Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (20 page)
Authors: Zoe Francois,Jeff Hertzberg MD
Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat germ
1 cup finely shredded coconut (both sweetened and unsweetened work well)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
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
2 cups well-packed, finely grated carrots, approximately 4 carrots (11 ounces)
½ cup chopped dried fruit (dried pineapple, dried currants, raisins)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for painting the top crust
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top crust
1. Mixing and storing the dough:
Whisk together the flours, wheat germ, coconut, cinnamon, brown sugar, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2.
Add the water, carrots, dried fruit, and walnuts (if you’re a nut-lover) 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 5 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 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 an oval and place it in the loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, 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 the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
Avocado-Guacamole Bread
Bite into our avocado bread for a smoky sensation. Try it with a bowl of hot chili in the wintertime and you’ll forget about the cold.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
4 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour)
3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets, (
decrease to taste
)
1½ tablespoons kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
¼ cup vital wheat gluten
3½ cups lukewarm water
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 ripe medium tomato, cubed, including liquid and seeds
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and mashed
AVOCADO AND TOMATO IN BREAD
:
Though avocados are high in calories and fat, the fat is mostly monounsaturated and can improve your cholesterol profile. Just be sure to eat avocados in moderation.
Tomatoes
are super-low in calories but rich in
lycopene
, which may offer some protection against certain cancers. Lycopene is a pigment responsible for the beautiful reddish color in tomatoes, guava, papaya, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. It’s a potent antioxidant. Tomatoes are also rich in iron.
1. 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.
2.
Combine the water, garlic, tomato, and avocado, 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 5 days.
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, 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 35 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.
Pain au Potiron (Peppery Pumpkin and Olive Oil Loaf)
Pain au Potiron (Peppery Pumpkin and Olive Oil Loaf)
Although pumpkin is generally thought of as quintessentially American (Native Americans were the first to cultivate it), there’s actually a marvelous French Provençal tradition of bread spiked with peppered pumpkin. Dice the raw pumpkin small so that it will cook through during the baking time. You can substitute raw squash or sweet potato for the pumpkin (see
photo above
).
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3¾ cups whole wheat flour
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets (
decrease to taste
)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (
increase or decrease to taste
)
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1¼ cups peeled, ¼-inch-dice raw pie pumpkin (sometimes called “sugar” pumpkin), or substitute squash or sweet potato
Freshly ground black pepper
3½ cups lukewarm water
¼ cup olive oil
PUMPKINS
are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamin A.
1. 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.
2.
Generously season the pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato with the pepper.
3.
Add the liquid ingredients and pumpkin to the dry 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.
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 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 (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.
Provençal Fisherman’s Bread (Pain Bouillabaisse)
Bouillabaisse
is the delicious fish soup of Provence, France. There’s an old Provençal tradition of taking the aromatic flavors from this soup (
herbes de Provence
, saffron, and fennel) and putting them into a bread (leave out the fish). Fresh fennel provides a subtle licorice flavor and sneaks in yet another vegetable. This bread is fantastic for serving with Provençal appetizers and condiments like
aïoli
, Niçoise olives, and of course,
bouillabaisse
.
“Years ago, my wife, Laura, and I bicycled through Provence, the lush and hilly countryside of southern France bordering the Mediterranean. The weather can be extreme, and on one rainy and blustery day, we rode into the medieval town of Uzès, completely soaked, exhausted, and most important, starving. An old façade read “Hostellerie Provençale Restaurant,” so we parked our bicycles under an ancient embankment and walked inside for a well-deserved lunch in a charming, unassuming place where the warmth of the hostess made all the difference. Madame’s
bouillabaisse
was fantastic, and warmed us to the core.”
—Jeff
USING AUTHENTIC SAFFRON THREADS:
Our recipe calls for the widely available and affordable saffron powder, but authentic saffron threads produce a more delicate and delicious flavor. To use it, omit the powder, crumble enough threads to measure 1/8 teaspoon, and simmer gently in the 3½ cups of water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, re-measure the liquid, and add water if needed to bring back the volume to 3½ cups. Cool to lukewarm before using in the recipe.
Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.
3¾ cups whole wheat flour
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons
herbes de Provence
(use a prepared herb mix or make your own with an equal mixture of dried marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, and savory, plus a little lavender if it’s available)
½ teaspoon saffron powder
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 to 4 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb, cut into 1-inch pieces, white parts only
3½ cups lukewarm water
½ cup olive oil