The Essential James Beard Cookbook (59 page)

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ cup warm (110° to 115°F) milk

¼ cup molasses (not unsulfured)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon plain salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, as needed

1½ cups rye flour

Softened butter or vegetable oil, for the bowl

Ice water, for brushing the loaf

Pour the warm water into a large bowl; add the yeast and sugar; let stand 5 minutes and stir until dissolved. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the mixture has swelled slightly and has surface bubbles, about 5 minutes.

Blend in the milk, molasses, butter, caraway seeds, if using, and the salt. Stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time. Next, stir in all the rye flour, ½ cup at a time. Then beat vigorously until the dough is smooth and elastic. Stir in most of remaining all-purpose flour to make a stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured board. Knead until dough is not sticky, but smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more flour while kneading, if necessary. [
Editor: The dough should not stick to the board, but it will feel tacky.
] Put the dough in a greased bowl; grease the top of the dough lightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in warm place to rise until it has almost doubled in bulk (1½ to 2 hours).

Punch down the dough, turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead slightly, and form into a loaf.

Put the loaf into a greased 9 by 5 by 3-inch bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Preheat the oven to 425°F. Uncover the bread. Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes. Brush with ice water, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes until the bread has turned almost a mahogany color on top. Turn the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack. If you want the bread very crusty, put the loaf directly on the rack of the oven and let it cool in the turned-off oven.

BLACK BREAD

MAKES 2 LOAVES

There are numerous varieties of what is known as “black bread.” I tried out recipes for a great many and finally settled on this one, which is not as dark as the commercial ones but has a flavor that I think is extraordinarily good and a very nice texture. It is rather fun to make, too, and even if you don’t achieve the perfect look that one finds in the professional loaves of this kind, the recipe works very well. Thinly sliced, it is a delicious bread with seafood, and it makes extremely good sandwiches. It will hold well if wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator. It has the advantage over many other black breads of not being too sweet.

1½ cups water

¹
⁄
₃
cup plus 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant coffee

1 tablespoon plain salt

1½ teaspoons caraway seeds

Two ¼-ounce envelopes (4½ teaspoons) active dry yeast

¼ cup warm (100° to 115°F) water, as needed

2 cups dark rye flour

2 cups unbleached flour, as needed

1 cup whole-wheat flour

Softened butter, for the bowl

For the Egg Wash

1 egg white

2 tablespoons water

Bring ¾ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir the cornmeal into ¾ cup water in a medium bowl. Stir into the boiling water and cook, stirring constantly, until boiling and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, butter, cocoa powder, coffee, salt, and caraway seeds. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Add the yeast to the warm water in a small bowl, let stand 5 minutes, and stir to dissolve. Add to the cornmeal mixture and stir well. Stir in the rye flour, 2 cups of unbleached flour, and the whole-wheat flour, adding more liquid if necessary, and stir until you have a fairly sticky dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead, adding more unbleached flour, if necessary, to make a firm, elastic dough. [
Editor: The dough will be tacky, so don’t add too much flour.
] Form into a ball and place in a well-buttered bowl, turning to coat with butter on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours.

Punch down the dough and knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Shape into two loaves and fit into two 8 by 4 by 2½-inch bread pans and cover with plastic wrap. Let the loaves rise until almost doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

To make the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the loaves and lightly brush the bread with some of the egg wash. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the bread bottom taps hollow. If you have doubts about whether it is done, let it bake longer. This loaf is better a little overdone than underdone.

ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD

1 LARGE LOAF OR 2 SMALLER LOAVES

As its name suggests, this bread is derived from English muffin batter. Large-grained, with a fairly coarse crumb, it is excellent when sliced and toasted, otherwise, it is rather uninteresting. It may be baked in one large loaf pan, which gives deep slices, or in two small ones.

½ cup warm (100° to 115°F) water

1 tablespoon sugar

One ¼-ounce envelope (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

2½ cups unbleached flour

2 teaspoons plain salt

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm whole milk

¼ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm tap water

Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens, about 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve. Add the flour and salt with the warm milk in alternate portions while stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Holding the bowl tightly, beat the dough very hard until it shows some elasticity and looks almost ready to leave the sides of the bowl. (Unlike a kneaded dough, however, it will remain loose and sticky.) When it has an almost gummy quality, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1¼ to 1½ hours until doubled in bulk. Stir down with a wooden spoon, add the dissolved soda, and beat vigorously again for about 1 minute, being careful to distribute the soda thoroughly, or else the bread will be streaked. Then butter one 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan or two 8 by 4 by 2½-inch pans and fill with the dough, using a rubber spatula to scrape it from the bowl.

Cover and let rise again in a warm place for about 1 to 1¼ hours. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the pan(s). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until it is golden on top and shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan. [
Editor: The smaller loaves will take less time to bake.
] Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (If necessary, loosen from edges of the pans with a knife.) Cut into slices about ½ inch thick, toast, and butter well.

BRIOCHE BREAD

MAKES 2 LOAVES

3½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup warm (110° to 115°F) water

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

1½ teaspoons plain salt

4 cups unbleached flour

4 large eggs, beaten

Softened butter, for the bowl

For the Egg Wash

1 egg yolk

¼ cup evaporated milk or light cream

Combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water in a small bowl and allow to proof for about 5 minutes; stir to dissolve the yeast. Mix the melted butter and salt together in another bowl. In a large bowl, combine the flour, melted butter mixture, eggs, and the yeast mixture. Beat with your hand until smooth. [
Editor: A sturdy wooden spoon works just as well.
] Place in a buttered bowl, turning the dough to butter its surface, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm, draft-free place until light and doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Punch the dough down and shape into two loaves. Fit into two buttered 8 by 4 by 2-inch loaf pans and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Mix together the yolk and milk, and brush the loaves with the egg yolk–milk wash. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until the loaves are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Cool on a rack.

PISSALADIÈRE

MAKES 8 TO 12 APPETIZER SERVINGS

This is one form of the Provençal version of pizza. It calls for tomatoes, puréed onions, anchovies, and ripe olives and is baked using brioche dough or a plain white bread dough. I prefer the brioche. It makes an attractive, delicious hors d’oeuvre or luncheon dish. I used to buy it in a bakery in St.-Rémy in Provence, where I lived several summers, and found it much to my liking, as I am sure you will.

1 recipe brioche dough (see opposite)

3½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup warm (110° to 115°F) water

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

1½ teaspoons plain salt

4 cups unbleached flour

4 large eggs, beaten

Softened butter, for the bowl

For the Filling

6 large ripe tomatoes or one 16-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)

Olive oil, as needed

1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium yellow onions, chopped

Softened butter, for brushing the dough

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

About 30 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, as needed

About 30 pitted Kalamata or Gaeta olives

Olive oil, for the olives

Make the brioche according to the directions
here
.

While the dough is rising, prepare the filling: Peel, seed, and cut the tomatoes in very small pieces (or, if using canned tomatoes, drain, seed, and chop). Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, add the tomatoes and garlic (and if using canned tomatoes, the tomato paste), and let them reduce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until broken down and thickened into a sauce, about 20 minutes. In another skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they form a rather thick golden purée, about 20 minutes.

When the brioche has risen, punch the dough down. Roll the dough out to about
³
⁄
₈
inch in thickness and line two 9-inch-square cake pans or one 12-inch tart pan. Brush with softened butter, cover with plastic wrap, and put in a warm place to rise slightly, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Uncover the pan(s). Sprinkle the brioche shell(s) with the Parmesan. Spread the onions over the brioche dough, and sprinkle with the rosemary. Cover with the tomato purée. Arrange the anchovies in a lattice pattern on the tomatoes, and place an olive in the center of each opening in the lattice. Brush the olives with a little olive oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is golden and baked through. Brush the top with more olive oil before serving hot.