Brother's Bread: Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking

[MagickMuffin]

I have not tried this recipe yet, as I'm not a natural Bread Maker. I use a machine to mix my dough and then I divide the dough into my pans, cover it with plastic wrap, let it sit on top of the stove with the heat vents from the oven helping it along until it rises some more then I bake it in the oven. I've been using the pizza dough recipe that came with my bread machine. It makes pretty good bread.

I guess another reason I've been so hesitate to making bread is because years ago I bought some of the frozen bread dough and the dough didn't rise very much, so I was thinking it had to do with a drafty kitchen. I've been afraid of drafts ever since, even though when I make my dough it seems to do all right. But I'm nervous about making it on my own.


I have wanted to try this recipe but since I've never attempted making dough using my Kitchen Aid, I decided to post the recipe here. I saw this being made on show with Sara Molton on the Food Network. It seemed easy enough to make but I'm hesitant because the ingredients cost so much that I would be extremely mad if it didn't work out.

If anyone wants to try this recipe and tell me how it turns out that would be most appreciated. I thought about using the refrigerator method if I get up the courage to try it.

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 to 7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal
White distilled vinegar

In a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook combine the yeast and water, mixing slowly until yeast is dissolved. Stir in salt and sugar. Mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Beat for 5 minutes, gradually adding flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary to prevent stickiness.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap and let rise slowly in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours or overnight.

Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment or sprinkle with cornmeal.

Punch down the dough. Divide in half, shape into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. Carve an X in the top of the loaf and * spray with vinegar. Place in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees F for 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.


Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 loaves


* The vinegar is suppose to add an extra crunchiness to the bread, that's what the Jesuit Brother said.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/brothers-bread-recipe/index.html

I hope someone is brave enough to try this and writes about it:hi:

[Warpy]

1. You don't need the vinegar, just a spritz with plain water will do

exactly the same thing. Alternatively, you can put a shallow pan of water into the oven under the bread to steam all during baking.

Bread is very forgiving stuff. If you start with good ingredients and don't shock the yeast, it will work and taste good, even if the loaves do look like mutants when they exit the oven.

I live at high altitude and need to start with a sponge and allow it to rise slowly overnight to get any flavor at all. I don't even bother to proof my yeast or warm my water, just mix the dry ingredients including yeast and powdered milk, powdered eggs, or whatever and add cool tap water.

The only rule is that the longer the rise, the less yeast you should start with. Forget the tablespoon, I just use a generous pinch.

Your KitchenAid is your obliging kitchen slave that will do all the kneading for you. All you need to is a little finish kneading when you shape the dough into a tidy ball and again when you cut it in half and shape your loaves.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Thanks for the input Warpy

I guess I could try my hands at making this, I already bought the yeast, and it's just waiting for me to get up the courage to do something with it.

I suppose I could just half the recipe and see how that one turns out, that way I wouldn't be using so much flour.

:hi:

[eridani]

3. Where do you live that flour is so expensive?

Last month I got 15 pounds on sale for $5.00.

[MagickMuffin]

4. I live in Texas

I'm not sure how much it costs as I don't do the grocery shopping. But I do hate wasting money on recipes that flop. I'd would rather use the ingredients on a sure fire recipe.

I've been making a lot of scones lately because I had a half a gallon of 1/2 & 1/2 that went bad on me. The scones have been really really good.

[Warpy]

5. Try the New York Times bread recipe

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

I have never been able to screw this one up. There is no way to shock the yeast because you don't proof it. The long rising time really develops the flavor and cooking it in a hot, covered Dutch oven develops a crunchy crust.

You'll get a peasant bread with an open crumb with this one, great for toast and for sopping up gravy, not as good for sandwiches with gooey fillings.

[MagickMuffin]

8. I have the NY Times recipe already

However, I don't have a Dutch oven at the present time. Perhaps someday soon I'll be able to afford one. I looked around for some and they seemed a bit pricey. Maybe I could ask for one for Xmas.

Thanks for your input.

[housewolf]

6. You could mix this dough in your bread maker, too

and bake in the oven as you've been doing. IF your bread machine will hold that much flour. If it won't, you could scale the recipe down to a size that your machine holds (happy to help with that if you need).

Other than the vinegar, there's nothing unusual about this recipe. Techniques like "mixing slowly until yeast is dissolved" seem like a personal preference to me (maybe a gesture of respect to the yeast?), as that really doens't do anything for the bread." and "Stir in salt and sugar. Mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes" is a bit strange in that if he just added sugar to the yeast and water, the 5 minutes would serve as a proofing for the yeast - but salt (when it's not buffered by flour) can kill yeast (which is why bread machine instructions often tell you, when using the timer, to put the yeast in first, then the flour and lastly the salt, so that the salt doesn't damage the yeast), so this seems a bit counter-productive to me. Other than that (and the vinegar), it's basically standard bread ingredients and procedure.

What makes the bread special is that it's formed into rounds and baked free-form, rather than in loaf pans and spritzing with the vinegar. I'll bet you could easily throw all the ingredients into your bread machine, let it do the kneading for you, and you just shape and bake as directed. If you're more comfortable, try just making half the recipe and see how it goes.

I have the bread book referenced, "The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking", so I looked up the recipe in the book. It's the same, and there's no additional information or tips that would be helpful.

[MagickMuffin]

7. Thanks for the tips housewolf

I thought it was a bit strange adding the salt to the yeast since I've read several posts here saying not to mix the salt with the yeast because it would kill the yeast.

The dough I use in my bread machine calls for adding the water, olive oil, salt, sugar, then the flour and the yeast as the last ingredient. I suppose it doesn't matter which order you do it in as long as the yeast and salt don't come into contact.

The dough makes nice loaves of bread. I usually make the 2 lb recipe and divide it into 2 sections. I use a loaf pan for one portion, and a round Pyrex bowl for the other portion.

I tried one other recipe it had milk and eggs, but it didn't have the results that I liked so the Pizza Dough has been my standard bearer for now.

I might give this recipe a try in my bread machine and see what happens.

Again thanks for the help:hi:

[hippywife]

9. She's the best, isn't she?

Always so helpful and encouraging! Let us know how it turns out. :hi: