Bread dough for Bread, Pizza Crust, Rolls, Whatevs

Recipe:

• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (Look for the big bag)
• 1 cup warm water (think a hot bath)
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil (any kind works for the most part)
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Stir the yeast, water, sugar, and oil up in a bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It should foam up. If it doesn’t, your water may have been too hot or too cold.

2. Mix your flour, salt, and the yeast concoction up in a bowl.

3. Knead that shit for about 5 minutes. It will start off super sticky, but will come together into a nice dough. If it’s stays sticky, toss in some more flour. When kneading, you fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. 

4. Take a ceramic bowl and run a stick of butter all around the bottom & sides,  knead your dough again for 2 to 3 minutes then add to bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave it someplace warmish for 1 to 2 hours. 

5. By now your dough should have doubled in size, give it a gentle punch to release the gasses that have built up inside.  HELLO NURSE!!!!!!!!!!!! You have bread dough. 

Here are just some of the stuff you can make from this basic bread recipe:

• Bagels: Bring pot of salty water to a boil, pull off ball size pieces and make bagel shapes, toss them in the water for about 2 minutes. Pull them out, drip dry, egg-wash the tops and then bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
• Bread: Lightly score the top of the loaf, brush with cold water, top with egg-wash if you want, bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (It’s done when it sounds hollow if you knock on the bottom.)
• Bread Sticks: Pull off ball size pieces and make snake shaped rolls, let them rest on pan while the oven heats, say about 10 minutes, then bake at 400 for 10-20 minutes.
• Cinnamon Rolls: Roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Top with mixture of butter, cinnamon, and sugar (no exact amounts here, do it to your taste, alternate recipe). Roll it up into a log, and cut it into discs. Let them sit 20 minutes in a pan and then bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.
• Dinner rolls: Pull off  ball size pieces and roll into a ball. Place on greased pan, let rest 10-20 minutes to rise, top with egg-wash, then bake 375 for 25 minutes.
• Doughnuts: Using a heavy bottom pot or deep fryer, add oil (at least 2 inches of oil, with 2 inches of space from the surface of the oil to the top of the pot). Bring oil up to 350-360, reduce heat to low, pull off ball size pieces and make doughnut shapes (or just use quarter size pieces), drop into oil, fry 2-3 minutes, turning once. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. You can totally roll them in sugar or dip it in chocolate.
• Pizza Crust: Stretch it on a pan, using a fork poke it all over, add whatevs toppings you want (ie: pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni) then bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. 

Here are some other tips you can use:

• For lighter, crustier bread: let your shaped loaves rise for 45 minutes. Put a roasting pan of water in the oven and then preheat it to 500, bake for 15 minutes. Place bread (dinner rolls) in the oven, bake for 10 minutes, lower oven to 400, bake for 10 minutes. 
• Add ins: You can add whatever you want to the dough for some variety, like cheddar cheese or garlic.
• Egg-wash: Crack an egg in a bowl and add a pinch of salt, whisk together. Brush onto bread/rolls before baking for a nice crust.

Amish Friendship Bread

It is very important to use plastic or wooden utensils and plastic or glass containers when making this. Do not use metal at all!

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Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.

2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.

3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. Consider this Day 1 of the cycle, or the day you receive the starter.

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Day 1 - receive the starter (or make it)

Day 2 - stir

Day 3 - stir

Day 4 - stir

Day 5 - Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.

Day 6 - stir

Day 7 - stir

Day 8 - stir

Day 9 - stir

Day 10 - Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Divide into 4 containers, with 1 cup each for three of your friends and 1 cup for your own loaves. Give friends the instructions for Day 1 through Day 10 and the following recipe for baking the bread.

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combine the remaining cup of Amish Friendship Bread starter with the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Using a fork beat by hand until well blended. You can add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease two loaf pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans. Makes two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread.

French Bread

Sponge

1 cup cool-lukewarm water
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour.
1/4 cup white or whole wheat flour

Stir ingredients together to make a thick mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let set at room temperature overnight, or for 2-16 hours.

Dough for French bread
All of the sponge starter (above)
1 cup lukewarm water
3/4 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp kosher salt

Stir sponge, add water, yeast, 3 1/3 cups of the flour and salt. Mix. Dough will be loose. Let rest for about 12 minutes, then knead for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the held-back flour as needed.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with both lightly greased plastic wrap and a damp cloth, and rise until almost doubled.

After rising, deflate dough but be gentle so as to retain some of the bubbles. The bubbles will make the holes that you want in recipe French bread.

Rise the dough for on a cookie sheet sprinkled with flour or cornmeal.


Tip: For better results, and to get that authentic recipe French bread with deep ridges and a dusting of flour around the middle, I recommend that you use a dough rising basket (lightly dusted with flour.) . The Frieling Oval Brotform Bread Mold 10.5" x 7" is a good choice.

Rise the dough for recipe French bread until almost doubled and puffy looking. When risen, make slashes across the top of the bread -- but gently, so as not to deflate.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, placing your baking stone in the oven to preheat also. When ready, gently place recipe French bread dough on the stone, seam side down.

Spray water into the oven. A plant sprayer works fine.

Place your bread in the oven, reduce heat to 425 degrees, and spray with water every few minutes for 15 minutes. Stop spraying and bake for an additional 10 or 15 minutes, or until done.

Enjoy your recipe French bread. It's especially delicious served with a soft French cheese like the aged Mimolette.

Vegetarian Cake

Makes 8 inch / approx. 20 cm square cake (you could make it in a slightly large square cake pan too, or in a loaf pan). Cut into 12 squares, each square is about 100 calories each.

The vegetable mix:

2 large sweet bell peppers
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
about 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence mix (you can substitute Italian herb mix or similar)
Salt and pepper
The batter:

160g / 5.6 oz (about 1 cup plus 3 Tbs.) all purpose flour
60g / 2.1 oz (about 1/2 cup) kinako or chickpea flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 whole large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk with a little vinegar added
2 Tbs. olive oil
Other:

70g / 2.5 oz (about 3/4 cups cubed) low fat goat cheese or feta cheese
4 sundried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1 Tbs. pistou or pesto from a jar
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Line a square baking or brownie pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper with olive oil lightly.

Chop up the vegetables into rough dice. Sauté them in a pan with the 2 Tbs. olive oil until limp. Add a little salt and pepper, and the herbs. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, kinako or chickpea flour, salt and baking powder together. Beat the eggs, buttermilk and olive oil together. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in batches, beating until it forms a fairly smooth batter.

Add the sautéed vegetables, cheese, and sundried tomatoes to the batter and mix. Swirl in the pesto.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, well wrapped. It will keep in the freezer for about a month; I wrap the individual pieces separately, so I can take out as many as I want at a time.

Variations
You can add all kinds of sautéed vegetables, cubed ham, bacon, other kinds of cheese, olives, and so on to this. You could leave out the cheese to make it lighter, add chopped nuts or seeds, and so on.


****Recipe came from Just Bento.com*****

Covenstead Bread

Recipe by Gerina Dunwich

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup finely chopped citron
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons anise seeds
2-1/3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add honey, citron,
sugar, and anise seeds. Stir until the sugar completely
dissolves and then remove from heat.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, and fold
into the hot honey mixture. Turn the batter into a well-greased
9 X 5 X 3-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven
for one hour. Turn out on a wire rack to cool.
(This recipe yields one loaf of bread.)

Covenstead Bread improves if allowed to stand for a day, and
it is an ideal bread to serve during Lammas and Autumn Equinox
Sabbats as well as at all coven meetings.

Herb Scented Flatbread

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspooon finely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt , for sprinkling
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking
powder, salt, sage, chives, and parsley; process for 5 seconds to
combine. Add vegetable shortening and process until well combined,
about 15 seconds. Add milk and 2 tablespoons water, and process
until the dough comes together, about 7 seconds.
2. Transfer dough to a lightly-flowered surface and knead for about
1 minute, forming it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let
stand for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the over to 200° with a baking sheet set on the rack. Heat a
medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
Meanwhile, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces and form each piece
into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pieces of
dough out into a very thin circle (it should be less than 1/16 inch
thick and about 6 1/2 inches in diameter). Using a fork, prick the
dough 7 or 8 times. Lightly brush one side of the dough with olive
oil and sprinkle it lightly with salt.
4. Transfer round of dough, with the oiled side down, to the hot
skillet and reduce heat to medium; cook until surface is covered
with golden to dark-brown speckles, about 1 to 2 minutes on each
side. If the flatbread begins to burn, lower the heat and continue
to cook.
5. Remove bread from skillet and transfer to the baking sheet in the
oven. Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the remaining 2
pieces of dough.
6. Cut the bread into wedges with a pizza wheel or sharp knife, and
serve warm.