Low tech bread and pizza dough - no machines, no mixer

[Guest guest]

For herbed whole wheat pizza:

 

flour - I like to use 1/2 better for bread and 1/2 whole wheat.

 

Salt, water, sugar

 

For herbs I use rosemary and sage, fresh and minced.

 

Prepare some lukewarm water (body temperature).

 

Start: Place small amount of sugar (about 1 tbsp), yeast (2 tbsp?)

and a warm water in large stainless steel bowl. Wait until it is

dissolved. Measure water temperature placing on your inner wrist.

It should not feel cool or hot (like for a baby bottle). Don't ask

me how much water, maybe 4 cups?.

 

Sponge: Here I add my highest gluten water and mix. Add flour, mix

with a woden spoon and keep adding until it is the concistency of

mashed potatoes. You need as many cups of flour that will give you

this consistency, but count them since you will need to know for the

salt. Now mix about 100 times. Let sit in the bowl for about an

hour or until about doubled. Cover wiht dish towel. If it is cold

it might take more than an hour, in the summer maybe less. Just

water, yeast, sugar and flour here. Salt and oils have a tendency

to inhibit gluten growth. Here you want your dough to pre-rise, so

you can add the other ingredients that will slow down the rising

later (after the one hour rising time), since the dough will have

pre-risen.

 

Rest of bread: Here for the pizza dough or herb bread I add the

herbs and the salt, and the whole wheat flour. Use 1/2 teaspoon of

salt per cup of flour. You can estimate if you lost cound of the

number of cups but try to count. Too much salt and you bread will

be too salty and will not rise, too little salt and the rising will

be great but bland dough.

 

Add flour and salt (and herbs) and after a while the spoon will not

work so you will have to knead by hand. Fold dough in one direction

and then the other, and keep going while adding some flour so it

does not stick to your hands. I knead right in the bowl, some people

prefer a floured flat surface. Once it has a nice bread dough

consistency (poke a hole with a finger and it will bounce back) then

cut it into as many pieces as you like. Usually I separate into 3

or 4 pieces. Take extra dough portions and store in fridge in

plastic bag wiht extra four (so it does not stick). You can sue

this for tomorrow's pizza dough.

 

For making bread I shape dough into loaves, place on floured baking

tray, make cuts on top of bread and let rise, covered with towel for

half and hour or so. I bake at 400 for 30 minutes or so, depending

on the size of the loaf. Turn around and knock on it, if it makes

hollow soound it is done.

 

For pizza dough, shape into ball and place in oiled pizza pan (use

olive oil). Let sit for a while until dough becomes easy to shape

again (it will not bounce back so readily). Now shape pizza dough

into pizza dough. I do not toss in the air but I stretch it in the

air, above the pan. You might need to let it rest and stretch

again, do thsi in a couple of stages. let rise for a few minutes

while you prepare the pizza topping ingredients.

 

I bake pizza in two stages. Very hot oven (475F) place pizza on top

rack for 5 minutes, lower temperature to 425F and place on lower

rack (and turn) for about 8 minutes. Check it, ovens are very

different. If you have an outside bread oven I envy you....

 

Roseta

[Guest guest]

Thnaks for the great directions! This is just what I have been

wanting to try and make! ~Danielle--- In

, " rosetalleo " <rosetalleo wrote:

>

> For herbed whole wheat pizza:

>

> flour - I like to use 1/2 better for bread and 1/2 whole wheat.

>

> Salt, water, sugar

>

> For herbs I use rosemary and sage, fresh and minced.

>

> Prepare some lukewarm water (body temperature).

>

> Start: Place small amount of sugar (about 1 tbsp), yeast (2 tbsp?)

> and a warm water in large stainless steel bowl. Wait until it is

> dissolved. Measure water temperature placing on your inner wrist.

> It should not feel cool or hot (like for a baby bottle). Don't ask

> me how much water, maybe 4 cups?.

>

> Sponge: Here I add my highest gluten water and mix. Add flour, mix

> with a woden spoon and keep adding until it is the concistency of

> mashed potatoes. You need as many cups of flour that will give you

> this consistency, but count them since you will need to know for

the

> salt. Now mix about 100 times. Let sit in the bowl for about an

> hour or until about doubled. Cover wiht dish towel. If it is cold

> it might take more than an hour, in the summer maybe less. Just

> water, yeast, sugar and flour here. Salt and oils have a tendency

> to inhibit gluten growth. Here you want your dough to pre-rise, so

> you can add the other ingredients that will slow down the rising

> later (after the one hour rising time), since the dough will have

> pre-risen.

>

> Rest of bread: Here for the pizza dough or herb bread I add the

> herbs and the salt, and the whole wheat flour. Use 1/2 teaspoon of

> salt per cup of flour. You can estimate if you lost cound of the

> number of cups but try to count. Too much salt and you bread will

> be too salty and will not rise, too little salt and the rising will

> be great but bland dough.

>

> Add flour and salt (and herbs) and after a while the spoon will not

> work so you will have to knead by hand. Fold dough in one

direction

> and then the other, and keep going while adding some flour so it

> does not stick to your hands. I knead right in the bowl, some

people

> prefer a floured flat surface. Once it has a nice bread dough

> consistency (poke a hole with a finger and it will bounce back)

then

> cut it into as many pieces as you like. Usually I separate into 3

> or 4 pieces. Take extra dough portions and store in fridge in

> plastic bag wiht extra four (so it does not stick). You can sue

> this for tomorrow's pizza dough.

>

> For making bread I shape dough into loaves, place on floured baking

> tray, make cuts on top of bread and let rise, covered with towel

for

> half and hour or so. I bake at 400 for 30 minutes or so, depending

> on the size of the loaf. Turn around and knock on it, if it makes

> hollow soound it is done.

>

> For pizza dough, shape into ball and place in oiled pizza pan (use

> olive oil). Let sit for a while until dough becomes easy to shape

> again (it will not bounce back so readily). Now shape pizza dough

> into pizza dough. I do not toss in the air but I stretch it in the

> air, above the pan. You might need to let it rest and stretch

> again, do thsi in a couple of stages. let rise for a few minutes

> while you prepare the pizza topping ingredients.

>

> I bake pizza in two stages. Very hot oven (475F) place pizza on

top

> rack for 5 minutes, lower temperature to 425F and place on lower

> rack (and turn) for about 8 minutes. Check it, ovens are very

> different. If you have an outside bread oven I envy you....

>

> Roseta

>

[Guest guest]

You are welcome! and good luck with it!

 

, " mylameoww " <mylameoww

wrote:

>

> Thnaks for the great directions! This is just what I have been

> wanting to try and make! ~Danielle--- In

> , " rosetalleo " <rosetalleo@> wrote:

> >

> > For herbed whole wheat pizza:

> >

> > flour - I like to use 1/2 better for bread and 1/2 whole wheat.

> >

> > Salt, water, sugar

> >

> > For herbs I use rosemary and sage, fresh and minced.

> >

> > Prepare some lukewarm water (body temperature).

> >

> > Start: Place small amount of sugar (about 1 tbsp), yeast (2

tbsp?)

> > and a warm water in large stainless steel bowl. Wait until it

is

> > dissolved. Measure water temperature placing on your inner

wrist.

> > It should not feel cool or hot (like for a baby bottle). Don't

ask

> > me how much water, maybe 4 cups?.

> >

> > Sponge: Here I add my highest gluten water and mix. Add flour,

mix

> > with a woden spoon and keep adding until it is the concistency

of

> > mashed potatoes. You need as many cups of flour that will give

you

> > this consistency, but count them since you will need to know for

> the

> > salt. Now mix about 100 times. Let sit in the bowl for about

an

> > hour or until about doubled. Cover wiht dish towel. If it is

cold

> > it might take more than an hour, in the summer maybe less. Just

> > water, yeast, sugar and flour here. Salt and oils have a

tendency

> > to inhibit gluten growth. Here you want your dough to pre-rise,

so

> > you can add the other ingredients that will slow down the rising

> > later (after the one hour rising time), since the dough will

have

> > pre-risen.

> >

> > Rest of bread: Here for the pizza dough or herb bread I add the

> > herbs and the salt, and the whole wheat flour. Use 1/2 teaspoon

of

> > salt per cup of flour. You can estimate if you lost cound of

the

> > number of cups but try to count. Too much salt and you bread

will

> > be too salty and will not rise, too little salt and the rising

will

> > be great but bland dough.

> >

> > Add flour and salt (and herbs) and after a while the spoon will

not

> > work so you will have to knead by hand. Fold dough in one

> direction

> > and then the other, and keep going while adding some flour so it

> > does not stick to your hands. I knead right in the bowl, some

> people

> > prefer a floured flat surface. Once it has a nice bread dough

> > consistency (poke a hole with a finger and it will bounce back)

> then

> > cut it into as many pieces as you like. Usually I separate into

3

> > or 4 pieces. Take extra dough portions and store in fridge in

> > plastic bag wiht extra four (so it does not stick). You can sue

> > this for tomorrow's pizza dough.

> >

> > For making bread I shape dough into loaves, place on floured

baking

> > tray, make cuts on top of bread and let rise, covered with towel

> for

> > half and hour or so. I bake at 400 for 30 minutes or so,

depending

> > on the size of the loaf. Turn around and knock on it, if it

makes

> > hollow soound it is done.

> >

> > For pizza dough, shape into ball and place in oiled pizza pan

(use

> > olive oil). Let sit for a while until dough becomes easy to

shape

> > again (it will not bounce back so readily). Now shape pizza

dough

> > into pizza dough. I do not toss in the air but I stretch it in

the

> > air, above the pan. You might need to let it rest and stretch

> > again, do thsi in a couple of stages. let rise for a few

minutes

> > while you prepare the pizza topping ingredients.

> >

> > I bake pizza in two stages. Very hot oven (475F) place pizza on

> top

> > rack for 5 minutes, lower temperature to 425F and place on lower

> > rack (and turn) for about 8 minutes. Check it, ovens are very

> > different. If you have an outside bread oven I envy you....

> >

> > Roseta

> >

>