# yummy, pretty bread



## izbnso (May 12, 2007)

Now I am certain that I have not done something as profound as inventing the wheel, nor am I likely the first to dream up such an idea, but… I am fairly pleased with my latest concoction.
I have my basic white bread recipe that I subject to all sorts of strange alterations in the name of variety and my wild experiments have yielded more praise than retching noises. But, I think I have found a new favorite in a recent experiment and intend to reproduce it often.
I made one batch of my "white bread" with roasted garlic kneaded in and then another batch with some homemade pesto kneaded in. I used the two batches to produce four loaves of bread. Each loaf was an eight string braid with half the strings garlic and half the strings pesto. Yummy, yummy, yummy, and pretty, pretty, pretty as well.
I'm playing with the idea of trying the same type thing with an additional flavor like kneading in tomato paste, what do ya'll think?


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

a. can you post a photo please would love to see and perhaps would you be willing to share your basic white bread recipe

b. instead of tomato paste make a tapenade using sundried tomato, raw garlic, parmesan cheese and balsmamic - make it very dry and pasty and try blending that in. We use that as a layer with cream cheese and pesto for a tuscan torta and everyone goes gagga over it.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

I've never heard of a _tapenade_ made without capers (_tapénos_) or olives. What makes yours a _tapenade?_ Cream cheese usually doesn't carry much of a Tuscan association either. In fact, this is the first I've seen them joined. What's up in NYNY?

BDL


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## izbnso (May 12, 2007)

Sorry I took this long to respond tigerwoman. I was hoping to be able to have a picture at the same time I posted the recipe. Alas, bread, camera and computer seem not to want to come together, so I'll post my recipe and hopefully get around to pictures later.

I developed my basic white bread recipe to be easy enough to commit to memory, no hunting for the recipe. Hence, no fancy stuff and the measurements are more about ease of remembering the number of scoops and also how easy it is to scoop from my flour jar, yeast bag and sugar dish. So no halves no teaspoons etc. All I need is 1 cup dry measure, my trusty 2 cup Pyrex liquid measure(with cups and ounces on the side) and a tablespoon. Maybe I should call it lazy white bread.:lol:

I hardly ever make it just plain; I usually do something to jazz it up. However it works if you just want some plain old white bread, in a pan, a free form loaf, rolls, or (my favorite) a braid.

Basic White Bread:
2 cups warm water (sometimes I use milk)
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar (when I use milk instead of water, I use honey instead of sugar and increase to 2 TBS)
1 tablespoon salt 
5 cups of AP flour to start
3 ounces (6 Tablespoons) of oil to start (vegetable oil, olive oil, melted butter, and even bacon grease)

I mix the yeast and water in my 2 cup Pyrex liquid measuring cup and set aside. Sugar, salt and flour in the Kitchen aid bowl. Add the water to the bowl and mix with the dough hook until it starts to come together and is still "raggy" looking, then add oil and any additions. Rarely is this too much flour for the dough, but if that is the case I add more oil a small splash at a time and if I want a softer dough (because I feel like it) I increase the oil, not the liquid. If the dough is too soft, more flour a little at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic then place in an oiled bowl for an hour rise. (It really is better if made in the morning and allowed to rise in the fridge all day or better yet an over night rise in the fridge, but not really necessary). Punch down dough, shape and place on parchment lined baking sheets and rise for an hour then bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes depending on how you shaped the bread. Rolls don't take as much time as loaves, and I always divide the dough into at least two loaves.

Variations:
Roasted garlic: I roast two heads of garlic in three ounces of olive oil, wrap the garlic and oil in aluminum foil. After the garlic has cooled I use the olive oil that I roasted the garlic in for the oil and squish (that's a technical term) the garlic from the "husk" and add the roasted garlic with the oil.

Pesto: I used around ½ cup of homemade pesto and used 3 ounces of olive oil.

Honey and milk: I use milk instead of water, 2 TBS honey instead of 1 TBS sugar and melted butter for the oil.

Bacon cheese burger buns: I use bacon grease (preferably with some bits and flecks of bacon still in it) for the oil and add close to a cup of shredded cheddar to the dough. Shape into rolls and top with more shredded cheddar.

Various herbs and spices kneaded in based on what I have and how the mood strikes me.

I love roasted garlic so I often expound on the theme and make "fillings" to roll up jelly roll style.

Roasted garlic/parmesan braid: 
· Make a paste with soft butter and freshly ground parm (I prefer to use the soft fluffy stuff and try and stay away from the green jar, but I'll admit to having done it when I couldn't get my hands on the real deal.), don't ask the proportions because I do it by sight. However, think like the same consistency as a cinnamon roll filling, and I start with two sticks of butter. Add some fresh minced garlic, oregano, basil or whatever you like to the "paste." 
· Divide the bread dough into three equal portions, and roll them out into equally sized rectangular portions a little thicker than ¼ inch thick. Uniformity of length is more important than uniformity of thickness.
· Spread the parm "paste" over the rectangles and roll up jelly roll style and seal the seam.
· With a sharp knife, cut down the center of each jelly roll, lengthwise.
· What you should see is something that looks like layers of dough and parm paste, keep this side up and use your now 6 portions of dough to make two three string braids. Be careful to keep the "striped" side facing up.
· Rise for an hour, bake for 25-30 at 400. 

I also just divide my parm paste in half and do it plain jelly roll style in two loaves.
-EMO


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

yes, originially tapenade, which as you noted comes from the word for capers tapénos, always had capers, and olives in it and is blended to a near paste consistency

well along came things like california cuisine etc

and the use of names like pesto, tapenade, salsa, have come to mean blending of some non traditional items in the method that is true to those names.

Hence 
tropical pineapple salsa
walnut and cilantro pesto
fig and macadamia chutney

check out this product from NAPA VALLEY - which last time I checked was in California -

sundried tomato tapenade made in NAPA Valley California 
which last time I checked was far far away from NY NY and much closer to 
where are you from Monrovia CA- .

Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade With Balsamic & Garlic

not a olive or caper in the ingredients list. Guess I didn't make this up, have been using this recipe for years, not sure where it came from originally but have you tried it. Very tasty, that is the bottom line for me...

so cream cheese and marscapone and goats cheese can all be used in this torta, which in this case is another name for a *cheese* cake,

and yes, pesto and sundried tomato and balsamic and parmesan all contribute to the Italian Tuscan Torta feeling. Maybe not "authentico" but certainly very tasty, pretty and not that far off from something you might find in Italy or France even. The cream cheese mixture with garlic and herbs is a homemade version of rondele cheese - there are many variations of "cream cheese" around the world and not all of them are marketed or sold under the name "Philadelphia" although if you asked for Philadelphia in the UK for example you would get cream cheese even if not the exact brand.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Tigerwoman,

I've got nothing against giving food interesting names. The language evolves, and so do our food definitions. Even if I disapproved it wouldn't matter much. Things would still change. But I don't disapprove, I find the evolution of language as fascinating as the evolution of food styles. Both are strongly influenced by regional trends. That's why I asked what I asked. Let me see if I get what you're saying.

The definition of _tapenade_ has expanded over the last few years to include a rough pate of any combination of cured and/or pickled vegetables mixed with some oil, and that's what you meant. I was in Trader Joe's yesterday and saw a couple of products like those you describe, also labeled as _tapenade._

By "Tuscan" you didn't mean specifically, regionally Tuscan. Instead, you meant there was a lot of Italian inspiration mixed in.

You mentioned "Philadelphia" cream cheese which provides an interesting segue. The fellow who invented cream cheese, called it "Philadelphia" not because of any particular association to Philadelphia, but because at the time, "Philadelphia" was synonymous with good food. Something like, I think, the way you used "Tuscan."

And there you go,
BDL


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## izbnso (May 12, 2007)

And finally bread, camera and computer have come together and become one. Tada!! I just posted a picture of my "yummy, pretty bread" in the photo gallery. 

I make no claims as a food photographer. So, it's the best that I could manage.

And it is taking me longer than usually to type this post because I am typing while eating the very bread you see in the photo gallery.:lips:

Hey Boar d laze. Maybe we could kick around the Late Night Café and talk philology. After all, thought follows language. My top three favorite philologist are (in no particular order) Tolkien, Petrarch, and Nietzsche. So those who are into the progression of languages and their meanings are in some pretty good company.


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## lisbet (Dec 30, 2004)

When making homemade white bread; for the liquid part of the recipe, I use potato water. That is water that I have boiled potatoes in. Whenever I boil potatoes for a meal, I don't throw away the water. I save the potato water for bread making. At times I have even just boiled a small russet and mashed it as fine as I can get it to add to my bread dough mix. (when I don't have the potato water on hand.) 

This addition makes a lovely texture and feel to the finished product.

Has anyone else ever used potato in white bread making? It even works well when making Italian bread!


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## willie24 (Aug 13, 2008)

I have used mashed potatoes when making pugliese bread which is very similar to ciabatta bread but made in rounds. There's a recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart that works very well. If you use this formula do yourself a favor and include either the fancy durum if available or semolina with the bread flour - it does make a difference IMHO.

Willie


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## massarrra (Aug 24, 2009)

thank you!


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## neatza (Sep 7, 2009)

here a simple recipe for bread with also tomatoes :
Ingredients: # green tomatoes - about 2 medium
# 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
# 1 cup vegetable oil
# 1 tablespoon cinnamon
# 1 teaspoon baking soda
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
# 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
# 2 cups finely chopped or ground
# 2 cups granulated sugar
# 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
# 3 cups all-purpose flour

How to make Green tomato bread
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
* Grease and flour two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans.
* Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
* Combine eggs, oil and vanilla extract; stir well.
* Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
* Fold in tomato and pecans.
* Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
* Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.
* Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
* Enjoy Green tomato bread!


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

Neatza 
there's something missing from the list

listed between baking powder & sugar is the xyz mystery ingredients??

# 2 cups finely chopped or ground "xyz"

(about how much weight do you think 2 cups green tomato would be?)

(2 medium green tomato & how should they be cut up?) and what is the 2 cups for?


# 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
# 2 cups finely chopped or ground
# 2 cups granulated sugar

this is great because I have a bunch of green tomatoes that we picked from the farm before the deer could get to them this weekend - 
was thinking of subbing something else for the cinnamon - what would you suggest (not nutmeg or allspice either - cann't stand those flavors)
how do you think cardamom would work ?


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## bakingintexas (Sep 5, 2009)

"* Fold in tomato and pecans."

It looks like the 2 cups of mystery ingredient is pecans.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

well that's what I thought until I saw 1 1/2 cups of pecans listed as the second ingredients so I guess we'll still have to wait for the OP's answer


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## bakingintexas (Sep 5, 2009)

Sorry. It sounds like a great bread, though. And seeing the recipe has given me some ideas.


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