Favorite Garden Recipes Blog

A Garden Recipe Idea from HowToGardenAdvice.com

This bread recipe works well when you don’t quite have all the time in the world to let the dough rise, and rise again.  (It only goes through one rise.)  And, it’s fun to make.  Get the whole family in on it.

Here’s the base recipe.  Look at the end for some suggestions for creative, flavorful alternatives.

Mix in a large bowl, until the yeast is dissolved:
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 and 1/3 cup warm water (not more than 115 degrees)

Add & mix in:
2 tbsp honey (or agave nectar)
1 tsp salt
3 tsp vegetable oil

In a separate bowl, combine:|
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups wheat flour (I used organic white whole wheat flour)

Add flour to the moist mixture, one cup of flour at a time, mixing completely before adding the next cup of flour.  Knead the dough until smooth.  (if the dough is still sticky, add a little flour at a time, as you’re kneading, until it’s smooth but not sticky).

Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel, and set in a warm place to rise (about 45-60 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Divide the dough into approximately 24 pieces.   Then, for each piece, roll into a thin, long rope, about 10″ long.  Set in the cookie sheet.  (If the dough is sticking to the surface you’re rolling them on, try adding just a little flour to the surface first.)

Once all the “sticks” have been placed on the cookie sheets, separate one egg, white from the yolk.  (Crack the egg over a cup, gently catching the yolk in one half of the shell.  Let the egg white fall into the cup.  Gently pour the yolk into the other half of the shell, again, letting the white fall into the cup.  Repeat until you have the majority of the egg white separated… being careful to NOT break the yolk.  Save the yolk in a covered cup in the fridge to use for something else… like a scramble in the morning!).

Whip the egg white with a fork or whisk briefly (maybe 15 seconds).  Then, using a kitchen brush, paint the egg white generously onto the bread sticks, covering them.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

VARIATIONS:
- After coating with the egg white, sprinkle the break sticks with your favorite toppings (grated Parmesan, garlic salt & parsley, coarse salt, sesame seeds, etc.)  Then bake following the instructions above.
- Mix your favorite herb (or cheese) into the dough.

Note:  If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can use all “all purpose” flour.

This recipe goes well with nearly anything… just alter the “additive” ingredients (herbs, cheese, etc.) to compliment your main dish.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
3 to 3 & 1/2 Cups flour

Additive Suggestions: (use your favorite ingredients, or tailor them to your meal… add in quantity to your own preferences in terms of strength in seasoning):  Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Parsley, Basil, Nearly any grated cheese (like parmesan, romano, asiago, motzerella, cheddar, etc. or specialty cheese (like goat’s milk or farmer’s cheese), sun dried tomatoes, olives, chives, etc.  Be as creative as you like!

My favorite tends to be rosemary and romano.  You may even want to try very thin slices of fresh tomatoes spread decoratively around the top combined with basil and a little motzerella.

Dissolve yeast in warm water, in large mixing bowl.  Stir in sugar, salt, oil.  Stir in 2 cups flour and stir until smooth.  Stir in additives (see note above) and enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead about 5 minutes or until smooth.  Place in a greased bowl.  turn once, so the greased side of the dough is up.  Cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap to keep from drying out.  Place in a warm place and let rise about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease your pan or stoneware with olive oil.

Punch down the dough and spread out on your baking sheet/stoneware.  Brush a light coating of olive oil on the top and sprinkle the top with a little of the “additives” to make a pretty presentation.

Bake 25 minutes.

Yum!  Ok.  Biscuits are a little time consuming to make… but I gotta tell you, THESE biscuits are so worth the effort.

Ingredients:
2 cups of all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
6 tbsp (cold) butter
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup (more or less depending upon your taste) chopped sage

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place rack in the center of oven.

In large bowl, combine: flour, baking powder and salt.  Drop in butter.  Use pastry blender (or 2 dinner knives ) to cut the butter into the flour mixture.  Cut  and mix quickly while the butter’s still cold, until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs.  Add milk, cheddar and sage. Mix.  Once most of the ingredients are moistened, finish mixing by picking up the dough ball and pressing it gently against the bottom of the pan to pick up the remaining dry ingredients.

Shape into biscuits using your favorite method (pat or roll, cut or drop).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Place them touching each other for softer biscuits.  Or separate them for crispier biscuits.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.  enjoy!

Note: you can use this same recipe, substituting other ingredients… different herbs, different cheeses, chile peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, and even meats like ham or sausage.