Bread and Rice

This is really for Bess but I don't want to type it a million times so here you go-these recipes are from my amazing friend who is an AMAZING chef and teacher, Sam.

(and I'll add my notes as well)

Whole Wheat Bread

6 C warm water- not hot because that will kill the yeast
2 T yeast
2/3 C Sugar
2/3 C oil- I usually use canola oil but I have used olive oil and that works great as well
2 T salt
2 T gluten flour - Vital Wheat Gluten(for each cup of wheat flour or if you are using only white flour use 1T for each cup) -this helps the dough raise and REALLY does make a difference! so this means I should add 20T + 2 T but I don't usually add that much I just add 1 tablespoon at time until it stops sticking to the sides and then add more if I want too-sorry
3 T dough enhancer (Makes your bread last 2-3 days longer) The recipe calls for 3 T and I usually use 2 T for 12 cups of flour
4 eggs, optional- I never use eggs because we eat lots already and I never know when my vegan family will come over and I want them to be able to have bread if they do come! Nate uses eggs when he makes this dough for rolls
12-14 C flour- I usually use 10 wheat and 2 white- I have made white bread and it is great but I just can't justify it- at Bess' birthday dinner I used 6 C of each


Place water and yeast along with 1 T sugar into the mixing bowl, let bubble and ferment for about 5 minutes-until you can't see the water through the mixture-and I definitely let it sit longer than 5 min because I forget and do laundry which I love to do, which sometimes reminds me I need to clean the bathroom so I start that or give Blue or North a bath because I realize it's been too long! Anyhow... then I wash my hands and get back to the bread. Add sugar-all 2/3 C I don't subtract the 1 T for yeast mixture-,oil, and eggs if using. Mix lightly and add flour 1 C at a time- add wheat flour first. Add gluten flour-vital wheat gluten- before completely mixed. Knead for a few minutes, in mixer, and then add dough enhancer. Finish kneading, in mixer, for about 3-4 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Shape into loaves and place in bread pans (you may need to grease and flour the pans) and let rise until doubled again. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes or until bread is cooked through (about 190 with an instant read thermometer). Usually makes 5 loaves


OK- maybe you thought I was done adding notes but no, just wanted you to be able to print it out without any more side notes. It's been good for me to look at the recipe again and type it so I can see what I have been doing wrong. Not that the bread hasn't tasted great lately but Corinne wanted to buy some and the loaves were looking pretty sad but since she's my sister I thought it wasn't a big deal until Nate said that I couldn't sell those to her because they were so ugly-thanks. Anyhow I have been making this bread 2 times a week since August-adjusting for vacations I have made it now about 50 times-including today, it's rising now. So needless to say I have the recipe memorized and it has tasted great everytime despite looking not so great since Nate made me paranoid. Rising is difficult and I recommend reading -THE BREAD BIBLE-to learn about rising. Sam loaned it to me and I loved it but of course I didn't read it all. So the way I let dough rise is this- in the summer I put it outside in a covered, oiled bowl for the first rise and depending on my hurry level bring it back out for the 2nd rise or just let it sit inside. Summer seems a long time ago and a long ways off and for now in the winter- I cover it in an oiled bowl and sit it on the oven with the oven heated to 550 for both rises. But be sure to turn the oven down before you cook the bread because that heat may make it fall. From start to finish, it takes me longer than most I'm sure, but it's about 3 hours. Since I'm lucky and get to be home with my kiddies all day it's not so bad to wait. Not that I've ever hovered over it because staying at home means there's ALWAYS something to do. Sorry this is out of order-the trickiest part for me is the shaping. I just asked Sam this Sunday, again, about shaping and she rolls out the loaves-AH! I remembered reading that in THE BREAD BIBLE but I don't want to add that "extra" step. I don't like rolling pins- especially the process of laying out the cloth and all the flour so for now and for the past 200 loaves I will keep shaping it in my oiled hands. But for Corinne's loaves I may try extra hard to make it pretty without any air pockets. MAY-but MAYbe not because it has worked for me till now. Happy baking!



Spanish Rice- also from Sam- who made the above bread, this rice, spice rubbed chicken and grilled bananas, black bean and corn salsa, spinach salad and the dressing, and grilled pineapple all in 1 1/2 hours at our cooking class for Relief Society-She is amazing! The class meets every 2nd Thursday.

2 T oil
1 C uncooked rice
1 onion,chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 C water
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 tsp chili powder or to taste
1 tsp salt

Heat oil in deep skillet over medium heat, saute' rice, onion and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender. Stir in water and canned tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

I haven't made this but it was yummy. Last night we had spanish rice my style-we already had cooked rice 1/2 white/1/2 brown combo from rice on Sunday, cooked in the rice cooker. So I sauteed 1/4 an onion and 1 garlic clove in olive oil plus salt, pepper, chili powder, crushed red pepper, ground cumin, then added 1 small can tomato sauce and added "some" precooked rice to that mixture- until the rice looked like spanish rice and let it simmer until our chicken and red peppers had grilled. It was tasty- 4 out of 6 liked it- the other 2, MJ and Jonas, ate it anyway.