Recipes

Quick No-Knead White Bread

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Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
2½ teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup sour cream
1 cup water, divided
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cubed
vegetable oil for kneading

Instructions

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the large bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the dough hook (I use a KitchenAid).

Put the sour sour cream into a measuring cup, add ⅔ cup of cold water. Add the cubed butter to the sour cream/water mixture. Then add 7 Tablespoons of boiling water. Stir to be sure the butter is softened and will incorporate into the dough.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredient and stir slowly until all the flour is hydrated and a soft, sticky dough forms. This should take less than a minute.

Without removing the bowl from the mixer stand, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the mixer on again and knead the dough for about 10 seconds. At this point, the dough should begin to form into a ball. Cover it again, and leave for 10 more minutes. Repeat this process twice.

After the third 10-second knead, remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a ball. Oiling your hands and the surface on which you will work the dough will make this process less sticky! Form the dough into a ball again, put it back in the bowl, cover, and leave to rest and rise for an hour until doubled in size.

Select the loaf pan you will use for the bread. You can use a standard 8 1/2″ x 4″ loaf pan or a small Pullman pan which is 9″ x 5″. I have also used a standard Pullman pan which is 9″ x 13″ which will produce a longer but less tall loaf.

Which ever pan you use, line the bottom of your loaf pan with parchment paper and very lightly grease or spray the bottom and sides and set aside.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and move it to the counter top which you have oiled. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 of an inch thick and as wide as the pan in which you will bake it. The long side of the rectangle should be the same length as the pan you are using for baking. Starting with this edge, and using both hands, tightly roll the dough into a scroll (like rolling a Swiss roll), and gently place it seam side down in your prepared loaf pan, tucking the ends if necessary.

Leave to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1–1½ hours.

When the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for about 35 minutes and using a stick thermometer check for doneness which is around 205 degrees. If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, cover with a foil tent.

Remove the loaf from the pan onto a baker’s rack once you remove it from the oven. Let loaf cool for at least 2 hours or over night before slicing.

White Pullman Sandwich Loaf

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Ingredients

6 cups bread flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil or other neutral oil
4 1/2 teaspoons regular or quick active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (more water may be needed if the dough is too dry. Add water by tablespoons up to 4 additional tablespoons.)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in the large bowl of the mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add warm water (no more than 110 degrees) and olive oil. Beat on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl, until a wet dough forms, about 3 minutes. Add remaining flour and mix slowly until the flour is incorporated into a soft dough. Mix for 5-7 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic and slightly tacky to the touch. Kneading the dough for this length of time is important to ensure the flour is fully hydrated and so that the gluten forms properly.
2. Place dough in a large bowl wiped with olive oil. Allow 1 hour (more if needed) to rise so that dough is doubled in size.
3. Grease bottoms and sides of a 9X13 Pullman loaf pan. (I generally use a piece of parchment in the bottom of the pan, which I spray with vegetable spray.)
4. Turn dough onto counter which you’ve sprinkled lightly with flour. (you can also use neutral oil instead of flour. This will result in a loaf with a thicker crust) Gently pat dough into a (roughly) 8×13″ rectangle. Roll up lengthwise, pinching the end of the dough to seal it. Fold and tuck the ends of the loaf so the dough fits snugly into the Pullman pan. Place in the loaf pan.
5. Allow loaves to rise an additional 45 minutes, until the loaf rises about 3/4″ above the side of the Pullman pan. This will ensure that your bread is light.
6. Preheat oven to 375° F and bake loaves 40 minutes. After a out 20 minutes, check to be sure the top of the loaf is not browning too quickly. If so, tent the loaf with foil for the rest of the bake. The loaf is done when your stick thermometer reads around 205 degrees.
Be sure to remove loaves from their pans quickly after baking so they don’t become soggy on bottom. Cool loaf completely before slicing.

Chickpea and Pepper Curry

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (can substitute fresh tomatoes)
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

Instructions

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until bell peppers are tarting to brown, about 5/7 minutes. Add jalapeño, garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add chick peas, tomatoes and their juice, and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium low heat for about 20 minutes.

Serve over hot white rice.

Basic Ice Cream (for an ice cream maker)

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Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
14 ounces (1 cam) nonfat sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Note: This recipe works best when the three milks are cold. I generally put the condensed milk into the fridge for at least 2 hours before using it. Working quickly with cold ingredients and getting the mixture into the ice cream maker will reduce the freezing time and lessen the likelihood of the ice cream being grainy.)

Mix the cream, whole and condensed milks in a mixing bowl, preferably one with a spout. Using a whisk, be sure the condensed milk is mixed well with the cream and milk. Pour the mixture into the ice cream churn which has been frozen for at least 12 hours. The ice cream should be ready in 35 minutes.

Working quickly, remove the ice cream from the churn and put it into a freezer-proof container. Return the ice cream to the freezer for at least two hours so that is set firmly but still creamy. The ice cream should hold for 4-5 days in the freezer, if it lasts that long!

This ice cream can be flavored with almost any fruit. I have used peaches, bananas, blueberries and raspberries. I also used pureed pumpkin to make a dessert for Thanksgiving. Add about 1/2 cup of puree to the milk mixture before putting it into he churn and freezing.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Alfredo

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Ingredients

2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic minced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes*
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup sun dried tomato drained and chopped
3 cups baby spinach**
8 oz penne pasta uncooked***
1 jar Alfredo sauce 150z
2 cups boiling water or chicken broth
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
Basil or parsley for garnish optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In an oven proof dutch oven, melt butter then add chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes until done. Next, add the garlic, Italian seasonings, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
Next, add the remaining ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese and mix well. Cover the casserole and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and test the pasta to be sure it is done. Once the past is done to your taste, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts and gets bubbly.

Serve with a side salad. Serves 6.

* you can use any left over chicken. I generally precook the chicken so I have broth to use instead of boiling water. Gives the dish more flavor!
** a box or bag of frozen spinach works well. Before adding to the dish, thaw the spinach and squeeze it until it is dry. Instead of spinach, you can also use a container of mushrooms (fresh, sliced or a can of mushrooms). Or you can add both!
*** Any pasta will be fine here. I have used penne, rotini, cavatappi, and elbows.