Everything Dough

I use this dough recipe for pretty much EVERYTHING.   The thing that is nice about this recipe is that you can customize it pretty much any way you’d like.  It makes a fairly large batch, so when I make it I will usually make a couple of different things from the same batch of dough.  You can also refrigerate it after the first rise and then cut a chunk out during the week when you want fresh bread, shape it and let it rise, and then bake fresh bread with very minimum effort.  If you find the recipe to be too large, you can easily cut the ingredients in halves or thirds. 

This recipe works great with any flour that you have on hand.  I tend to mix half organic white flour with whatever whole grain flour I have.  The more whole grain flour you use, the denser a final product you will have and the more time it will take for your dough to rise.

 

Here is the basic recipe

2 ½ Cups Warm Water

2 Tablespoons Yeast
3 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon sea salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
*6 Cups Flour

*Feel free to experiment with different types of flour.  I have recently started adding vital wheat gluten to this dough when I am using whole grain flour.  It helps with a fluffier, softer texture.  I bought Bob’s Red Mill and I believe the box recommends 1 ½ teaspoon vital wheat gluten per cup of whole grain flour.

I always make this dough in my Kitchenaid.  You can definitely do it by hand, it just takes a bit more work.

 

1)      Mix your water, honey, and yeast together and let it proof for about 5 minutes.  It should become very foamy/bubbly.

2)      Add your vinegar and oil to the water mixture.

3)      In your mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

4)      Poor your liquid mixture into the salt mixture and either kneed in the Kitchenaid with a dough hook for 2 minutes, or kneed by hand for 3 – 5 minutes.

5)      Oil a large bowl (I do this right in my Kitchenaid bowl) and form your dough into a ball.  Place it in the oiled bowl to rest until doubled in size.  Depending on the temperature in your house, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

Now that you have your dough you can do whatever you please with it. 

 

English Muffins

1)      Roll out dough to about half an inch thick.

2)      Cut circles in the dough with a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or large cup.

3)      Place on a cookie sheet that has been lightly dusted with corn meal and cover with a towel.

4)      Allow to rise until about doubled in size.  This can take anywhere from 1 – 3 hours.

5)      Heat a large skillet (I use cast iron) and med/low heat and gently place a couple of dough circles. 

6)      Brown on each side and allow to cool.  You will know when they are finished when you can tap on the bottom and it sounds hollow.

Sandwich Bread*

1)      Grease (not oil) a sandwich loaf.  This recipe makes 3 – 4 sandwich loafs.

2)      Cut a portion of the dough and with your hands flatten it.

3)      Roll the dough up into a log.

4)      Place the dough into the greased pan, seam side down and allow to rest until doubled in size.

5)      For a softer crust, brush with egg.

6)      Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until brown on top and hollow when you tap the bottom.

·        You can also use this dough for a free formed loaf.  If you would like to make an herbed dough, add the herbs in when you are kneading all of the ingredients together.

 

Pizza Dough

1)      Cut off a softball size portion of dough.

2)      Stretch the dough or roll it out to desired size.

3)      With a fork, poke holes all around the dough.

4)      For a thin, crispy crust, bake right away at 450 until firm.  For a fluffy crust, allow to rest for 30 minutes and bake at 450 until firm.

5)      At this point you can freeze your pre-made dough, or add toppings and cook until desired doneness.  You can also add your toppings and freeze before baking again.

6)      To reheat pizza, place frozen pizza in a 450 degree oven or even on the grill and cook until done.