Goblin Bread

 

 

2 cups spinach, cooked or frozen

1/4 cup dried fruit 

1/2 cup warm milk

3 cups flour

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp herbs or spices as desired

2 Tbls oil

1 egg

 

If your spinach is frozen, warm it up before mixing. Combine the spinach, dried fruit, and milk in a blender and puree until smooth. Take out 1 1/2 cups of puree (add more milk if necessary).

 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and seasoning. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with the oil.

 

Stir the spinach mixture and egg mixture into the flour mixture. Knead it thoroughly. It will seem dry but the spinach will continue releasing moisture as it is kneaded, so don't add more liquid until you're sure it needs it.

 

Put the dough in a bowl coated in oil, cover it, and let rise until doubled (about 45-60 minutes).

 

Lightly knead the dough, then form it into rolls and place on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled. While rising, preheat oven to  375 F.

 

Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Focaccia Bread

 

 

4 3/4 cups flour

4 Tbls olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

2 1/4 cups warm water

olive oil

coarse salt

dried rosemary

 

Coat a 9" x 13" cake pan with cooking spray.

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, olive oil, and salt.

 

In a small bowl, combine yeast, with 1/2 cup warm water. When it is foamy, stir the yeast mixture and the rest of the water into the flour mixture.

 

Stir together and then knead for a few minutes to make a cohesive dough.

 

Place the dough into the can pan. Gently flatten it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

 

After 1/2 hour of rising, set the oven to 375 F.

 

After 1 hour of rising, poke holes all over the dough with your fingers. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary.

 

Bake for 28-30 minutes until golden brown.

Barley Flax Bread

2 cups water
2 tsp yeast
2 Tbls honey
2 Tbls butter
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ground flax seed

In a small bowl, stir the honey and yeast into 3/4 cup of warm water. In another small bowl, combine the butter with hot water to melt it.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, salt, and flax seed. When the yeast is foamy and the butter is at least mostly melted, stir the water mixtures into the flour mixture.

Stir enough to form a loose dough, then knead it on a floured surface, using as much flour as necessary to make it smooth and not sticky.

Coat the bowl and dough with oil, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

Grease a bread pan. Knead the risen dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Form it into a log and place inside the bread pan. Spread a thin layer of butter onto the top. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes.

Spray the inside of the oven with water. Place the bread inside the oven and set it to 350 F. Bake for 40-45 minutes, including preheating time.

How to rise bread dough

1. The dough should be warm from using warm liquid in the recipe.

2. Coat the dough in water or oil to prevent it from drying out, which will stop the rising.

3. You want to create a little greenhouse for it, so it stays moist and warm. Do this by putting the dough in a bowl, then covering the top of the bowl. There needs to be enough space for the dough to expand. I find it best to cover the bowl with a plastic bag that has plenty of space above the bowl.

4. Make a note of how big the dough is.

5. Give it a warm place to rise in. If necessary, heat the oven to warm, turn it off, and keep it in there with the door closed. Don't let the plastic touch anything.

6. Let it rise until doubled in size. The time it takes depends on the ingredients, temperature, and elevation. Check it every half hour.

7. After the first rise, some recipes will have the dough get thoroughly kneaded again, some will have it gently shaped and left at that. In any case, the same environment must be replicated so that the dough stays warm and moist, and doesn't get smashed when it enlarges during the second rise.

8. For loaves of bread baked in a pan, it should rise until it is about an inch above the pan's rim. And larger than that can cause a collapse. For rolls or other types of loaves, let it rise until it reaches the desired size.

9. Bake it according to the recipe.

This method can be used for any yeast bread, unless the recipe specifies a different method.

Honey Spelt Bread

3 Tbls butter or coconut oil
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup honey
1/2 Tbls salt
.7 oz fresh yeast or 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup room temp water or milk
1 egg
1 cup spelt flour
4-5 cups whole wheat flour

Stir together the hot water, butter/oil, honey, and salt. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Mix in the yeast and lukewarm water/milk. Mix in the egg. Mix in the rest of the flour one cup at a time. The dough will be very soft. Knead in enough flour to keep it together and and not sticky, but don't expect it to form a sturdy, resistant dough.

Coat with oil, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Gently roll it into a log shape. Place in a greased bread pan, coat with oil, cover, then rise again for 30 minutes.

When the dough is about 1" above the rim of the pan, bake at 350 F for 40-50 minutes, until browned on top and about 180° F inside. Let cool until it easily comes out of the bread pan.

Calico Bread from Fablehaven

4 cups flour (white or whole wheat)
1 3/4 cups warm water or milk
1 Tbs. salt
2 tsp. dry yeast or .6-.7 oz fresh yeast
2 tsp. sugar

Fillings/flavors:
peanut butter
jam/jelly
cheese
marinara sauce, with or without cheese, minced pepperoni, etc
poppy seeds and lemon zest
dill weed and grated carrot
any kind of herbs, edible flowers
tiny bits of caramel
cheese with minced vegetables like peppers, garlic, etc
honey
cinnamon and sugar
dried fruit
Use your imagination!


Combine the yeast with the sugar in warm water/milk. Stir in the flour one cup at a timbre, adding in the salt at some point. Knead so that it's smooth and elastic with some resistance.

Coat bowl and dough in oil or water. Place dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap sealed around the edges, but large and loose over the top so it doesn't smash the risen dough. Let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled, in a warm place.

Divide dough into a lot of small portions. Add a different filling into each piece, adding flour if necessary to anything that is too wet. Some filings can be kneaded into the dough. For some fillings, roll the piece of dough flat, put on the filling, and roll it into a log with the filling spiraled inside. Others can be made into little filled dumplings. Who the outside of the pieces with water so they will adhere together. Put the pieces of dough all together in a greased bread pan, coat the top with oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise again for another 30 minutes or so, until it is about an inch over the top of the pan.

Spray water into the oven or place a small pan with water inside. Put the bread pan into the oven, then start pre-heating to 350° F. Bake for 60-70 minutes until it's a dark golden brown on top and the interior measures to 190°-200° F.

Carrot Dill Rolls

3/4 cup grated carrot
1 cup hot water
2 Tbls brown sugar
2 Tbls olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp dry yeast or .6 oz fresh yeast
1 Tbls dried dill weed
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Stir together the carrot, water, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt until the  sugar is dissolved. If the water gets cold (from using cold carrots), pour some out and reheat it.

Stir in the yeast, dill, and one cup of flour. Stir completely before adding another cup of flour, then stir that in completely before adding the third. At this point you will have to knead the dough, adding more flour if necessary. Knead until the dough is smooth around the bits of carrot. Then coat the inside of a large bowl and the dough in a small amount of oil. Place dough in bowl, cover the top, and let rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Knead the dough lightly, then divide it into 12 even balls. Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt onto the tops of each roll. Cover them and let them rise until doubled again, about 40 minutes.

Place the pan in the oven along with a small dish of water. Set the oven to 375 F and bake, including preheat time, for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown on top and bottom.

Tortillas/Basic Flatbread

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 Tbls soft butter or oil
1 cup warm water

Stir the dry ingredients together. Stir in the butter/oil. Add the warm water. Knead it until it's cohesive. Add more flour or water if necessary.

Preheat a skillet over high heat, then turn to medium once the surface is hot.

Take a small handful, like a little larger than a golf ball. Roll it into a sphere. Place between 2 sheets of thick, soft plastic (I use a large food storage zip bag with 3 sides cut off). Flatten the dough into a circle, then roll into a thin circle of dough with a rolling pin. For tortillas, the dough should be thin enough to be almost translucent. Or if you want a thicker flatbread, roll or press the dough to a thicker piece.

 

Cook each piece one at a time on the hot skillet. The tortilla will become more opaque and form bubbles. Turn it over and let the other side brown. It will cook very quickly with a properly hot skillet.

Place them in a large food storage zip bag while they are still hot, so that they stay soft, but keep the bag open while they are still letting off steam. They will keep for a few days at room temperature.

Barley Bread

2 cups warm water or barley tea
3 cups whole wheat or white wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
2 tsp dry yeast, or .6 oz fresh yeast
2 tsp molasses (honey or maple syrup are also acceptable)
1 cup rolled barley
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. oil


Mix the molasses with 1 cup water/tea in a small bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and let it proof until foamy.

Mix 1 cup water/tea with 1 cup wheat flour, the barley flour, and 3/4 cup rolled barley. When the yeast is foamy, add that in and stir it all up. Let it rise until roughly doubled.

Add in the rest of the flour (2 cups), the salt, and the oil. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, kneading in flour as necessary. Let rise, oiled, in a warm place, until about doubled again (but not for too long!).

Meanwhile, soak the remaining 1/4 cup of rolled barley in 2 Tbls. water or tea.

Form the dough into a loaf. Smooth the wet barley onto the top, encrusting it into the dough. Place in an oiled loaf pan and cut a slit along the top of the loaf.

Spray inside your oven or put a pan of water in there. Put in the dough and set the oven to 350. Bake (including preheat time) for 50-60 minutes.

Sausage Bread

Bread:
2 tsp dry yeast or .6 oz cake yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water or vegetable stock
1 Tbls salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tiny pinch of lavender buds
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp thyme

Filling:
1 pound ground sausage
3/4 cup grated or minced onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup (4 oz) cream cheese

1 egg for glaze

Stir together the sugar, yeast, and water/vegetable stock. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time. With the last cup, add in the salt and herbs. Knead on a floured countertop until the dough is smooth and less sticky. Coat the dough with oil, place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, cook the sausage, onion, carrot, and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Cook until the sausage is mostly browned. Some pink is ok, as it will be cooked again. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the meat mixture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough out into a rectangle taking up the whole space of the baking sheet, then place the filling along the middle 1/3 of the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of free space at the ends. Cut slashes along the sides of the dough.

 

Fold the short ends over the filling, then fold each fringe piece of dough over the middle, alternating sides and stretching at a diagonal to create a braided look. Pinch closed any large gaps in the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 30 minutes.  Towards the end, set the oven to preheat to 350 F.

When the dough is done rising, beat an egg and brush it all over the loaf.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Whole Wheat Flax Bread

Bake rolls at 375° F for 20-25 minutes

The flax seed doesn't affect the taste or texture, it's just there to be healthy.

2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups flour
1 Tbls. salt
1/3 cup ground flax seed

Dissolve the yeast and sugar into 3/4 cup of warm water.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and flax seed. When the yeast is foaming on the water, add that to the flour, as well as the rest of the water. Stir it together, then turn out onto the counter to knead it. Use flour if necessary. Knead it thoroughly, until the dough stretches rather than tears when it is pulled.

Coat the inside of the bowl and the dough with oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.

Knead the dough a bit, and shape into a log. Oil the inside of the bread pan and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Spray the inside of the cold oven with water and place the bread pan in the center of the oven. Turn the oven to 350 F. Bake for 40-45 minutes (including pre-heating time), until the crust is a deep golden brown on top, and golden brown on the sides and bottom.

Carrot Turnip Farls

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup grated carrot
3/4 cup grated turnip
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat.

Stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the grated vegetables until they are well mixed and coated in the flour. Stir the buttermilk in to make a dough.

On a floured surface, quickly knead the dough to make it coherent. Divide into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a circle about 1/2" thick. Cut into quarters. Cook the pieces for 6-8 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Corn Tortillas

1 cup masa harina (for more corn flavor & color, use 3/4 cup masa harina and 1/4 cup yellow or blue corn meal)
3/4 - 1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp salt

Stir together the flour and salt. Stir in 3/4 cup water to make a moist dough. Moist enough to stick together, dry enough to form a ball instead of sticky globs on your hands. knead it to make a smooth ball of dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap or a wet towel and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb its moisture. Knead in more flour or water if necessary after it has sat for a while. It should feel like playdough.

Preheat a frying pan over high heat, then turn it to medium.

Prepare a pressing folder by cutting open 3 edges of a plastic storage bag, or cutting a rectangle of baking parchment and folding in half into a square.

Form a small ball of dough, place on one half of the pressing folder, fold over the other half, and use a flat-bottomed plate to press the dough into a circle. Press the tortillas as thin as you can. Peel off the top half, flip the dough onto one hand and peel off the other half of the folder.

Cook them over medium heat until browned on each side.

I made them thicker than store tortillas and didn't try bending them, but I like the texture and flavor more that way.

Honey Bread

4 cups whole wheat flour or white wheat flour
2 cups warm water
1 Tbls. salt
2 tsp. Dry yeast or .6 oz fresh yeast
about 1/4 cup honey

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve 2 tsp honey in the water. Stir in the yeast. When it is starting to foam, add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing completely after each addition. On the third cup, add in the salt as well.  Dump the fourth cup of flour onto the clean counter, then dump the dough on the flour and knead it. You may not need to knead in all of the flour, just until the dough is no longer sticky clumps. Knead the dough until it is smooth and stretchy. Coat the inside of the bowl with oil, coat the outside of the dough with oil, put it in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle between 1/2" and 3/4" thick. Drop globs of honey randomly onto the dough. Don't spread it in an even layer. Roll up the dough into a log and form into a loaf. Grease the inside of the bread pan and put in the dough. Cut a slash along the top of the loaf. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Put the bread pan in the oven, then set the temperature for 350° f. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown & the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.

Artisan Whole Wheat Bread

For 3 loaves of bread:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk or evaporated milk
1 1/2 Tbls. yeast
1 Tbls. + 1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup honey
5 Tbls. oil

6 2/3 cup whole wheat flour

For 1 loaf of bread:

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup milk or evporated milk

1/2 Tbls. yeast

1/2 Tbls. salt

3 Tbls. honey

1 1/2 Tbls. oil

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

In a very large bowl with a lid, or some other lidded container, mix together the water, milk, yeast, salt, honey and oil.

Stir in the flour (without kneading it).

Cover it (not airtight) and let it sit for 2-3 hours, until the dough has risen and fallen.

Either use it now, or refrigerate it (with the lid on, but not airtight) to make several loaves of dough throughout the week. It's easier to handle when it's cold.

When you want to bake it, scoop out about 1.5 lbs of dough (the size of a cantaloupe, or about 1/3 of the dough). Have your hands be wet with water to prevent the dough from sticking. Form the dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough into a greased loaf pan (it should fill the pan just over halfway). Let the dough rest/rise for 1 hour 40 minutes.

Coat the top of the dough with flour and cut slashes into it. Preheat the oven to 350. Place the loaf into the middle of the oven, with another pan on the side with some hot water in it. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until very brown and firm.

Let cool completely before slicing, to prevent crumbling.

Hamburger Stuffed Buns

Hamburgers with everything on the inside and only bread on the outside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Take some bread dough, of any kind you like, after it has mostly risen. For every bun you'll need a large handful of dough, like the size of a grapefruit. With wet hands, grab a piece of dough and put it on a well-floured surface. Dig out a little hollow in the middle, not making the bottom too thin. Fill the hollow with whatever you like on hamburgers. I did beef, mushrooms, onions, cheese, and green bell peppers (all chopped up). I got pineapple, pickles and tomatoes specifically for this, but forgot to use them.



Then, with hands still wet, fold up the edges of the dough to cover all the inside food, forming it into a ball. Roll the ball around to coat all the wet surfaces with flour. Place on a greased baking sheet or stone. Cut shallow slashes in the top of the buns.



Put the buns in the oven along with a small dish of hot water. Bake until the crust is quite browned, almost an hour.



Clearly, this concept can be taken very far. These "hamburgers" are merely a step away from being calzones, pasties or turnovers. Or, imagine using sugar cookie dough and filling it with fruit. The possibilities are restricted only by your imagination and palate.

Soft Flowerbread

2 cups warm herbal tea
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbls. yeast
4 cups white wheat flour
1 tps. salt
1-2 Tbls. edible flowers, dried or fresh

Dissolve the honey in the tea and sprinkle the yeast in. When the yeast is foamy, add it to 2 cups flour. Let rise until about doubled (big and spongey).

Add the rest of the flour, the salt, and the flowers. Knead for about 10 minutes, with more flour as necessary.

Coat the bowl and dough with a thin layer of oil and let rise, covered, in a warm place until about doubled again, but not for too long.

Form into a loaf. Spray the inside of your oven or put in a pan of water. Put loaf in oven while it's preheating to 350, and bake until for about 1 hour.

Edible flowers can sometimes be found at grocery stores in the refrigerated section with the fresh herbs. Also look for herbal teas that are made with flowers. Also check out herbs that are from the flowers of plants. Small, aromatic seeds such as fennel seeds are a good addition, or seeds from flowers like poppy seeds.

You can also harvest flowers and blossoms from you garden. Not all of them are sweet. I like chive flowers and squash flowers. Be sure you look each flower up to see if they are edible.

Info on edible flowers

Oat Bread & Nut Oat Bread

2 tsp yeast

2 tsp sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, or maple syrup

1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk or nut milk

4 Tbls butter

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

3 tsp salt

3 cups flour

Ina large bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and warm water. 

 

When the yeast becomes foamy, stir in the warm milk and butter. Stir in the oats, then the nuts if using, then the salt. Stir in the flour one cup at a time. 

 

Knead the dough, using more flour as necessary, until the dough is relatively smooth, not sticky, and resistant. Coat the dough with oil, place in a large oiled bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes. 

 

Knead the dough gently and form into a smooth loaf. Place in a bread pan. Coat the top of the dough with oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 30-40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 1 hour.