December 2020: Honey Bread Recipe

Hey Full Moon Bakers!

The year is just about over and we are closing out 2020 on a full moon! Something about that seems about right given all that’s happened this year. It’s been a rough one but as it comes to a close I think we are overdue for a touch of sweetness. Lets keep it simple with this Honey Bread Recipe. It’s a two-day process that includes an overnight rise that bakes-up into a loaf that is soft and on the inside with a crunchy outer crust. I know you are exhausted which is why you shouldn’t be afraid of this two-day baking process. As strange as it may sound, the “two-day” is the lazy way! I’m a lazy baker and can’t be bothered to supervise dough. This recipe allows we to through it together with minimal effort and come back to it when I’m in the mood.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 honey

Directions

Day 1:

1. In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, and yeast.
2. In a large measuring glass (or bowl), combine the warm water and the honey and stir to combine so that the honey is well blended.
3. Pour the liquid into the flour bowl.
4. Combine, incorporating the wet and dry ingredients until a sticky dough ball forms. It doesn't need to be perfect but you want most the dry ingredients integrated so there's no flour left sitting in the bowl.
5. Cover and let rest for 6-10 hours, untl the dough has become pillowy and doubled in size.

Day 2

1. Uncover the dough and with a wet hand, gently scoop around the edges, lifting from the sides and folding the dough onto itself. (watch video here). This will release the dough from the edges.
2. On a lightly floured surface, plop your dough out and gently stretch it out on the counter.
3. Using the criss cross technique (watch my video here), gently shape your dough being careful not to degas the air bubbles.
4. Place the shaped dough on a piece of parchment paper and place into a bowl or pie pan to rest for an hour, covered.
5. Put a dutch oven with the lid in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
6. When the oven is ready and the dough has rested, remove the cover and score the top of the dough.
7. Carefully remove the dutch oven and transfer the parchment paper with the dough into the dutch oven, cover with the lid and return it to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes at 415 degrees F.
9. Then remove the dutch oven and carefully transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool.

Freshly baked Honey Bread.

So long 2020! You won’t be missed!

Oct/Nov 2020: Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe

You know that expression, “too little, too late"? That’s how I’m feeling about this Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe…

Over the five years I was the caregiver to my father, all he wanted to eat was peanut butter and jelly. As a chef, you can imagine that was frustrating for me. I would make him these beautiful and nutritious meals and he would scoff at them, preferring his childhood favorite. The baker in me set out to add wholesomeness with homemade artisan bread, but even that fell short to his liking. The crust was too tough, or the crumb too dry… Each and every attempt to share love through a home cooked meal felt like failure and I eventually gave-up. I should have known that preparing senior meals was going to be harder than expected. I was out for creativity. He wanted soft, store bought bread slathered in traditional grape jelly with your standard hydrogenated peanut butter. It was his favorite. Who am I to argue with a man in his 80’s suffering from dementia? PS- You don’t argue with a person afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s. As a caregiver, you quickly learn to pick your battles, and fighting over food was not going to be one of mine.

There is another expression though. “It’s better late than never” and I guess you could say, Soft Sandwich Bread has arrived! It comes a year and a half to late for my dad but hopefully it’s right on time for you and your loved ones. As much as I love a crunchy-chewy crust, seniors with sensitive teeth might not share the love. So, in honor of my dad’s favorite meal, I’ve figured out this Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe.

This bread recipe produces a soft crumb and crust which makes it perfect for sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup warm water (seperated)
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Directions

Day 1:

1. In a large bowl mix the flour and the salt.
2. In a large measuring glass (or bowl), combine 1 cup of the warm water, melted butter, molasses, honey, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the rest of the water until you have 1 and 1/4 cup of the liquid mixture.
3. Add the yeast and let "bloom" for 10ish minutes.
4. Give the liquid mixture a stir and then pour into into the flour bowl.
5. Combine, incorporating the wet and dry ingredients until a sticky dough ball forms. It doesn't need to be perfect but you want most the dry ingredients integrated so there's no flour left sitting in the bowl.
6. Cover and let rest for 6-10 hours, and the dough has become pillowy and doubled in size.

Day 2

1. Uncover the dough and with a wet hand, gently scoop around the edges, lifting from the sides and folding the dough onto itself. This will release the dough from the edges.
2. On a lightly floured surface, plop your dough out and gently stretch it out on the counter.
3. Using the criss cross technique (watch my video here), gently shape your dough being careful not to degas the air bubbles.
4. Place the shaped dough on a piece of parchment paper and place into a bowl or pie pan to rest for an hour, covered.
5. Put a dutch oven with the lid in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
6. When the oven is ready and the dough has rested, remove the cover and score the top of the dough.
7. Carefully remove the dutch oven and transfer the parchment paper with the dough into the dutch oven, cover with the lid and return it to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes at 415 degrees F.
9. Then remove the dutch oven and carefully transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool.

The best Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe ever!

I hope you love this sandwich bread recipe as much as I do. Report back you thoughts. I know kids and seniors alike both love soft bread so give it a try and let me know what you think. Sending love and lots of good sandwiches!

November 2018: Cranberry Sauce Bread

With the November 2018 full moon falling the day after Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce was begging to be a signature ingredient for the Full Moon Baking Club. Every year I make a cranberry sauce and every year I have leftovers. So this year, I made sauce with a plan. One of my favorite bakeries, Pain D’Avignon in Hyannis, MA makes these delicious cranberry-pecan rolls so I wanted a cranberry sauce that could steer me in that direction. I made this cranberry sauce using some during my Thanksgiving meal and the rest in this bread. It used walnuts instead of pecans but… close enough. My goal was texture.

Speaking of texture, I baked this bread in a dutch oven because it makes a world of difference when it comes to the crust. If you want that crispy/chewy/artisan bread effect at home, bake your breads in a dutch oven. The lid helps trap moisture and produces steam while baking. That humid baking environment, matched with high heat equals crusty loaves that mimic professional bakery results. It’s one of the simplest answers to creating rustic breads in an everyday home kitchen.

If you find yourself needing a dutch oven, I recommend the one linked below made by Lodge Cast Iron. There are a lot on the market, some quite a bit more expansive than others but I prefer this one because it’s affordable, comes pre-seasoned and is made entirely of cast iron. Some have nobs on the lids with a lower heat tolerance than the pot which can throw off one’s cooking plan. Whatever style you prefer, just make sure it’s safe for high temperatures. You’ll need it to handle temperatures of at least 450 degrees for breads.

Lodge L8DOL3 Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Dual Handles, Pre-Seasoned, 5-Quart

Lodge

I forgot to take pictures of the bread in progress so hopefully you checked-out the video when it was all going down on Instagram The high was making pink dough. The low was a mild panic where it suddenly occurred to me I was making a fruit cake. Otherwise, you didn’t miss much. I did however snag a few shots of the cranberry sauce in the works. Also, if you need a holiday gift, this mixing spoon and several others are still available.

Ok bakers, it’s time to get on with this recipe because there are only two weeks till the next full moon. Do you even still have cranberry sauce? Probably not and that’s my fault for being so slow on posting the recipe but all the more reason to archive this recipe for next year! Or, if you’re really game to make bread (which you should be), I encourage you go for it! Just omit the cranberry sauce and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised. That’s the beauty of bread. With a little practice, you’ll find it’s a very forgiving art.;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup cranberry sauce
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a bowl mix together the water and cranberry sauce.
2. Add the yeast and let it disolve.
3. In a separate, large bowl, stir together the four and salt.
4. Pour the cranberry mixture into the bowl with the flour and mix to combine.
5. Mix the ingredients together helping to form the dough.
6. Gently form the dough in the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured surface.
7. Knead the dough on the counter for at least 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.
8. The dough should become smooth and springy with all ingredients throughoughly combined. Keep kneading if feeling unsure about the consistancy. It's practically impossible to over-knead dough by hand and if anything, more kneading will only improve the texture.
9. Once well formed, shape it into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rest/rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
10. Once doubled, knead it again for another 10ish minutes, dusting with flour to keep it from sticking if necessary.
11. After kneading, shape into a round form and place smooth side up on a piece of parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. (I like to place my dough and parchment on a pie plate to help keep the round shape during the second rise.)
12. Let it rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
13. Preheat the oven and your dutch oven to 450 degrees F.
14. When the dough is ready, carefully transfer the parchment paper with the dough into the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
15. Next, remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 410 degrees F. Bake for 15 more minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
16. Cool on a rack for 20ish minutes before slicing.

Ok folks, we got two weeks! The holiday and the Full Moon Baking Club countdowns are on so lets role with the festive and make Eggnog Bread! Do people even like eggnog? Probably not, yet somehow it winds up in the fridge every year. Well, this year we are gonna use it up! Eggs, milk and sugar can make for a tasty loaf so let’s just do it and embrace the holiday spirit. And since the full moon is on the 22nd of December, we can count on some leftovers to make holiday french toast.

See you in a couple of weeks! And if you made it this far and have no idea what the Full Moon Baking Club is click here, catch-up, and join us on the 22nd!

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