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Last updated: November 01. 2006 4:24PM
SOUTHERN MAKEOVERS
Well Bread (a tale of bread making on the rise)
The latest trend is hearty breads, endorsed by new federal nutritional guidelines that suggest Americans eat more whole grains to stay healthy. But the idea of bread made with oats, barley and millet may sound as outdated as gypsy lace with a brown headband.
Allison Workman, of Wilmington, still likes that look, and she loves whole-wheat bread, but not the dull, dry kind. Certified in pastry arts, Workman uses simple whole-wheat doughs and batters to create timeless breads that fit any food fashion. “Bread is my passion,” she says as she mixes what she calls “classic 100-percent whole-wheat bread.”
Workman likes rustic breads with ample chunks of flavorings. Her signature garlic and rosemary whole-wheat loaf contains entire cloves of garlic and fresh rosemary leaves roasted together in olive oil. Sometimes she adds poppy seeds and raw shredded carrots or caramelized onions and fresh cilantro, the latter she suggests with chili in winter.
“The more exotic ingredients you put in it, the cooler it is,” Workman says. “Everybody is looking for that exotic, out-of-this-world masterpiece. It’s definitely a race to see who can get the best one.”
Workman’s dream bread would be baked with roasted red pepper, mozzarella, sea salt and olive oil. For home bakers, adding whole grains to bread recipes can be crazy enough. Often, their versions of these breads come from the oven coarse, dense and dry.
Workman, who has been baking bread for 11 years, says fixes are simple, mainly not adding too much flour, allowing bread to rise – or proof – for the correct amount of time and not fussing over details. Workman usually dumps all her ingredients into a mixing bowl, rather than adding flour a half cup at a time, as suggested by many recipes. She allows the bread to rise twice, sometimes just 30 or 40 minutes each go round. She doesn’t grease loaf pans, but rather bakes round loaves on lightly greased pans, cutting decorative slashes on the top of the breads.
And when she doesn’t feel like waiting for bread to rise, Workman turns to quick breads. To these sweet versions leavened with baking soda and/or baking powder, she likes to add nuts, seeds, chocolate and dried fruit.
Workman, 28, is obviously doing something right. When she pulls her loaves from the oven, her children – 7 and 3 – push aside their ice pops and gummy candies and beg for a slice. They prefer plain whole-wheat to sweet-cranberry-and-nut quick bread.
“It’s not that it takes a lot of skill to make bread,” Workman says, “but it takes a lot of heart.”
Mixing
Mix bread using a heavy-duty stand-up mixer with the dough hook attached for 7-10 minutes, or until the bread pulls from the sides of the bowl. Knead by hand for 5-7 minutes until the dough pulls away from the kneading surface. The dough should be dry, but slightly sticky. Adding too much flour will cause bread to be dry. (Once you’ve added too much flour, it is nearly impossible to correct the mistake.)
Proofing
After mixing, place dough in a bowl covered with a damp paper towel or lightweight cloth for 30 to 60 minutes. The dough should “lighten” to the point where it feels like a baby’s bottom when you touch it lightly. The dough should still be a little sticky.
Shaping
Divide the dough in half. Sprinkle flour on a clean board or counter top. Lightly knead dough then use your hands to shape into ball. Professional bakers swirl dough on board until it forms a ball, but Workman suggests using same rolling action you use with meatballs.
Baking
Place loaves on greased cookie sheet; let rise for another 30 minutes then bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until internal temperature of bread reaches 180 degrees. Stick instant-read thermometer into center of bread to get temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, use a pot holder or thick cloth to pick up hot bread. Turn loaf over and tap bottom with your finger. You should hear a deep thump.
– Allison Workman
Classic 100-Percent Whole-Wheat Bread
1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in
2 tablespoons warm water
1⅓ cups water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey, molasses or maple syrup
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
1¼ teaspoon salt
3½ cups whole-wheat flour (for lighter bread, use all-purpose flour in place of half of whole-wheat flour)
Combine all ingredients in bowl of stand-up mixer. Using dough hook, mix dough 5 to 7 minutes until it pulls away from the sides of bowl. Alternately, mix ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. When dough starts to come together, turn out on a floured surface and knead 5 to 7 minutes or until dough is smooth.
Transfer dough to a clean bowl, cover with a damp paper towel or light cloth and let rise until light to touch, about 60 minutes. Sprinkle flour on work surface. Cut dough in half. Lightly knead each half and shape portions into balls. Place loaves on a lightly greased cookie sheets. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle loaves with wheat bran. Use a sharp knife to cut slashes across top of loaves. Bake bread 30 minutes, tenting lightly with foil after 15 minutes. Bread is finished when internal temperature reaches 180 degrees or you can hear a thump when tapping bottom of loaf.
Variations on Classic 100 Percent Whole-Wheat Bread Recipe
Garlic-Rosemary Bread: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 1-2 tablespoons whole fresh rosemary leaves and 6-12 large, unpeeled garlic cloves in a small baking dish. Pour ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil over mixture. Cover with foil; bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool. Squeeze garlic from skins. Knead whole cloves and rosemary leaves, along with olive oil, into the bread dough during the final 2 minutes of kneading before the first rise.
Caramelized Onion and Fresh Cilantro Bread: Workman likes to serve this bread with chili in winter. Peel and thinly slice 1 large white or yellow onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, or medium-low if onions begin to blacken around edges. Set aside to cool. Knead cooled onions and ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro into dough during final 2 minutes of kneading before the first rise.
Workman’s Dream Bread: Asked what she would like to see offered at her local bakery, Workman suggested a bread with roasted red peppers, mozzarella, olive oil and sea salt. Clean and dry 1 large red bell pepper. Place pepper on a baking pan. Move oven rack to about 6 inches under broiler. Place pan in oven and broil pepper, turning regularly, until all sides are black. Remove and cool. Cut ¼ pound mozzarella or smoked mozzarella into rough, medium dice. When peppers are cool, remove skin and seeds. Roughly chop flesh. Gently knead pepper and cheese into bread dough during final 2 minutes of kneading before first rise. After bread has risen and you’ve shaped, rub with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Wheat Bran Cranberry
Quick Bread
When Workman doesn’t have time to proof bread, she turns to this quick bread. The key to tender quick bread is not overmixing the ingredients. Stir wet and dry ingredients gently, until just combined.
⅔ cup white flour
1⅓ cups whole-wheat flour
⅔ cup wheat bran
⅔ cup brown sugar
⅔ teaspoon baking powder
⅔ teaspoon baking soda
⅔ cup chopped walnuts
⅔ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
⅔ cup milk
⅔ cup orange juice
⅔ cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan. In large bowl, combine flours, bran, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nuts. Set aside. In separate bowl, combine cranberries and sugar. Stir egg, milk, orange juice, butter and cranberries into flour mixture, until just combined. Pour batter into pan. Bake until center is firm, 45 to 55 minutes.
Quirky Quick Breads
Quick breads are versatile, allowing the baker to experiment with different combinations of flavorings and ingredients. Here are some ideas for Workman’s Wheat Bran Quick Bread.
Chocolate Cherry Bread: Replace cranberries with ⅔ cup dried cherries or drained and chopped canned cherries. Add ⅔ cup chocolate chips to recipe.
Pecan Peach Bread: Replace cranberries with 1 cup of diced, peeled fresh peaches. Replace chopped walnuts with ⅔ cup chopped pecans.
Tropical Bread: Replace cranberries with 1 cup diced fresh pineapple. Replace walnuts with ⅔ cup chopped macadamia nuts. Add ½ teaspoon each ground cinnamon and nutmeg to batter.
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