubbles again.)

We have included a recipe for a San Francisco–type sourdough French bread. However, you could create some unique breads by using your starter in other recipes, such as Tangy Buttermilk Cheese Bread, Basic Whole Wheat Bread, Lois's Rye Bread, and Russian Black Bread, just to name a few. Or try it in Apple Oatmeal Bread with Raisins, Dinner Rolls, Squaw Bread, Hamburger Buns, or English Muffins. Simply add ½ to 1 cup starter to the recipe (depending on how sour you want your bread) and decrease the liquid by approximately half the amount of starter used. (Example: If you use ½ cup starter, decrease the liquid by ¼ cup.)

 

“San Francisco” Sourdough French Bread

Most people love the tangy, tart taste of sourdough. If you can't get to San Francisco for the real thing, this will do in a pinch. (Note: Starters vary in their consistency. If yours is thin, use the lesser amount of water listed in the recipe.)

SMALL RECIPE

WATER
¼ to
³
⁄
₈
cup

SOURDOUGH
STARTER
¾ cup

SALT
1 teaspoon

SUGAR
1 teaspoon

BREAD
FLOUR
2 cups

R
ED
S
TAR
BRAND
ACTIVE
DRY
YEAST
2 teaspoons

MEDIUM RECIPE

WATER
½ to
⁵
⁄
₈
cup

SOURDOUGH
STARTER
1 cup

SALT
1 teaspoon

SUGAR
1 teaspoon

BREAD
FLOUR
3 cups

R
ED
S
TAR
BRAND
ACTIVE
DRY
YEAST
2 teaspoons

LARGE RECIPE

WATER
¾ to
⁷
⁄
₈
cup

SOURDOUGH
STARTER
1½ cups

SALT
2 teaspoons

SUGAR
2 teaspoons

BREAD
FLOUR
4 cups

R
ED
S
TAR
BRAND
ACTIVE
DRY
YEAST
2½ teaspoons

For a Mild Sourdough

1
. Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start.

For the Sourest Sourdough

1
. In a medium bowl, combine the water, starter, and half the flour. Cover and let stand in a warm place up to 24 hours until very sour and bubbly. Then combine the mixture with the remaining ingredients in the bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start.

2
. When the dough has risen long enough, the machine will beep. Turn off bread machine, remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a lightly floured countertop or cutting board.

For the Small Recipe

Shape dough into one 10-inch oblong loaf or 1 round loaf or one thin 24-inch-long baguette or 6 French rolls.

For the Medium Recipe

Shape dough into one 12-inch oblong loaf or 1 large round loaf or two thin 18-inch-long baguettes or 8 French rolls.

For the Large Recipe

Shape dough into two 10-inch oblong loaves or 2 round loaves or two thin 24-inch-long baguettes or 12 French rolls.

3
. Place loaf (or loaves) on a baking sheet that is well greased or sprinkled with cornmeal. With a sharp knife or razor blade, slash the rolls or the baguettes straight down the center to make a cut about ½ inch deep. On the oblong loaf, make 3 diagonal slashes. On the round loaf, slash an
X
or
#
on top. Let rise in a warm oven 30 to 45 minutes until doubled in size. (Hint: To warm oven slightly, turn oven on Warm setting for 1 minute, then turn it off and place covered dough in oven to rise. Remove pan from oven before preheating.)

4
. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fill a plant mister with water and mist each loaf (or lightly brush each loaf with water). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown, misting with water twice more at 5-minute intervals. Remove from oven and cool on cake racks. To preserve the crisp crust, do not store in plastic wrap or bags. Bread can be loosely covered or left out for up to 2 days before it dries out completely.

BAKE CYCLE:
Dough

Small recipe yields 1 loaf or 6 rolls

Medium recipe yields 1 loaf, 2 baguettes, or 8 rolls

Large recipe yields 2 loaves or 12 rolls

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SLICE

Calories 119 / Fat .3 gram / Carbohydrates 25.3 grams / Protein 3.7 grams / Fiber 1 gram / Sodium 155 milligrams / Cholesterol .1 milligram

Whole-Grain Breads

 

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Like the Basic White Bread recipe, this is a simple, easy-to-make whole wheat bread. Keep a sliced loaf in your freezer and you'll always have a healthy bread on hand for sandwiches.

SMALL RECIPE

WATER
¼ to
³
⁄
₈
cup

MILK
³
⁄
₈
cup

EGG
1

OIL
1 tablespoon

HONEY
1 tablespoon

SALT
1 teaspoon

WHOLE
WHEAT
FLOUR
1 cup

BREAD
FLOUR
1 cup

R
ED
S
TAR
BRAND
ACTIVE
DRY
YEAST
2 teaspoons

MEDIUM RECIPE

WATER
½ to
⁵
⁄
₈
cup

MILK
³
⁄
₈
cup

EGG
1

OIL
1½ tablespoons