The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book Part 8

Coa.r.s.ely cracked soy grits offer an easy alternative to whole beans, because they cook so quickly and don't bind the gluten as much as the other soy products. Don't use the small crack grits, though: they make the dough heavy and crumbly. Soy grits have a nutty flavor and are easy to find in natural foods stores. To us, raw grits have a subtler flavor than toasted-but whichever you get, do steam and cool them before you add them to your dough, as suggested in Health Nut Bread.

BEAN FLOURS.

Soy and garbanzo flours are available in natural foods markets, or you can grind them fresh at home if you have one of the powerful grinders. Garbanzo flour-try cup per loaf-pretty much disappears in bread; bakers have used it for centuries. Soy flour is more demanding.

We generally choose full-fat soy flour for baking; deep yellow in color, it contains all the original fat-soluble nutrients of the whole bean. When you buy full-fat soy flour, be sure it is fresh, because bread made with even a little bit of rancid soy flour will neither rise well nor taste good.

Defatted and partially defatted flours are less perishable. Commercial bakers generally prefer the defatted kind because it is less expensive and does not go rancid. The fat has been removed with a solvent, and the flour lightly toasted to destroy enzyme activity. A grayish beige color, it is sometimes called soy powder.

SOY FLOUR ENZYMES.

Raw soy flour contains many active enzymes including lipoxidase, which even in small amounts bleaches flour, and conditions dough so that the bread made with it rises higher. The "improving" amount is about one tablespoon of soy flour per two-loaf recipe calling for two pounds of wheat flour. You can add this amount of soy flour to any recipe for its conditioning effect, but don't expect miracles; it will be very subtle. In these amounts soy's gluten-binding activity is negligible.

We suggest limiting the amount of soy flour to one-third cup in a two-loaf recipe, maximum. Beyond that, it seems to us, the flavor of the soy flour-which is pretty awful-takes over. Also, even at this level, the conditioning effect is so powerful that the dough ripens extremely fast. Let such doughs rise only once before shaping-or better yet, let them rise once before you add the soy flour, and then once again before you shape the loaves. Some techniques for doing this are included in our recipes for Busy People's Bread and Famous Captain Carob Bread.

Incidentally, any raw soy product, including flour, contains substances called soybean trypsin inhibitors (SBTI) that get in the way of protein digestion. Soybeans in any form should be eaten only after they are cooked enough to inactivate this substance. Baking soy flour in bread is sufficient to do this, in the opinion of scientists who work in the field.

SOYMILK IN BAKING.

If you drink soymilk, maybe you have already discovered the secret of baking any that is left over into delicious, featherlight loaves. Soymilk bread is quite a lot like a dairy bread, pale inside, with a glossy dark crust-sometimes people mistake it for egg bread. If the soymilk is not first-day fresh, however, it can make a truly weighty loaf, because even in the refrigerator the brew develops a lively population of bacteria. To subdue them, bring the soymilk to a boil, and then cool it before you use it in the dough.

If you make your own soymilk you might wonder about baking your okara (the leftover soy fiber) into your bread. Our advice is don't. True, okara has a respectable nutrition quotient and should not be wasted; so far as we could tell, though, after many imaginative experiments, bread dough is not the place to use it unless you are fond of heavy, wet, bland loaves, more or less indigestible.

Finally, it was suggested to us with great enthusiasm that we make sure to have a Tofu Bread in our book. We really did try, but incorporating tofu in the dough invariably made heavy, lackl.u.s.ter loaves, at least for us. There are so many good ways to use tofu on on bread, why put it inside? We were saved at the last, when our friends Bill Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi sent us a recipe for a very tasty tofu-applesauce quick bread. After some further testing, we are delighted to say that you can put as much as a whole cup of grated tofu into almost any flavorful bread, why put it inside? We were saved at the last, when our friends Bill Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi sent us a recipe for a very tasty tofu-applesauce quick bread. After some further testing, we are delighted to say that you can put as much as a whole cup of grated tofu into almost any flavorful quick quick bread (see bread (see this page this page for our quick bread recipes) without noticeably reducing its appeal. You add a gram per slice of high-quality protein, a good bargain in a quick bread. for our quick bread recipes) without noticeably reducing its appeal. You add a gram per slice of high-quality protein, a good bargain in a quick bread.

The bean breads that follow are real staff-of-life recipes based on whole foods. Each one is rich in nutrient value and, when well made, light enough to please the finickiest child or the most discerning adult.

Mediterranean Garbanzo Bread - 1 cup dry garbanzo beans (200 g) (2 cups cooked) - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 5 cups whole wheat bread flour (750 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - teaspoon dimalt - OR - 2 tablespoons honey (30 ml) - garbanzo bean cooking juice plus cold water to make 2 cups (475 ml) liquid, about 70F - cup olive oil (60 ml) (optional) Garbanzos, also known as chickpeas, are not quite such nutritional powerhouses as soybeans, but they provide very respectable nourishment, and they work well in bread. Milder in flavor and easier to cook and mash than soy, they also demand less added sweetener, are easier on the dough, and, unlike soy, do not prevent the bread from rising if you omit the oil or b.u.t.ter. Cook them ahead of time so they will be ready just before you need them. Stored even a short time, they ferment slightly, and that can keep the dough from rising high.

This recipe makes a plain, mild bread, scarcely sweet, with a firm crumb. It keeps very well; a good everyday bread for sandwiches and toast, and a good springboard for your own imaginative variations.

Cook the garbanzo beans in a quart of water for 3 hours, or until soft. Use a pot that is plenty big, because they will double in size as they cook. Drain, reserving the broth; mash and cool the beans.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Combine the flour and salt, the dimalt flour, if used, and the mashed garbanzo beans. Dissolve the honey (if used) in the 2 cups of liquid. Pour that and the yeast solution into a well in the center of the flour and gradually mix together, adding more water or flour as necessary to make a soft dough. Knead well, about 20 minutes, until smooth.

Form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all, or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first.

Press the dough flat and divide in two. Round and let relax, then deflate and shape into loaves. Let them rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gently made fingerprint. Bake 45 minutes to an hour at 350F.

Soybean Bread We made soy bread for many years, cooking the beans overnight before baking day in a crockpot set on high. We never dreamed that the loaves could be as light as this recipe makes them-a big improvement over the version in Laurel's Kitchen. Laurel's Kitchen. Soybean Bread is admired for its spectacular nutrition and its warmth of flavor; the cooked beans help the bread stay moist for a long time. Soybean Bread is admired for its spectacular nutrition and its warmth of flavor; the cooked beans help the bread stay moist for a long time.

There are a few small challenges to preparing this bread, not the least of which is getting the beans cooked and ready when you want them. They do, alas, need to be freshly cooked. Even one night in the refrigerator and they may ferment enough to affect the bread's rise.

You can simmer them overnight, in a crockpot or some other way. The heat should be high enough to keep them dancing-preferably, though, not all over the stove, which is one of the less fragrant likelihoods in this process. To prevent their boiling over, cover the pot only partially, and keep the flame low enough for just a slow boil. (Use a flame-tamer, if that helps.) The pesky critters will also try to boil dry, so use a big pot and plenty of water. Well, that's the worst of it.

Soft-cooked, drained soybeans are easy to mash with a potato masher while they are hot. Or if you prefer, cook them only about 4 hours, in which case they will mash a little short of satiny smooth, and the bread will have little nubbets in it, which some people consider the last word in textural delight. You can, of course, use a grinder or food processor instead of a potato masher.

The thick stock from the beans is wonderful, not not in the bread but for making Soy Gravy: Saute chopped onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons oil, add 2 to 3 tablespoons lightly toasted whole wheat flour, and stir and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add a cup of soy stock and bring to a boil; season with salt and pepper. If you want to be fancy, add sauteed mushrooms and a pinch of marjoram. The gravy is so delicious, it's worth cooking the beans just for that, but then it's worth cooking them just for this, too: Cook the beans. Mash in time to add their warm pulp to the dough just before its second rise. in the bread but for making Soy Gravy: Saute chopped onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons oil, add 2 to 3 tablespoons lightly toasted whole wheat flour, and stir and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add a cup of soy stock and bring to a boil; season with salt and pepper. If you want to be fancy, add sauteed mushrooms and a pinch of marjoram. The gravy is so delicious, it's worth cooking the beans just for that, but then it's worth cooking them just for this, too: Cook the beans. Mash in time to add their warm pulp to the dough just before its second rise.

- cup raw soybeans (150 g), about 2 cups cooked - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 5 cups whole wheat flour (750 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - 3 tablespoons honey (45 ml) - 1 to 2 cups lukewarm water (475 ml) - cup fresh unrefined sesame oil (60 ml) - 2 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds (18 g) (optional) - (If you are not keen on the flavor of sesame, use another oil or b.u.t.ter, and omit the seeds on the crust.) Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, making a well in the center. Stir the honey into the water, add the oil, and then mix the liquids and yeast into the dry ingredients, making a dough that is quite soft. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, long enough to give it the strength to hold in the gas but not until the gluten is fully developed because you will be doing more kneading later on. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover and set in a warm place to rise.

Check after an hour or an hour and a half to see if the dough is ready to deflate. Use the finger-poke test-make a hole about half an inch deep in the middle of the dough using your wet finger. If the hole remains without filling in, deflate the dough. If the hole fills in, more time is required; if the dough sighs and collapses, it has been kept too warm, or let go too long to be at its best, so in the next rise watch it more closely to be sure to take it up in time.

Turn the risen dough out on a lightly floured board and flatten it out. Spread the warm mashed or ground bean pulp on the dough. Fold or roll up, and then knead together for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is really elastic. Let it rise again in a warm place as before.

Flatten the dough on a lightly floured board. Divide in two, and working carefully, knead into rounds. Let these rest covered until relaxed, and then, taking care not to tear the dough, shape into loaves. Just before you press the dough out for the final part of the shaping, sprinkle the board with the sesame seeds so that the loaf will pick them up. Place in greased 8x4 loaf pans and keep in a warm, moderately humid place for the final rise. The loaves should come up very well: when they arch above the tops of the pans, and the risen dough returns slowly from a gentle indentation of the finger, put them into a preheated oven and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes-longer if the rise was not so high.

Soymilk Bread - 2 cups soymilk, unflavored (600 ml) - 2 tablespoons honey (30 ml) - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 6 cups whole wheat flour (900 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - 3 tablespoons b.u.t.ter (42 g) - OR - 6 tablespoons oil (90 ml) This is often mistaken for an egg bread because it rises beautifully to give a perfect, airy slice that has good flavor and a slightly chewy, thin, dark crust. It is just right for toasting and for sandwiches.

If the soymilk is not first-day fresh, bring it to a boil, then cool to lukewarm. To cool it quickly, place the pan in a sink or dishpan partly filled with cold water, and stir the soymilk occasionally. Stir the honey into the soymilk. (If you choose to use oil and not b.u.t.ter, add the oil, too.) Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the soymilk and yeast mixtures and stir all together, adding more water or flour as required to make a soft dough. Knead very well, about 20 minutes vigorously. If you are using b.u.t.ter, add it toward the end of the kneading time without melting, working small pieces into the dough until it is smooth and l.u.s.trous.

Because of the ripening influence of the soy, allow this dough to rise only once in a warm place, about 80F, before shaping. Apply the usual test to see if the dough is ready: poke gently with your wet finger, about inch in the center of the dough. If the dough sighs or if the hole does not fill in at all, flatten the dough and divide it, forming two rounds. Let them rest, and then shape into loaves. Let rise in two greased 8x4 loaf pans at a slightly warmer temperature, 85 to 90F. When they are ready for the oven, slash with three diagonal lines for a pretty crust and higher rise in the oven. Bake about 45 minutes at 350F.

GOOD VARIATIONS.

Add sunflower seeds-about cup per loaf-while you shape the dough.

Roll the loaf in poppy seeds.

Add raisins- cup per loaf-when shaping the bread.

Busy People's Bread The recipe on the following pages makes really good bread, but there is more to it than that: you can use these timing alternatives to help fit many other bread recipes into your schedule. The bread is delicious. We probably adjusted the ingredients and tested the recipe a hundred times, determined to achieve just this: a bread that will please the pickiest children while satisfying the most diligently nutrition-conscious parents. For the children, the bread looks professional-even store-bought-with a high, airy, pale slice spiked with raisins. But there's a bonus: the ingredients provide power-packed nutrition, and the recipe offers unusual flexibility, which is especially noteworthy in a soy bread.

The recipe contains soy flour, and so requires only one rising after the sponge is mixed into dough, before the loaves are shaped. You can subst.i.tute garbanzo flour for the soy, or use this recipe to adapt other, non-soy recipes to the Busy People's pattern. When you use a recipe that does not include soy, the dough will ripen more slowly, so your bread will be better if you let the full dough rise a second time in the bowl before you shape the loaves.

As everyone knows, it is much easier to measure out ingredients when you have some peace and quiet and can concentrate on what you're doing. We like to set up all the ingredients the night before, so that mixing can be on automatic pilot, so to say, first thing in the morning. That way you never forget the salt, and the raisins are cool when you need them.

The slow option takes from 3 to 5 hours in the sponge, and about 1 hours to rise once the dough is mixed, with a final proof time of approximately 45 minutes. The fast option takes about 1 hours in the sponge and about 1 hour once the dough is mixed. Its proof time is a little shorter, too; either option can be speeded up in the last stages if you want to do that; both take a little less than an hour to bake. Which timing you choose depends on your own schedule, but the more leisurely rise gives the bread better flavor and keeping quality, and is more forgiving if your own timing is off a little.

Busy People's Bread Recipe - SLOW OPTION - Sponge: 3 hours - Dough: 1 hours to rise hour to proof - SPONGE - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 3 tablespoons honey (45 ml) - 1 cups tepid water (300 ml) - 4 cups whole wheat bread flour (675 g) - 6 tablespoons milk powder (45 g) - DOUGH - 1 cup warm water (235 ml) - 1 cup whole wheat flour (150 g) - cup soy flour (23 g) - 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g) - 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter (28 g) - 1 cup raisins (145 g) TO MAKE THE SPONGE.

Using the sponge ingredients from either the fast or slow options, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, and the honey in the other water measure. Stir the flour and milk powder together and then add the liquids, mixing to make a stiff dough for the slow sponge, a soft dough for the fast sponge. Knead briefly, about 5 minutes-long enough so the dough has the strength to hold in the gas, but not so long that the gluten is fully developed. Put the slow sponge in a cool place to rise, about 70F, the fast sponge in a warm place, 80F.

Steam the raisins about 5 minutes, allowing them an hour or more to cool before you add them to the full dough.

TO MAKE THE DOUGH.

Soften the risen sponge in the dough water measure. Combine the remaining whole wheat flour, bean flour, and the salt if you haven't added it already. Work this mixture into the sponge; an efficient way to do this is to squeeze them together with your fingers. Add water or flour as required to make the dough soft, but not excessively soft, and continue kneading to make a smooth, elastic dough. Before the dough is fully developed, knead in the b.u.t.ter, then the raisins.

Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step.

Press the dough flat and divide in two. Round it and let it rest until relaxed, then deflate and shape into loaves. Place in greased 8 4 loaf pans and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until they arch over the tops of the pans and the dough slowly returns a gently made fingerprint. Bake about an hour at 350F. 4 loaf pans and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until they arch over the tops of the pans and the dough slowly returns a gently made fingerprint. Bake about an hour at 350F.

- FAST OPTION - Sponge: 1 hours - Dough: 1 hour to rise hour to proof - SPONGE - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - 3 tablespoons honey (45 ml) - 1 cups warm water (350 ml) - 4 cups whole wheat bread flour (600 g) - 6 tablespoons milk powder (45 g) - DOUGH - cup warm water (175 ml) - 1 cups whole wheat flour (225 g) - cup soy flour (23 g) - 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g) - 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter (28 g) - 1 cup raisins (145 g) The loaves will have a rich-colored crust and a pale, raisin-studded inside. Let them cool before slicing, as the bread is quite soft.

TIMING FLEXIBILITY.

The slow sponge takes about 3 hours at 70F; if you would like it to take 4 or 5 hours, add the salt to the sponge rather than when you make the full dough.

If you would like to speed the final rising stages of either option, dissolve another 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (3 g) in the dough water measure. Keep the dough in a warmer place, about 90F, and although it may take 45 minutes to an hour to rise fully, the shaped loaves will come up in the pan in as little as 20 minutes.

VARIATION.

You can subst.i.tute garbanzo flour for the soy flour. If there is no soy in the bread, the b.u.t.ter is optional; without soy, you will need to allow the full dough to rise twice before you shape the loaves.

Health Nut Bread

Not all health nuts are nuts-here they are soy grits, acting nutty in one of the most popular breads we made while working on this book. All the versions tested were well received, even including a couple of early experiments that could in truth only be called duds.

When you add soy grits to bread, as we have previously bleated, if you have a choice in the matter, go for raw rather than toasted-and for the biggest ones you can find; don't even bother trying the fine-crack type unless you crave bricks. Whatever grit you get, simmer and cool before kneading into the bread; otherwise they'll rip up the dough.

Along with the nutty grits, you'll be adding pieces of dried fruit. Our local rancher's dried apricots are like mahogany chips, dark and hard. That That kind has to precede its appearance in the bread with a brief hot-water bath: afterwards it is tender and wonderfully flavorful. (The yeast appreciates the bathwater enormously.) Fruit that is very soft will disappear into the dough, even if you don't steam or soak it. The best treatment for that sort, so far as we have discovered one, is to cut the fruit into raisin-sized pieces (with wet scissors or knife), spread it out on racks on a baking sheet, and bake in a 200F oven until it becomes firm-about half an hour. Even if the color darkens, the flavor is improved. Since this fruit can't take stewing, use apple juice or plain water in the dough instead of the fruit broth. If you use water, the bread will be much less sweet, but good anyway. kind has to precede its appearance in the bread with a brief hot-water bath: afterwards it is tender and wonderfully flavorful. (The yeast appreciates the bathwater enormously.) Fruit that is very soft will disappear into the dough, even if you don't steam or soak it. The best treatment for that sort, so far as we have discovered one, is to cut the fruit into raisin-sized pieces (with wet scissors or knife), spread it out on racks on a baking sheet, and bake in a 200F oven until it becomes firm-about half an hour. Even if the color darkens, the flavor is improved. Since this fruit can't take stewing, use apple juice or plain water in the dough instead of the fruit broth. If you use water, the bread will be much less sweet, but good anyway.

Choose the intensely flavorful fruits: apricots and raisins, certainly; peaches, prunes, currants; probably not dates in this one, or figs.

Simmer the soy grits in water in a small, heavy saucepan for 15 minutes, covered. Keep the fire low so the grits don't burn, and check them a couple of times, adding a few tablespoons of water, if necessary. You want to come out with nicely cooked, unburned soy grits and no extra liquid. Keep the grits covered in their pan while you make the dough.

- cup large-crack raw soy grits (51 g) - cup boiling water (120 ml) - 1 cup a.s.sorted dried fruits (140 g) - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - cup warm water (120 ml) - cup yogurt (120 ml) - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (45 ml) - 1 cups fruit broth, apple juice, and/or water (350 ml) - 5 cups whole wheat flour (830 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - cup toasted sunflower seeds (14 g) Prepare the fruit by boiling, baking, or just cutting up, so that it is firm but not hard. If simmered, drain well and cool the liquid to use in the bread. Set the fruit aside.

Dissolve the yeast in the cup warm water.

Mix together the yogurt, oil, and fruit broth, water, or juice. Add cold or warm water to make 2 cups of lukewarm liquid. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and add the liquid ingredients and the yeast, mixing well. Knead for about 15 minutes. The dough should be elastic and supple, but not quite to the silky stage. Cover and let rise in a warm place. How long will depend on how warm it is and whether you have used the fruit broth, bottled juice, or water; but rise it will. It is ready when your wet finger makes a -inch hole in the dough that does not fill in.

Turn the risen dough out on a lightly floured board and gently press into a big, very thin oblong. Spread the grits, the fruit, and the seeds on the surface of the dough, and fold it up, pressing the dough to compact it and expel any trapped air. Round it, smoothing the top, and let rise again. The second rising will take about half as long as the first.

Turn out and press flat. Divide in two, form rounds that are as smooth as possible, and cover them. Let the dough rest until its suppleness returns, which may take 15 to 20 minutes. Shape into loaves for two 8x4 pans, or make round loaves: this bread is particularly nice baked in pie tins, in gla.s.s or crockery bowls, or as one big round on a clay pizza stone. Let rise again, and then place the loaves in a preheated 350F oven, baking about an hour, or until done. The big loaf will take longer, of course; if it rises well it should be done in an hour and a half. The dough has a lot going on in it, and should you find that it doesn't rise as well as it ought to, do allow extra baking time. The flavor will be fine.

Famous Captain Carob Bread - 2 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 7 g) - 2 cups warm water (590 ml) - 5 cups whole wheat flour (750 g) - 2 teaspoons salt (14 g) - 6 tablespoons milk powder (43 g) - cup carob powder (23 g) - 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter (28 g) - cup honey (60 ml) - cup soy flour (14 g) This bread is favored even by those who profess to scorn carob. A light, moist, close-textured, very nutritious bread, it is popular with children nonetheless. It tastes a little strange with savory sandwich fillings, but it's a natural with peanut b.u.t.ter and nut and date b.u.t.ters, or with any mild cheese. Keeps well, makes great toast.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.

Mix the wheat flour, salt, milk powder, and carob in a big bowl. Combine with the yeast, mixing to make a slightly stiff dough. Knead for about 10 minutes, but not more.

Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step.

Use an eggbeater or fork to cream the b.u.t.ter and honey until they are smooth and fluffy. Work the soy flour into this, mixing until smooth. Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface, and press it flat. Spread the soy b.u.t.ter on the dough, fold or roll up, and knead until smooth and supple, about 10 more minutes. Keep in its warm spot to rise again.

Deflate the dough, divide in two, and gently form into rounds. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes, then shape into two loaves and place in greased 8 4 pans. Let rise again as before, until the dough returns a gently made fingerprint slowly. Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 50 minutes. 4 pans. Let rise again as before, until the dough returns a gently made fingerprint slowly. Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 50 minutes.

CAPTAIN CAROB CHIPPERS.

Add cup (80 g) unsweetened carob chips to one loaf's worth of dough before shaping. Divide into twelve pieces and make little rounds, placing them in a greased m.u.f.fin tin. The chipper rolls bake in about half an hour, and dusted with powdered sugar they could almost almost pa.s.s for cupcakes. This dough also makes a wonderful, strange loaf baked in a pie tin (or loaf pan). Some people hoot "Outrageous," but I don't notice them hanging back when the slicing begins. pa.s.s for cupcakes. This dough also makes a wonderful, strange loaf baked in a pie tin (or loaf pan). Some people hoot "Outrageous," but I don't notice them hanging back when the slicing begins.

Black Turtle's Raisin Bread - 1 cup raw black turtle beans (200 g)-scant 2 cups cooked - 2 cups of liquid from cooking the beans (475 ml) - cup blackstrap mola.s.ses (60 ml) - 2 tablespoons oil (30 ml) - 4 teaspoons active dry yeast ( oz or 14 g) - cup warm water (60 ml) - 5 cups whole wheat bread flour (750 g) - 1 tablespoon salt (16.5 g) - 1 cup raisins (145 g), steamed 5 minutes and drained This hefty cakelike bread would be worth making even if it were not so nutritious. Cooking the turtle beans in an iron pot makes them very black, which gives the bread its most distinctive appearance; it also adds a significant amount of iron to an already impressive array of nutrients. Black turtle beans are a gold mine of protein (45 grams in that one cup), iron, calcium, phosphorus, pota.s.sium, and B vitamins.

What amazing bread this is! The flavor is quite special. Good hot from the oven, good for egg salad or tofu sandwiches, good with pale cheeses, good toasted, and a good keeper.

Cook the beans. Drain them, reserving the liquid.

Add cold water to the bean liquid, or pour some of it off, to bring the measure to 2 cups. Either mash the beans with a potato masher and then combine them with the 2 cups liquid, or blend beans and liquid together in an electric blender or food processor until nearly smooth. Cool the mixture to about 100F. Add mola.s.ses and oil. The total measure should be about 1 quart.

Dissolve the yeast in the cup warm water.

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the bean mixture and the yeast to the flour to make a soft dough. Knead very well, about 20 minutes. Add the raisins toward the end of kneading. Cover the dough and let it rise very warm, about 95F.

After about 45 minutes, gently poke the center of the spongy dough about inch deep with your wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all, or if the dough sighs, press it flat, form again into a smooth round, and let it rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as long as the first.

Press the dough flat, divide in two, and form rounds. Let it rest until it is soft again, which won't take long. Gently form into fat round hearth loaves or regular pan loaves (8x4); either shape will work very well. Let them rise about half an hour. Don't slash the crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about an hour.

Breads with Milk & Eggs

Milk is not a necessity in breadmaking, and the traditional breads of Europe attain their impressive spectrum of distinguished flavors and textures without it. Europeans save the b.u.t.ter and cheese to put on top. But on this side of the Atlantic, bakers have generally welcomed the contributions milk makes to the quality of dough, and to the bread it becomes. In this section we explore some ways of using dairy products to make loaves that are more nutritious, longer-keeping, lighter, more interesting.

On the nutrition score, adding milk to bread significantly increases its protein and mineral content. Milk also improves bread's keeping quality and makes the crumb texture tender as well. Loaves made with milk have a subtle sweetness, a close, delicate texture, and a richly colored crust. Whole wheat breads with milk taste softer, less wheaty, than those mixed with water.

Doughs made with milk tend to be a trifle sticky, but even so, when used properly, milk makes life easier for the baker because it increases the length of time that the dough is ready to shape and bake, giving more leeway in timing. In addition, yeast is stimulated by milk, and one of milk's proteins, casein, strengthens the gluten so the bread can rise higher. It's important, though, to scald fresh milk because that protects the dough from two other milk proteins that would otherwise inhibit its rise.

Pasteurized milk has been heated already, it's true, but this low-temperature process is not enough to denature the gluten-weakening proteins. When you scald milk, skin forming on top signals that it has reached the required temperature: it is then ready to cool and use in your bread. (Scalding is not so important when the proportion of milk to other liquids in the recipe is half or less.) DRY MILK Supermarket powdered milk is produced by a low-temperature process to protect its flavor, and it is not ideal for use in baking, at least in sizable amounts, unless it is first reconst.i.tuted and scalded. As with fresh milk, though, if the proportion of powdered milk used is small, no more than cup non-instant powder per two-loaf recipe, usually the effect on the bread is not detrimental. Supermarket powdered milk is produced by a low-temperature process to protect its flavor, and it is not ideal for use in baking, at least in sizable amounts, unless it is first reconst.i.tuted and scalded. As with fresh milk, though, if the proportion of powdered milk used is small, no more than cup non-instant powder per two-loaf recipe, usually the effect on the bread is not detrimental.

In developing and testing our recipes, we have used non-instant nonfat powdered milk. Low-fat and whole powdered milk are also available; since these products can become rancid, taste them before using if there is any doubt about their freshness: rancid fat can spoil your bread.

CULTURED MILK PRODUCTS.