Parmesan and Garlic Burger Buns

King Arthur Flour Company emailed me this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and since I have never put seasoning in a bun before, I tried it, and I really, really liked it. Unlike the other bun recipe on my blog, this one is not as moist, and should probably be used the day it’s baked, although mine were decent up to two days after. I really liked the extra flavor with the burger in conjunction with the burger, and I especially loved the aroma from the oven–it felt like we were in a pizza parlor. Fun!

Parmesan and Garlic Burger Buns

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup finely grated sharp cheddar or Parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt*
  • 1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder, optional but tasty
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 4 tablespoons softened butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup lukewarm water**
  • *Use 1 teaspoon salt if you use freshly grated cheese
  • 2 T. melted butter, for brushing
1. Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed, using an electric mixer, for 2 minutes. To use your bread machine, put everything in the bucket, and let the dough go through its dough or manual cycle; skip to step 3 below if you’re using a bread machine.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, cover it, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it’s noticeably puffy.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 6 pieces; each will be about 111g, a scant 4 ounces.
4. Shape the dough into balls, and space them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Gently flatten the buns with your hand until they’re about 3 1/2″ to 4″ wide.
6. Cover the buns, and let them rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until they’re noticeably puffy. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. Brush each bun with some of the melted butter.
8. Bake the buns for about 20 minutes, until they’re a light, golden brown, and their interior temperature is at least 200°F, measured with an instant-read thermometer.
9. Remove the buns from the oven, transfer them to a rack, and brush with the remaining melted butter. Allow the buns to cool completely, then store airtight at room temperature.
Yield: 6 big buns.

Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway Seeds

irish-soda-bread
On the off-chance that someone out there is looking for soda bread to make tonight (or this weekend), I thought I would post my favorite one that I’ve made–it comes from
The New Best Recipe. This is one of the variations that they list for classic soda bread, but I find it more interesting than the normal loaf, and it’s extremely easy to make. If you cook it in a dutch oven or cloche, it also turns out beautiful and crusty. If you want, of course, omit the raisins and caraway seeds, but to make the classic bread, also decrease the sugar by 2 T. and leave out the egg (but what fun would that be?).

Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway Seeds

3 c. lower-protein unbleached all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury [I’ve used whatever I’ve had on had, and it’s okay, just be careful not to overwork the dough or it doesn’t have the right crumb; I’ve even included 1 c. whole wheat flour, and it works great]
1 c. plain cake flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. cream of tartar
1 1/2 t. salt
4 T. unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 T. melted for the crust
1 1/4 c. buttermilk (or just add 1 T. lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for a few minutes)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c. raisins
1 T. caraway seeds

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together in a large bowl. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Combine the buttermilk and egg with a fork. Add the buttermilk-egg mixture, raisins, and caraway seeds to the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until the dough begin to come together. Turn out onto a flour-coated work surface; knead just until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12-14 turns. (Do not knead until the dough is smooth or the bread will be tough. You don’t want the bread to work up its gluten.)

3. Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. [I put mine in a cloche or dutch oven.] Score the dough by cutting a cross shape in the top of the loaf.

4. Bake, covering the bread with aluminum foil if it is browning too much, until the loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, 40-45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter; cool to room temperature, 30-40 minutes. Serve.

Pizza Dough for Grilling

With the warmer weather on its way I’m anxious to find reasons to be outside at the grill. Scratch that. My hubby does the grilling ’round here. I should mention though that this recipe works in your oven just as well. The recipe is from Cuisine At Home but the grill technique is the hubby’s.

For thin, crispy, chewy pizza crust with smoky flavor.

Makes enough for four 12-inch pizzas
Total time: 15 minutes + 3 hours for rising

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (105-115º)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. of active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

Combine water, sugar, and yeast. Proof until mixture turns foamy, about 5 minutes.

Mix flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add oil to proofed yeast mixture; (if kneading by hand, knead dough the same amount of time.)

Place dough in a lightly-oiled bowl. Turning dough to coat surface. Cover dough with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide it into four balls, pinching the bottom closed. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place another hour. Prepare pizza toppings.

Preheat one side of grill to medium-high, the other side to low. Preheat with lid down. Prepare work station by setting your toppings, tongs, pizza peel, and other tools you might need, near your grill. Timing is everything.

Roll out the dough on a flour dusted surface. Shape it into a 10-12 inch rustic circle or rectangle.

Transfer the dough directly onto the hottest part of the grill. Close lid and cook 1-3 minutes. The crust will bubble and grill marks will appear underneath. If your grill has hots spots use tongs to rotate the crust.

Flip crust and move to the cool side of the grill (or a baking sheet if you don’t have a cool side). Brush crust with olive oil before adding toppings. Be light handed with the toppings because of the quick cooking time or just precook your toppings. We recommend keeping this simple. Homemade marinara, thin slices of mozzarella, and basil.

Place dressed pizza back on the hot side of the grill and cover for 30 seconds to a minute. Watch the crust carefully. Total time on the grill is as little as 2 1/2 – 4 minutes.

Slide finished pizza onto your peel using tongs,. Add finishing toppings such as red pepper flakes or Parmesan cheese. Now it is time to enjoy it.

Hints
There are so many variables in this recipe. Play around with the thickness of your rolled out pizza dough. Thinner dough = more crackery; thicker dough = more chewy. Also, Medium-high on our grill is about 375º. It cools to 300-325º each time the lid is opened. Be sure to put the lid back down between pizzas to allow for proper reheating. If you are adapting this to your oven the temperature should be much higher, 450º-500º depending on your oven. Put a pizza stone in the oven to heat up and transfer your pizza dough to the warm stone. Adapt where necessary.  If you don’t have a pizza peel just use a rim-less cookie sheet or the back of a regular cookie sheet. Have fun.

Garlicky Breadsticks

At Halloween time, I was recipe shopping for breadsticks, and I found that the prospects were grim (Rex says no pun intended). So, I merged a few of the recipes together, and I really liked the results. I’m thinking of it now because of the upcoming Superbowl–which I’m only interested in because of the appetizers we usually eat. Back to the breadsticks, here’s the know-how:

Garlicky Breadsticks

1 recipe deep dish pizza dough
optional add-ins for the breadsticks: 1/4 c. fresh herbs and/or 1 c. parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
2-3 cloves garlic

Mix the pizza dough recipe, using any add-ins you may be interested in, and then allow to rise the first time. Instead of greasing cake pans, grease 2 lipped cookie sheets with olive oil (either brush it on, for a light application, or pour it in and swirl it around, for a heavier one). After the first rise, heat the oven to 375 degrees, and divide the dough into 16? 20? pieces (now I can’t remember, but do whatever seems appropriate to your needs), and stretch the dough into long ropes and place on the greased cookie sheet; cover with plastic. Allow to rise an additional 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mortar with a pestle, smash the garlic and salt together until the mixture forms a paste. Add the olive oil and allow it to seep while the bread rises and cooks (if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic with the side of your knife, sprinkle the salt on top, and run the knife blade back and forth over the garlic until a paste forms, then add it to a small bowl with the olive oil).

Bake the breadsticks for about 10-12 minutes, or until browned on top, one sheet at a time. Immediately out of the oven, brush the breadsticks with the garlic-infused oil, and allow to cool slightly before serving.

You can also top the breadsticks, before or after baking, with 1 c. shredded parmesan.

 

Deep Dish Pizza Crust

I did the traditional pizza I posted earlier for many years, but since I’ve happened upon this recipe, I’m almost wholly converted. I find this recipe to be much simpler–less messy, less time-intensive, and more capable of handling a pile of toppings. I don’t fill the pans as full of olive oil as the recipe calls for most of the time, but it’s worth doing the first time, so you know how terrific the recipe can be, and then pare back according to the needs of your constituents (or conscience). I almost always use this crust for a barbeque chicken pizza, so I jotted that down at the bottom.  This recipe is from the 2007 America’s Test Kitchen Annual.

Deep Dish Pizza Dough

1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. plus 2 T. skim milk, warmed to 110 degrees (or 1/3 c. dry milk powder plus 3/4 c. warm water)
2 t. sugar
2 1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 envelope (2 1/4 t.) instant yeast
1/2 t. salt

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 200 degress. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Coat two 9″ cake pans with 3 T. oil each.

Mix the milk, sugar and the remaining 2 T. oil together in a liquid measuring cup (if using dry milk, just mix the water, sugar, and oil together). Mix the flour, yeast, and salt (and dry milk, if using) in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the milk mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium-low and mix until the dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, gently shape it into a ball, and place it in the greased bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the warm oven until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

After the first rise, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough in half, and lightly roll each half into a ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape the dough into 9 1/2″ round and press it into an oiled pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot (not in the oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the plastic wrap from the dough. Ladle 2/3 c. pizza sauce on each dough round leaving a 1/2″ border around the edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 c. cheese and any other toppings your desire. Bake the pizzas until the cheese is melted and the crust is browning 16-20 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven and let them rest in the pans for 1 minutes .Using a spatuala, transfer the pizzas to a cutting board, cut each into 8 wedges, and serve.

Barbeque Chicken Pizza: I’ve based this variation off of Wayland Bakery, where they used to serve my favorite barbecue chicken pizza.

Sauce: 1 part pizza sauce to 1 part of your favorite bbq sauce (the Test Kitchen recently rated Masterpiece KC to be taster’s fave–I’ve actually never tried it, so I’ll add it to my list).  An easy pizza sauce is to simmer one can of crushed tomatoes (I think 20 oz?) with 2 minced cloves of garlic and about 1 T. olive oil for twenty minutes.

Toppings: shredded chicken (can be microwaved and shredded, or use leftovers), a mixture of mozzarella and monterey jack cheeses (I just throw a couple handfuls of each on top of the pizza), and sauce

After the pizza comes out of the oven, add about 3 green onions, sliced thin, and a good 1/4 c. cilantro, minced (or larger leaves, which is pretty but tends to turn off the small children here, not that they would eat this pizza anyway).

If you have more time, you can caramelize onions and add them with the chicken, and leave off the green onions at the end. I like this way better, but don’t always get to caramelizing the onions.

Pumpkin Spice Swirl Sweet Rolls

This recipe comes from Beth Hensperger’s Bread for All Seasons. I remembered it in November, when I was using a

So fall.

lot of pumpkin, and really loved the results. It has the softness that sweet rolls made with potato have, but the spice filling is remarkable. I topped these rolls with a drizzle of icing, mostly for appearance. Alternately, you can make this dough into a loaf of swirl bread, which I haven’t done, but I’m sure it would be fantastic.

Pumpkin Spice Swirl

1 T. active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. warm buttermilk
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 T. granulated sugar
3 T. corn oil
1 egg
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 T. salt
6 1/4-6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Sweet Spice Streusel
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
grated zest of one orange
1 t. cinnamon
pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Spiced Cinnamon Sugar
1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1 1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
2 T. unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast and the pinch of sugar over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about ten minutes.

2. In a large bowl with a whisk or in the work bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm buttermilk, pumpkin puree, the 3 T. sugar, oil, egg, orange zest, salt and 2 c. of the flour. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1 c. more of the flour. Beat 1 minute longer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. flour at a time, until a soft dough is formed that just clears the sides of the bowl, switching to a wooden spoon as necessary if making by hand.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and springy, about 3 minutes, adding only 1 T. flour at a time as necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a greased deep container, turn once to coat the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 -1 1/2 hours.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the sweet spice streusel. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter pieces until coarse crumbs are formed. Alternatively, use a food processor to combine the ingredients. Set aside.

5. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and divide into two pieces, then pat each piece into a long rectangle, about 8 x 12 inches. To make the spiced cinnamon sugar, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and spices. Brush the surface of each rectangle lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Starting from the narrow end, roll up jelly-roll fashion to form a fat-loaf shaped. Pinch seam together to seal completely. Slice each log into 6-8 rolls (depending on how big you want them). Place rolls on two greased cookie sheets, and let rise app 45 minutes. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Sprinkle the top of each roll heavily with a portion of the sweet spice streusel. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until the rolls are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove to rack to cool.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (or Muffins)

For anyone else who might be searching for new ways of using zucchini, I really, really like this recipe, and my kids have no idea that zucchini is in it–a definite plus. This recipe was originally published in Everyday Food as “Ian’s Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes” (May 2007), but I’ve changed it a bit (added the chocolate and the milk), because of a memory I had of a chocolate zucchini bread that I loved. If you want to go without the chocolate, just omit the milk as well, and you’ll have the original. Note: I used dutched cocoa, but if you only have baking cocoa like Hershey’s, I would love to hear if the recipe would still work as well–I imagine it would. Also, you can leave these cupcakes unfrosted to be more like a muffin, or you can insert the cream cheese frosting into the middle of the cupcake for a really fun surprise, or spread on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Also, as far as I can tell, muffins usually have one less egg than cupcakes, and sometimes a little less sugar. I think these could count as muffins as they are, but if you want them to be denser, omit one egg.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (or Muffins)

I thought these to be pretty little things, even without frosting

1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c. dutched cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
1 zucchini (10 oz.), grated (1 1/2 c.)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 T. milk
1/2 t. pure vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line cups of a standard muffin tin with a paper or foil liners. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and salt. Mix in nuts.

3. In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla,; add to flour mixture, and mix just until combined.

4. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

5. Cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minute; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely. Meanwhile, make Cream Cheese Frosting (if using–see below). Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread frosting on cupcakes. The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within 1 day.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium, with an electric mixer, beat 4 T. room-temperature butter with 4 oz. cream cheese until smooth. Add 2 c. powdered sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

Navaho Fry Bread

So I actually got this to work! In the past, the dough has fallen apart or for whatever reason ended up in small fried-scone-type condition. This recipe allows for big ol’ rounds, the kind you can load up as Navaho tacos. I’m guessing the powdered milk is key, as is keeping the oil at a constant temperature (the hardest part for me). This recipe is Beth Hensperger’s from “Breads of the Southwest.”

4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c. nonfat dry milk

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder (yes, it’s a lot)

1 teas. salt

4 tbs. vegetable shortening or lard

1 1/2 c. very hot water

Flour or cornmeal for dusting

2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

1) Mix first 4 ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly.

2) Add water & mix well, until dough comes together in a ball.Knead no more than 10 times in bowl. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover loosely w/ plastic wrap, let rest at least 30 min.

3) Dust worksurface w/ flour or cornmeal. Pull off 2 to 3 inch balls of dough until done (there should be 16-20)  then cover with a damp towel. Roll out each piece one at a time into thin circles (leave the others covered). Keep the circles covered with plastic wrap. Let rest 20 min.

4) Heat 2 in. of oil in a Dutch oven, heavy wok, or fryer to 380 degrees. Fry a few at a time, about 2 minutes per side. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove, drain on paper towels, keep warm at 200 degrees in oven if necessary.

5) Enjoy! For a sweet variant, add 1/4 c. honey with the hot water back in step 2.

Homemade Pretzels

With a month-old baby, I’m starting to be back in the kitchen a little, and this week’s greatest success (by far) were these homemade pretzels from Everyday Food. I

I thought they turned out beautifully!

thought these were unbelievable, and I loved that I could use half the dough for pretzels, and the other half for pizza (dinner). I made the chocolate variation, and right out of the oven, I thought these pretzels tasted a lot like pain au chocolat–with no butter, I might add. Definitely a fun treat!

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients

Serves 8

  • 1/2 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen (Martha’s recipe is below, but probably any recipe would work, especially if it has a little sugar in it)
  • All-purpose flour, for work surface
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts or 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or 2 tablespoons fennel seed
  • olive oil, for bowl and baking sheet
  • 3 tablespoons baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (like Demerara or Turbinado, but don’t stress if you don’t have this)

Directions

  1. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with nuts, chocolate, or fennel seed. Gently knead to incorporate. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour.
  2. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. To shape dough into pretzels, form each dough rope into a U-shape and twist ends twice. Fold twisted end down and pinch to secure (see below). Transfer pretzels to an oiled baking sheet and let rest 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add baking soda. In batches, boil pretzels until puffed and slightly shiny, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Return pretzels to baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature. (To store, keep at room temperature, up to 2 days.)

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients

Makes 2 pounds

  • 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions

  1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.

Moist 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

This is a great recipe for several reasons. One, you might be sick of multigrain bread every week (me). Two, you can use ALL whole

So, this loaf is only about 50% whole wheat, but it works both ways!

wheat if you want to (think “getting rid of barrels of wheat in my basement”). Three, it has no fat in it, which when I’m on my pendulum swing towards better diet, I really appreciate. Plus, it’s delicious. I promise. It’s  a pretty wet dough, but it will still rise and cook well, and it makes 3 loaves, which is a good-sized amount. A word of caution, though: there’s a little too much dough in this recipe to mix in a standard Kitchen Aid, so either 2/3 the amounts or turn it out by hand and knead, if applicable (or be willing to clean the Kitchen Aid  after you’re done mixing because it gets up into the spring thingy–that’s what I usually opt to do).

Margo’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. powdered milk
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. honey
1 c. mashed potatoes (or reconstituted potato flakes)
1 c. applesauce
2 eggs (ohh–I guess there is a little fat; I forgot about these)
1/2 c. wheat gluten (this is optional–you can buy this in the Health food store/aisle–Arrowhead Mills makes some. It helps the bread rise better and if you’re using 100% whole wheat, I would recommend using it).
2 T. salt
9 c. whole wheat, approximately (I usually do 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white)

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c. of the warm water with a pinch of sugar in the bottom of a mixing bowl. In five minutes, add the remaining water and the rest of the ingredients through the salt, plus 2 c. of flour. Mix (by hand or mixer) for 1-2 minutes until creamy, then continue to add the remaining flour 1/2 c. at a time until the dough comes off the side of the bowl (adding the flour should take about 3-4 minutes). Knead the dough by mixer or by hand, 5-6 minutes in a mixer, 10-12 minutes by hand. This is a wet dough, so you may find yourself adding more flour. When the dough is smooth if you brush your finger across it but sticky when you touch directly, and it comes together in a good ball, place it in a greased container and let rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Turn the dough out and divide into 3 parts. Form each section into a rectangle, then starting at the shorter end, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the ends. Place the pinched side on the bottom of a greased (or cooking sprayed) bread pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350. You can dust the loaves with a little flour before throwing them into the oven (see pic) or not. Bake the loaves for 38-45 minutes.