Fill your motorhome with the aroma of one of these fresh-baked breads, followed by one of these complementary recipes.
Cooking On The Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
November 2010
Bread is the staff of life, yet when you’re on the go it can be difficult to find the specialty loaves you use at home. Are you trying to cut down on sugar, salt, or fat? Forced to avoid gluten? Do you need more fiber and whole grain goodness, yet you don’t have time to bake? A new book is filled with surprises for experienced bakers as well as for non-bakers who long to learn the art of creating warm, fragrant, nutritious, homemade breads.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Easy Artisan Bread ($16.95, Alpha) is available in bookstores and from online booksellers, including www.idiotsguides.com. Instructions are easy for a novice to follow, and the recipes are so varied you’ll find a type of bread for every meal. Some recipes are a bit fussy for motor coach cooks who don’t have a baking stone or are inexperienced with yeast. Even so, this book is an inspiration, filled with recipes to bake time after time.
Don’t miss the author’s Irish Tea Bread, a non-yeast bread made with raisins soaked in whiskey, and the Super Easy Drop Biscuits. Here’s just a sampling of what this wonderful new book offers.
Root Beer-Molasses Bread
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 12-ounce bottle root beer (1½ cups)
2/3-cup molasses
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until everything is well combined. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to stand at room temperature until it doubles in size and is covered with large bubbles. Refrigerate the dough for three hours, preferably overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and apply nonstick spray to an 8 1/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch-by-3-inch loaf pan. On a floured work surface, shape the loaf and place it in the pan seam-side-down. Let the dough rest for 30 to 40 minutes to come to room temperature and rise slightly. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until dark golden brown and firm. (The internal temperature should be 200 to 205 degrees.) Let the bread cool for 20 minutes in the pan, and then remove it to a cooling rack. Slice and serve.
Note: This is a sweet, dark bread that goes well with ham and beans, bean soup, or chef salad. Serve it toasted and slathered with apple butter for breakfast. I do not carry margarine or vegetable shortening, so I substituted half a stick of butter, melted. The bread slices easier if cooled, wrapped, and allowed to season for several hours.
Crispy Lavash
This recipe for lavash, a round, thin, crisp bread, is another gem from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Easy Artisan Bread. The thinner the lavash, the crispier it will be.
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
In a large bowl, combine the flours, yeast, and salt. Stir in the water until completely combined. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for two to three hours or until it doubles in bulk. Refrigerate at least three hours, preferably overnight. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets with vegetable oil. On a well-floured work surface and using floured hands, divide the dough into eight pieces and roll each into an 8-inch round “” the shapes may be irregular. Place two rounds of dough on each baking sheet, brush with milk, and sprinkle with the poppy and sesame seeds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the lavashes are crisp and deep golden brown in spots. Remove from the oven, cool on racks, and let the sheets cool before baking the next batch.
Coconut Quick Bread
This quick and delicious bread recipe is from my own files.
1 stick butter at room temperature
½ cup sugar (or less to taste)
2 eggs
2 cups self-rising flour*
1 cup water or coconut water (not coconut milk)
1 10-ounce package flaked coconut
Using a wooden spoon and a comfortable bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, gradually beating in the eggs. Add the flour and water alternately, beating to a smooth batter. Fold in the coconut and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Test for doneness with a toothpick. The bread should be springy, golden around the edges, and slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. When warm, it’s crumbly to slice, but tastes heavenly. For easier slicing, cool and wrap for several hours.
*2 cups of biscuit mix can be substituted for self-rising flour. Reduce the butter to a half stick.
Here are several recipes to go with your freshly baked bread.
Tunalfredo
This updated version of Mom’s tuna-noodle standby calls for a pouch of tuna and a jar of Alfredo sauce.
1 ½ cups dry egg noodles
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter or canola oil
1 16-ounce jar Alfredo pasta sauce
1 7-ounce pouch chunk white albacore tuna
Milk
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter
While the noodles cook according to package directions, saute the celery, carrot, and onions in a tablespoon of butter or oil in a nonstick skillet until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain the noodles and return them to the pan. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, tuna, and sautéed vegetables. Break up the tuna with a fork. Heat the noodle-tuna mixture through and thin with a little milk if necessary. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet and stir in the breadcrumbs until they become toasty. Sprinkle the crumbs over each serving. This recipe makes four servings.
Corkscrew Pasta Salad
1 cup dry corkscrew pasta
1 medium red apple, cored and diced
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
8 ounces deli smoked turkey breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 cup lemon yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
While the pasta cooks, cut up the apple. In a large bowl, toss the diced apple with lime juice to prevent browning. Add the turkey, berries, and celery and toss gently. Fold in the drained pasta. Whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and celery seed and fold into the pasta mixture. For a creamier mixture, add a little milk and toss gently to coat. This recipe serves four.
Hula Burgers
If you make homemade buns to hold these exotic burgers, knead a little well-drained crushed pineapple into the dough.
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 teaspoon salt, dash pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 to 6 buns
Honey butter (optional)
Mix the turkey, egg, pineapple, and seasonings until well combined and form into patties. Fry the burgers in a covered nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning after they are nicely brown on one side. Test for doneness; burgers should be 180 degrees. Cut the buns and spread lightly with honey butter. This recipe makes four to six burgers.
Shoreside Casserole
This one-pot recipe can be made with leftover fish, canned crab, or a combination of canned and fresh seafood that adds up to 16 ounces (2 cups).
16 ounces of seafood
1 16-ounce package coleslaw mix with carrots
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 8-ounce carton (1 cup) sour cream
Crumb Topping:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
Spray a heavy pan or skillet for which you have a heavy lid. Gently toss together all the casserole ingredients in the pot; cover tightly; and bake over low heat for 45 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet and stir in the dry breadcrumbs. Continue stirring over low heat until the crumbs are toasty. Spoon the casserole onto plates and sprinkle with the breadcrumb topping. This recipe makes four servings.
Sunrise Surprise
Thanks to fast-cooking instant rice, you can have hot cereal for breakfast. This goes well with the toasted, buttered Root Beer-Molasses Bread above.
1 15-ounce can of pineapple tidbits (not chunks)
2 cups liquid (drained pineapple juice and water)
2 cups instant white rice
2/3-cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, snipped apricots, etc.) or 1 large banana, halved lengthwise and sliced
Salted, roasted macadamia nuts or cashews
Vanilla yogurt
Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup and add water to make two cups liquid. Bring the pineapple juice to a full boil; stir in the rice; cover tightly; and let steep for five to seven minutes until the rice is tender. Stir in the fruit and nuts and serve in bowls. Top with a dollop of yogurt, if you like.
Clams And Clucks Spaghetti For Two
2 servings of spaghetti noodles
3 or 4 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 6 ½-ounce can chopped clams, drained (save the juice)
Parmesan cheese
While the spaghetti cooks to taste in salted water, whisk the eggs, seasoning, and clam juice together until frothy. Drain the noodles and quickly fold in the egg mixture so the heat of the pasta cooks it. Stir in the clams; cover; and cook over a burner set on low until everything is heated through. Place the spaghetti on two serving plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. This is good with traditional garlic bread and even better with the Kalamata Olive Bread in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Easy Artisan Bread.
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