Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (19 page)
Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Wild Rice Pilaf Bread
Wild rice is a North Woods staple, an ancient Native American crop that is still traditionally grown in paddies in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and sometimes gathered by hand. It is the gluten-free seed of a wild North American grass. Cultivated varieties available in supermarkets are a less expensive alternative to the wild product and work well in this recipe. A classic Minnesota side dish is a delicious pilaf made with wild rice, mushrooms and onions—that mixture inspired this bread. You must fully cook the wild rice according to its package directions before using it in the recipe, or you’ll end up with rock-hard uncooked grains!
WILD RICE
is a great source of the minerals potassium and phosphorous and the B vitamins.
Mushrooms
are incredibly rich in
niacin,
but are also a great source of potassium, an essential mineral that may lower blood pressure.
Onions
are a good source of antioxidant flavonoids.
Makes enough dough for at least five 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
2 medium onions, chopped coarsely
½ cup olive oil
1½ cups thinly sliced mushrooms
½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
4½ 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
2 large eggs
3½ cups lukewarm water
1 cup cooked wild rice, drained, or with cooking liquid fully absorbed
1. Preparing the vegetables:
In a skillet, sauté the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned; add the mushrooms and thyme and continue until the mushrooms give off their liquid. Allow to cool.
2. 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.
3.
Add the liquid ingredients, the onion/mushroom mixture, and the wild rice 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. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.
5.
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 5 days.
6. 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.
7.
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. 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 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a greased 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.
11.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread
This version of our favorite oatmeal bread has the sweet flavor of maple and cinnamon together with the hearty warm comfort of wheat and oats. You will love it toasted with jam or with your favorite sandwich fillings.
Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use any leftover dough to make
muffins
.
5 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup wheat germ
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2½ cups lukewarm water
1 cup buttermilk
¾ cup maple syrup
¼ cup neutral-flavored oil
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on the top crust
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flour, oats, wheat germ, yeast, salt, vital wheat gluten, and cinnamon in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add 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 7 days.
5. On baking day,
lightly grease an 8½×4½-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-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 an oval and place it into the loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the loaf to rest and rise for 1 hour 45 minutes (60 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).
7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 375°F,
with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. The baking stone is not essential for loaf pan breads; if you omit it, the preheat can be as short as 5 minutes.
8.
Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg wash, then sprinkle it with sugar.
9.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone or on a rack near the middle of the oven. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until richly browned and firm.
10.
Remove the bread from pan and allow to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Betsy’s Seeded Oat Bread
This bread was developed for Betsy, whom we met on our Web site. She requested a hearty loaf full of tasty and nutritious seeds. We loved the idea and came up with a recipe. We figured there was no one better to test it than Betsy herself. We wanted to make sure it was just what she wanted. Together we fine-tuned it and came up with a fabulous bread packed with pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseeds. These seeds are sometimes called “brain food” because of their high content of vitamin B (see
Appendix
, for more on the B vitamins). They are also an excellent source of omega-3 oils and protein. All that, combined with rolled oats and whole grains, makes this bread seriously delicious and seriously good for you.
SEEDS ARE NATURE’S PERFECT PACKAGING FOR VITAMINS AND HEALTHY OILS:
The oils in seeds are packed into the seed’s skin, which protects them from spoilage. The oil is high in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
¾ cup pumpkin seeds, plus more for sprinkling on top crust
¾ cup sunflower seeds, plus more for sprinkling on top crust
¼ cup sesame seeds, plus more for sprinkling on top crust
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
3 cups lukewarm water
½ cup barley malt syrup, honey, or agave syrup
¼ cup neutral-flavored oil
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, rolled oats, seeds, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Combine the liquid ingredients and mix them with 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 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 loaf to rest, covered loosely 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 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. Sprinkle with the seeds and 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 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.
BREADS WITH HIDDEN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
There’s been a
lot written lately about sneaking healthy fruits and vegetables into cooked foods to boost nutrients in kids’ meals (and in our own). In this chapter, we fortify our breads with vegetables and fruits rich in phytochemicals (beneficial plant chemicals), vitamins, and antioxidants. The United States Department of Agriculture now recommends that adults consume nine half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables every day. We have a friend who says that he cannot even name nine fruits and vegetables. He has a point. It’s not easy to get that much fruit and vegetable every day, and it’s especially challenging for children. Don’t expect bread, or any single food, to meet all dietary requirements. Just remember that every little bit helps. Here are some recipes that give you one extra chance to get kids to eat healthier foods. And don’t forget pizzas with healthy ingredients like Whole
Grain Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers and Fontina
,
Zucchini Flatbread
, or
Pesto Pizza with Chicken
. You can also try some unorthodox pizza crusts with some of the vegetable and fruit-enriched doughs in this chapter.
So make the most of the pretty colors, and let the kids help with their favorite recipes from this chapter. Who knows, in a few years, they may be the ones baking the daily bread. Your goal might be to get kids to eat their recommended nine servings, but often, the beautiful color will sell the kids on healthy food all by itself (red, green, blue; you’ll see).
Tabbouleh Bread with Parsley, Garlic, and Bulgur
People don’t usually think of parsley as a vegetable, because it’s almost always used as a garnish. But the herb’s bright flavor works beautifully with wheat; we got the idea by eating lots of Turkish tabbouleh salad one summer—the dominant flavors in tabbouleh are bulgur wheat, garlic, parsley, and lemon zest.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped fine
5½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
½ cup whole grain bulgur, soaked at least 2 hours (or overnight) in 1 cup water (will make 2 cups of bulgur—do not drain if liquid isn’t completely absorbed)
1 bunch parsley, tough stems removed, chopped (about 1½ cups loosely packed)
2 teaspoons lemon zest (or more, to taste)
3 cups lukewarm water
1.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet large enough to hold the parsley comfortably. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and then add the parsley; continue to sauté for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, yeast, and salt in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
3.
Combine the sautéed parsley, bulgur, zest, and water and mix them with 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.
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, 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.
6. 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.
7.
Elongate the ball into a narrow oval. Allow to 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 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.
Cherry Tomato Baguette
Garlic-Studded Baguette
“This is the grown-up, sophisticated version of the garlic bread from my childhood, the one that came wrapped in foil and dripping with butter and garlic salt. Don’t get me wrong, as a ten-year-old I could have eaten an entire loaf, but my tastes have changed and now I prefer the flavor of pure unadulterated roasted garlic. In this recipe we bake the raw garlic right on top of the loaf. Once the baguette is baked and crusty, the garlic will be mellow and soft enough to spread on the slices.”
—Zoë
This recipe also works beautifully with cherry tomatoes pressed into the top of the loaf. Their sweet roasted flesh is also wonderful on the warm sliced bread (see
the color insert
).
Makes one 16-inch baguette
Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, or other non-enriched dough
½ pound (orange-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above
4 garlic cloves cut in half (or 6 cherry tomatoes)
Egg white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
1. 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.
2.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with 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.
3.
Gently stretch the dough into an oval. Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Bring in one side and gently press it into the center.
4.
Bring up the other side and pinch the seam closed. This will help you to get an evenly shaped baguette and a tapered end.
5.
Stretch the dough very gently into a log, working the dough until you have a nice thin baguette. Don’t compress the air out of the dough. If it resists pulling, let it rest for a moment to relax the gluten, then come back and continue to stretch. Don’t fight the dough. The final width for a baguette should be about 1½ inches.
6.
Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper, for 40 minutes (or just 20 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or a perforated baguette pan (see
Equipment
) without using a pizza peel. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg white wash. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to gently make an indentation along the length of the baguette, pressing about halfway through the dough to create a trench. Press the garlic (or cherry tomatoes) into the trench, evenly spacing them along the baguette. Be sure to really press them in so they don’t pop out when baking.
7.
Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (or place the silicone mat or baguette pan 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 25 minutes, or until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a baguette pan 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.
8.
Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing and eating. Spread the now-roasted garlic on the sliced bread.
Carrot Bread
We adore carrot cake, so why not put all that good stuff into a bread? We like ours packed with carrots, coconut, dried fruit, cinnamon, and a touch of brown sugar. It is not only unbelievably tasty, but it is also gorgeous and the carrots are high in vitamin A. Try this bread toasted with the cream cheese icing from the
cinnamon crescent rolls
or just eat a slice with a nice sharp cheddar cheese for a great contrast.
WHAT’S UP, DOC? CARROTS
are loaded with vitamin A and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the orange pigment that gives carrots and this bread their vibrant color (the body converts beta-carotene into a number of active forms of vitamin A). Vitamin A is crucial for normal vision, healthy skin, growth in children, and normal reproductive function in both women and men.