Post by Christine on Apr 15, 2007 13:05:27 GMT -5
Not sure if I posted this before, but it has become one of my favorites. It's very good if used as homemade taco shells.
Kip
Are you sick of store-bought bread that always seems to be tasteless, stale, and full of chemicals? Want to bake bread, but don't have an oven or a limitless supply of gas?
I came across the following recipe that's easy, and can be baked on top of the stove in a cast iron skillet. It makes a great approximation of Syrian pita bread (without the hollow interior).
3 cups of white all purpose bread flour, or whole wheat (I like King Arthur Brand)
1 cup of 110 deg F water
2 tsp of dry, instant yeast (not rapid rise yeast).
1/2 - 1 TBS salt
1 tsp - 1/2 TBS sugar
1 TBS oil or melted butter (I use olive oil)
Place three cups of flour and the salt into a mixing bowl.
Dissolve the yeast and the sugar into the one cup of warm water. Do not allow the temperature of the water to exceed 120 deg F or you'll kill the yeast.
Allow the yeast / water / sugar mixture to sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should foam, proving that the yeast is alive.
Add the oil to the yeast / water mixture. Make a well in the flour, and pour the liquid into the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to ball. If the dough is still crumbly after stirring, add a TBS of water to moisten. Don't make the dough too wet and sticky though. You'll have trouble getting the inside of the loaf to properly bake.
Turn dough out onto a cutting board, and knead for 300 strokes (this can be accomplished in a decent-sized Cuisinart Food Processor or a Kitchenaid Mixer). If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour by dipping your hands into the flour during the kneading process. When properly kneaded, the dough should feel like a baby's earlobe.
After kneading, place the ball of dough back into the bowl, cover with a plastic bag or a dinner plate. Allow the dough to rise for an hour, or until the volume doubles.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle (must have a flat bottom - no ridges or grooves) on medium.
Punch down the dough, kneading a couple of strokes to get rid of the gas inside, and to revitalize the yeast. Cut a 2 inch diameter ball of dough with a knife, and sprinkle a bit of extra flour (to prevent sticking) on the cutting board. Using a rolling pin, flatten the ball into a circle. If you're making bread, roll to 1/4 of an inch of thickness. If you're looking to make tortillas for tacos, roll thinner.
Place the circle of dough onto the heated cast iron skillet. Cook until the bottom is nicely browned (about 1 - 2 minutes). Don't try to do other things while baking these breads. It's too easy to burn the bottoms.
When one side is well browned, turn the dough over, and brown the other side. This side won't brown as well because air bubbles will keep some of the dough from touching the skillet surface. Again, don't allow the bread to burn.
While the dough is cooking, roll out the next piece.
If you want crispy breads, lay them out on a cookie rack, and don't pile them on top of each other. If you want softer breads, pile them on top of each other. The steam will keep them soft.
Hints:
Yeast seems to be really expensive at the grocery store. If you visit Sams Club, you can buy two bricks of dry yeast for $4.00. They are vacuum packed, and will keep for a long time if they're kept dry. Once you open a brick, store the leftover in a tightly sealed container or bottle in the fridge or freezer if you have such facilities.
Get a cast iron skillet at Walmart. They sell Lodge Cast Iron cookware, and the skillets hold up nicely. Be sure to dry them thoroughly after using to keep them from rusting. Store them in a dry location as well (the boat bilge won't work here).
To minimize the mess while kneading, get a large cutting board, a roll of that no-skid counter cover and a sheet of plastic that is six inches larger than the cutting board on all dimensions (a cut open plastic bag works here). The cutting board, no-skid material, and plastic tablecloth cover can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Lay a piece of no-skid on the counter. Lay the plastic bag or the piece of plastic tablecloth cover over the no-skid. Lay another piece of no-skid on top of the plastic, and place the cutting board on top of this. The no-skid will prevent the cutting board from sliding around. The plastic bag will keep the flour from spreading all over the place. When you're done, shake the whole thing over the side of the boat to get rid of the excess flour. Careful not to drop any of your implements over the side :-) If the no-skid stops working, rinse with water to get rid of the flour sticking to the material.
Kip
Kip
Are you sick of store-bought bread that always seems to be tasteless, stale, and full of chemicals? Want to bake bread, but don't have an oven or a limitless supply of gas?
I came across the following recipe that's easy, and can be baked on top of the stove in a cast iron skillet. It makes a great approximation of Syrian pita bread (without the hollow interior).
3 cups of white all purpose bread flour, or whole wheat (I like King Arthur Brand)
1 cup of 110 deg F water
2 tsp of dry, instant yeast (not rapid rise yeast).
1/2 - 1 TBS salt
1 tsp - 1/2 TBS sugar
1 TBS oil or melted butter (I use olive oil)
Place three cups of flour and the salt into a mixing bowl.
Dissolve the yeast and the sugar into the one cup of warm water. Do not allow the temperature of the water to exceed 120 deg F or you'll kill the yeast.
Allow the yeast / water / sugar mixture to sit for 10 minutes. The mixture should foam, proving that the yeast is alive.
Add the oil to the yeast / water mixture. Make a well in the flour, and pour the liquid into the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to ball. If the dough is still crumbly after stirring, add a TBS of water to moisten. Don't make the dough too wet and sticky though. You'll have trouble getting the inside of the loaf to properly bake.
Turn dough out onto a cutting board, and knead for 300 strokes (this can be accomplished in a decent-sized Cuisinart Food Processor or a Kitchenaid Mixer). If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour by dipping your hands into the flour during the kneading process. When properly kneaded, the dough should feel like a baby's earlobe.
After kneading, place the ball of dough back into the bowl, cover with a plastic bag or a dinner plate. Allow the dough to rise for an hour, or until the volume doubles.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle (must have a flat bottom - no ridges or grooves) on medium.
Punch down the dough, kneading a couple of strokes to get rid of the gas inside, and to revitalize the yeast. Cut a 2 inch diameter ball of dough with a knife, and sprinkle a bit of extra flour (to prevent sticking) on the cutting board. Using a rolling pin, flatten the ball into a circle. If you're making bread, roll to 1/4 of an inch of thickness. If you're looking to make tortillas for tacos, roll thinner.
Place the circle of dough onto the heated cast iron skillet. Cook until the bottom is nicely browned (about 1 - 2 minutes). Don't try to do other things while baking these breads. It's too easy to burn the bottoms.
When one side is well browned, turn the dough over, and brown the other side. This side won't brown as well because air bubbles will keep some of the dough from touching the skillet surface. Again, don't allow the bread to burn.
While the dough is cooking, roll out the next piece.
If you want crispy breads, lay them out on a cookie rack, and don't pile them on top of each other. If you want softer breads, pile them on top of each other. The steam will keep them soft.
Hints:
Yeast seems to be really expensive at the grocery store. If you visit Sams Club, you can buy two bricks of dry yeast for $4.00. They are vacuum packed, and will keep for a long time if they're kept dry. Once you open a brick, store the leftover in a tightly sealed container or bottle in the fridge or freezer if you have such facilities.
Get a cast iron skillet at Walmart. They sell Lodge Cast Iron cookware, and the skillets hold up nicely. Be sure to dry them thoroughly after using to keep them from rusting. Store them in a dry location as well (the boat bilge won't work here).
To minimize the mess while kneading, get a large cutting board, a roll of that no-skid counter cover and a sheet of plastic that is six inches larger than the cutting board on all dimensions (a cut open plastic bag works here). The cutting board, no-skid material, and plastic tablecloth cover can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Lay a piece of no-skid on the counter. Lay the plastic bag or the piece of plastic tablecloth cover over the no-skid. Lay another piece of no-skid on top of the plastic, and place the cutting board on top of this. The no-skid will prevent the cutting board from sliding around. The plastic bag will keep the flour from spreading all over the place. When you're done, shake the whole thing over the side of the boat to get rid of the excess flour. Careful not to drop any of your implements over the side :-) If the no-skid stops working, rinse with water to get rid of the flour sticking to the material.
Kip