What’s better than a cutting into a loaf of warm, freshly
baked bread that’s soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside? Having a sexy
guy bake it for you!
In my latest cozy mystery, The Scarlet Pepper, hunky Secret Service Special Agent Jack Turner
surprises my intrepid gardener sleuth, Casey Calhoun, with a picnic basket that
includes a still hot loaf of home baked Italian bread.
Like Casey, I’m lucky to have a guy that knows his way
around the kitchen in my life. This recipe for homemade Italian bread has been
handed down from generation to generation in my husband’s family. When his
family gets together for holidays, everyone gathers in the kitchen and these
traditions are continued and shared with the younger generations.
Baking bread is an art that takes practice to master. Each
loaf tastes better than the last one.
I’m pleased to share with you this guide to help you start a
baking tradition that you can teach your sons and daughters and that can live
on for generations to come.
Ingredients:
2 cups Water
4tsp Bread Yeast
7 cups Flour
4tsp Sugar
2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Egg
Sesame Seeds
Gather together your ingredients. This will save you time
later. (I’ve learned this one the hard way!)
Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave oven for 30 seconds.
Water should be tepid, not hot.
Add 4 tsp of bread yeast to the heated water. (Do not stir
it into the water.)
Tap the side of the container with your hand or spoon to
disperse the yeast in the water. Set aside. This allows the yeast to bloom.
Measure 7 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl. It is
important to use high quality bread or all-purpose flour. We use King Arthur
all-purpose unbleached flour. We have found that when we use a cheaper brand,
the results are unpredictable. Quality ingredients do make a difference.
Measure 2 tsp of salt into the mixing bowl.
Measure 4 tsp of sugar into the mixing bowl.
Measure 2 Tbsp of olive oil into the mixing bowl.
Mix well.
Stir the yeast water mixture that you had set aside to
dissolve the yeast that is still on the side and floating on the top of the
mixture. (There will always be a little left floating on the top.)
Make a well in the dry ingredients and then add about half
of the yeast mixture. Combine it either with your hands or a spoon. Add the
remaining yeast mixture, continuing to work it into the dough.
Knead the dough with your hands. (It’s important to keep
your hands warm when you’re working with the dough.)
Keep working the dough until it forms a ball. Add water if
the dough seems dry. Add flour if the dough seems wet. The texture you are
looking for is just slightly sticky. It should form a smooth ball.
Coat the dough with olive oil.
Dampen a clean dish towel. Heat the dish towel in the
microwave until very warm (about 40 seconds). Cover the dough with the warm,
wet towel and set in a warm place for 30 minutes. NOTE: We set the dough in the
oven and the oven is NOT on.
After 30 minutes,
knead the dough for about a minute. Reheat the damp dish towel.
Cover the dough with the warm wet dish towel again and set
in a warm place for an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Lightly spray the bread pans with oil. We use olive oil.
Cut the dough into two equal halves. (You can weigh it. Each
half should be about 1 pound.) Shape the dough until it’s about the same size
and shape as the pan. Place in pan.
Set in a warm place for 1 hour and let rise. To bake:
preheat oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove the bread from the oven.
Scramble an egg.
Coat the top of the bread with the scrambled egg.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the bread and return to the
oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
And enjoy!
**********************************
Dorothy St. James writes the White House Gardener Mysteries
for Berkley Prime Crime. Flowerbed of State is the first book in the
series. Be sure to grab your copy while they're still available! Visit with
Dorothy on the web or at Facebook. Or follow her on Twitter.
Praise for FLOWERBED OF STATE:
"Credible characters, a fast-paced plot, and a light look at
political life in Washington, D.C., will delight cozy fans." ~ Publishers
Weekly
"This spunky new romantic suspense series is an obvious pick
for readers who enjoy Julie Hyzy's "White House Chef" series (Buffalo
West Wing), but also think of gardening mystery series such as Rosemary
Harris's (Slugfest)." ~ Library Journal
Praise for THE SCARLET PEPPER:
"This
cozy gets my highest recommendation, a perfect escape, and it should be in your
in your hot little hands as you prepare your own gardens. Definitely a must
"seed" story!!!" ~ Escape with Dollycas Blog
"A
potboiler of homicide, blackmail, journalism, power and sex - but one that St.
James handles with taste as well as verve - "The Scarlet Pepper"
fulfills the promise of last year's series debut, "Flowerbed of
State," and then some." ~ Richmond Times-Dispatch
Oh wow - that's gorgeous. I love homemade bread. Will have to bake a couple of loaves to share with folks this week. (Isn't bread a great gift).
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing ... thanks for sharing.
wow.
ReplyDeleteThank you for inviting me to visit with you on the blog, today. I agree Wendy, bread is a great gift, although it's difficult to get a loaf out of our house before someone eats it. :)
ReplyDeleteWe also use this same recipe (although smaller amounts) to make pizza dough. If we don't know what to eat for dinner, he'll whip up some dough and we'll use whatever we can find in the fridge as topping.
True confessions time. I do bake bread, but I'm sort of spoiled because I let the bread machine do the hard part. Mine has a manual function that takes bread through the first rising. Still, when I see your wonderful pictures, I'm tempted to do it by hand!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to try Nona's recipe. Would someone please pass the butter?
~ Krista
This is so nice. You have done a great job. So inspirational.
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Which one gift is the best to a friend at his anniversary? Printed gift cards or inviting on dinner?
ReplyDelete