Bread Making Advice

Bread Baking Tip! How to Make Light and Airy bread

We received an email this week:

“I have purchased several of your bread mixes and love the flavor of the breads, but they are all heavy - not light and fluffy.” She was baking them in her oven.

“Is there anything that I can do to make the mixes lighter but maintain the wonderful flavor?”

Here’s our answer. The same principles apply to scratch baking.

How light the bread is is a function of how much gas is in the dough. It's the carbon dioxide that creates all the little bubbles that makes bread airy. Gas is created with the growth of the yeast. The more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough.

Yeast is very sensitive to temperature. If you were to chill the dough in the refrigerator and take it from the refrigerator to let it rise, it might take four hours to become puffy. If you never refrigerated but placed that same dough in a warm spot, it might be puffy in 40 minutes.

But that's the key, letting the dough get puffy before it goes in the oven. It should be soft and full of gas. It you wait a little too long and the dough starts to blister, just poke the blisters with a toothpick and hurry it to the oven. Let it get puffy and you'll have very light bread.”

Of course there are other factors. The recipe has to be designed properly and the ingredients have to be right. A good quality bread flour will make a real difference as will a quality dough conditioner. Whole wheat and rye breads can be challenging. Add extra gluten. Fat shortens the gluten strands so don’t add too much fat, either butter or shortening. Salt inhibits the growth of the yeast so if you have trouble with your bread rising, cut back on the salt.

To learn more about how ingredients work, get our free e-book, “Baking Ingredients and How They Work.”

source: The Prepared Pantry

Turkey Supreme

Stove - 50 minutes. Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
3 cups turkey, cut into cubes
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup frozen green peas
steamed rice

Directions:

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir until the butter and flour make a smooth paste.
2. Heat the broth, milk, and cream in a microwave safe bowl until hot. Add a little of the liquid to pan and stir with a whisk until smooth. Slowly pour the rest of the liquid into the pan, stirring with the whisk as you go. Add salt and pepper.
3. Cook the white sauce until it is bubbly and thickened, stirring often. Add the turkey, green peas, and almonds. Serve over the steamed rice.
   

Notes:

This is a traditional turkey dish, turkey in a white sauce served over rice. We added slivered almonds and peas. Consider adding carrot slices or pimentos for a touch of color.

source: The Prepared Pantry

Turkey Broccoli Quiche

425° - 40 minutes. Serves 5

Ingredients:

1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped frozen cut broccoli pieces, set on the counter to thaw
1 cup chopped cooked turkey
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or a combination of heavy cream and milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

1. Sauté the onion in the butter. Set aside.
2. If the broccoli is not nearly thawed, defrost it in the microwave. Turn the broccoli onto a paper towel and pat dry. Spread the cooked onion, broccoli, turkey, and cheese on the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, and salt together. Pour the egg mixture over the broccoli and into the pie shell.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the heat to 325° and continue baking for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Notes:

Baker’s notes: If you like, you can place the pan on the wire rack of your oven and then pour the egg mixture in. That way, you will not need to worry about spilling the filling on the way to the oven.

You will need a deep dish pie pan for this dish. A dark metal deep dish pan will help bake the crust and eliminate a soggy crust. Placing the pan in the lower third of the oven where it will receive more heat on the bottom of the pan will help also.

source: The Prepared Pantry

Turkey White Bean Chili

Stove - 50 minutes. Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onions
1 tablespoon butter
2 15-ounce cans white northern beans
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups turkey, cubed
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack or cheddar cheese

sour cream and salsa for garnish

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions in the butter in a saucepan. Add the beans (not drained), cumin, garlic, broth, and salsa. Cook until it starts to simmer. Add the turkey.
2. Turn the heat to very low and add the grated cheese. Stir until it melts and thickens the soup.

Serve hot garnished with a couple spoons full of salsa and topped with dollops of sour cream.

Notes:


source: The Prepared Pantry