Bread Recipes

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Bread

From the kitchen of: Dr. Brandon Dahm, Philosophy Professor

Chad Robertson and Tartine Bakery have been at the front of the sourdough revival. In Robertson’s book Tartine, he worked to figure out how amazing sourdough like his could be made at home. This book was my main guide, along with YouTube videos, to see techniques for folding, shaping, and scoring sourdough. This book can take you from knowing nothing about bread to starting your own sourdough starter and baking beautiful, delicious loaves. It also includes further recipes for other types of bread (the polenta loaf is amazing).

Like all skills—and virtues—development is in the right kind of practice. I recommend finding a time you can try making and baking bread in consecutive days or at least close together. It can seem overwhelming at first but going through the process a few times makes it approachable. Enjoy!

General Notes:

• Use good quality flour. King Arthur is a good, widely available brand.
• Measure ingredients with a kitchen scale for consistency.
• One batch makes approximately two, 1,000-gram loaves.
• I was overwhelmed by making sourdough at first but, once you do it a few times, it’s pretty easy to get a decent loaf. Also, it can seem like forever to make the bread, but most of the process is hands-off, allowing the yeast to do its thing.

On Days You Aren’t Baking:

• Feed your sourdough starter each day.
• For daily feeding, give the starter 25 grams of the starter food, 25 grams warm water, and 10 grams old starter.
• Starter food is 50 percent wheat and 50 percent all-purpose flour. You can mix these flours together and keep them in a container so you don’t have to mix it every day.
• Make sure the water is warm but not too hot. If the water is too hot, it will kill your starter. If it is too cold, it will slow down the starter’s growth. Aim for a water temperature between 80-89 degrees Fahrenheit.
• You can keep your starter in old jam jars or Ball jars.
• After you feed the starter, mark a line on the jar at the top of the starter so you can keep track of its growth. A healthy starter should double within four to eight hours, depending on the room temperature.
• You can discard the old starter, or use it for pancakes, crackers, and other sourdough discard recipes.

Preparing the Leaven:

• You need to make leaven. This is the same substance as the starter (equal parts water and starter food with some old starter), but it is bigger.
• For one batch of dough, you will need 200-250 grams of starter and at least 10 grams more to keep your starter going. I usually do 150 grams water, 150 grams starter food, and 50 grams of old starter.
• Ideally, you want your leaven to double (and still be expanding) by the time you want to use it for your dough. You’ll get to know your starter, but this doubling process can take four to eight hours, depending on the room temperature.
• For example, we often mix our leaven just before bed if we want to start making dough the next morning, or we mix the leaven in the early morning if we want to start making dough in the afternoon.

Bread Mixing Day:

• Note: Bread measurements are given as a percentage of the total flour used. A single batch (which makes two loaves) has 1,000 grams of flour. The remaining ingredients—water, leaven, and salt—are given as percentages. So, a 75 percent hydration batch would have 750 grams of water. This allows for easy scaling since the percentages remain the same, despite the actual amount of flour. I’m giving a recipe for a 75 percent hydration batch with 25 percent leaven.
• Get a large bowl and add 700 grams of warm water (the remaining 50 grams are added later).
• Add 250 grams of leaven to the water and gently stir.
  • The leaven should float, but it’s OK if it doesn’t. Floating leaven means it has grown a lot and has air in it. If it doesn’t float, it might not be in the habit of eating and your dough might grow slower.
• Add your flour.
  • My recommendation is to use King Arthur all-purpose, wheat, and bread flour—and, if you can, rye flour.
  • If you have all the flours, measure and add: 10 percent rye, 15 percent bread, 10 percent wheat, and 65 percent all-purpose flour. (Just add a zero to each percentage to get the grams, so 100 grams rye, 150 grams bread, 100 grams wheat, etc.)
  • If you can’t find rye flour, try: 20 percent bread, 15 percent wheat, and 65 percent all-purpose flour.
  • If you can’t find rye or bread flours, try: 20 percent wheat and 80 percent all-purpose flour.
  • The rye adds a little depth to the flavor but really helps create a good crust.
  • You will notice the flavor of the wheat flour, so adjust according to your taste.
  • The bread flour has higher gluten and helps the dough have more strength in its structure.
• Mix until incorporated.
  • The dough will be very sticky. Make sure there aren’t any flour clumps.
• Wait 30-45 mins.
  • This is called the autolyze, when the flour and water sit together before you do any structural mixing.
• Add salt and remaining water.
  • Add 25 grams salt and 50 grams water to the dough.
  • Incorporate by squeezing the dough through your fingers and folding dough until well mixed. (You’ll notice how different the dough feels after the short autolyze.)
• Fold dough every 30-45 minutes for a total of six to eight folding sessions.
  • If the temperature in the room is 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below, wait 45 minutes between folds. If above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, wait 30 minutes. You’ll learn to adjust as needed, but start with these timings as a guide.
  • There are different folding methods, but this YouTube video is what I have been doing.
  • Folding replaces standard kneading. The intermittent folding is gentler and lets the dough be structured over time. Each fold takes 30 seconds or so to complete.
• After the final fold, wait 30 minutes.
• Turn out the dough onto a table and shape the dough into a tight ball.
  • This was the single hardest part for me to learn. If you have a dough knife, these videos are very helpful: High Hydration Dough Shaping and Masterclass. If you don’t have a dough knife, you can shape the dough with your hands, as in this video.
  • Shaping helps create a loaf that has good oven spring.
  • Once done shaping, place a towel over the dough.
• Wait 30 minutes.
• Do the final shaping/folding and place into a floured basket.
  • You can shape the dough again to tighten it back up, as in this video.
  • Then, place the loaf into a floured basket or bowl. (Don’t be shy with the flour.) I use wicker/straw bannetons, but you can use any 10–12-inch bowl or loaf pan. The basket or bowl is to preserve the shape of the dough.

To Bake:

• You can either bake the same day or the next day. I recommend the next day. If you are baking the next day, put the basketed bread, covered by the cloth, in the fridge. If the same day, leave the bread out for an hour or two before baking.
• Cut a circle out of parchment paper, leaving handles on either side of the circle, as in this video.
• Turn your loaf out of the basket and onto the parchment paper.
• Score the loaf by cutting the top of the dough, such as in this video example.
• To bake, you can either use a Dutch oven or pizza stone.
• Dutch oven method:
  • Place the Dutch oven with the lid on in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (or 525 degrees if your oven can reach that temperature).
  • Once the oven is preheated, let it sit at that temperature for 20-30 minutes.
  • Take the Dutch oven out of the oven. Carefully place the prepared loaf with the parchment paper in the Dutch oven and put on the lid.
  • Lower the oven temperature to 485 degrees Fahrenheit. (Recently, I have been keeping it at 500 degrees. A little practice and experimenting will help you know where to keep your oven to make bread the way you like it.)
  • Bake the bread for 20 minutes with the lid on.
  • Remove the lid. Bake for 15 additional minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Take the bread out of the Dutch oven and place on a cooling rack.
• Non-Dutch oven method:
  • Bake using the same temperatures and timings as the Dutch oven method, except use a pizza stone instead.
  • After putting the prepared loaf into the oven, spray water into the back of the oven with a spray bottle. (Moisture is crucial for good crust development. The Dutch oven captures that moisture, but most ovens won’t. So, you need to add some moisture.)

Pizza Crust

Pizza Crust

From the kitchen of: Cameron (Erickson ’20 MA ’22) and Nathan Ware ’22

Ingredients:

Mix the warm water with the yeast; you can also add a drop or two of honey. Stir. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil with the yeast mixture. Combine until a dough has formed. Cover with a warm, damp towel, and let rise in a warm place for at least 15 minutes. Spread the dough into a pizza crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

English Muffin Bread

English Muffin Bread

From the kitchen of: Shannon (Borst ’94) Siemens and Mary Grace (Beauchamp ’94) Nelligan

Ingredients:

Grease two loaf pans and dust with cornmeal. Heat milk and water to 120-130 degrees. Combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a stand mixer or bowl. Beat on a low speed while gradually adding the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir in or switch to the mixer’s dough hook to add the remaining flour and make a soft dough. The dough should not be sticky; add more flour if needed. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes, then divide into two equal loaves. Place dough in pans, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). Uncover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to continue cooling. Enjoy toasted for breakfast or served fresh out of the oven with soup.

Patty’s Pumpkin Bread

Patty’s Pumpkin Bread

From the kitchen of: Stacey (Kleinrichert ’97) Smith

Ingredients:

In one bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients with a spoon. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin, butter, and water with a whisk. Put the dry and wet ingredients in a blender and blend until combined. Split the batter evenly between two 5×9- inch greased bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Grammy Chapman’s Bread

Grammy Chapman’s Bread

From the kitchen of: Theresa Murphy ’20

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans. Dissolve sugar in the water. Stir in yeast and let stand for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly. In a separate bowl, combine oil, honey, and salt. Add in yeast mixture. Add the flour one cup at a time, stirring between each cup. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Split dough in half, roll each piece into a log shape, and place into pans. Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until doubled in size. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Beer Bread

Beer Bread

From the kitchen of: Aimee and Chris Kruczek ’16

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the beer in 3 to 4 ounce increments, making sure it incorporates all the dry ingredients into a dough. Grease a loaf pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the dough into the greased loaf pan. Melt the remaining butter and pour the butter over the top of the dough. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Note: The bread remains fresh for 3-5 days and cannot be frozen.

Beer Bread

From the kitchen of: Erin (Cassady ’14) Eichman

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1-lb. loaf pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pour in beer and stir until just combined. (Batter will be thick, not smooth.) Spoon batter into loaf pan and spread so it touches all four corners. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 35-55 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. You can use any kind of beer for different flavors—stouts, porters, IPAs, pilsners, lagers, etc. You can also add in other ingredients such as shredded cheese, herbs, or chocolate chips. Just make sure it works with the beer you’re using!

Beer Bread

From the kitchen of: Genevieve (Pudewa ’04) Priest

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×5-inch loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. If the pans aren’t nonstick, line them with a strip of wax paper and grease the paper. Melt butter and set aside 2 tablespoons. Mix honey with the remaining butter. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. With an electric mixer, beat in the beer with the dry mixture. (You can also stir it in with a wooden spoon, but don’t overmix; if you stir out the bubbles, the bread won’t rise!) Add in the honey mixture and mix until smooth. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s). Top with remaining melted butter. Bake 45-50 minutes for a regular loaf or 20-30 minutes for mini loaves. (You may want to place a baking sheet on a lower oven rack because the butter may dribble out of the loaf pan.) Cut a slice and enjoy!

Flavor Variations:

• Cinnamon Honey: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and an additional 2 tablespoons of honey to the wet ingredients.
• Garlic Cheese: Reduce honey to 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic and 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the dry ingredients.

Jester’s Bread

Jester’s Bread

From the kitchen of: Patrick Frazier ’22

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine warm water, oil, yeast, and sugar in a stand mixer bowl. Allow mixture to rest for 15 minutes. Mix 2 cups flour, salt, and egg into the yeast mixture using a dough hook. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Shape dough into a ball and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Sheepherder’s Bread

Sheepherder’s Bread

From the kitchen of: Charles Pugliese ’81

Ingredients:

Dissolve yeast in warm water (about 100–103 degrees) for 10 minutes. Stir to ensure yeast is dissolved. Put all other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add water and yeast. Knead for 20 minutes; the dough will be very stiff. Spread olive oil on dough. Let dough rest under a towel in a warm place for 20 minutes until tripled in size. Knead dough on a hard surface again until it returns to its original size. Divide dough into 1 lb. or 2 lb. loaves or 3 or 4 oz. dinner rolls. Let dough rise for 20 minutes or until a gentle touch leaves a slight depression. (For a shinier surface, gently brush dough with a beaten egg mixed with 2 teaspoon water.) Slice a checkerboard pattern in the dough, about 1/4 inch deep with 1-inch squares for loaves or 1/2-inch for rolls. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown. Yields 8 one-lb. loaves or 32-35 four-oz. rolls. (The bread and rolls freeze well!)

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

From the kitchen of: Leah (Kaercher ’11) Evans

Ingredients:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 12-18 hours. (Overnight works great.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Once the oven is heated, place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place dough on a floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while the pot is heating. Remove the heated pot from the oven and place the dough inside the pot. Cover with lid and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and then bake for an additional 15 minutes. Place bread onto a cooling rack.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

From the kitchen of: Rebecca and Christopher Harpring ’98

Ingredients for buns:

Ingredients for glaze:

Stir warm water and yeast in a mixing bowl or stand mixer. Heat milk and butter in a saucepan or microwave until 120 degrees, or very warm but not hot to the touch. (The butter does not need to be completely melted.) Stir in sugar and salt. Add the milk mixture, whole egg, 2 cups flour, and cinnamon to the yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Gradually mix in remaining flour. Stir in raisins. (Dough will be soft and slightly sticky.) Cover dough and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. Punch down dough and divide into 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cut an “x” on the top of each ball. Mix an egg yolk with 2 teaspoons water, and brush on top of dough balls. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Stir glaze ingredients into a smooth frosting. Scoop the glaze into a plastic sandwich bag and snip off one corner. Squeeze glaze on the cooled buns in the shape of a cross.

Basic Homemade Bread Recipe

Basic Homemade Bread Recipe

From the kitchen of: Jaynine Escobar ’98

Ingredients:

Heat water to no more than 120 degrees. (You should be able to put your finger in the water and comfortably keep it there.) Pour water into a mixing bowl with sugar and yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 5 minutes. A foam will form on the top. Add 6 cups flour, oil, sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or in a mixer with a dough hook. While blending, add 1/4 cup of the flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to the bowl or your fingers. (If mixing with a spoon, keep stirring until the dough becomes too dense to stir by hand. Then turn out dough onto a counter, lightly sprinkle with flour, and knead until incorporated.) Once the dough is kneaded, remove from mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the bowl. Put dough back into the bowl. Swish the dough around and give it one flip so the greased side is facing up. Cover the bowl and put in a warm place to rise for 2 hours, until tripled or quadrupled in size. Remove dough from bowl. Divide into 4 pieces. Form 2 into loaves and place into greased loaf pans. Form the other 2 into elongated logs and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove when the loaves are browned and sound hollow when tapped.

Easy Bread Machine Bread

Easy Bread Machine Bread

From the kitchen of: Jeanne Diener-Stark ’85 MSE ’08

Ingredients:

Place all ingredients in a bread machine. Select Italian or white bread
recipe. Enjoy!

Pandesal

Pandesal

From the kitchen of: Rich Walrath ’10

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm milk to 100 degrees. Add yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar. In a separate bowl, mix all the flours and salt. Mix together the flour mixture, yeast mixture, remaining sugar, butter, and eggs. Knead with a machine or by hand until smooth; do not over knead. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough. Cut into 48 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Dip the tops of the balls in fine breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet trays lined with parchment paper. Allow to rise for 10-30 minutes. Bake for 20-35 minutes. Serve warm.