Prairie Pioneer Bread

I was very pleased with how the bread turned it. It is really good toasted and served with a nice salad or bowl of soup!

I took a couple of loaves of the Prairie Bread and the Rustic White bread to a farmer's market this weekend.  The Rustic White bread sold out - didn't sell a loaf of the Prairie bread - maybe I should change the name to something more exotic - Wild, Wild West Bread . . . I will think of something!

There is another recipe in that book that I wanted to try - it is made with the pioneer potato starter and uses graham flour - I think I see another adventure forming!

Prairie Pioneer Two-Day Bread

I bought the book, Prairie Home Breads by Judith M. Fertig about a year ago.  I guess it is time I try some of the breads in her book.  The recipe called Prairie Pioneer Two-Day sounded interesting.  So I thought I would give it a try.  Only problem that she uses a starter that she creates using grated potatoes.  What the heck, I am always open to a challenge.  So I decided to give her starter a try.  Much to my surprise, it is a very active starter.  I will post the recipe for it shortly.  You could  probalby use any sourdough starter without any problems

You make up the sponge the night before and let it rise. The only difference in this bread is that you don't need a warm place to let it rise. I had my doubts but this morning the dough was ready to spill out of the bowl (a good sign!).

I love the way this dough feels - very silky (if bread dough can be silky). Very easy to work with!

The recipe:

Prairie Pioneer Two-Day Bread

2 cups Potato Yeast Starter
2 cups warm water

1 T honey

5 1/2 cups bread flour

Make the sponge by combining the starter, water and honey in a bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer). Add flour 1 cup at a time until you get a manageable dough.

You can either knead this with your Kitchen Aid dough hook for 5 minutes or by hand for 8 minutes. I choose to knead by hand. Yes, a lot more work, but you have more control over the dough. This is a very sticky dough and does require more flour added.

Put the dough in a greased bowl covered with saran wrap. Let it rise at cool room temperature until doubled in bulk (I let it rise over night) - or let it rise 8 to 12 hours until it is doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough - dust your countertop with flour. Split the dough into 2 balls and form into desired shape - I am using my bannetons to give my dough a round, spiral look. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the bread for 40 to 50 minutes until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

I will be popping my bread in the oven in the next 15 minutes, so we will see what happens!

Verdict on the Whey Bread

Not a show stopper!  Didn't get much of a rise out of the dough, seemed like it took forever for the dough to do anything.  The bread had a very slight "tangy" taste and the crumb was definitely different - maybe softer?  My husband didn't like it and my teenage son won't try it because it sounded "gross".   I have seen recipes for Whey Bread.  Maybe it was the recipe. 

I know you can use the whey to make ricotta cheese.  I think I will try that next time.  It was a fun experiment, though. 

A new adventure!

Last week I made homemade mozzeralla using store bought milk.  (I raise dairy goats and normally would use their milk BUT I have 7 baby goats that need the milk more.)  Just in case anyone wants to give the mozzeralla cheese a try, the recipe can be found in Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll.  The recipe is called 30 Minute Mozzeralla.  I digress . . . The cheese makes almost a gallon of whey.  I've heard that whey is wonderful to use in cooking and baking.  SO I decided to give it a try in Bob's Basic Sourdough bread.  I replaced the 1 1/2 cups of water with the whey.  The whey was heated to 100 degrees.  Other than the whey, I followed the recipe exactly.  I am curious to see if there are any noticeable differences in the bread - texture, taste, etc.  Stay tuned!

Bob's Basic Sourdough Bread

This is the most versatile recipe I have ever used AND it makes the best bread - very light, almost melts in your mouth.  Earlier this week I used the recipe to make the cinnamon raisin bread.  Today I decided to use it to make sandwich bread for my son's lunch.

The recipe is so easy.  I use my Spuds Sourdough Starter (made from mash potato flakes)

BOB’S BASIC SOURDOUGH BREAD RECIPE

Yield: 3 large loaves or 4 small loaves

INGREDIENTS:

Sugar - 2/3 cup (222 grams)
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup (120 grams)
1 cup active starter (273 grams)
1-1/2 cups warm water (364 grams)
6 cups bread flour (810 grams)

Start with 5 cups of bread flour and then add the remaining cup as needed.
Mix ingredients in a large bowl.
Grease or oil a large bowl (I use a large mixing bowl)
Put dough in container and flip over to cover top of dough with oil or grease.
Cover with a clean, damp cloth.
Let stand 6-8 hours or overnight.

Punch down and divide into 3 parts. Knead each part 8-10 times on a lightly floured surface.
Shape and put into 3 greased (I use a non-stick cooking spray) pans

Cover and let rise 4-5 hours. I put pans in a large plastic bag and tuck the
ends under the pans to make it airtight. Make sure you “tent” the bags so the rising bread
doesn't stick to the bags.  If the house is cold, I usually do my rising in the oven wiht the
oven light on.

Remove the bags, the bread should have risen above the edges of the bread pans.

Bake at 325F to 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Isn't this the most gorgeous looking bread you have ever seen!  I've outdone myself on this one!  Almost
too pretty to eat.

When cool, wrap in plastic cling wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze.


Adapted from a recipe at www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,164,147175-243201,00.html