Yeast, Flour, Water, and Salt
I find baking bread to be very relaxing. It’s not as hard as people think, and is quite delicious. Here are a few of the yeast bread adventures I have had over the last few weeks.
PRETZELS!
Pretzels were a very exciting adventure. I believe I used this recipe from Alton Brown. I would declare them better than Auntie Anne’s!
Pretzels are cooked by boiling briefly in a solution of baking soda and water, then baking on a cookie sheet. This process is a lot easier with two people. We used a chunky sea salt for the pretzel salt, which is added after boiling and before baking. When they were done, we brushed them with butter and enjoyed.
Cheese Bread
Following a recipe from the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking, a very delicious cheese bread was created. The dough contained both milk and egg, and had cheddar cheese baked into it. This created a soft, cake-like texture on the inside that was yellow in color. Prior to baking, the tops of the bread were brushed with a blend of garlic, butter, rosemary and olive oil. Then a mixture of Asiago and Pecorino Romano cheeses were sprinkled on top. The flavor and texture of this bread was amazing.
Greek “City” Bread
I found this recipe in The Olive and the Caper, a Greek cookbook. I made it once before and I recall the bread rising higher and tasting a lot better. This bread fell when I attempted to transfer it to a baking stone, so I clearly did something wrong. Nevertheless, it still was tasty, and had a nice crunchy crust.
