Daily Bread--The Easiest Recipe Ever

I’m adding ONE more bread installment because I want to share this great “5 Minute Artisan Bread” recipe. In Oregon I made my own bread in a cast iron Dutch oven using a New York Times recipe for no-knead bread. That was good, but I think this is better. The crumb is lighter, and it’s so much faster. Plus, this recipe makes a larger batch that you can refrigerate for up to 14 days.

I like to “step it up” with some additional nutritional elements, too, and I've found the “5 Minute” recipe very adaptable.

First, consider adding other grains or seeds. I purchased a cereal blend of oats, quinoa and flax seeds and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup to the full batch of dough. It adds some texture and interest to the bread, as well as a little boost of nutrition. Click here to read more about why oats are good for us, for instance, lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar and packing substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals into just ¼ cup. Quinoa is a super food with even more concentrations of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory elements and a complete protein package unlike other grains. Click here to read more about this ancient grain. Flax seeds (click here) help the body detoxify naturally--which is suspected to fight cancer—and are a good source of fiber and assist in nutrient absorption.

Finally, I’ve also picked up organic hemp powder and add one tablespoon to the batch, which is to my taste. The recommended ratio would probably be closer to 2-3 tablespoons, but I found it too strong a flavor. Click here to read more about hemp’s benefits to the human body, including containing every amino acid, a healthy dose of protein, the perfect ratio of both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and fiber content that help the immune system and productivity. For more hemp food products like seeds and oils, or fiber products like backpacks, pouches and clothing, talk with Doug Flight at Winkin' Sun Hemp (here.)  It’s fascinating stuff, and he’s very knowledgeable.

Next installments, we’ll look at some foods (and wines) that say, “Spring.”  

Article and all photos by Glynis Valenti

Irish Potato Bread (Potato Farls)

This is a short post, but this is also a really quick “bread.” Because St. Patrick’s Day is coming, I thought I would try an Irish Potato Bread. As with most breads, there are variations on this. The recipe I used—also known as potato farls--is super easy, and I would probably make mine a bit more “bread like” the next time around by adding more flour and some baking soda.

That said, farl is most likely derived from the Scots fardel and refers to a round cut into quadrants. The dough is primarily mashed, boiled potatoes with a little flour and salt.  After rolling into a round shape and cutting into four wedges, they are grilled or fried in a skillet. The flavor is kind of bland, but is traditionally dressed up with some butter, salt, black pepper, bacon, chives or a dollop of jam.

As noted, this recipe—or at least my version—reminded me more of potato pancakes or my mother’s potato patties more than bread. However, I think it would be excellent topped with corned beef and cabbage with diced carrots, or with corned beef and an egg the next morning. By the way, the dough is easiest to work with when the potatoes are freshly cooked (15-20 minutes) and still warm.  

This recipe, credited to Jane Baxter, is directly from a sweet article in The Guardian . Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes 8 small farls
500g floury potatoes, such as King Edward or desiree
50g butter
50g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
¼ tsp baking powder
Salt and black pepper
Extra butter, for cooking

1 Peel the potatoes, then cut them into quarters. Cover with water in a saucepan, season with a pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes or until they become tender. You can check this by sticking a knife into them, it should slide out again easily. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pan.

2 Melt the butter in a pan and add to the potatoes. Mash until smooth. For the best results, pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or mouli – otherwise, use a standard potato masher.

3 Sift the flour with the baking powder into the potato mix and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if required.

4 The dough should come together and away from the sides of the pan. You can add more flour if the mixture is too wet and a little milk if it is too dry.

5 Divide the dough into two halves. Form one piece into a ball, then roll it out on a floured surface and into a rough circle with a diameter of about 15 cm and a thickness of 5mm to 1cm. Cut the circle into quarters.

6 Heat a non-stick shallow frying pan over a medium heat with a little butter to grease the surface. Transfer the four pieces to the pan and cook for around 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and cook the other side for another 3 minutes. Remove to a warm plate.

7 Repeat the process with the other half of the dough mix.

St. Joseph's Bread

Last year at this time I was working on a feature article on seasonal breads and couldn’t find any St. Joseph’s bread anywhere. All I had were my memories of Savoia Pastry Shoppe in my old neighborhood bringing hot loaves out first thing in the morning and people waiting in line for them. But this year, I’m back in Rochester and am seizing the opportunity to introduce it to those who don’t know about this bread.

St. Joseph is, indeed, Mary’s husband and the man who raised Jesus Christ. March 19 was designated St. Joseph Day by Rome in 1479, but it had already been observed for 500 years at that point.

Many churches and communities hold a feast in his honor. This partially stems from the Middle Ages when St. Joseph is credited for saving Sicily from famine. There was a severe drought, and Sicilians promised to honor St. Joseph with a feast if he sent rain. The fava bean became a symbol of the feast as the crop saved the island from famine. At St. Joseph’s feast—held during Lent--there are only meatless and cheese-less dishes of vegetables, breads, soups, cakes and pasta. Everyone is welcome to bring food and eat food, and sometimes food is given to shelters.

While there are a couple of versions of St. Joseph’s bread, this one is an egg bread, as in adding eggs to the batter, and the crust is egg-washed, hard and golden brown, sprinkled with sesame seeds. It’s said that the seeds represent sawdust, since St. Joseph was a carpenter.  

There are also many shapes to the bread, the symbols being as follows (per goldencroissantbakery.com):

• Monstrance (holds the Sacred Host)
• Chalice (consecration of the bread and wine at the Last Supper)
• Cross (crucifixion of Christ)
• Dove (Holy Spirit)
• Lamb (Jesus, the Lamb of God)
• Fish (symbol of Jesus)
• Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary)
• Palms (palms cast at the feet of Jesus)

Here is a recipe for St. Joseph's Bread from Saveur.com.

"The Smell of Good Bread Baking..."

“... like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight...”

— MFK Fisher

In America’s Sweethearts, Julia Roberts tells John Cusack that she’s thinking of something that she shouldn’t be thinking about and that she even dreams about it: bread. Her carb-conscious diet had her longing for this glorious mixture of flour, water, salt and/or yeast.

And really, that is how simple this pleasure is still: two or three of the most fundamental ingredients baked into luscious loaves. Or sticks. Or rolls. (Who doesn’t smell hot, fresh bread right now?)

This month we’ll look at some different types of bread and their histories and recipes. First, a bit of background and trivia about one of our most ancient foods. 

• The word “bread” may come from the Latin crustum meaning “broken bits, pieces,” thus “break” to “bread.” But prior to the year 1100, “loaf” was the more recognized word in many cultures.
• Flatbreads came first, around 20,000 years ago. When grains became cultivated and more refined in the diet during the Neolithic age, unleavened dough gathered airborne yeasts and changed the texture and process.
• Early cultures began isolating yeast from beer and wine to make bread.
• Wheat is native to the area around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, today’s Iraq.
• One acre of wheat can produce enough bread to feed a family of four for 10 years, or 9000 people for one day.
• The first wheat in the United States was planted in 1777, and today it’s grown in 42 states. Half of the wheat produced is used here.
• Ancient Egyptians started the practice of using moldy bread as a topical cure for cuts.
• In the 16th century bread consumption was related to class. Workers/servants got the bottoms of the loaves (often burned,) families ate the middle portion, and the wealthy took the upper crusts.
• While Julia Roberts’ character was more afraid of gaining weight than of the bread itself, there is a real background to a movement in the 1920s and its “fear of starch,” amylophobia, which was thought to originate from a controversial food and health activist in the mid-1800s, Sylvester Graham.  

(More information on bread at Wikipedia and the Wheat Foods Council)