I made some French bread today, but instead of just using the active sour dough starter, I added yeast as well. It came out pretty good, with the added bonus of a much shorter rise time of 2 hours instead of 6.
What you need:
1 cup of active sour dough starter
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup of warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 egg
2-3 cups of flour (you may need more or less depending on humidity)
Putting it together:
In a bowl, add the sour dough starter
Add 1/2 cup of flour and mix until combined
Allow to sit for about 30 minutes
Put yeast and sugar in small bowl and add water
Once yeast has bloomed, add to sour dough starter
Mix to combine
Add salt and egg, mixing to combine
Begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time
Continue adding until well mixed. Dough should be somewhat sticky, but not TOO sticky.
Once kneading is complete, cover and let rise until doubled in size: 60-90 minutes.
After first rise, take out, punch down gently, and shape into loaf(s)
Cover and let rise an additional 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 425
Bake for 18 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees
Remove and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing
Here's a recipe for a great-tasting Garlic and Olive Bread. The texture is soft and tender; just perfect for eating with stews, salads, or just by itself. You can also make some great tasting sandwiches with this bread.
What you need:
1 ½ Cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
3-3 ½ Cups bread flour (if you don't have it, all-purpose is fine)
4 tsp. Yeast
2 Tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. Salt (I use onion salt for more flavor)
1 Egg
8 Olives
2 Tbsp. Minced garlic
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Putting it Together:
Take the olives and mince them. This takes a bit of time, but the easiest way I found, was to cut the olive in half, cut that into very thin slices and then mince. Then repeat
Set your bread machine to the "Mix Dough" setting and then add the yeast, water, and honey. Let proof for about 5 minutes
Add 1 cup of flour and then the salt, olives, minced garlic, and egg
Start the machine and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Let the machine incorporate the flour before adding more. Once all flour is added, make sure the dough is not too wet or dry (add flour or extra water as needed)
Once the dough cycle is complete (about 1 hour 40 minutes), remove dough and gently roll into a ball
Before rising...
After rising...
OR remove dough from machine after it is finished kneading- about 20 minutes- and place in a large, oiled, bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled- about 1 hour), then remove dough, divide into two pieces, and gently roll each into a ball
Photo of dough divided...
Photo of dough rolled into balls before their 10 minute rest...
Let rest for ten minutes
Take the first ball and roll into a roughly 9 x 16 rectangle. The measurements do not need to be precise, they are just to give you a general idea as to the shape and depth of your dough
Starting from the bottom, tightly roll your dough (jelly-roll style) into a log
Fold the ends under and crimp
Turn bread over and crimp all the seams to seal. If ALL of the edges are not sealed, then it will undo itself during the rising and baking
Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and place seam side down
Repeat with second piece of dough
Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes
After rising, preheat oven to 400°
Bake for 15 minutes, turning the sheet 180° halfway through
When finished, the bread should be nicely browned and have a hollow sound when thumped
Here is a recipe for Naan bread that I found. I originally found this recipe at budgetbytes and I would encourage you to visit her site and take a look around. She has also broken-down the recipe and given a price list for each item, which is great if you're on a budget.
There are many recipes out there for this bread, but this is the one that I have used several times, with great results. It is very easy to make and makes a great compliment to curry and rice dishes. It's also just fun to snack on :)
What you need:
2 tsp. Yeast
½ Cup warm water(about 110 degrees)
2 ½- 3 Cups flour
1 tsp. Sugar
¼ Cup olive oil
1/3 Cup plain Greek yogurt (if you don't have this, try using sour cream. Sour cream is not as "tangy" as the Greek yogurt, but it won't affect the overall taste.)
1 large egg
½ tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Ground flax seed (optional) (high in fiber and
has many health benefits)
Olive oil...for heating the bread (If not using cast iron pan)
Brown paper bag...for storage of bread
Putting it Together:
Set your bread machine to the "Mix Dough" setting and then add the sugar, water, and yeast. Let proof for about 5 minutes. It will be nice and foamy
Add 1 ½ cups of flour and then olive oil, salt, ground flax seed (optional), olive oil, yogurt, and the egg
Start the machine and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Let the machine incorporate the flour before adding more. Once all flour is added, make sure the dough is not too wet or dry (add flour or extra water as needed)
Once the dough cycle is complete (about 1 hour 40 minutes), remove dough and gently roll into a ball
OR remove dough from machine after it is finished kneading- about 20 minutes- and place in a large, oiled, bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled- about 1 hour), then remove dough and gently roll into a ball
Cut the ball into 8 equal parts and roll each of those into individual balls
Here's a photo of a few of the bread balls. They look bigger than they actually are..
Let rest for 10 minutes
Heat a large skillet (I used cast-iron) to medium heat
Working one at a time, take one dough ball and flatten it into roughly a 1/4" thick, 6" circle. If you're like me, your circles will leave much to be desired, so try and make a very thin polygon :). You will want to have lots of bubbles in your dough when you heat it, so the thinner the dough, the better
Add small amount of oil to skillet (if not using cast iron)
Add flattened dough and cook until bubbles form and bottom is brown (about 65 seconds). The first one will probably take longer to cook, but it's good to check at the 65 second mark. You are looking for the bubbles to be a golden brown. This means it is done
Flip bread and cook for an additional 65 seconds
Place cooked bread in brown paper bag and close top. this will help keep your bread moist
Firstly, I would like to thank the following for giving me the inspiration to try this. You can find their complete recipes and more on their sites... cookography.com (there is also a handy diagram on how to fold the dough here) and amysbread.com
First off, I guess I should explain just what a Biga is. When making traditional Italian bread, the biga acts as a starter and is added to your regular dough recipe. It not only enhances the flavor, but it also affects the texture by giving the bread a lighter texture and giving it bigger holes (instead of the much smaller holes found in other breads). I need to note here that this is not a classic biga, which is taken from the unsalted dough of the bread you would have made previously and Thus can be a subject for another article.
