HB in 5 Official Kick-off: Master Recipe (1 of 42)

First, the compulsory exercises.

For this Bread Braid we are making 1 Loaf of Bread, an Epi (wheat stalk) or Wreath shaped bread, and Spicy Whole Grain Snack Crackers using the Master Recipe.   I used a pound of dough to make a boule (ball) for my loaf.

I formed the dough in to a ball and let it rest and rise. Then I brushed it with water, sprinkled with mixed seeds, and baked it.  I always use parchment paper under the bread because I get too depressed and/or frustrated if the dough sticks to the peel.  I do sprinkle the parchment paper with cornmeal to give it a little more artisan feel, and if I remember I slide the bread  off the paper after 2/3 of the baking time so the bottom crisps a bit better on the stone. 

 

The loaf turned out very well, especially for a bread with so much whole grain.

I also used the dough to make a Wreath for Christmas Dinner.

I alternated the "leaves" in and out, but I think it would have looked better if I had only positioned them to the outside.

Finally, I made the Spicy Crackers.  I rolled the dough out directly on parchment paper, docked it with my trusty docking tool (which I got from a medieval torture supply store), and sprinkled it with chili powder and some mixed seeds.  Then I used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into crackers.  I baked these "as was" right on the parchment paper, rather than trying to move them to a cookie sheet as suggested in the recipe.  That process, to me, seemed a formula for extra stress and frustration. 

As the crackers baked they shrank away from  each other nicely. These were actually my second effort at the crackers, and I learned two things:  1) work with small portions of dough to more easily roll them thin enough, and 2) cut the crackers small, they crisp better. 

For the "freestyle" portion of the program I  used some of the dough to make pitas.

I always get a kick out of the way they puff up, and they are quick--no rising time and 5-7 minutes baking time. 

I used scissors to cut each pita in half around the equator, and then cut each half into 8 wedges.  I topped them with some crab salad (crabmeat, mayo, shredded Swiss cheese, finely chopped onion, roasted peppers and celery) and baked them for about 10-12 minutes at 350, until lightly browned.  My peeps ate these real good. 

On the subject of pitas, Jeff recently posted a recipe for pitas using a modified Master Recipe for Cornell Bread.  Although Jeff  uses the Cornell dough to make pitas, he also indicates that the Master Recipe works well for pitas, as I can attest, and that the Cornell Bread works well for loaves, just bake as for the Master Recipe.

Finally, I used the dough to make one other thing, but I am not quite sure what.  It was either a calzone or a stromboli.   According to Wikipedia, "[c]alzones are similar to stromboli but traditionally the two are distinct dishes. A common misconception is that the ingredients are the primary difference between the two. The ingredients are actually at the discretion of the chef. Although most strombolis are rolled [like a cinnamon roll], strombolis have also been known to be prepared like a calzone [folded], where the only difference is that a stromboli has the sauce inside of the folded crust, where the calzone is served with dipping sauce on the side."    In AB in 5 Jeff and Zoe cut slits in the top of their calzone but not in the top of their stromboli. 

Mine was folded like a calzone, with the sauce on the inside like a stromboli, so neither it nor I know what it was--but it was good.  I rolled out the dough in corn meal instead of flour.  I often do this with pizza crusts because it gives the crust a crunchy/chewy texture that is a nice change.  Then I docked it, though I would not do that again, at least not on the bottom.  It made the crust crisp, but allowed some leakage through the holes.  I layered it with ham, cranberry mustard (leftover homemade cranberry relish mixed with some Dijon and whole grain mustard) spinach, roasted red peppers and some Swiss cheese.

I baked it for about 25 minutes at 400.  

For other ideas on calzones (or stromboli) check out "Calzones for Lunch" at the AB in 5 website.   

And that, as they say, is all folks.  Please check out all the other things the rest of the group did with this dough by following the links at the Big Black Dog.  To me, the most amazing thing about these doughs is their versatility--there is almost no limit to what you can make with them.  So why not pick up a copy of HB in 5 and join us!