Grilled Chicken and Pesto Pizza

Here is another recipe which showcaes the Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil recipe for from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg. The Pesto Pizza with Grilled Chicken on the Gas Grill.  Not only is it fun to be grilling outdoors on a nice, June day, but this recipe also tasted wonderful!

This was yet another reason why I'm so happy I planted lots of herbs in my garden and in containers this spring.  I was able to make the pesto for this recipe by walking outside and grabbing handfuls of fresh basil to make my pesto.  This year, I'm growing three different types of basil...mostly the usual large-leaved basilicum but also the new Pesto Perpetuo that I had read so much about earlier this year and also the petite Pistou basil.

The pesto recipe in the book calls for the typical pesto ingredients, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, Sald and Pepper and blended in a food processor into a sauce.  I used only 3/4 of the olive oil called for in the recipe and a little more Parm.  Chicken thighs are first grilled and then shredded or chopped.  I found boneless chicken thighs at my grocer which made them must easier to cut afterward.

The whole wheat olive oil dough is first patted and rolled out to the desired pizza dough thickness, about 1/8 inch. I used the back of a cookie sheet dusted with lots of flour to form my pizza so I could easily slide it onto the hot stone on the preheated 500 degree grill.  Doesn't that beautiful green pesto look wonderful?  I topped the pizza with even more freshly grated Parmesan.

Unfortunately, even the best preparations go awry.  When I tried sliding the pizza onto the hot stone, it still stuck to the cookie sheet.  Next time, I will use even more flour!  Even though it didn't slide off in a perfect circle, it still made it intact with the help of a very large spatula and the dough started bubbling up on the hot stone right away.

Another snafu was, even though the top of the pizza looked perfectly done,  I should have watched the bottom of the crust more carefully, because it burned in the center. Since this was the first time I have ever made pizza on the grill, it was a learning experience and now I feel ready to made the perfect grilled pizza next time! 

Nonetheless, this was a delicious-tasting pizza and crust and I will most certainly be making it again and again this summer!

 

100% White Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil

This is half of original recipe
Adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or use whole wheat flour)
3/4 T yeast (I used active dry yeast)
3/4 T fine sea salt (original recipe used kosher salt, which I didn't have. I increased the salt a little.)
2 T vital wheat gluten
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive oil

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer if you have one) mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten. Then, using the low speed of mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large spoon) mix in the olive oil and water, until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. (The book says use wet hands to mix in all the flour if necessary if you don't have a stand mixer.)

Cover the dough (not air tight) and let sit at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses or flattens out on top (about two hours.) Then you can use the dough right away, or for easier handling, refrigerate for a few hours or as long as ten days.

To prepare dough to bake, sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then remove a grapefruit sized piece of dough. Sprinkle with flour again, shape the dough into a ball by folding the sides under and stretching the top to a smooth surface. You can leave it as a ball or make more of a loaf shape like I did. Put dough on a pizza peel, parchment paper, or cookie sheet to rest. (I was supposed to cover it loosely, but I missed that part of the instructions!)

To bake the bread you need a pizza stone or baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat, plus another metal baking dish to pour the water used to make steam. (The steam crisps the surface of the bread. You can put the metal dish anywhere that it won't interfere with the bread rising, and in a regular oven I'd put it on a rack under the bread.) The dough needs to rest for 90 minutes, but after 60 minutes, begin preheating the oven to 450F/230C (and heat pizza stone if you have one. I didn't have one so I heated the baking sheet.)

After dough has rested for almost 90 minutes, use a pastry brush to brush the surface with water, then using a serrated knife, cut parallel slashes into the surface of the bread. Then slide the bread (and parchment paper if using) on to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet, and immediately pour 1 cup hot water into the other baking dish and shut the oven door. (My baking dish would only hold 3/4 cup water, but it seemed to work.) Bake bread for 30-35 minutes, or until firm and nicely browned. If you're baking on parchment paper or silicone mat, remove them after 20 minutes so the bottom of the bread will brown. (I baked the loaf in the photos for exactly 30 minutes and it was perfectly done and even a tiny bit overly brown.)

To Make the Pesto and Chicken Pizza

4 Garlic Cloves
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 ounces grated parmigiana cheese
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 or 4 chicken thighs, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper

Process the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor until a paste is formed.

On a preheated grill, grill the chicken thighs until cooked through.  Allow to cool and shred the meat, discarding the bones.

Place a pizza stone on the grill and allow to heat to about 500 degrees.  

Remove a grapefruit size portion of the refrigerated whole wheat dough recipe above. Directly on a pizza peel dusted with flour or on a piece of floured parchment paper over a flat baking sheet, dust with additional flour and press or roll into a 1/8 inch thick round, making sure there is enough flour to easily slide the pizza off.  

Thinly coat the dough with the pesto and then spread the chicken pieces over that. 

Slide the pizza directly onto the heated pizza stone on the grill - you may need a few shakes or a bench scraper to help remove the pizza.

Check the pizza in 3 minute increments to check for doneness, rotating the pizza, if necessary with a large spatula.  Keep the lid closed whenever possible.  The whole grilling time will be 10 minutes or less. 

Remove from the grill, slice and enjoy!

Olive and Shallot Foccacia

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend I made the whole wheat focaccia from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  The recipe calls for dried cherries soaked in red wine and shallots.  Since we were having grilled Italian sausages that night, I decided use the same red wine-soaking method but with thick-sliced Kalamata olives and shallots>  I also added some fresh, chopped rosemary from my garden. You can see the pretty red color that the shallots took on from the wine.

The traditional method of poking your finger in the dough to make deep dimples was used and then the strained olives, shallots and rosemary were sprinkled over the top of the dough followed by a good drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground pepper. There was only a 20 minute rest before this bread went into the oven on a cookie sheet placed on the hot baking stone.

It turned out beautifully and tasted fantastic with our holiday weekend al fresco dinner! This bread is best served warm so I gently re-heated it on the grill just before we sat down to eat.  YUM!

THE MASTER RECIPE
Adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients
5½ c (1 lb, 9 oz) whole wheat flour
2 c (10 oz) all-purpose flour, unbleached
1½ tbsp (.55 oz) granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 tbsp (.55 oz) Kosher salt
¼ c ( 1 3/8 oz) vital wheat gluten
4 c (2 lbs) lukewarm water
Seeds for sprinkling over loaf, if desired
cornmeal or parchment paper for the pizza peel or flat baking sheet

Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded plastic food container or food-grade bucket (not airtight).

Warm the water until it feels slightly warmer than body temperature (about 100°F). Add all at once to the dry ingredients and mix without kneading, using a spoon, or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.  Do not knead.

Cover the dough with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container. If you are using a bowl, cover it loosely with plastic wrap or a lidded (or even vented) plastic buckets designed for dough storage. Leave it open a crack for the first 48 hours to prevent buildup of gases; after that you can usually seal it. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately 2-4 hours, depending on the room’s temperature and the water temperature added to the flour. After rising, refrigerate in the lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.  Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work after 24 hours in the refrigerator than dough at room temperature.

On baking day, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears. Holding the dough in your hands, add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating a quarter-turn as you go to form a ball. The entire process should take no more than 20 to 40 seconds. If you work the dough longer than this, it might make your loaf dense.

Form a narrow oval-shaped loaf and let it rest: Stretch the ball gently to elongate it, and taper the ends by rolling them between your palms and pinching them.

Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on the prepared pizza peel or baking sheet for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Depending on the age of the dough, you might not see much rise during this period; instead, it will spread sideways. Rise will occur during baking.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal tray for holding water on the rack underneath.

Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top of the loaf with water. Sprinkle with any seed mixture you desire. Slash the loaf with ¼-inch-deep parallel cuts across the top on an angle with a serrated knife.

After a 30-minute preheat, you’re ready to bake, even though your oven thermometer might not yet be up to full temperature.With a quick forward-jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone.

Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch (smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in resting and baking time). If you used parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a cookie sheet under the loaf, carefully turn the loaf over to brown the bottom of the loaf after 20 minute through baking.

Cool loaf on a baking rack before slicing.

Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days.

For the Olive and Shallot Foccacia

1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/4 cup sliced shallots
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 water
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Olive Oil for drizzling
Coarse Sea Salt and and Black Pepper for sprinkling

Place all of the above ingredients in a bowl and stir to blend.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat baking sheet. 

Cut off a grapefruit-size portion of the Master Recipe above and quickly shape it into a bowl, adding flour to your hands.  Pull the sides down to the underside in quarter turn motion, making a ball.  Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet.  Pat the dough into a rectangle or roll it with a rolling pin to 1/3-3/4 inch thickness.  Press your fingers into the dough making 'dimples'.  Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal tray for holding water on the rack underneath.

Drain the olives and shallots and dry with paper toweling.  Spread over the dough and press in.  Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper. 

Slide the dough onto the preheated baking stone and quickly add 1 cup of hot water to the baking pan below and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Remove and cut into wedges and serve warm. 

Milk and Honey Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

For my next Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day bread experiment,  I wanted to try was Milk and Honey Raisin Bread. I love cinnamon raisin bread toast for breakfast so I was excited to see how this tasted. So far, I've been impressed with the results from this book and the healthier ingredients used. 

I decided to tweak the recipe slightly by adding a layer of cinnamon sugar.  I also used golden raisins instead of regular raisins because I prefer their taste..

I took a 'cantaloupe' sized portion of dough from the container where I had kept the dough  in the refrigerator for the past two days, lightly flattened it out on a floured surface and sprinkled a good 1/4 cup or so of cinnamon sugar over the dough (next time I'll add 1/2 cup).  I rolled it up and placed in it my pre-greased loaf pan and allowed it to rise for about 90 minutes before baking.

The bread was also brushed with an egg wash before baking and sprinkled with coarse sugar.  Looks good, doesn't it?  It was! 

My swirl of cinnamon didn't end up exactly where I wanted it but that thick blob of cinnamon right in the center certainly was tasty! I guess I have to work on my rolling technique ;) 

This bread was so tasty and turned out just how I had hoped.  Just like the cinnamon raisin bread I loved from the store but with a heartier attitude!

Milk and Honey Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

Adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

4 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (or two packets)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups milk
2 cups lukewarm water
1/3 cup honey or agave
3/4 cup golden raisins (plumped in warm water for 30 minutes, drained and patted dry)
1/2 cup sugar (for sprinkling over dough before rolling into loaf)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
egg wash for brushing top
raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Whisk together flours, yeast salt and vital wheat gluten in a large, 5 quart bowl or plastic container with lid.

Combine remaining ingredients and mix them with a spoon or food processor.

Cover (not airtright_ and allow to rise at room temp for 2 hours (until rises and collapses)

The flavor is best if allowed to refrigerate 24 hours and the cold dough is easier to work with. Refrigerate and use up to 10 days.

On baking day, grease 8.5 x 4.5 inch nonstick loaf pan. flour the top and cut off 2-lb (cantaloup size) piece of dough. Shape into a ball by folding the edges underneath. 

Shape or roll the dough into a rectangle.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll dough from short side into a loaf. Place the loaf in the prepared loaf pan.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 90 minutes.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 with rack in center of oven. No stone required.

Just before baking, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar (don't go too crazy or the top gets too dark).

Bake 45 minutes until brown and firm.

Immediately remove from pan and allow to cool before slicing.

Olive Spelt Bread

Here is another recipe from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  This Olive Spelt bread goes on my Top Five favorite recipes from this book to date since I LOVE olives!

Instead of using all green olives in this recipe, I added an equal amount of green and Kalamata olives to the dough. There is also yogurt in this recipe which gives the bread a nice moistness.

The loaf rose beautifully in the oven and was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I cut some very thin slices off the loaf which I toasted in the oven and served with cheese in the evening. Sorry, too dark for photos but trust me, it was delicious!

This recipe can be found in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg which contains a plethora of wonderful, no-knead, healthy bread recipes just like this.

Olive Spelt Bread

Healthy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois

4 cups spelt flour
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups warm water
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup pitted green olives, chopped (I used half green and half kalamata olives)

Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a five quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Add the water, yogurt and olives and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You may need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate.

Allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours in a covered container (not airtight).

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.

When ready to bake, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut of a 1 pound (grapefruit size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape in into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal (I like to place parchment paper over the flat side of a cookie sheet so I can slip it easily onto the pizza stone) for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you are using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on the rack underneath that.

Just before baking, dust the top of the loaf with flour. Slash the loaf a 1/4 inch deep parallel cuts. using a serrated bread knife.

Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 35 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, carefully turn the loaf over after 20 minutes to brown the bottom of the loaf.

Allow to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.

Whole Wheat Olive Oil Bread and Bocconcini de Foccacia

Here are two recipes made from the Whole Wheat Olive Oil Bread dough from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. With the dough, I decided to make a plain loaf of Whole Wheat Olive Oil bread and Southwest Foccacia.

This was a great whole wheat bread recipe!  My addition to the recipe was to sprinkle the dough with dried basil and Kosher Salt over the top of the bread before it went into the oven.  The bread has a lovely, moist crumb and was delicious warm and slathered with butter.  Great for sandwiches too!

Then, with some of the remaining dough I made these Bocconcini 'Foccacia' Bundles:

The Southwest Foccacia recipe intrigued me and I made my own spin on the recipe by making them into muffin-like bundles instead of a flat foccacia.  My friend Monique, at La Table de Nana had shared a recipe for 'Bocconcini de Foccacia' which were more like filled muffins rather than foccacia.  Made with the same whole wheat olive oil dough, these bundles are stuffed with roasted corn, sauteed onion and tomatoes and manchego cheese, although mozzarella would be another good choice.

Onions were sauteed in a little olive oil and then I added tomatoes from my garden that I had oven-roasted and frozen at the end of last summer. Sun-dried tomatoes could be used instead.  I tossed in some rosemary, basil and a little salt and pepper to taste.  I bought a fresh ear of corn, removed the kernels, added a little olive oil and roasted them in the oven.

>br/> I used small, plum-sized pieces of the whole wheat olive oil bread dough to make small discs and added the filling and a little cubed Manchego cheese.I pinched the bundles together, turned them over and placed them in muffin liners sprayed with Bakers Joy.

They were so delicious warm from the oven!

100% White Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil 

Adapted from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day 

Recipe can be Halved

7 cups white whole wheat flour (or use whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 Tablespoons yeast
1-1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
3-1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F)
1/2 cup olive oil

In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a large, 5-quart bowl or container with lid (not airtight). Using a large wooden spoon mix in the olive oil and water, until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. You may need to wet your hands to incorporate the last of the flour but do not knead.

Cover the dough (not air tight) and let sit at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses or flattens out on top (about two hours.) Then you can use the dough right away, or for easier handling, refrigerate for a few hours or as long as ten days.

When ready to bake, sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then remove a grapefruit sized piece of dough. Sprinkle with flour again, shape the dough into a ball by folding the sides under and stretching the top to a smooth surface. Put dough on a pizza peel, parchment paper, or cookie sheet to rest. (I use a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper to easily slip the dough onto a hot pizza stone in the oven.)

The dough needs to rest for 90 minutes, but after 60 minutes, place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven and a shallow baking pan on the rack below.  Begin preheating the oven to 450F/230C.  

After dough has rested for almost 90 minutes, brush the surface of the dough with water, then using a serrated knife, cut parallel slashes into the surface of the bread. (At this point I sprinkled the top of the bread with dried basil and kosher salt.)

Then slide the bread (and parchment paper if using) on to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet, and immediately pour 1 cup hot water into the other baking dish and shut the oven door. Bake bread for 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned. I like to turn the bread over after 20 minutes so the bottom of the bread will brown.

Remove and cool on a baking rack.  

To make the Bocconcini Bundles


You will need:

1 onion, chopped
1 ear of corn, kernels removed  (can substitute frozen)
6 ounces Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes

1/2 cup diced or shredded cheese, such as manchego or mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon each dried rosemary and basil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Saute the onion in a pan with a little olive oil.  Add the chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes and corn and saute for about 3 minutes.  Add seasoning and allow to cool.

Cut off plum-sized pieces of the whole wheat olive oil dough and press each one flat.

Add the diced cheese to the cooled mixture and place about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each 'bundle'.  Pinch together and place in sprayed muffin cups seam-side-down. 

Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread and Chocolate Tangerine Bars

Just in time for Valentine's Day, one of our current Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook challenges is Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread. With the same dough from that recipe we could also make Chocolate Tangerine Bars, which you see below. Since time is tight this week, I decided to forgo making the Red Beet Buns which required making an additional dough. The chocolate espresso bread recipe contains whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, cocoa, chopped chocolate and strong coffee or espresso. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Today's recipes can be found in the cookbook Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
If you don't already know, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a new book of healthy bread recipes by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg who also wrote Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Jeff Hertzberg said that the recipe for these bars was inspired by a chocolate and citrus flavored pre-wrapped snack served to him on an airplane.

When I saw these beautiful stem-on tangerines at the store a couple of days ago, I didn't have to think any longer about which recipe I would make first.

 

The already prepared and chilled chocolate espresso dough is blended with tangerine zest, dried cranberries (I used orange-flavored Craisins) and chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips. This was my favorite recipe because of the extra moisture that the dried cranberries, chocolate and tangerine zest gave them. I also love chocolate!

With the same chocolate espresso whole wheat dough recipe we could make either a loaf of bread or make small rolls using muffin tins as a variation. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I chose to make the mini variation using my silicone heart-shaped muffin cups.

They turned out beautifully, but the thing I had forgotten when I tasted one is that this is a bread dough after all and not cake dough, so they were more dry than the treat that they appear to be but delicious in any case!

Soft Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns and Bread

Yesterday, I promised I'd be back to share the other two things I made with the Soft Whole Wheat Bread dough from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. My first recipe was the Apple Strudel Bread I posted here and where you can find the recipe for the Soft Whole Wheat Bread. 

Sunday, I pulled the remaining dough out of the frig and made hamburger buns.
 
This was the first time I have ever made hamburger buns! I have to admit I wasn't really expecting much success. The last time I tried making rolls, they turned out like hockey pucks.

After shaping all my little plum-sized portions of dough and allowing them to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, I brushed them with melted butter, crossed my fingers and popped them into the oven. I decided to use a pizza stone even though the recipe states it isn't necessary.

I was so pleasantly surprised at how they looked when I pulled them from the oven.

But the real surprise was when I cut them open to find a nice soft crumb in a sturdy but tender roll. We used them to enjoy Sloppy Joes while watching the play-off game last night.

With the remainder of the dough, I made a plain loaf of Soft Whole Wheat bread. When I pulled out the last of the dough from my bucket I realized there wasn't very much left - not quite the small cantaloupe-sized portion I should have for this loaf. I guess I made too much Apple Strudel Bread and hamburger buns!

Even though it wasn't a large loaf of bread, it was still turned out beautiful, soft and tender. I don't know if it was the melted butter I used instead of canola oil but I loved everything I made from this recipe!

Apple Strudel Bread

Our second recipe challenge for the HBin5 bread baking group is the recipe for Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. With the dough from this recipe, we were invited to make three things - an Apple Strudel Bread, Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns, and a loaf of Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread.

Here is a wonderful You Tube of Zoe and Jeff sharing the Master Recipe and technique from their book.

The Apple Strudel Bread piqued my interest immediately. Apples, walnuts and cinnamon and sugar all wrapped up in soft whole wheat bread? I had to try this one first! Please see *My Notes below.

This particular batch of dough turned out beautifully. I prepared the dough on Thursday and, after the initial rise, allowed it to rest in the refrigerator until Saturday morning when I started baking my first recipe.

The dough rolled out very easily with a dusting of flour on my work surface and also on my silicone rolling pin.

The chopped apples, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon are then spread over the rolled-out dough.

All rolled up and ready to place inside my Le Creuset loaf pan which I sprayed with Canola oil spray. I love how bread releases from this pan.

The dough rests for 90 minutes to warm and rise and is then brushed with an egg wash and more sugar and cinnamon is sprinkled on top and into the oven it goes.

My filing turned out slightly off-center but taste more than made up for that! It was delicious still slightly warm.

And just as delicious toasted the next morning. I'll be sharing photos of the hamburger buns and the whole wheat sandwich loaf tomorrow!

Soft Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

From Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Note: You can use any favorite bread dough for this recipe such as this one or you could buy frozen light whole wheat bread dough.  Simple prepare the apple filling below and bake according to your bread recipe's directions. 

-For the Apple Strudel Bread, I substituted dried cherries for raisin and also, I used brown sugar instead of raw sugar in the recipe.

5 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

2 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup honey

5 large eggs

2/3 cup neutral-flavored oil or unsalted butter, melted

For the Apple Strudel Bread:

2 medium apples, skin on, sliced thin and then chopped.
1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries (optional)*
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)*
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for the top of the loaf
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Egg wash for brushing on top (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

Directions

Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container (I buy large, plastic paint tubs with lids from my hardware store).

Combine the liquid ingredients and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a strong spoon.

Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, but is easier to work with when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.

On baking day, lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape in into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

Elongate the ball into an oval and roll out into a rectangle.  Place chopped apples, walnuts and raisins or dried cherries over the rectangle, leaving about 1" free on the edges. Roll the dough into a log starting from the short side and place into the the prepared loaf pan. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the loaf to rest for 90 minutes (40 if you are using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the over to 350*F.  Brush the bread with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool before slicing.

La Fête du Fromage at Chez Loulou with HBin5 Spicy Chili Crackers

Todays post is about cheese, beautiful cheese, or fromage, as they call it in France. I'm joining Chez Loulou for her International Fête du Fromage event on January 15. If you love cheese, please visit Loulou's blog since she shares some amazing cheeses made in France. She has invited readers world-wide to participate in this event.

Since Wisconsin is known as the 'Dairy State' in the U.S. and many fine cheeses are made in Wisconsin, I thought it would be a fun idea to showcase one of our fine artisan cheeses for this event.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Upland Cheese Company will be reviewed for this post. This cheese was included in a beautiful gift basket of cheeses and wines that we received from good friends as a Christmas gift. Since I was ill the entire week after Christmas, I was happy to finally taste it for this wonderful event.

I knew when I made the Spicy Chili cheese crackers for our HBin5 bread event this week (please see my previous post) that they would be perfect to serve with a hearty cheese and this cheese was perfect match.

The cheese was delicious! It tasted like a combination of an aged white cheddar and a fine French Gruyère. It was semi-hard and had a delightful nutty and slightly salty taste. I believe I could also detect a hint of clover.

Quoting from the Upland Cheese website:

"Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an artisanal cheese made from the non-pasteurized milk of a single herd of Wisconsin cows fed and managed using natural, "old world" practices. Our cows graze lush pastures from early spring through fall, just as all cows did before the industrialization of our food system...

Pleasant Ridge Reserve has received numerous prestigious awards. Most notably, Best of Show at the 2005 American Cheese Society conference, an accolade it won for the second time, having been awarded Best of Show in 2001 as well. Additionally, Pleasant Ridge Reserve was named U.S. Best of show 2001 and 2005 Champion at the 2003 U.S Championship cheese contest. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the only cheese to ever win both national competitions. Most recently Pleasant Ridge Reserve was awarded the 2007 Gallo Gold Medal Award for Best Artisanal Dairy Product.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an original cheese inspired by farmstead cheeses from the alpine provinces of southeastern France. The aging techniques we use were originally developed in the Middle Ages when cheeses similar to Pleasant Ridge Reserve were aged in limestone caves and washed frequently with a brine solution. Washing the rind keeps it free of unwanted microbes and produces a variety of pleasing flavors. Because of the time-consuming hand work involved this practice is rarely used today.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese is the end product of a process linked to the seasons and life cycles of our animals as well as to the prairie soils and climate of southwest Wisconsin. The sweet flavors of the pasture grasses, clovers, herbs and wild flowers are experienced in every taste of our cheese."

If you do a web search for Pleasant Ridge Reserve or Upland Cheese you will likely find a source to purchase it. You can also find it here.

The recipe for the spicy chili crackers is from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg.

Thank you Loulou for the opportunity to showcase one of our fine Wisconsin cheeses! Again, please visit Chez Loulou on January 15 when she will post all of the participants.

HBin5 Whole Wheat Master Recipe

The HBin5 baking schedule has officially begun this week! Every other week throughout the year, our baking group will be making a recipe from Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg's new book, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

The first recipe on our 'to-do' list is the whole wheat Master Recipe. From the master recipe we were asked to make one whole wheat loaf, one whole wheat epi or wreath bread and, lastly, Spicy Chili Crackers. You will find my crackers in another post later this week.

I decided to sprinkle my loaf bread with raw sunflower seeds which I always keep on hand for making my homemade granola - a great recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day which happened to be my very first blog post! You can find it here.

I was very happy with the crumb of this loaf. My dough 'rested' in the refrigerator for 48 hours before I baked my first bread. It's not an extremely high loaf and I may add just a little more yeast in my next batch. I'll be very interested to see how the others bakers' bread turned out as far as height. It could have been my cool kitchen as well since it's been so cold outside recently.

It made a wonderful piece of toast with my favorite cherry preserves.

For my second loaf, I first formed a couronne (crown) or circle shape with the dough and then, with a kitchen scissors, made it into a wreath by cutting almost all the way through the loaf and then pulling each cut piece outward.

I found that the wreath didn't form quite as well as it did with the master recipe from Zoe and Jeff's original book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day which you can see here. I sprinkled this loaf with poppy seeds and it was not only delicious but beautiful.

Please visit my post Le Fete du Fromage above to see my whole wheat crackers.

If you're interested in joining the HBin5 Bakers here is the link. Michelle at Big Black Dog is our hostess for the baking challenge.

I'm sorry I cannot post the recipe here per the request of the authors since the book was recently released, however, you can visit Zoe and Jeff's site Artisan Bread in 5 or find it on my sidebar favorite list. They occasionally post recipes from their books along with wonderful photos and lots of tips.