Greek Bread

           Psomi Spitiko




Greek Bread is a very simple bread to make.  It is perfect for a last minute touch to a meal or for an evening snack because you can get it ready in 90 minutes.  Here's the plan:

Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cups of bread (or all-purpose) flour
• 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water
• 1 packet (1/4 oz) of dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, oil, and yeast with water, and mix until thoroughly blended. Cover tightly (plastic wrap works well) and let sit for 30 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and combine with hands to form a cohesive dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead in as much of the remaining flour as needed until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to hands.

Make the Loaves

Shape into two loaves, place on a nonstick cookie sheet, and place on the middle rack in a cold oven for 15 minutes.

Turn on oven to 425°F (220°C) and bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until golden.

Cool on a rack.

Notes:

• The loaves will rise while in the cold oven, and will rise further when baking, so allow adequate space between.
• To create a more crusty top, just before baking score the loaves 2-3 times diagonally across the top.

St John Valley, Flax, Quinoa Bread

This is truly one of my favourite breads.  It is easy to make, you can start it in your breadmaker, do it in your mixer with a dough hook or you can do it totally by hand.  Simply mix the ingredients; if you use a breadmaker follow the instructions and setting for dough, in your mixer use the dough hook for about 5 mins and if by hand need the dough for 10 mins.  All methods lead to letting it rise 30-60 mins  (a little longer for the mixer and hand methods).  Then shape the loaves and let rise until double (all recipes say that but I don't really know when that is complete).  I let it rise about 60 mins.  Then score the top and cook at 375 for about 30 mins to 40 mins, it is done when the internal temperature is 200 and it has browned.  Here are the ingredients:

1 and 2/3 cup of water lukewarm
3 tbsp of powdered milk
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 and 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup St John Valley cereal (or other multigrain mix)
1/4 cup flax (I prefer yellow but any works)
1/4 cup quinoa (I don't but you could cook or soak it in advance, I use it raw)
1 and 1/4 tsp yeast
OPTION: you can add 3 tbsp of Vital Gluten to help in the rising, but that is totally optional.

Making homemade bread doesn't have to be difficult, check this out...

Italian Peasant Bread

This one was almost too easy.  A nice simple recipe, an easy dough to need, a quick rise and a very nice end product.  The only things I really changed was to use a stone (preheated in the oven) and a little steam by pouring a cup of water into a preheated pan on the lower shelf.  A pizza peel is a great tool for getting the loaf in and out of the oven.  It has a very nice flavour and great texture.  I will definitively use this recipe again. 

1 pkg. dry yeast
2 c. lukewarm water (105 to 110 degrees)
3 3/4 c. flour, divided
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Melted butter for brushing risen loaf

Sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast-and-water mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, adding only enough of the remaining 1/4 cup flour to keep the dough from sticking, until smooth and springy. Shape the dough into a round loaf. Set loaf on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place, out of drafts, for 1 hour.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Gently brush risen dough with melted butter. Wait for a minute or two and sprinkle lightly with flour. With a new, single-edge razor blade or the tip of a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 long, shallow cuts in the top of the loaf in one direction; repeat in opposite direction to form a "checkerboard." Bake for 10 minutes.
Lower to heat to 400 degrees and continue to bake for about 20 minutes, or until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when the bottom or sides are tapped.

A Rainy Saturday

A rainy Saturday gave me a great opportunity to do some baking.  The baguette and batard were made using a mix of dough from the refrigerator and fresh dough.  The fermented dough from the fridge made for a great crumb and excellent crust.  The miche is from St John Valley grains and  the rest from a very simple dough.

The Master Baker at work...

My baking hero, Richard Rice, the owner of the Boulangerie North Head Bakery on Grand Manan.  To step into his bakery is to step into a boulangerie in France.  The traditional french breads are given a local touch with the delicious specialty bread made with grains that grow on the St. John River.
I paid a visit this weekend and had half a baguette eaten before we made it to our cottage!
Be sure to visit if you ever have the chance.

There is no better lunch then sandwiches made from fresh homemade bread. A nice sandwich loaf can make all the difference! This loaf of Saint John Valley bread is nutritious and delicious. The longer loaf pan makes a perfect size for sandwiches!