Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Zoe Francois, Jeff Hertzberg MD
Authors: Zoe Francois, Jeff Hertzberg MD
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incorporate the raisins. Shape into a ball and dust with flour.
2. Cut off a 3-ounce piece of dough from the ball (about the size of a small peach). Dust the piece with flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3. Punch your thumb through a dough ball to form the hole. Stretch it open with your fingers until the hole’s diameter is about triple the width of the bagel wall (see photo ). Repeat with the rest of the dough balls, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and allow them to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bagels.
5. Prepare the boiling-pot: Bring a large saucepan or stockpot full of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the sugar and baking soda.
6. Drop the bagels into the simmering water one at a time, making sure they are not crowding one another. They need enough room to float without touching or they will be misshapen. Let them simmer for 2 minutes, flip them over with a slotted spoon, and simmer for another minute on the other side.
7. Remove them from the water, using the slotted spoon, and place them on a clean kitchen towel that has been lightly dusted with whole wheat flour. This will absorb some of the excess water from the bagels. Then place them on a peel covered with whole wheat flour. Alternatively, you can place the bagels on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
8. Slide the bagels directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. (see Chapter 3 for steam alternatives). Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply browned and firm.
9. Serve these a bit warm—they’re fantastic!
6
WHOLE GRAIN BREADS
Whole grains are better for you than white flour. They’re loaded with fiber that comes from bran, the fibrous coating on the seeds that are ground to make flour. Whole grain flour also includes the germ, which contains a wealth of vitamins, antioxidants, and a little vegetable-based fat, all destined to nourish the newly sprouted plant; that nourishment ends up in our bread when we leave it in the flour. White flour milling discards the two nutritionally crucial parts of the grain—the bran and the germ.
About bran: Somewhere in history, cultures decided that the inner white part of the grain was where the nutrition lived and that eating it was somehow more “refined.” They decided that the outer shell (the bran), should be eaten only when we couldn’t afford to throw it away and needed something to fill up on. Well, they were partly right. There’s little protein, calories, or vitamins in bran. But bran is fiber, and a healthy digestive system requires it to function properly. Adults need about 30 grams of fiber per day, and our 100% Whole Wheat Bread provides over 2 grams per 1½-ounce slice. White bread, on the other hand, contains less than ½ gram per slice, and near zero in most cases.
About the germ: Unlike bran, wheat germ contains nutritious vitamins and antioxidants. But before we even start on those, remember that wheat germ has fiber as well, over 14 grams per cup, which is more than whole wheat flour. In addition, a 2-tablespoon portion contains 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin E and folic acid, 15 percent of the thiamine, and 10 percent of the magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Not bad for something that people used to feed to farm animals.
100% Whole Wheat Bread, Plain and Simple
This is for all the purists, who want nothing to get in the way of the flavor and goodness of whole wheat. We’ve added vital wheat gluten to give the dough a better rise, but it’s otherwise simple and delicious. Try it with whole
2. Cut off a 3-ounce piece of dough from the ball (about the size of a small peach). Dust the piece with flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
3. Punch your thumb through a dough ball to form the hole. Stretch it open with your fingers until the hole’s diameter is about triple the width of the bagel wall (see photo ). Repeat with the rest of the dough balls, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and allow them to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
4. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bagels.
5. Prepare the boiling-pot: Bring a large saucepan or stockpot full of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the sugar and baking soda.
6. Drop the bagels into the simmering water one at a time, making sure they are not crowding one another. They need enough room to float without touching or they will be misshapen. Let them simmer for 2 minutes, flip them over with a slotted spoon, and simmer for another minute on the other side.
7. Remove them from the water, using the slotted spoon, and place them on a clean kitchen towel that has been lightly dusted with whole wheat flour. This will absorb some of the excess water from the bagels. Then place them on a peel covered with whole wheat flour. Alternatively, you can place the bagels on a silicone mat or a greased cookie sheet without using a pizza peel.
8. Slide the bagels directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. (see Chapter 3 for steam alternatives). Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until deeply browned and firm.
9. Serve these a bit warm—they’re fantastic!
6
WHOLE GRAIN BREADS
Whole grains are better for you than white flour. They’re loaded with fiber that comes from bran, the fibrous coating on the seeds that are ground to make flour. Whole grain flour also includes the germ, which contains a wealth of vitamins, antioxidants, and a little vegetable-based fat, all destined to nourish the newly sprouted plant; that nourishment ends up in our bread when we leave it in the flour. White flour milling discards the two nutritionally crucial parts of the grain—the bran and the germ.
About bran: Somewhere in history, cultures decided that the inner white part of the grain was where the nutrition lived and that eating it was somehow more “refined.” They decided that the outer shell (the bran), should be eaten only when we couldn’t afford to throw it away and needed something to fill up on. Well, they were partly right. There’s little protein, calories, or vitamins in bran. But bran is fiber, and a healthy digestive system requires it to function properly. Adults need about 30 grams of fiber per day, and our 100% Whole Wheat Bread provides over 2 grams per 1½-ounce slice. White bread, on the other hand, contains less than ½ gram per slice, and near zero in most cases.
About the germ: Unlike bran, wheat germ contains nutritious vitamins and antioxidants. But before we even start on those, remember that wheat germ has fiber as well, over 14 grams per cup, which is more than whole wheat flour. In addition, a 2-tablespoon portion contains 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin E and folic acid, 15 percent of the thiamine, and 10 percent of the magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. Not bad for something that people used to feed to farm animals.
100% Whole Wheat Bread, Plain and Simple
This is for all the purists, who want nothing to get in the way of the flavor and goodness of whole wheat. We’ve added vital wheat gluten to give the dough a better rise, but it’s otherwise simple and delicious. Try it with whole
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