Several friends have asked for this recipe, so I thought I'd just post it here on the blog. This is a recipe my mom's been making since I can remember. I don't know where she got it. It's a great, simple, delicious way to turn a meager meal into one that can feed a house hold. (It doesn't matter how thin the soup so long as there's plenty of bread to go around, right?) ;)
Ingredients:
2 T yeast
2 1/2 C very warm water (like it's a bit uncomfortably hot to put your hand in, but not scalding.)
2 T sugar
1 T salt
2 T oil
6 C flour
Step by Step Instructions:
Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water together first. Then add all other ingredients EXCEPT ONLY ADD 3 CUPS OF THE FLOUR. Mix again. Add remaining 3 cups of flour and mix until the dough is not sticking to the sides, as pictured below. If you need to add a bit extra flour to get the dough not to stick, go for it, though usually with enough mixing, it all works out. :)
Let it rise for maybe 20 minutes a couple times, beating it down both times. The time's not so important as just letting it double in size-how long that takes depends on your yeast, the room temperature, how warm your water was...etc. Now you're ready to form the loaves.
Spread a generous amount of flour on the counter. (Kids are more than happy to help with this part.) ;)
Divide the dough into two halves.
Working with one half at a time, roll it out into a sort of retangular/oval shap, about 1/4 inch thick. Apparently, for a 2 and 1 year old, this is a very serious, concentration filled moment. ;)
Now roll your rectangle/oval up like a jelly roll and pinch the dough together at the seam-put that seam on the 'bottom' of your loaf.
Tuck and pinch the ends under the loaf as well.
Place the loaf on a cookie sheet with some cornmeal (or Cream of Wheat in a pinch) on the bottom. Make your second loaf and then cut the slashes in the top with a sharp knife.
Now is when I put the oven on to preheat to 400 degrees. I put the loaves on the stove and let the heat from the oven help them rise faster. In about 20 minutes, your loaves will have doubled in size.
OPTIONAL: Baste the tops with egg white. All this does is add to the authentic look-it gives them a nice, brown crust. Alternatively, you can baste with butter, or wait 'till after they're cooked and run a stick of butter over them then. Or you could just leave 'em naked. It all works, and it all tastes great. :)
Bake at 400 degrees 20-30 minutes. You'll know they're done when they're golden brown, and you can smell them through the whole house. :) These turned out a bit skeewumpous in their shape, but we'll just blame that on my helpers, shall we? Once they're sliced, it doesn't matter anyway. :)
2 comments:
Thanks, Lydia. The little girl is my babysitting girl. And I would LOVE to post a tutorial of how to make those straw stars, but I haven't actually ever done it myself. We just buy them when someone in the family goes to Austria/or have Austrian family members bring them to us when they visit the U.S. I think my mom has made them before, but she had a really hard time finding the right straw to use here in the States, so she just gave up. Bummer, huh?
If I wasn't expecting a baby before Thanksgiving, I might have just been inspired to google it and figure out how to make them myself this year. I love the look and 'feel' they give to Christmas. Let me know if you discover anything yourself. :)
You know that every time you post a recipe I'm in your kitchen a few weeks later demanding a demonstration! Looks like the tradition will continue! ;)
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