No Knead 4-ingredient Bread

Ingredients:                    Full                      Half                  ¾         
325ml 100º warm water  [11.5 oz]              [6 oz]                [9 oz]
3g yeast                           [1 tsp]                  [½ tsp]              [1 tsp]
425g bread flour              [3 3/8 cups]         [1¾ cups]         [2¾ cups]
   (I used plain flour; worked fine.)
10g salt                            [1 2/3 tsp]            [¾ tsp]              [1 tsp]
Plus a little flour (for dusting)

• My first attempt was with half a batch. I added olives and roasted garlic and olive oil. Worked well. Tasty. 
• Second attempt, also half a batch, but the dough was too firm. Added more warm water and 2 TBSP olive oil. Accidentally gave it more time to prove. Liked it a lot!
• Updated to ¾ size later. Seems to fill a loaf pan better.

Instructions

- Once you’ve added all of the ingredients, use a spatula to bring it together the dough will be quite sticky.

-Cover and allow to rest for an hour in a warm place (on top of an active oven seemed to work).

-After the dough has rested, dip your fingers in water to avoid sticking, and bring the dough together stretching and folding each corner of the dough toward the center.

-Rest the dough for maybe 30 mins in a warm place.

-Make sure you flour the surfaces well. Tip the dough onto your work surface. Cut into 4 or 5 portions. Shape the dough as you like. 

- Free-form loaves on a floured parchment or silicon baking sheet, or in a floured or oiled baking pan.

-I shaped one piece into a small loaf, and slathered the other in oil (oil the bread pan before loading it, oil on top) and pushed some roasted garlic & green olives into the surface before baking. More oil on top.

-Bake in 400 degree (200c) oven until golden brown.

• The basic loaf [left] was fine. The oiled-up loaf with garlic & olives [above] was really nice. 

• Opinion: This dough would likely work pretty well as a pizza dough, or as a wrapping for meat rolls.

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Alternative: Split the (half recipe) dough in half, spread out to a rectangle, spread dried tomatoes, roasted garlic (both cubed), and green olives and rolled them up, placing them in an oiled & floured half-size bread pans.

Proved them for maybe 30 minutes and popped them into a 400 degree oven, which I reduced to 350 when I saw how much they were rising. They took 25 minutes to reach golden brown. 

Later filling: 

¾ cups coarsely chopped kalamata olives
6 cloves garlic, roasted & coarsely chopped
½ cup dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 baby red pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp Herb de Provence seasoning
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped cashews
1 TBSP Dukkah mixture
2 TBSP olive oil
Mix it all together & spread across dough, mixing it in. Much better.

 
Next time: half olives & half roasted garlic cloves or chunks of sun-dried tomato? [Tried it. Very nice. Next time add balsamic vinegar and chunks of feta cheese & roll the dough thinner.]

Some time I want to use the same technique, but fill it with meats and roast peppers, fajita style. Add shredded cheese before rolling up. Maybe.

Mini Meat Pies (Clean Refrigerator)

Mini Chicken 'n Broccoli Pies

Filling Mixture

1          tablespoon vegetable oil          

1          lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces    

1          medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)         

1          cup frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained         

½         teaspoon salt   

¼         teaspoon pepper          

1          cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)    

Baking Mixture 

½         cup homemade baking mix       

½         cup milk           

2          eggs    

           

Process:
First, mix your filling ingredients.

While they're sitting there, happily sharing flavors, mix the baking mix with milk and eggs. Mix these ingredients together, and put a little less than a tablespoon in each greased muffin cup. If using mini pie-pans, a bit more.

Next add your filling. Add about ¼ cup of the mixture to each muffin-size cup. If using mini pie-pans, you'll need about ½ cup of filling ingredients.

Finally, top it off with one more tablespoon of the homemade baking mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375º. They should pop out of the pan easily. Plate, garnish & serve.

Also consider:

     Creative variations: Cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, 
   breakfast sausage & mushroom (pictured), BLT. 
      Be creative with your thinking

   Thai Chicken Mixture: 

  1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

¼ cup sliced green onions (4 medium)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Manly Meat Rolls

I like to have something quick to grab when I have just a moment for a meal. This is the perfect thing to make if your freezer goes out and the meat you had in there thaws.

Crust (sufficient for two meat rolls):
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk (adjust as needed)
3 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP onion powder
3 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 TBSP chili powder
(I use a double recipe and make 4 meat rolls at a time.)

Sauce, per meat roll:
¼ cup Alfredo sauce (more or less to taste) or
¼ cup bleu cheese salad dressing

Filling: Select as you like:
1½ pound sage sausage, browned
½ cup sliced carrots, pre-cooked
¼ cup sweet onion, sliced, microwaved until soft
½ cup fresh whole spinach leaves
¼ cup frozen corn
¼ cup chopped, frozen, broccoli
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded or diced mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded or diced cheddar cheese

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly ground lemon spice mix
(I tend to make each one differently; my favorite includes sausage, any two kinds of cheese, carrot, onion, a frozen veggie or two, and a lot of spices.)

Use 4 or 5 of the above for each meat roll.

Roll out the dough, spread the sauce, add ingredients, roll up the meat roll, transfer to a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Top with butter and cheese, or other interesting things from the ingredients list.

Cook at 375 or 400 for 20 - 25 minutes, or until browned on top and 140 degrees inside. Set aside to cool. When completely cool, slice into 2" slices, and put each in a separate freezer bag.

When you're hungry, take one out of the freezer, microwave it for a minute or two, grab a bottle of iced tea, and eat on the run.

Hearty Beef & Parmesian Bread

Bread dough: load into the bread machine:
2½ tsp yeast
4 cups bread flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/3 TBSP gluten
2 tsp salt
2 TBSP butter, in pieces
1 1/3 cups whole milk (adjust to make sure the dough is not too solid)

Load it all into the bread machine, set it on “dough” and fire it off.

While the dough is mixing, get out a large frying pan and fry until tender:
2 TBSP butter
5 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup sweet onion, chopped
with salt & pepper to taste.

While that’s frying, prepare and mix together in a large bowl:
1 pound red meat. I used stew beef; any better cut is obviously acceptable. Cut it into 1” cubes and drain well.
1 pinch salt just to open the beef up for the rest of the seasonings:
½ TBSP Italian seasoning
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp dried minced red peppers (“pizza peppers”)

Work quickly: the meat mixture must be done and cooled to room temperature by the time the bread machine beeps at you.

When the onions & garlic are nicely transparent, add the spiced meat mixture. (You must pause to enjoy the sizzle!) Brown the meat thoroughly on all sides.

While the meat is browning is a good time to prepare the bread pans. This bread won’t rise very high, so I use pie pans, which I grease well, and flour with rye flour.

When the meat is well browned (it will be nearly done), add:
1 tsp beef bouillon paste
¾ cup boiling water

Bring quickly to a boil. Leave uncovered and let it boil, stirring regularly. When it’s tender and the liquid is reduced by about ¾, remove the meat, leaving the liquid with the garlic & onions in the frying pan over a medium-to-low flame to reduce even further, until it’s like thickish gravy.

Chop or shred the meat into small pieces, much larger than “ground beef”; use a food processor if you like to make quick work of it. Place in a large bowl. Mix the hot meat, the hot liquid from cooking the meat with:

¾ cup frozen, shredded parmesan cheese

to cool the mixture, which should be room temperature or a tiny bit warmer when you’re done.

When the machine is almost done with mixing the ingredients, it will beep, signaling that it’s time to add the final ingredients: add the meat mixture at this point. The bread machine may need help mixing in this many ingredients into the bread dough.

Let the machine finish mixing the dough, and let it raise once in the bread machine. Turn it onto a well-floured cutting board, divide into portions (I made one large piece and several smaller ones). Add topping. Let them raise again until they’ve doubled, typically about 40 minutes.

Topping:
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ tsp Italian seasoning

Toss lightly together, spread generously over the loaves before baking.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375°. Bake 15 or 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with lots of butter. Works well as “Shred Bread”, or bread which is not sliced, but everyone at the dinner table tears off a chunk for themselves.

TexMex meets the West Coast in Meatrolls

In a large frypan, sauté until brown:
5-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin,
1 pound of chicken thighs, de-boned, cut into small pieces,
1 pound stew beef, cut into <½ inch pieces season with pepper (no salt),

When the meat is nearly done, add:
1 tsp chicken bouillon base.
½ tsp hickory smoke flavoring
½ cup catsup
1 tsp dark chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Assembly:

Make the dough:
3 cups Bisquik
½ cup water
1 tsp chili powder
¾ tsp dried oregano

Roll out on a very well-floured board (or onto cheesecloth or parchment paper; this stuff is sticky!) into a sheet 15” x 20”. Mark a line 3” or so from the far end: don’t add any fillings to the last 3” of the bread: that will be used to close the roll and hold it closed.

Cover the dough (except a 1” border and the last 3” noted above) with the meat mixture.

Cover with:
1 cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese. (Do not use the powdered stuff in a can from Kraft. Eww.)
Seasoning to taste: Essence is nice.

½ cup frozen veggies (your choice) thawed to room temperature.

Roll the loaded dough up from the full side towards the empty 3” end. Seal the ends as you’re rolling so that the stuffing doesn’t roll out. You should have a roll about 4” in diameter and about 16” long. Cover with shredded cheese: cheddar, Parmesan or both.

Bake at 350 until the top is dark (expect 20 minutes: I cook it until a thermometer in the center has hit 135 - 140 degrees). Do NOT be surprised if the bisquik dough hasn’t held together on top.

Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Then slice into single servings (I cut it into about six 2” slices). Put each slice in a freezer bag or heavy duty sandwich bag, and freeze until needed. Microwave on a small plate and serve, or eat it while you’re running off to do something exciting.

Savory Chicken Meat Roll

In a large frypan, sauté until brown:
5-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin,
1 white onion, peeled and sliced thin.
When they’re brown and beginning to soften, remove to a bowl and set aside.

Deglaze the frypan with:
1 pound of chicken thighs, de-boned, sliced thin,
season with pepper, and
1 tsp vegetable bouillon base.
When the chicken is both done and well coated in the bouillon base, remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add:
½ pound pork sausage, herb flavored if you like. Break it into small pieces as it’s cooking.
When it’s both done remove to a bowl and set aside.

Assembly:

Make bread dough. (See here for a yummy example.) Use either a one-pound loaf recipe, or half of a 2-pound loaf recipe. Roll out on a well-floured board into a sheet 15” x 20”. Mark a line 3” or so from the far end: don’t add any fillings to the last 3” of the bread: that will be used to close the roll and hold it closed.

Cover the dough (except a 1” border and the last 3” noted above) with the onion/garlic mix. Be sure to reserve any liquid from that bowl for later.
Then layer the chicken over the top of the onion/garlic mix.
Then layer the small pieces of pork sausage evenly over the top.

Cover with:
1 cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese. (Do not use the powdered stuff in a can from Kraft. Eww.)
Seasoning to taste: rosemary is nice.

Roll the loaded dough up from the full side towards the empty 3” end. Seal the ends as you’re rolling so that the stuffing doesn’t roll out. Wrap the 3” over the top, using the liquid reserved from the onions as glue to seal the roll shut. You should have a roll about 4” in diameter and about 16” long.

Lay the roll, sealed side down, on parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
Sprinkle on the top:
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese. Press it into the surface of the roll.

Let it raise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Bake at 350 until done (expect 40 minutes: I cook it until a thermometer in the center has hit 135 - 140 degrees).

Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Then slice into single servings (I cut it into about eight 2” slices). Put each slice in a freezer bag or heavy duty sandwich bag, and freeze until needed. Microwave on a small plate and serve, or eat it while you’re running off to do something exciting.

Savory Beef Meat Roll

In a large frying pan, sauté until brown:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced,
1 pound stew beef, cubed,
1 pound hamburger (shredded beef would be better, but it's more expensive).
Season with pepper and
1 tsp beef bouillon base.
Cook until brown.

When the meat is both done and well coated in the bouillon base, add
1 can tomato sauce,
bring back to temperature, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes while the sauce reduces and coats the meat.
Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Assembly:

Make bread dough. (See here for a yummy example.) Use either a one-pound loaf recipe, or half of a 2-pound loaf recipe. Roll out on a well-floured board into a sheet 15” x 20”. Mark a line 3” or so from the far end: don’t add any fillings to the last 3” of the bread: that will be used to close the roll and hold it closed.

Cover the dough (except a 1” border and the last 3” noted above) with the beef mix.
Cover with:
1 can black beans, evenly distributed over the surface of the meat. If there’s any liquid, reserve it.
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Roll the loaded dough up from the full side towards the empty 3” end. Seal the ends as you’re rolling so that the stuffing doesn’t roll out. Wrap the 3” over the top, using the liquid reserved from the beans (or water) as glue to seal the roll shut. You should have a roll about 4” in diameter and about 16” long.

Lay the roll, sealed side down, on parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
Sprinkle on the top:
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese. Press it into the surface of the roll.

Let it raise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Bake at 350 until done (expect 40 minutes: I cook it until a thermometer in the center has hit 135 - 140 degrees).

Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Then slice into single servings (I cut it into about eight 2” slices). Put each slice in a freezer bag or heavy duty sandwich bag, and freeze until needed. Microwave on a small plate and serve, or eat it while you’re running off to do something exciting.

Herb Dough for Meat Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:
1½ tsp active dry yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP dry milk powder
2 TBSP butter
1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Spices:
1 ½ tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp chili powder
1 ¼ tsp onion salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp celery seed

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting.

When the machine beeps, divide the dough in half. Use each half for a meatroll.

Serious Meat Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting. When it's done, cut it in half, and roll each half out on a flowered surface, until it's less than 1/4" thick. Coat with:

Sliced steak (season and grille a 12 oz steak; refrigerate, slice thinly; half for each roll)
one chicken breast, seasoned and grilled, refrigerated and sliced.
3 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
4 slices of bacon, soft cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup frozen veggies (I like French cut beans)
4 ounces (1/4 pound) of crumbled cooked pork sausage.
Season with a fair bit of freshly ground pepper (the bacon provides enough salt).

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or slice it into appropriate size pieces and freeze separately for re-heating later.

Sausage & Onion Roll

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting.

While the bread machine is producing dough for you, sauté and set aside:

1 pound of pork sausage

Then in the same pan, sauté in
1 TBSP of olive oil plus
1 TBSP butter:

2½ large onions, sliced

When they're medium brown, add

the previously cooked pork sausage,

2 tsp beef soup base or bouillion

1 small can tomato sauce

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp cumin

and sauté until they're dark brown. Set aside to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the dough is done, roll it out on a floured board, until it's about 12" x 20". Spread with:
2 TBSP butter, melted
all of the sausage/onion mixture, and
½ cup grated cheese (Cheddar works; Jack is better.)

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. I like to slice the top artistically and brush with:
1 egg, beaten (you'll probably not use more than half of that).

Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or sliced thin as a side dish or re-heated for a snack.