Fav Zohead Recipes

Brioche Buns

     ANOTHER great ZO dough!

  • 2 3/4 cups (11 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or bread flour
  • 1/4 cup Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast 
  • 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons lukewarm water*
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter

*Start with 3 tablespoons in summer, or under humid conditions; 4 tablespoons in winter, or when it’s dry out.

Attention, #Zoheads: set your machine on the dough cycle, and walk away.

Let the dough rise for 1 hour.  Brioche dough is easier to handle when it’s cold. So let it rise at room temperature until it’s noticeably puffy; then place it in a bag (no need to grease the bag), fasten the bag at the top, and refrigerate the dough overnight.

This recipe will make six mega-buns, perfect for your half-pound burgers; eight standard burger buns; or 16 mini-buns, just right for sliders.

Divide the dough into the desired number of pieces. If you have a scale, weigh the dough before you start; this will make division totally simple.

Shape each piece of dough into a flattened round: about 3 1/4" diameter for large buns, 3" for standard, and 2 1/2" for mini.

Place the larger buns in a hamburger bun pan, if desired, for extra support. Standard and mini buns will be fine on a half-sheet pan, spaced about 2" apart. I like to line the pan with parchment, for easiest cleanup.

For smoothest shape, flatten shaped brioche buns with a tool – not simply your hands.

You can get pretty smooth brioche buns simply by using the palm of your hand to flatten them. But here’s a helpful tip: once you’ve shaped the dough into a ball, flatten it with something completely flat: like a bowl scraper, or the bottom of a measuring cup (if you have one large enough). Press down firmly, then make a couple of small circles with your hand (think washing a window), to “round” the bun under pressure.

 

Another fantastic recipe from King Arthur Flour and PJ Hamel!  (Like, word for word!)  And yes, that is a piece missing - PJ said I could!

 

 

 

Light Wheat Sourdough

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter, you must have a starter available
1 cup water, warm about 110F
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
(not rapid rise yeast)

3 cups bread flour (1 wheat, 2 white)
(if using wheat, 1 tablespoon wheat gluten)
1 tablespoon or 1 packet flax seed)
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Put first 4 ingredients in bread machine and stir gently. (yes, this works…).

2. Use Dough setting

3. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Starter should start to bubble a little.

4. Add flour, then spread oil and salt evenly over the flour.

5. Check a few minutes into kneading and add flour or water as needed to get a just slightly tacky dough that sticks to your fingers like a strong post it note and stretches smoothly without tears when kneading. Sourdough bread dough is a little gloopier then regular white bread.

6. Divide into halves, shape and place into bread pan.  Spray tops with water (helps build a nice crust)

7. Bake at 375 for 27 minutes.

8. Like all sourdough breads wait until at room temperature before cutting or insides will clump up and tear the insides out of the loaf.

Note:  you can add herbs or grains such as oatmeal or sunflower seeds, dried dill and onion flakes, etc. after the 'add" beeps from the machine.  

I use 1/2 cup of oatmeal or sunflower seeds, or 2 tablespoons dried dill (3 if using fresh) and 1 tablespoon of minced onion. 

Yeast Rolls

Ingredients

3/4 small can pineapple juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons dry milk
2 teaspoons fast rising yeast or 2 teaspoons quick-rising yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients in bread machine container in order directed by manufacturer. Select dough

2. Place in greased and floured loaf pans or shape into rolls. Cover and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

3.  Spray tops with water.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or golden brown.

Home Menu

Proof

I was reading about proofing bread the other day and saw that some lucky people have a "Proof" setting on their oven.  So I checked and I'll be darn - I do too!

I've run across so many different suggestions and very thankful for everyone for sharing what works for them.

I use the PROOF setting on my oven.  I cover the bread pans with a clean towel and let it do it's thing.  Then I put the bread pans in the microwave (NOT starting it) while the oven heats up.

 

Poke your dough (lightly, on the side).  If the indentation stays put, then the bread is proofed.

Machine or Oven?

Method 1 - bake in machine

 

1. Measure all ingredients into baking pan.

2. Insert baking pan securely into baking unit and close lid.

3. Select course (White, Wheat)/crust (Light/Dark). 

4. Push START.

5. When beep sounds, add seeds, nuts, raisins - all optional -  scrape side and bottom of pan

with a rubber spatula to help mix.

7. The machine will beep and the COMPLETE light will illuminate when the bread is finished.

8. Using hot pads, remove pan from unit and allow to cool to touch.

9. Remove bread from baking pan and as well as paddles, if they are stuck.

 

Method 2 - bake in oven

Select Dough course. 

When the course completes, unplug and remove dough from the Baking Pan. Roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour in the refrigerator.

Divide dough into halves and shape into lightly greased bread pans.  Allow to rise (I found out I have a Proof setting on my oven!).  Once doubled, place in microwave (do not start the microwave) and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake bread for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature is 190.  Remove and eat!