Jake’s
Bakery
Jake’s Bakery 17 King Street Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 413 584 9613 www.jakesbreads.com
Bread is a food staple. It usually made from wheat flour dough cultured with yeast, allowed to rise, and baked in an oven. Yeast or Saccharomyces Cerivisae, a microscopic plant about ¼000 as long as its scientific name, dissolves the sugars and starches found in flour to make a carbon dioxide gas. This gas makes bubbles in the dough, which expand during the baking process to make the holes found in bread. Because it contains high levels of gluten, the protein that makes dough elastic, common wheat, also known as bread wheat, is the grain most often used for the preparation of bread. Millers and bakers—and later engineers and chemists—pursued whiteness in bread assuming that whiter bread was purer. Without the wheat germ, which contributes to the color found in natural flours, and its bit of oil, the flour would not spoil and could be kept for a long time, an advantage for the miller and baker. They milled their flour, sieved it, and bleached it with harsh and dangerous chemicals, and added ridiculous white powders to make it bright—ash, alum, chalk, yuck! The whiter it got, the less nutritious the bread became Here at Jake’s Breads our goal is to provide you with the finest and most nutritious breads available. Bread is the staff of life. Even a cursory survey of the word “bread,” and “dough,” for that matter, yields an enormous range of meanings.
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It is an essential food, a term for money, a religious symbol and an influential rock band. Its availability has caused riots and revolutions. We use only meals and flours ground at Kenyon’s Grist Mill, between huge wheels of rough-textured granite. The grain is fed onto a stationary bed stone where it is crushed by a revolving 2½ ton “runner stone, “ then deposited into a barrel from which Kenyon’s packs it into one- or three-pound boxes of flour. It is an awesome sight to see the mammoth stone turning and the meal come spilling out— yielding flours just as fine as you need to make the specialities, such as cornmeal Johnny cakes, Indian pudding, and anadama bread, found at Jake’s Bakery. When we first opened our doors, in 1962, Jake never thought that over thirty years later he would still be baking bread. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our friends and customers. This small collection of some of our favourite recipes has been printed as a way of doing so. All of our recipes will work with store bought flours, however, if you want to bake it just like Jake does, a mail order list of flours is available from the Kenyon Flour Company: 410 783 4054. Jake’s Bakery 17 King Street Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 413 584 9613 www.jakesbreads.com Jake’s Bakery
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Dinner Rolls Makes 12 rolls
Homemade dinner rolls are so much tastier than store-bought. These yeast rolls are tender, moist and versatile. The flavour is mild with a slightly buttery taste. This recipe can be used to make hamburger buns and
1 t sugar 1 package active dry yeast ¼ C tepid water (105-110 degrees) 1 C scalding milk
slider rolls as well as dinner rolls — just half the sugar. If making a savoury roll, skip the sugar and add a generous amount of black pepper and fresh rosemary.
¼ ¼ 1
C melted butter C sugar egg beaten (at room temperature) 1 t salt 4 C of all-purpose flour
1 t salt 4 C of all-purpose flour
Combine the sugar and yeast in tepid water. Let the mixture stand for 5-10 minutes until the yeast begins to form. Thoroughly mix milk, butter, sugar, salt, and egg in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture and 3½ cups of flour, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft, pliable dough.
Punch down the dough. Pinch off pieces about 1½ inches in diameter (enough to fill ½ of a muffin cup), and roll the dough into smooth spheres. Place two such pieces in each muffin cup. (It should be a tight fit.) Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until light brown.
Turn the dough out on a floured board and let it rest while you clean and butter a mixing bowl. Knead the dough gently for 4 to 5 minutes, adding flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and silky. Place the dough in the buttered mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Butter a 12 C muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Beaten Biscuits Makes 20-24 biscuits
Traditional beaten biscuits are time consuming to make because they don’t use a leavening agent. In order to get the proper fragile, silken texture, the dough is rapidly and extensively beaten with a mallet or rolling pin to create blisters or air pockets. 2 1t 1t ¼
C of flour salt baking powder C lard or solid vegetable shortening
These air pockets cause the biscuit to “lift.” Using a food processor—as suggested in the second method here—makes them as easy to make as any ordinary quick bread.
6 Tbs ice-cold milk 6 Tbs water.
Traditional Method
Food Processor Method
Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles meal. Stir in an equal mix of milk and ice water—just enough to form a stiff dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and beat it with a rolling pin, hammer, or wooden mallet approximately 500 times. (This should take 30 full minutes.) Each time the dough flattens out, fold it over and continue beating. Roll dough out to ½ inch thickness. Proceed as below...
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in lard with a few quick pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the motor running, add the milk and ice water. Process the mixture until a ball is formed, then continue processing 2 full minutes longer. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured board in a ¼ thick rectangle. Fold over to form 2 layers. Cut beaten, flatten dough into 1-inch circles, using a plain or fluted cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Prick each biscuit three times with a triple-tined fork to form a nine-hole square. Bake 20-25 minutes. The finished biscuits will be ivory-colored. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Seeded Rye Bread Makes 1 loaf
The problem with most sandwiches is that once put down they can be unpleasantly messy and unwieldy to handle again. This recipe was developed in an effor t to find a good, sturdy bread that packs well and holds its shape.
Its unique zing compliments everything from peanut butter and jelly to the most sophisticated paté.
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package active dry 2 Tbs vegetable oil yeast 1 Tbs honey ¾ C plus 2 table 2 Tbs yellow corn spoons warm water meal ¼ t sugar 1 egg 2 C unbleached 1 Tbs water all-purpose flour Caraway seed, 1 C rye flour for sprinkling 1 t caraway seeds* Freshly ground black 1 t salt pepper, to taste
*Other seeds such as fennel, sunflower or flax can be substituted
Stir the yeast, ¾ cup of warm water, and sugar together in a small mixing bowl. Set the mixture aside until the yeast starts to foam, 5-10 minutes.
Lightly oil a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Punch the dough down and shape it into a loaf. Press it into the prepared pan. Cover it loosely and let set until the dough rises to nearly fill the pan (45-60 minutes).
Stir both flours, the caraway seeds, and the salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture, oil, honey, and remaining 2 tablespoons warm water. Stir until the mixture forms a mass. (If the dough seems too dry, add a small amount of water.) Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and kneed it until it is smooth and elastic, for approximately 10 minutes. Lightly butter a large bowl, and turn the dough in it to coat it with butter. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic warp and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk (45 minutes). Punch the dough down and shape it into a ball. Return it to the buttered bowl, cover it loosely, and let rise again until doubled ( 30 minutes).
Beat the egg and water together, and brush the mixture over the loaf. Sprinkle the top with caraway seeds and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut five slashes across the top. Bake until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with your finger, about 35 minutes. Remove it from the loaf pan and set the bread on a wire rack to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Bread Pudding
Serves 6
Originally a humble dish, bread pudding evolved out of economy. It provided a use for leftovers. Savoury or sweet, it may be served hot or cold and with or without a sauce. Bread pudding’s simplicity lends itself to a number of different preparations. 2 ¼ ⅔
3 2t
Countless variations on this recipe abound. Any type of bread may be used, although white breads are most common
C whole milk (or 2 ¼ t ground nutmeg Bread Pudding Sauce C half & half) 1 t vanilla extract C butter 3 C bread, torn 1 C whole milk C brown sugar into small pieces 2 Tbs butter (light or dark, de (challah or French ⅓ C granulated white pending on taste bread works well) sugar preference) ½ C raisins 1 t. vanilla eggs (optional) 1 Tbs flour cinnamon dash of salt
In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk (or half & half) just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.
Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, pour on warm bread pudding.
Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture. Place bread in a lightly greased 1½ quart casserole. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Pour batter on top of bread. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm. If you make the sauce to put on top of your bread pudding, adjust the sugar in the bread pudding recipe to ⅓ cup sugar. The sauce has the remaining sugar in it.
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Suwachani Uyangodage