Yeast Breads

Seems that this time of year there are a lot of things we have to hurry up and do before the summer sets in and the weather is predictably hot. Besides working in your garden, hunting morel mushrooms and making plans for the kids, you might want to try baking some special yeast breads.

Making yeast breads is fascinating. We are rapidly approaching the too-hot-to-bake-much season so I have been going to town this last cool spell. I love to experiment with interesting novelty breads. That’s my name for things you buy at the bakery or the supermarket and seldom think of making yourself; English muffins, for instance, and bagels and Danish pastry. The recipes and instructions for making these seem very complicated and I can’t help but wonder if it’s worth it. But I also can’t help trying it myself to find out. So with the help of my cookbooks and a little trial and error, I have discovered a great many techniques that make yeast breads a success.

Besides the satisfaction of accomplishment, many of these breads are definitely better, if only because you know there are no strange-sounding chemicals in them to retard spoilage and extend shelf-life. They’ll never sit on a shelf or even on your counter if you take just a few suggestions.

There are a lot of variables that affect yeast breads—some of them out of your control.
It is not wise, for instance, to make Danish pastry on a hot summer day even if your kitchen is air-conditioned. It is a good idea to make almost any other yeast bread in summer, if you can stand it, because the extra warmth and humidity make the bread rise considerably faster. My mother-in-law makes her famous Latvian rolls as often as we can convince her and she has a special blanket she uses to wrap the bowl of rising dough.

Temperature is not the only important consideration. Humidity definitely affects the dough; high humidity usually means using slightly more flour because the flour holds moisture even in the opened package. Different brands of flour, using slightly different varieties of wheat, have differing abilities to hold moisture; so whenever you bake yeast breads use the same brand.

It sounded like fun to make English muffins and homemade Danish pastry for breakfast at our inn. The first English muffin was not a success. The dough needed to rise and be shaped before baking on a griddle. Transferring the dough to the griddle caused them to deflate somewhat, resulting in flat English muffins. Finally, after two or three other batches of other recipes, I have one that is easy and wonderful. Its crisp exterior and soft, tender insides with plenty of holes to hold melted butter and honey make them definitely worth baking at home.

Next I tried a Danish pastry recipe that took all day long. It was roll, fold, refrigerate; roll, fold, refrigerate for three hours before even shaping the dough. I figured this one was best left to the experts. Then I came across another recipe in a respected book that used shortcuts and decided to try it. Much, much easier and just as delicious (we really enjoyed the testing of this product!)

So, before it gets hot and humid and you’re out in your garden or on a picnic or on your boat, you might enjoy trying these taste-tested and improved recipes for the fun and the taste—but do follow the directions to the letter.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

You will need an electric griddle and 3-inch metal rings which you can buy at kitchen stores or make from large tuna cans. If you make them from tuna cans, be sure they are the kind that are crimped both top and bottom, so you can remove both ends to make rings.

One-half cup nonfat powdered milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
One-eighth tsp. sugar
One-third cup warm water
2 cups flour, sifted
Nonstick cooking spray

In a bowl, combine the powdered milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, salt, shortening and hot water; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool.
In a separate bowl, combine the yeast and one-eighth tsp. sugar in the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes. Add this to the milk mixture. Add the flour and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat griddle to 300F. Add remaining half tsp of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with cooking spray. Ladle dough into rings until three-quarters full. Cover with a cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the sheet and turn rings. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Cool and split with fork. Serve plain or toasted.

DANISH PASTRY

One-third cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
One-half cup milk
1 egg yolk, beaten
One-fourth cup sugar
Three-fourths tsp. salt
2 and three-fourths cups flour
Three-fourths cup butter, solidly cold

Pour warm water in large mixing bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved; mix in milk, egg yolk, sugar and salt. Stir in 2 and one-half cups flour and beat on medium for two minutes until elastic and shiny. Roll into ball and on floured board (use 2 Tbsp. of remaining flour), pat into rectangle. Then roll to a 10” x 15” rectangle. Use a measuring tape for exact measurement. Slice very cold butter thin and cover 10” x 10” part of dough. Fold unbuttered 5 inches of dough over half of buttered side, then fold buttered side over the middle, making three layers. Fold in thirds in the opposite direction, making 9 layers. Repeat rolling and folding 3 times more, using last 2 Tbsp. of flour as needed and place in freezer while making fillings. The dough is now ready for final rolling, shaping, filling, raising and baking. If during rolling dough becomes soft, place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

To make cockscombs:

Roll dough on floured board into a rectangle 12” x 15”. Cut into twenty 3-inch squares. Spread a tablespoon of preserves or Cream Cheese Filling (recipe follows) across each square; fold over into a rectangle and seal by pressing together. Cut 4 slits into dough, at right angles to edge. Place Cockscombs on greased cookie sheets, about 3 inches apart, curving slightly so that slits spread open. Cover and let stand in warm place, away from drafts for about one hour or until double in bulk. Brush tops lightly with egg glaze made from 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water. Place in 450 oven, reduce heat immediately to 375 and bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown. You may frost these with an almond-flavored buttercream or not, as you wish.

All baked Danish freezes well. Place in an airtight container. Before serving, wrap in foil and heat at 400 degrees about 15 minutes.

The shapes and fillings for Danish pastry are endless. The above Cockscombs with cheese or preserves filling are good ones to start with as they suggest the other possibilities.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
One-fourth cup sugar
Dash salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine ingredients and beat until blended and fluffy.