Month: August 2021

Yeast Bread – from My Mother’s CookBook

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I have this old cookbook my mother created. She told me that this was a school project for Home Ec. I want to capture the recipes contained in the cookbook before they are lost for ever. I have captured the original recipe in her hand writing.

The original recipes don’t provide complete instructions. I’ve interpreted what I could. I hope to recreate the recipe in the near future. I will post updates to the recipe after I’ve had a chance to recreate it.

Yeast Bread

Yeast Bread Recipe from My mother's cookbook
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Course Breads, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 yeast cake or 2/12 tbps of instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cup water boiling
  • 9 cups flour sifted twice

Instructions
 

  • Let rise overnight. In the morning stir for 8 minutes. Let rise again for 4 minutes then bake.°

Notes

Yeast cake equivalent is 2 1/2 tbsp of yeast.
Assuming that this is baked @ 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes

Häussler Instructions for Cinnamon Raisin Bread

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Häussler Instructions for Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Häussler instructions only applicable if you own a Häussler Spiral Dough Mixer
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Course Breads
Cuisine American
Servings 5 loaves

Equipment

  • Häussler Spiral Dough Mixer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium potato cubed – I use russet potatos
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tbps butter
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 12 cups bread flour divide flour in half – using 6 cups for sponge, remaining 6 cups for finishing dough
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbps instant yeast
  • 1 cup water
  • 16 ounces raisin I use large 1.8 lb bags from Sam's club – I use 1/3 bag per recipe
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 3 tsp cinnamon

Instructions
 

Making the sponge

  • In large sauce pan add 4 cups of water and chopped potatoes. Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain the potatos reserving the potato water you will need this for the recipe.
  • Add butter and salt to cooked potates and mash with mixer. Once mashed add back the reserved potato water. Mix well. Pour potato water mixture into the Häussler bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
  • To potato water mixture add 6 cups of bread flour and 1 cup of sugar. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Mixture should be somewhat smooth.
  • Mix yeast with 1 cup of warm water. Stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add yeast to mixer. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes. Turn off mixer and allow sponge to double in bulk. Roughly 2 hours. I don't remove the bowl or the dough hook. I leave everything in place. The heat from the potato water along with the metal bowl retains enough heat to promote yeast growth. The lid of the mixture keeps moisture in.
  • After an hour I add 1 cup of flour to the sponge and mix on low for 2 minutes. I found that doing an additional cup at this time gives the flour time to absorb more the liquid. In the past I did not do this and found that when I added the remaining 6 cups of flour was not enough to prevent the dough from going and required adding additional flour.
  • 15 minutes before the 2 hour rise up I added another 1/2 cup of flour and mixed on low speed for 2 minutes.

Mixing the dough

  • In a separate bowl add the remaining 4 cups of flour, the spices and raisins. Mix throughly. I do this by hand so I can separate the raisins that are clumped together.
  • Add this flour mixture to the bowl. Turn on the mixer at low speed for 6 – 8 minutes. Perform a window pane test to ensure dough sufficiently kneaded.
  • Pour a bit of oil on to your work surface and dump the dough in the middle of the oil slick. The dough will be slack but I found that it comes together nicely if you coat the dough with oil. At this time I do a stretch and fold a couple times before I shape dough into a ball.
  • Put dough into a large oiled bowl and allow to rise for another hour
  • Split dough into 5 equal sections, I find using a kitchen scale helps to get even sized loaves. Roll each dough into flat rectangles – liberally coat the dough with cinnamin sugar then roll into loaves.
  • Allow the loaves to rise to double.
  • Preheat oven to 375° – bake loaves for 45 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and cool on racks. Package each loaf in a bread bag – freeze.

Notes

Result of adding flour during the sponge rise period cut down the amount of flour I had to use. 
The dough was still slack coming out of the bowl
Keyword Raisin Bread

Häussler Instruction for Whole Wheat Bread using Sponge Method

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Häussler Instructions for Whole Wheat Bread Using Sponge Method

Häussler instructions. Only applicable if you own a Häussler Mixer
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Course Breads
Cuisine American
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • Häussler Spiral Dough Mixer

Ingredients
  

Sponge

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/3 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4 cups whole wheat flour

Bread Dough

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cups whole wheat flour

Instructions
 

Making the sponge

  • In Häussler bowl – add water, yeast and honey. Mix until yeast has dissolved
  • Add flour. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes. Sponge should appear smooth.
  • Cover Häussler mixer. Let sponge rise to double – roughly 30 – 45 minutes until double.

Mixing the dough and first rise

  • Add flour, salt and oil to sponge
  • Mix dough on slow speed for 8 minutes
  • Cover mixer and allow dough to rise until double, about 30-45 minutes.

Second rise

  • Original recipe says to punch the dough and allow to rise again. For this step I turned on the mixer and kneaded the dough on low for 1 minute. Rise time 30 – 45 minutes

Third Rise

  • I turned on the mixer for 30 seconds. Rise time 30-45 minutes

Notes

Keyword Häussler, Multigrain Bread, Sponge, Wheat

First video clip shows result after 5 minutes of mixing. Note the sponge is not “smooth” since I used 3 cups of freshly ground red wheat flour.

Second video clip shows result after 8 minutes of mixing. Dough was soft and supple. Window pane test showed dough was sufficiently kneaded.

Third image – dough after first rise – 30 minutes.

Fourth image – dough after second rise – 30 minutes.

Cooking Light’s Key Lime Pie

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Lightened version of a classic key lime pie. As with all of cooking light’s recipe’s – it’s spot on delish…

Cooking Light’s Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie – a creamy-tart dessert recipe made lighter by decreasing the number of egg yolks in the filling and using gelatin for thickening. Swicthed to fat-free sweetened non-condensed milk, decreased the margarine in the crust and added an egg white to help hold the crumb mixture together
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 290 kcal

Ingredients
  

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp chilled stick margarine
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pie Filling

  • 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
  • 2 egg yolks

Meringue Topping

  • 3 egg whites at room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar

Instructions
 

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Preheat oven to 325°
  • Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl, beat at medium speed of mixture until blended.
  • Add crumbs and cinnamon; toss with fork until moistened
  • Press crumbs into a 9" pie plate coated with cooking spray.
  • Bake crust at 325°° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack before filling.

Pie Filling

  • Preheat oven to 325
  • Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl; set aside.
  • Combine lime juice and egg yolks in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium / low heat 10 minutes or until slightly thick and very hot (180°), stirring constantly (do not boil)
  • Add softened gelatin to lime juice mixture; cook 1 minute stirring until gelatin dissolves.
  • Place pan in a large ice filled bowl; stir gelatin mixture 3 minutes or until mixture reaches room temperature. (do not allow gelatin to set)
  • Strain gelatin mixture into a medium bowl, discard any solids.
  • Gradually add milk stirring with a whisk until blended. Mixture will be very thick.
  • Spoon mixture into Graham Cracker Crust

Meringue Topping

  • Preheat oven to 325°
  • Beat egg whites cream of tartar and salt at high speed until foamy.
  • Gradually add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time beating until soft peaks form.
  • Spread meringue evenly over pie – sealing edges.
  • Bake pie at 325° for 25 minutes. Let cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Chill 3 hours or until set.
  • Cut with sharp knife dipped in hot water.
Keyword cooking light, keylime, pie

Whole Wheat Bread Using Sponge Method

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Whole Wheat Bread Using Sponge Method

Recipe based on an adaption of the sponge recipe in Tassajara Bread Book
Print Recipe
Course Breads
Cuisine American
Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients
  

Sponge

  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/3 tbsp yeast
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4 cups whole wheat flour

Bread

  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3-4 cups wheat flour

Instructions
 

Making the Sponge

  • Dissolve yeast in water. Add honey then flour. Mix until very smooth
  • Let sponge rise in warm place until doubled in bulk. 45 to 70 minutes.

Making the Bread

  • Add oil and salt to sponge, then add flour until the dough reached the right consistency.
  • Knead dough well.
  • Put dough in greased bowl. Cover with damp towel. Allow to rise till double, 45 – 70 minutes.
  • Punch dough down and allow to rise again, 45 – 70 minutes.
  • Separate dough into 2 balls. Form into loaves. Place in well greased bread pans. Let rise till double.

Bake Bread

  • Preheat oven to 350. Bake loaves for 45 minutes. Tops should be brown, sides and bottoms should be golden brown and loaf with go "thump" when you tap the bottom
Keyword Multigrain Bread, Sponge, Wheat