Tag Archives: yeast

Normandy Cider Rye Bread

I discovered a wonderful book that is literally a master class on the baking of rye breads. The book is called The Rye Baker by Stanley Ginsberg. Mr. Ginsberg offers not only techniques but a history of the grains along with over 70 classic recipes from all over the world. This bread journey  includes the chemistry of sours, soakers, sponges and scalds. If you are a baker and a bread lover you will want this book in home library. If you think you can’t make bread , I beg to differ. The recipe below was developed by Mr. Ginsberg for The Splendid Table and it’s incredibly easy to make with delicious results. There is very little active time in the preparation and the results are amazing. The aroma of fresh bread will delight you and then taking a slice of your homemade bread will be sheer heaven. I find if you wrap the bread well it will keep well for the next day and after that it’s the perfect slice of toast.

From by the bay wishing you delightful rye bread food memories!

Maryann

Note: I found better results with the bread rising by mixing first into a bowl the yeast, sugar and cider for approximately 15 minutes and then adding the remaining ingredients. Also, depending on the temperature of your kitchen you may need additional time for the dough to rise.

Normandy Cider Rye Bread

Makes Two Loaves

Recipe by Stanley Ginsburg author of The Rye Baker, Classic breads from Europe and America, as featured for The Splendid Table.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups medium rye flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups hard cider, at room temperature
2 tsp salt
1 pkg (1/4 oz) instant yeast
2 1/2 tsp sugar

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and use the dough hook to mix on low until the dough is evenly blended, 6-8 minutes. If mixing by hand, 10-12 minutes.

2. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface, divide in two and shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place the loaves on a parchment lined sheet-pan, cover and let rise at room temperature until the surface shows cracks, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F, use a sharp knife to slash the loaves and bake until it thumps when tapped with a finger, 45-50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Homemade Pita Bread

It’s summer and one of the perfect canvases for a summer meal is the reliable pita bread! Let’s all remember my mother is Greek!! Last weekend, I decided to tackle homemade pita bread, thinking it was a big chore and difficult to do, much to my surprise it was super easy. I know you’re thinking really how is this easy? It’s 5 steps –  measure, mix, rise, pull and grill. If you are like me , how many times have you watched Bobby Flay make flatbread or pizza or pita on the grill and wonder how is this not a mess. I’m here to tell you , Bobby speaks the truth when he says it’s easy. The key is to put  the dough on the grill and let it bake a a minute or two.  The dough pulls away naturally once it’s baked.  The taste of home made pita is so superior to store brought you will want to give this a try!  I’ll have a few recipes coming up that is the perfect complement to homemade pita! Yum!!

From by the bay, wishing you perfect pita food memories!

Maryann

blog pita

 

Home made Pita Bread

Adapted from mygreekdish.com as posted by

 

Ingredients

  • 17 1/2 ounces  all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon dry yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 glass of lukewarm water (40C)

 

Instructions

  1. To prepare this pitta bread recipe start by sieving the flour into your mixer’s bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and salt and blend with a spoon.
  2. Add a little bit of water and start mixing, using the dough hook. Pour in the water a little bit at a time, at a steady stream, whilst mixing. Wait each time for the water to be absorbed and continue adding some more.
  3. Depending on the flour, the dough may or may need a little bit less water than this pita bread recipe calls for. After mixing for a while, the dough for your pita bread should become an elastic ball. If the dough is still crumbled, you should add some more water. If it becomes too sticky, this means that you added more water than needed. In that case, add 1 tsp of flour and continue mixing.
  4. When done, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place, for at least 1 hour, until it doubles its size. This is an important step for this pita bread recipe, so that the pita bread becomes fluffy and soft.
  5. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead a little bit with your hands. Split in 6 evenly sized portions.
  6. To form the pita bread, you can either use a rolling pin, or stretch it with your hands for a more rustic look (and my preference actually ), about 1/4 inch thick.
  7. Heat an outdoor grill.  Put the stretched dough on the grill and close the cover. Let bake a minute or two and flip the bread. Grill another minute and remove. If you don’t want to use the grill – heat a non-sticking frying pan to medium-high heat (with no grease) and fry each pita bread for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until slightly colored and still soft. To give more color, push the pita bread with a wooden spoon on the pan. Remove the serve.