Some Baking Cooking Homemade Recipes – Breads

by Hugh Dessereau

These great homemade recipes are presented to spark the imagination. Not only can they become family recipe favorites for cooking dinner, they may remind you of something else you want to cook or try. Of course, as I keep repeating, don’t be afraid to experiment with these recipes. a spice added or substituted here and there can produce dramatic results that may become a favorite personal family classic recipe.

Florentine Bread

Note: This bread has nothing to do with spinach and everything to do with the method of preparation.

Soften 2 yeast cakes in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup lukewarm water, 1 cup soft butter, and 2 cups flour. Add 9 beaten egg yolks, the softened yeast, and 6 stiffly beaten egg whites and mix thoroughly. Add about 8 cups flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and put it in a lightly buttered bowl. Brush the dough with melted butter, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it is double in bulk. Punch down, cover, and let rise again for about 1 hour, or until double in bulk.

Punch the dough down, divide it into 4 parts, and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each part into a loaf, cover the loaves, and let them rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours, or until double in bulk. Bake the loaves in a moderate oven (375° F) for about 50 minutes.

Pizza

Despite reader interest, I hesitated to add this, but what the heck. The true beauty of a great pizza is in the crust, which is basically a yeast bread. The toppings one might use are infinite both in varieties and combinations. To say that this is the only way to prepare pizza (or a pizza dough) would be a bit short minded. But, this way works very nicely.

Soften 1 package granulated yeast or 1 yeast cake in 1 cup lukewarm water. Sift 4 cups flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt onto a pastry board and make a well in the center. Pour the softened yeast into the well and gradually work in the flour, adding a little more lukewarm water, if necessary, to make a soft dough. Knead the dough vigorously for 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and continue to knead the dough until it can be formed into a smooth ball. Cover it with a cloth and set it in a warm place until it is double in bulk. Punch the dough down on a lightly floured board and divide it in half. Shape each half into a smooth ball and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk.

Again punch the dough down and roll each ball of dough into a large circle 1/8 inch thick in the center and a little thicker at the edges, or stretch the dough with the hands to fit an oiled pie plate about 18 inches in diameter.

Cover the surface of each circle with tomato sauce to within 1/2 to 1 inch of the edge. Top with 1/8-inch-thick slices of Mozzarella cheese, sprinkle the cheese with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and cover with tomato slices. Well-drained canned tomatoes may be used. Sprinkle the filling with finely chopped orégano, thyme or marjoram, and pepper to taste. Cut 8 anchovy fillets into small pieces, scatter them over the tomato slices, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake the pizza: in a hot oven (400° F) for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked and the dough is golden brown.

Henrici’s Apple or Blueberry Pancake

Combine 1 cup sifted flour, a pinch each of salt and sugar, and 1 cup milk. Beat 4 eggs and stir them slowly into the batter. Add 1 cup grated apple or blueberries.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over a slow fire. Pour the pancake batter into the hot pan, and cook until the underside is brown. Turn the pancake over, flatten it with a spatula, and brown the other side.

Place the skillet and pancake in a hot oven (450° F) for 10 minutes. The edges will curl as the cake bakes.

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