It's Fall! Time for Bread and Soup!

I love bread. And carbs. And anything bread-adjacent.  Give me a good sized tub of butter and a fresh loaf of warm bread, and I'll make quick work of it. 

That being said, this was my first time actually baking bread, and although it was time-intensive (two rises! Four hours!?), as I hustled through my Saturday, I found that I could do everything I wanted to and STILL make bread. Healthy bread.

Let's just cut to the chase here. It was AMAZING. And also really, really tall. Next time, I'll make two smaller loaves instead of one big one. 

I paired my bread with some delicious Zucchini and Turkey soup from the "Cooking Light: Best Recipes of 2007" book that my friend, Kimo, let me borrow. It's simply the best soup I've had all year. Try it and I bet you'll agree. (recipe below)

Next challenge: sourdough!

OATMEAL SANDWICH BREAD
adapted from “Good to the Grain” by Kim Boyce.

Makes one ginormous loaf or two smaller loaves.

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 2+1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses
• 2+1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

 

1. Lightly butter a large bowl and a 9x5 inches loaf pan and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir water, yeast and molasses to combine. Allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to bubble. Add the flours, rolled oats and melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, cover with a towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Add salt to the dough, attach the bread hook to the mixer and mix on medium speed for 6 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides (add a tablespoon or two of flour if necessary).
4. For the first rise, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times. Put the dough into the buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise for about 1 hour, or until it is doubled in size.
5. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Shape it into a square, then fold it down from the top to the middle and then up from the bottom to the middle (just like you fold a letter). Bring the top and bottom edges together, pinch and seal.
6. Place the dough in the pan with the seam side down, and press it gently into the corners of the pan. Cover the dough with a towel, and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough rises to half again its size.
7. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezes well.

TURKEY, CHICKPEA AND ZUCCHINI SOUP
From Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2007, Makes 10 (1 cup) servings.


Ingredients
1 tsp. olive oil
1 c. chopped onions
1-1/2 tsp. minced, fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. chopped zucchini
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 ground chicken, turkey or tofu
4 c. broth (chicken, veggie)
1/4 c. dry white wine
3 T. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (or more for spice)
2 - 15-1/2 oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 - 14-1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes [darcinote: I used one. It was fine]
1 bay leaf
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, rosemary and garlic; sautee 2 minutes. Add zucchini, pepper, salt, red pepper and chicken/turkey/tofu; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is browned, stirring to crumble.
2. Add broth + wine, tomato paste, chickpeas, onions, tomatoes and bay leaf; bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf, sprinkle with cheese.