WELCOME TO THE WHEAT STATE
by Rikki Kite
Warm your house and your soul with a loaf of homemade bread
"All my neighbors got a loaf of last Christmas," say Jan Wesel. Lawrence resident Winter Bean wrote, "because it matters; because it warns you your house
and warms your soul. Wool says. She likes the way the dough feet when she is not washed, it is why she needs not a fan of bread machines which
do the kneeling for you. "bake it because I love playing with dough," she says, "it's so therapeutic."
"I BAKE(BREAD) BECAUSE I LOVE PLAYING WITH DOUGH, IT'S SO THERAPEUTIC"
— XAN WEDEL, LAWRENCE RESIDENT
flour depending on the humidity when you baking. Because making bread from scratch is easier, you just add more flour if the dough
A braided bread recipe that Wedel received at a King Arthur Flour bread seminar is the most popular with her friends, though the often ties out other recipes. Wedel says that she not a cook but someone who can make to recipes, though, and you often need to adjust the amount of
Baking bread is inexpensive,
requires little cooking space or
baking supplies, and there are
pleasures of free resources to help
you get started. The Kansas
Wheat Commission, for example,
provides everything you need to
know about bread baking,
including free recipes, nutritional
information and lists of Kansas
bakeries on its Web site. Another
way to get started is to fill your
bread-baking friends and family
members up for their recipes.
feels too sticky,
'it's not an exact
science.' she says.
She recommends that you add
the flour slowly and, if the dough sticks
too much, just knead. When kneading,
add a bit more
Judy Cucinelli, Topeka resident, bakes homemade bread more often in the summer because of her work schedule. Even in the winter though, she still bakes bread about once a month using a recipe handed down by her artisan aloit. Cucinelli has tweaked her aunt's ingredients over the years to adjust to her own taste preferences. Like Wedel, Cucinelli bakes her bread by hand instead of using a bread machine.
I recently busted out our never-used, hand-me-down bread machine for a test drive and even though I didn't find the machine instructions, I still managed to take a decent — albeit a bit dry — loaf of wheat bread from a store-bought mix purchased in the health department at Hy Vee. Bread mixes are also available in the baking section of most grocery
stores, near the cake mixes. If you decide that the bread machine is the route you rather take when making bread at home, check out theft stores and yard sales before investing in a new one. Frankly I'd recommend you save the money and cabin space roll up your sleeves and bake the old fashioned way.
With thousands of free bread recipes available online or on flour packages at the grocery store, the holiday season is a great time to learn how to bake bread. A loaf of homemade bread is the perfect dish to take to almost any holiday party, and is also a great gift for all those hard to buy for people on your shopping list. Don't be afraid to bake your first load—your financial investment is minimal, and it it's easier than pie.
Baking bread at home warmes your kitchen and the result is a great gift for the holidays.
KING ARTHUR HOLIDAY SWEET BREAD RECIPE
4/12 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
5 to 6 cups un-bleached
all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 teapoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
egg wash 1 egg yolk, beaten
with 1 tablespoon water
In a bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Let set until bubbly and very active (10 to 15 minutes).
Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil
in the microwave. Pour immediately into a large bowl and add the butter to the milk. Slowly melt to the meltter. When the mixture is lukewarm, add the yeast 'sponge' and the milk.
Add the rest of the four cup one at a time, until the dough comes cleanly. Add more flour to the dough out onto a lightly rounded surface and scrape out the bowl. Lightly
Knead the dough, using only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the board. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky.
Place the dough into the oiled bowl.
turn to oil all surfaces and cover with a
clean towel. Let sit in a warm place for about 45 minutes, or until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheet. Pull
down dough and round into a ball, then
divide into four equal parts and roll each into a log. Overlap the ends of the logs, press together and undrain them under tread. Squeeze together and tucking in together and tucking in. Cover with clean-lint towel for 45-60 minutes.
Beat egg yolk and water in bowl. Bake evenly over surfaces of pots. For 25-30 minutes (or until leaf rounds to desired shape) remove from cookie sheet and cool let it.
Courtesy of Xan Wedel
CUCCINIELLO ITALIAN BREAD RECIPE
5-6 cups of bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1-5 packages active dry yeast
2 cups of warm water
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
Combine yeast sugar and warm water in a bowl and add to bubble up. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour mixture to the water one cup at a time until the dough is stiff. Move to a lightly floured bowl and knead for 10-15 minutes. Add flour as needed.
Place in a deep, buttered mixing bowl.
and turn to coat the dough with butter. Cover with towel Lift up rise in a warm place for two hours. Turn the dough down and tumble it onto a floured board. Shape dough into two long loaves. Place the loaves on a baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Do not butter the cookie sheet.
Slash the tops of the leaves diagonally in three places, bring egg and water. Place in a cold oven on the middle rack of the baking dish, and heat water on the bottom rack of the oven.
Set the oven to 400 and bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Bread should sound hollow when tapped on top after baking.
Courtesy of Judy Cuccinielli
12. 07.2006 JAYPLAY <1>