8417 GRIT Guide to Homemade Bread 2017

You Too Can Bake Bread 8 Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned baker, our bloggers

offer encouragement for your bread-making endeavors.

8 Getty Images/Ka067

13 5 Reasons Why Your Bread Dough Doesn’t Rise

An experienced baker provides insight on this frustrating obstacle to baking great bread.

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Milling About

Take your baking a step further with a home grain mill that produces delicious flour.

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How to Make Homemade Flour

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Fresh, homemade flour is less expensive, more nutritious and more flavorful than store-bought flour. Learn how to make homemade flour, from choosing a grain mill to grinding technique, with these handy tips.

Easy, No-Knead Artisan Bread

Methods guaranteed to make everyone a baker!

Going Gluten Free

Seven indispensable ingredients make your transition easier.

What’s Up With Gluten?

Why does it have such a bad rap?

Break Your Fast With Bread

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A hearty breakfast keeps you going all morning, and what better way to start the day than with homemade bread?

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Daily Breads: Potato, Oatmeal, White, and Rye With a Starter

Make flavorful sandwich bread out of quality ingredients to save money and warm a gathering or just your kitchen for the day.

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Back-to-Basics French Bread

Whether you enjoy it as sippets, bread pudding, or toast with butter and jam, bake this historic bread recipe, based on English and classic American cookbooks. www.Grit.com

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Savory Sourdough 46 Starter gives this bread its unique, tangy taste.

Pizza Perfection 50 Forget takeout and turn your kitchen into a pizzeria.

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Stale, But Not Forgotten 54 Don’t throw out your dry, brittle bread … give it new life with these fresh recipes.

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Begging for Bagels

Boiled breads — like bagels, pretzels, and dumplings — turn out soft and chewy.

Cornmeal to Cornbread

A chunk of this savory yet sweet concoction makes a meal all by itself.

Biscuits and More

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Treat your taste buds to a culinary delight with homemade biscuits, tortillas, dumplings, and noodles.

Something Sweet

A touch of sugar adds a touch of home to delicious breads.

How to Bake Using an Earth Oven

Once you’ve tasted bread baked in this old-world structure, you’ll never go back to baking in the kitchen oven.

Flatbread Fiesta!

Call it tortilla, naan, matzo, or crackers, there’s a version in every culture.

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Creating a Food Business on the Homestead

Take your kitchen skills, add a great recipe and fresh ingredients, and combine for a great way to make yourself an income opportunity.

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Recipe Index

A list of all the recipes that appear in this year’s Guide to Homemade Bread.

Recommended Resources

Everything you need to start baking the best bread in your own kitchen.

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Basic Biscuits

Christmas Lemon Loaf

BREAD: 11⁄2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 11⁄2 teaspoons lemon extract 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 ⁄2 cup oil 1 ⁄3 cup lemon juice ICING: ⁄2 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 ⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon water 1

1 Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9-by5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

2 Whisk together all bread ingredients in large bowl until incorporated.

Bake in prepared pan for 45 minutes.

3 Cool in pan for 20 minutes, and then turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool completely.

4 To make icing, combine all ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended.

Drizzle over cooled bread before serving.

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By April Freeman This is a recipe that took me 10 years to perfect. It’s one of my kids’ favorite things to eat for breakfast, and they munch on the leftovers all day.

2 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon baking soda 1 ⁄2 cup butter, cold, cut into small bits 1 ⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup buttermilk 1 Preheat oven to 425 F. 2 In large mixing bowl,

combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda with fork.

3 Using pastry blender, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles cornmeal, with a few larger chunks. Add buttermilk. (This part is the hardest because I don’t measure exactly. I just pour in a bit, stir the dough gently with a wooden spoon and evaluate. It may need a touch more. When the dough looks evenly moistened, stop adding buttermilk. You want the dough to just stick together — not too sticky to handle, but not too dry either. Don’t worry, once you make the recipe a few times, you’ll get the knack for it.)

4 Scatter generous handful of flour on countertop. Place dough on floured surface. Using floured rolling pin, gen-

tly roll dough out to 3⁄4- to 1-inch thickness. Using floured biscuit cutter, cut rounds out.

5 Place dough rounds in cast-iron pan about 1⁄2 inch apart. (If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, a baking sheet will work, but if possible, keep your eyes open at the flea market for a good castiron pan, as it makes a huge difference in the biscuits.)

6 Bake biscuits in center of oven for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Serve piping hot with butter and homemade jam.

dividing the dough into 4 equal parts and making them smaller for dinner rolls. Yields 16 crescent rolls. ⁄3 cup nonfat dry milk 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons dry yeast 1 ⁄4 cup organic cane sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 ⁄2 cup butter, softened 1 egg 41⁄2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, divided 2

Homemade Crescent Rolls

By Carol Winn Crescent roll dough has a different texture than regular dough. It’s lighter and softer, and it needs to be treated delicately. When I use these rolls for hotdog buns, after the first rise I do not roll up the pieces I’m going to be using for hotdogs. I let them rise flat after they’ve been cut, and then place the hotdog on the wide edge of the dough and roll up just before baking.

They are so good, and if using them as hotdog buns, you could make your favorite sauce to dip them in instead of putting your condiments on the hotdog. We learned from experience that you must let them cool before biting into them. The hotdog stays quite hot for a while. One of these days, I plan on

(2)/MSPHOTOGRAPHIC, BIGGORIDER

By Meg With Modern Roots This sweet loaf will be a hit come time for holiday gatherings.

Basic Biscuits

LEFT TO RIGHT: ISTOCK/GOURMETPHOTOGRAPHY; FOTOLIA

Christmas Lemon Loaf

Homemade Crescent Rolls

1 In large bowl, dissolve dry milk in warm water. Lightly stir in yeast, and give it a couple of minutes to rest in the liquid. Mix in sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Slowly add 2 more cups flour, and start stirring swiftly.

Add another 1⁄2 cup flour, and mix until smooth.

2 Place dough in oiled bowl. Cover with pastry cloth or plastic wrap sprayed with oil so it doesn’t stick. Let rise for 45 to 60 minutes. It should easily double in size. Divide in half and roll each half into circle on pastry mat sprinkled with flour.

3 Cut each circle into 8 even pieshaped pieces. Roll each piece into crescent starting with outside edge and rolling toward center. Place on pan lined with parchment paper, and let rise again. Preheat oven to 375 F. 4 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Baking Powder Biscuits

By Morgan Crumm Buttermilk biscuits typically require a combination of baking powder and baking soda to achieve the proper acidbase balance for optimal leavening.

Since my biscuits would lack buttermilk’s acidic kick, I left out the baking soda (a base) and relied solely on double-acting baking powder (an acid-base mix activated by water based liquids and heat). The result was buttery, fluffy, and delicious biscuits. Yields 8 biscuits.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons sugar 8 tablespoons butter (preferably cultured), cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces and placed in freezer for 10 to 30 minutes 1 to 11⁄4 cups whole milk, divided 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided 1 Preheat oven to 450 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place another large piece parchment paper on counter for shaping and wrapping dough, and sprinkle very lightly with a bit of flour.

2 In medium to large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Use pastry blender, two knives

or forks, or food processor to cut in frozen butter, repeatedly pressing or slicing butter into flour until largest slivers or chunks of butter are no larger than very small peas.

3 Slowly pour 1 cup milk into flour mixture, and use wooden spoon or silicone “spoonula” to gently incorporate just until dough comes together. Add remaining milk as needed. The dough should not be wet or overly sticky. It should be a little scrappy looking.

4 Turn dough out onto prepared parchment paper. Lightly flour your hands and then gently pat dough into 1-inch-thick rectangle, approximately 8 inches by 6 inches. Wrap rectangle up in parchment paper and place in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.

5 Use pizza cutter to cut chilled dough into 8 rectangles approximately 2 inches by 3 inches. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet and brush tops gently with half the melted butter.

6 Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffed up and light golden brown. Remove from oven and brush tops with remaining melted butter. Serve with your favorite accompaniments.

NOTE: Leftover biscuits can be cooled completely and then stored in a zip-top bag or well-sealed container at room temperature for up to two days. Reheat leftover biscuits in a 350 F oven for about 5 minutes. www.Grit.com

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How to Make

Homemade Flour Fresh, homemade flour is less expensive, more nutritious and more flavorful than store-bought flour. Learn how to make homemade flour, from choosing a grain mill to grinding technique, with these handy tips.

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is the No. 1 reason to mill flour.

The moment after grains become flour is the moment of the flour’s maximum potential flavor, after which oxygen goes to work scavenging flavor molecules and degrading fatty acids.

Some types of fresh flour, including

buckwheat, corn, oats, and rye, are even more susceptible than wheat to fast degradation. This is no different than what happens to coffee beans once they’re ground. Many coffee aficionados wouldn’t think of brewing coffee with beans ground a week or more ago.

COURTESY VOYAGEUR PRESS

Why

make homemade flour?

Here are a few of the great reasons to try your hand at homemade flour: FLAVOR. Freshness, which can be equated with both flavor and nutrition,

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By Tabitha Alterman

VARIETY. With more than thirty thousand varieties of wheat in existence, you’d think options for nutritious flours would be numerous. Sadly, this is not the case. Research conducted by Dr. Donald R. Davis, a former nutrition scientist at the University of Texas, demonstrates how wheat has declined nutritionally over the last 50 years as farms have become more industrial.

“Beginning about 1960,” Davis told me, “modern production methods have gradually increased wheat yields by about threefold. Unfortunately, this famous Green Revolution is accompanied by an almost unknown side effect of decreasing mineral concentrations in wheat. Dilution effects in the range of 20 percent to 50 percent have been documented in modern wheats for magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, phosphorus, and sulfur, and they probably apply to other minerals as well.”

In addition, some of today’s varieties have only half as much protein, and there is evidence that old wheat varieties often have substantially higher amounts of valuable phytochemicals.

A few intrepid artisan companies are bucking the trend.

Wheat Montana Farms, for example, is one of the few companies where you can buy wheat directly from the farmers who grow it. Their two special varieties, Prairie Gold and Bronze Chief, were selected for superior protein content.

A t Bl u e b i rd Gr a i n Fa r m s i n Washington state, the nutritious heirloom wheats einkorn and emmer are grown sustainably and are milled to order or sold whole.

Similarly, Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur Flour, Pleasant Hill Grain, and Urban Homemaker, among others, sell high-quality, whole, unmilled grains for home grinding. If you have a great bakery near you, find out where they buy their flour — many small mills will accommodate special orders. If you notice that a farmers’ market stand offers fresh flour, ask if you can buy some grains to grind at home.

If you want to bake with a variety of grains beyond wheat, sometimes

If you plan to mill larger quantities of whole-grain flour, choose a grain mill designed specifically for that purpose, rather than a multipurpose appliance.

the easiest way to get these flours is to grind your own. Buckwheat tastes nothing like wheat. This is an advantage, not a disadvantage. I use buckwheat when I want its earthy flavor. I use fresh cornmeal when I want sweet corn flavor. I use oat flour when I want tenderness, and flour made from toasted quinoa when I want extra nuttiness. Variety is the key.

CONTROL. Not only are many of today’s flours likely inferior to their predecessors, but they can also be inconsistent from one brand to another. For most bread making, high-protein hard wheat is ideal. Lower-protein soft wheat flours are better for pastries. Maybe you like the taste of white wheat better than red, or perhaps whatever you’re baking could use a little extra sweetness from

sorghum or a bold accent from teff. By milling your own flour, you have control over all this. You can custom-blend exactly the mix you need, without buying several different bags of flour that you’ll then have to find room for in your freezer.

Home milling affords control over texture, too.

With a good grain mill you can turn any grain into a fine, medium, or coarse flour to suit your needs.

COST. Whole grains are less expensive than the flours that are made from them.

Depending on the price you pay for unmilled grains, you can easily make homemade loaves of bread for less than a buck. However, don’t expect to be able to offset the purchase of a mill with www.Grit.com

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1 In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, yeast, and sugar.

2 Add water, and stir with large rubber spatula until you have a

Baguette

Prepare to become addicted: This baguette is unlike a traditional baguette in that it’s soft and flavorful — you can easily tear off chunks from the loaf.

It’s perfect for dipping in olive oil or spreading with butter — or even on its own, thanks to the olive oil and salt on top. It’s also good for sandwiches, and it makes a great base for bruschetta.

To make this bread, you’ll need a baguette pan. Matfer blued steel pans from France are a great choice. You can find them online through specialty baking sites or Amazon.

3 cups bread flour 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon active dry yeast 3 ⁄4 teaspoon sugar

11⁄2 cups cool water Extra-virgin olive oil and flaked kosher salt

thoroughly mixed, wet, sticky mass of dough.

3 Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 12 to 18 hours.

4 After 12 to 18 hours have passed, your dough should be dotted with bubbles and more than doubled in size. Dust wooden cutting board with bread flour and, using plastic dough scrapers, scrape dough loose from sides of bowl and turn out onto board in one piece. Using dough scrapers, fold dough over and onto itself a few times to form a neat round of dough.

5 Pour a little olive oil into bowl, and brush surface of dough with oil.

Sprinkle on a few pinches of kosher salt, then cover loosely with clean cotton or linen tea towel. Let dough rise for another 1 to 2 hours.

6 About 30 minutes before last rise is complete, heat oven to 475 F. 7 Once oven has reached 475 F, brush some olive oil in baguette pan, coating all surfaces thoroughly. Uncover bread and, using dough scrapers, cut dough circle in half. Separate halves and, using scrapers again, gradually work dough to elongate each piece to 12 inches. (You may have to fold the ends under or stretch it a bit with your hands to get an even baguette. Just don’t overwork it or obsess about perfect shape.)

8 Dust hands with flour, then transfer each piece to baguette pan, stretching a little as you move it. Brush olive oil over top of each baguette, and sprinkle a little more Kosher salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

9 Remove from oven and slide onto cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Recipe from Plowing With Pigs and Other Creative, Low-Budget Homesteading Solutions, by Oscar H. Will III and Karen K. Will.

No-Knead Ciabatta Bread

FINAL DOUGH (DAY 2): 21⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 13⁄4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 ⁄8 teaspoon instant yeast 1 ⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

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ON DAY 1: 1 Two days (48 hours) before serving bread, prepare starter by stirring together flour, yeast, and water in small bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

ON DAY 2: 2 After 24 hours, prepare final dough by whisking together flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in large bowl. Add water, oil, and starter, and stir with dough whisk or spoon until mixture just comes together into wet, sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit for 19 hours at room temperature.

3 Using wooden spoon, stir dough a couple of strokes. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest for 2 additional hours.

4 Lightly spray 17-by-11-by-1-inch baking sheet with baking spray. Line sheet with parchment paper, and lightly

21⁄2 cups bread flour 1 ⁄2 cup cocoa powder 1 ⁄2 cup dried tart cherries 1 ⁄2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 1 ⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

The Perfect Pot I began baking my bread in 5- or 6-quart cast-iron and/or enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens, but my gooey dough didn’t seem to fill the expanse of those pots, and I ended up with a flat, sometimes odd-shaped loaf. After stumbling upon a rare 31⁄2-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven at my local hardware store, I knew it was the perfect size just by eyeballing it. The bottom was smaller in circumference than the larger pots I was using, and the sides gently curved upward, giving the loaf a more defined shape and some needed rise. The only problem was that doggone plastic knob!

The plastic knobs on the lids of most cast-iron Dutch ovens will melt in a 475-degree oven. Here’s a simple fix: Replace it with a metal cabinet- or drawer-type knob from the hardware store. If its screw is too long for the lid, use washers or nip off the end of the screw to secure it tightly.

You can find a selection of 31⁄2-quart cast-iron Dutch ovens online by doing a search; they aren’t usually stocked on the shelves of local big-box stores or even specialty cooking stores.

The other unique item on the equipment list (see “Bread Booty” below) is the elusive plastic dough scraper — not to be found in town! Do a web search, and several will turn up on specialty and/or commercial-baking supply sites.

• 3 ⁄ -quart cast-iron pot 1

flour (about 1 teaspoon) in spots where loaves will go.

5 Turn dough out onto floured surface and sprinkle with lots of flour.

Shape dough into log, and cut in half. Transfer halves to prepared baking sheet, with logs set parallel with short end of pan. Press dough out to 10-by-4-inch rectangles. Dimple surfaces with floured fingertips.

Sprinkle each rectangle lightly with flour, then cover with floured tea towel or oil-sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise for 2 hours.

6 About 20 minutes before rise is complete, preheat oven to 450 F. 7 Uncover dough and place in oven on center rack. Reduce oven temperature to 425 F, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 1 hour.

8 Store bread, wrapped in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 2 days. This bread is best the day it’s baked, but can be reheated in a 350-degree oven until it crisps up again, about 10 minutes.

1 teaspoon cinnamon 11⁄4 teaspoons salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 ⁄2 cup buttermilk 11⁄4 to 11⁄2 cups cool water Coarse cornmeal for dusting

Use Bread Baking Method 2 on Page 24.

Bread Booty

Yields 2 loaves.

STARTER (DAY 1): 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 ⁄8 teaspoon instant yeast 3 ⁄4 cup water, room temperature

Chocolate Cherry Bread

• • • • • • • • • • •

2

with lid and metal knob (do not use a pot with a plastic knob, or it will melt in the oven) large mixing bowl dry measuring cups liquid measuring cup measuring spoons large rubber spatula 2 plastic dough scrapers large wooden or glass cutting board cotton or linen tea towels heavy-duty potholders sturdy wood or metal spatula cooling rack

A Note on Cleanup

Let’s face it, wet, sticky dough is hard to clean up. Instead of ruining your scrubbers and sponges — and taking the chance of clogging your sink — by attacking the problem directly, use these methods: Dirty dough bowl: Swirl a little water in the bowl. Dump it out. Wipe a dry paper towel all around the bowl, picking up all the bits of dough, and discard.

Tea towels: Pick off bits of dough before laundering.

Cutting board: Use your plastic dough scrapers to scrape up all the leftover dough bits before cleaning it with soap and water.

• • •

Order Plowing With Pigs and Other Creative, LowBudget Homesteading Solutions by Oscar H. Will III and Karen K. Will by visiting www.grit.com/store.

www.Grit.com

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PIZZA Perfection Forget takeout and turn your kitchen into a pizzeria.

If “enjoyed” the convenience of home

you live rurally, you probably haven’t

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CRISPY PIZZA CRUST Yields 2 large crusts.

21⁄2 cups unbleached allpurpose flour 11⁄2 teaspoons quick-rise yeast 1 teaspoon salt 3 ⁄4 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) 2 teaspoons honey 3 tablespoons olive oil

Article and photographs

by Karen K. Will

pizza delivery in years. But there’s no sense crying over lukewarm, mediocre pie, when you can make your own right at home! Homemade pizza is not only delicious, it can be an adventure.

Deciding on a crust, the toppings and sauce, and who’s going to do what, makes pizza night an event, not just another meal.

As the vehicle for transporting pizza toppings, the crust is the most important part of this equation. The choice usually boils down to the weather: If it’s cold and blustery, maybe a Chicagostyle deep-dish pizza — the kind where one slice weighs about a half pound. If it’s midsummer, perhaps a thin, crispy crust gently sprinkled with fresh mozzarella and garden veggies. As tempting as it may be to pile on the toppings, remember to give the crust a fighting chance. Use a light hand when it comes to toppings, and allow the crust to bake and crisp.

Whether you’re new to baking pizza or an old experienced hand, I’ve presented the easiest methods for the home cook and flexibility when it comes to baking vessels: baking sheets, pizza stones and cast iron all work.

7 Spoon on sauce, followed by desired toppings.

8 Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, toppings are hot, and cheese is melted and bubbling.

9 Slide pizza off baking pan onto cutting board. Cut into slices and serve.

Pizza crusts CHEWY SEMOLINA PIZZA CRUST Yields 2 large crusts.

11⁄4 cups warm water (105 to 115 F) 1 teaspoon honey 21⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast 13⁄4 cups semolina flour 11⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 ⁄4 teaspoon salt Olive oil 1 In bowl of stand mixer, combine water, honey and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until yeast is foamy.

2 Add flours and salt, and knead with dough hook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth yet still sticky to the touch.

3 Shape dough into ball and put

in oiled bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise for 45 to 60 minutes.

4 Turn dough out onto floured surface. Punch down and divide into 2 equal parts. (If you do not intend to use both crusts, place leftover dough in plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month.)

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: 5 Preheat oven to 500 F. Rub olive oil generously on heavy baking sheet or round pizza pan.

6 Using fingers, press out dough roughly into 8-by-6-inch rectangle or to partially cover baking vessel. Brush with a little olive oil. Cover and let rest for about 15 minutes. Roll or press out to fit prepared pan entirely.

1 In bowl of stand mixer, combine flour, yeast and salt. Stir in water, honey and olive oil until combined. Knead for about 6 minutes, or until dough is smooth and satiny.

2 Shape dough into ball and place in oiled bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in warm spot for about 11⁄2 hours.

3 Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Punch down and divide into 2 equal parts. (If you only plan to use one crust, put remaining dough in plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)

4 Place dough on oiled baking sheet or cutting board, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: 5 Preheat oven and baking stone, pizza pan or baking sheet to 500 F. 6 Sprinkle dough with flour and, based on pan you’re using, roll out to 9-by-13-inch rectangle or 12-inch circle, about 1⁄16-inch thick.

7 Drape dough over rolling pin and transfer to preheated vessel, carefully unrolling it – and being very careful not to burn yourself.

8 Quickly spread sauce over crust, and then assemble desired toppings.

9 Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbling.

Classic Sausage, Olives and Onion Pizza, recipe on Page 53.

FOCACCIA CRUST

Yields 1 large crust.

21⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast 11⁄2 teaspoons honey 1 cup lukewarm water 21⁄2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, divided 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 3 ⁄4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt 1 Mix together yeast, honey and water in bowl of stand mixer. Add 1⁄2 cup flour, and combine well with rubber spatula. Cover with clean tea towel, and let rest in warm place for 30 minutes.

2 Add olive oil, salt and 1 cup flour.

Attach dough hook to mixer, and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase speed to kneading, and gradually add remaining flour until dough adheres to hook. (It will be soft and sticky.)

Continue kneading for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic, yet still quite sticky.

3 Remove dough from bowl and shape into ball. Place in oiled bowl, and turn to coat all sides. Cover bowl with towel, and set in warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

4 Punch down dough and turn out

onto lightly floured surface.

Knead a few times, just until smooth, no longer.

5 Transfer dough to oiled baking sheet and, with fingertips, press into large rectangle, 12 inches by 8 inches. Brush dough with additional olive oil, and let rest for 30 minutes.

6 Using fingertips, press dough to fill baking sheet.

(There should be evenly spaced indentations all over surface without any tears.)

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: 7 Preheat oven to 375 F. 8 Drizzle oil or sauce over dough, and then arrange desired toppings.

9 Bake for about 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crisp on bottom, and cheese is melted and bubbling. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing pizza into squares to serve.

CRUNCHY CORNMEAL PIZZA CRUST Yields 2 large crusts.

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) 11⁄2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 ⁄2 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour 1 cup bread flour 1 ⁄4 cup cornmeal (medium grind) 11⁄4 teaspoons salt 1 In bowl of stand mixer, whisk together water, yeast and honey. Set aside for 10 minutes to proof. When surface appears foamy, stir in oil.

2 In separate bowl, whisk together flours, cornmeal and salt. Add to liquid mixture in bowl of stand mixer, and knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is soft and pliable.

3 Place dough in oiled bowl, and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot to rise until doubled or tripled in size, about 11⁄2 to 2 hours.

4 Punch down dough, and then divide into 2 equal portions. (For portions you don’t plan to use within 2 days, freeze for up to 1 month.) www.Grit.com

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Pear, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza

SPICY OLIVE OIL

This is the “lazy man’s pesto.” I started fixing this when I wanted a simple herbed oil to use as pizza sauce. Yields enough for 1 large pizza. ⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Handful of fresh minced herbs (basil, cilantro, oregano), or 1 teaspoon dried herbs of your choice 1 clove garlic, minced Pinch of sea salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes, optional 1

1 Place all ingredients in small bowl, and muddle together. Let stand for 30 minutes, or use immediately.

NOTE: This doesn’t keep well, so just make enough to use right away.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: 5 Preheat oven and pizza stone or pan to 475 F. 6 Roll out dough into thin round, and carefully transfer to prepared pan.

7 Spoon sauce over crust, and assemble desired toppings.

8 Bake for 12 minutes, or until crust is brown and cheese is bubbling.

Sauces FRESH AND EASY TOMATO SAUCE

This light sauce doesn’t need to be cooked before using on your favorite pizza. It will heat through while the pizza cooks. Yields enough sauce for 4 large pizzas.

1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes (the best quality available) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, or 1 ⁄2 teaspoon dried herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)

Empty tomatoes into colander.

Drain for 15 minutes, then transfer to 1

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food processor or blender.

2 Add oil, garlic, salt and basil, and process until smooth.

3 Use immediately, or store in refrigerator for up to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.

CLASSIC ITALIAN PESTO Yields 1 cup.

⁄3 cup toasted pine nuts 2 cloves garlic 2 cups packed basil leaves, washed and dried 1 ⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄8 teaspoon black pepper 1 ⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional 1 ⁄2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice 1

1 Combine nuts and garlic in bowl of food processor; pulse until crumbly. Add basil, oil, salt, pepper, cheese and vinegar, and process until smooth, scraping down bowl once or twice.

2 Use immediately, refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 6 months.

This addictive, delicious white sauce is multifunctional. It can be used as a base for pizza, a pasta sauce, the binder for macaroni and cheese, and so much more. Yields 11⁄2 cups.

11⁄2 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Scant 1⁄2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg 1 Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat just until it boils. Remove from heat and set aside.

2 In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Blend in flour, cooking and whisking constantly for 2 minutes.

3 Slowly add hot milk, whisking furiously to avoid scorching. Cook sauce over low heat for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently with rubber spatula.

4 Remove from heat, and stir in salt.

Season with pepper and nutmeg.

5 Let sauce sit for 10 to 15 minutes before using on pizza.

Specialty pizzas

The sky is the limit as far as pizza toppings go — you’re only limited by your imagination. Think about combining

sweet and savory foods for some interesting flavors, and always pat dry the toppings before assembling the pizza so the crust doesn’t become soggy.

CLASSIC SAUSAGE, OLIVES AND ONION PIZZA

1 Chewy Semolina Pizza Crust (recipe on Page 50) 1 ⁄2 cup Fresh and Easy Tomato Sauce (recipe on Page 52) 1 ⁄2 onion, sliced 1 to 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 2 ounces kalamata olives, pitted 2 ounces dry sausage (salami) or pepperoni, sliced thin 1 ⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 10 fresh basil leaves 1 Preheat oven to 500 F. Rub olive oil over entire surface of heavy baking sheet or round pizza pan.

2 Using fingers, press out dough to partially cover baking sheet, roughly an 8-by-6-inch rectangle. Brush dough with a little additional olive oil, and let rest for about 15 minutes.

3 After dough has rested, press it out with fingers to fill baking sheet, or roll out into 12-inch round and transfer to prepared pizza pan.

4 Spoon sauce over dough, and layer on onion slices, mozzarella, olives, sausage and Parmesan.

5 Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, toppings are hot, and cheese is bubbling.

6 Scatter fresh basil over top. Slide pizza off baking sheet onto cutting board, and cut into slices to serve.

BLUE CORNMEAL, CHICKEN AND CHILE PIZZA

1 Crunchy Cornmeal Pizza Crust (recipe on Page 51 — make it with blue cornmeal) 1 ⁄4 cup Béchamel Sauce (recipe on Page 52) 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast 1 ⁄2 red onion, sliced 2 jalapeños, 1 seeded and diced, 1 sliced with seeds intact 1 tablespoon pine nuts

Blue Cornmeal, Chicken and Chile Pizza

1 Place pizza stone or pan in oven and preheat to 475 F. 2 Roll out dough into thin round, about 1⁄16-inch thick. Fold dough over rolling pin and carefully transfer to prepared pan.

3 Spread Béchamel Sauce over dough, and then scatter garlic, mozzarella and pepper jack cheeses, chicken, onion slices, jalapeños and pine nuts as evenly as possible.

4 Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until crust is brown and toppings are bubbling.

PEAR, PROSCIUTTO AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 ⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 3 cups baby spinach 1 Crispy Pizza Crust (recipe on Page 51) 1 red pear, thinly sliced 11⁄2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 1 ⁄4 cup walnut pieces 1 Preheat oven and baking stone, pizza pan or baking sheet to 500 F. 2 In small bowl, make dressing by whisking together oil, honey, lemon juice, thyme and salt.

3 Reserve 1 tablespoon dressing mixture to top hot pizza.

4 Place baby spinach in large bowl, and pour remaining dressing over top.

Toss to coat well.

5 Sprinkle dough with a little flour, and roll out to irregularly shaped rectangle or circle about 1⁄16-inch thick.

6 Drape dough over rolling pin and transfer to prepared vessel, carefully unrolling it. Scatter dressing-coated spinach, followed by pear slices, prosciutto, goat cheese and walnuts over dough as evenly as possible.

7 Bake for about 10 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crispy.

8 Drizzle reserved dressing over top.

Transfer pizza to cutting board, and slice to serve. www.Grit.com

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Biscuits &More

1 cup grated cheese of your choice 1 Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease baking sheet with lard; set aside.

2 In large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Using pastry blender, cut in lard until texture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk, and mix lightly with fork.

3 Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly and roll out to 1⁄4-inch thickness using floured rolling pin.

4 Sprinkle cheese evenly over dough, and then roll up as you would jellyroll.

5 Cut into 3⁄4-inch-thick slices. Place, cut-side down, 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.

6 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Sky-High Biscuits

These jumbo-sized biscuits are aptly named because the combination of working yeast, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and yogurt engages in a bubbling chemical reaction that fills the dough with carbon dioxide, causing them to rise “sky high.”

Make them when you have guests to impress or lots of mouths to feed. Yields 1 dozen.

Treat your taste buds to a culinary delight with homemade biscuits, tortillas, dumplings and noodles.

Whetherdelicious breakfast,

you’re dreaming of a

lunch or supper, or even an afternoon snack, we have just the thing. Easy to prepare, and oh-so-good fresh from the oven, biscuits go great with butter and/ or jelly or honey, or even topped with country gravy. When your stomach starts rumbling midday, satisfy your hunger with a flour tortilla topped with ham and cheese, or head south of the border with Mexican toppings. For supper, mix up a batch of dumplings or noodles to go along with soup or broth; your family will love it.

G put together an exciting cookbook that features an old-fashioned key ingredient: lard. All of the recipes in this article are from Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking With Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient.

70

GRIT’s Guide to Homemade Bread

70-73 Biscuits And More.indd 70-71

In addition to the basics — lard, flour, and some sort of leavening agent — biscuits can be prepared with a variety of ingredients, such as herbs, cheeses, yogurt, buttermilk or sour milk. No matter what ingredients your recipe calls for, using lard as the shortening will ensure a rich, flaky biscuit.

If you’ve never had homemade tortillas, you don’t know what you’re missing. Made with five simple ingredients, tortillas are versatile. Use them for wraps, burritos, soft tacos or tostadas. The options are endless.

Do you remember the dumplings and noodles from your childhood? Now you can treat your family to homemade recipes like those Mom and Grandma made.

Dumplings made with a biscuit mix and noodles purchased in the freezer section of your local grocery store just can’t compare to homemade.

We hope you enjoy all of these wonder-

ful recipes we’ve collected over the years from our loyal readers.

⁄2 cup lard, cold and coarsely chopped, plus more for greasing pan 21⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 ⁄4 cup warm water (105 to 115 F) 21⁄2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 ⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar 11⁄2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup plain yogurt 1

Cheese Roll Biscuits

These delicious little rolls are so much more than biscuits. Bread flour gives them a chewy texture and crisp crust, and the addition of cheese and buttermilk introduces extra protein and makes for a satisfying side dish or snack. Make them with Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese for a brunch or potluck. Yields 2 dozen. ⁄4 cup lard, cold and coarsely chopped, plus more for greasing pan 21⁄2 cups bread flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 ⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup buttermilk 1

FOTOLIA/ROBYNMAC (2)

By Traci Smith

1 Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease baking sheet with lard, and set aside.

2 In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

3 In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda. Using pastry blender or two knives, cut in lard until coarse crumbs form.

4 Make well in center of flour mix-

ture; add yogurt and dissolved yeast all

made biscuits in no time. Better yet,

Grandma’s Homemade Biscuits These biscuits are as authentic as they come, from a time when lard from the family’s hog and milk from the backyard cow were common fare. The dough can be rolled and cut with a biscuit cutter or dropped from a wooden spoon. Make these for a big family supper, because they are best when eaten fresh from the oven. Yields 1 dozen. ⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon lard, cold and coarsely chopped, plus more for greasing pan 21⁄2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, divided

1

3 teaspoons baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted

1 Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease baking sheet with lard; set aside.

2 In large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Using pastry

blender, cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk, and stir to form ball.

3 Sprinkle remaining flour on sheet of wax paper, and turn dough mixture onto it. Knead for

about 5 minutes, and then roll out dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet, or drop dough using large spoon, onto baking sheet, and pat down. Brush tops with melted butter.

4 Bake for about 20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

at once. Toss with fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.

5 On floured surface, roll dough out to 3⁄4-inch thickness using floured rolling pin. Cut biscuits using floured 21⁄ 2-inch-round biscuit cutter. Gather trimmings and repeat.

6 Place biscuits 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm.

Freezer Biscuits

The concept of freezer biscuits is a solid one — make them one day, eat them all month; that’s how long they’ll keep. Just pop a few into a hot oven, and you’ll have crisp and flaky home-

To order Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient by the Editors of GRIT, visit the GRIT Bookstore at www.grit.com/store.

there are no leftovers. Yields 1 dozen.

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 ⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 ⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1 ⁄2 cup lard, cold and coarsely chopped 2 ⁄3 cup milk 1 egg, beaten www.Grit.com

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