Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Rustic Italian Bread


2 Cups Bread Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
White Flour for dusting
2 tsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tbsp EVOO
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water heated to about 110 degrees (+ a little extra)
1 tbsp EVOO
1 Egg - Beaten
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning

In a stand mixer w/ the dough hook, add the bread flour and whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, evoo and yeast.  Turn mixer on low and start to combine.

Slowly add the water to form a rough dough ball.  Sprinkle counter w/ white flour and turn dough out on counter and kneed for about 6 minutes.  You may need to keep wetting your hands to bring the dough together.

Once it is a smooth ball, drizzle a bowl w/ about 1 tbsp of evoo.  Place in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap for about 1 hour.

Sprinkle counter with white flour and roll out dough into either a ball or long form or whatever you desire.  Place on the desired baking sheet and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes.

Slice cross hatches in the top of the bread and brush with egg wash.  Sprinkle w/ Italian seasonings or whatever you like and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25-35 minutes or until top is crusty golden and the center sounds hollow when tapped.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Homemade Pasta


2 Cups 00 Flour + 1 1/2 Cups Flour + More for dusting (can use regular flour if don't have 00)
4 Large Eggs + 1 Egg Yolk
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
Water

Pour the flour on the counter in a mountain formation.  With a fork, burrow a hole in the center forming a well.  In a bowl mix the eggs, salt, evoo & garlic powder.

Pour the egg mixture into the well.  Slowly, with a fork, stir the egg mixture together gradually combining the flour from the sides.  Use a bench scrape  if necessary to pull the dough off the counter to combine.  Dough will be dry and crumbly.  Wet your hands and start to combine dough into a ball.  May have to add water 1 tbsp at a time until dough forms a combined smooth dough.  Probably kneed for about 10 minutes.

Flatten dough to about a 1" disc, wrap in plastic wrap and set on counter for about 20 minutes.

Unwrap dough and cut into 4 quarters.  Roll each quarter out with a rolling pin to about 1/2".  Place in your pasta rolling machine on the largest setting and continue down until the lowest setting.  Then place in whatever setting you want:  Spaghetti, Flat, etc.  Dust with flour.

Fresh pasta cooks in about 3 minutes in salted boiling water.

Enjoy.  Ultimate pastabilities with this recipe.