You just celebrated your birthday and left the rest of your cake for the restaurant staff. You don’t want to be tempted by having any baked goods around the house. You’re just like me. You don’t trust yourself with a sweet temptation sitting on your kitchen counter. You give in to the grandchildren when want to bake brownies, cookies, pie,….
Maybe you can both win!
Browsing through a second hand book store a few years back, I came across this book on easy baking* and I have been having a blast since, even though I don’t have any grandchildren.
Freshly baked anything - especially during the cold months- bring about a festive atmosphere and satisfies our senses deeply. So let’s bake… Pizza, dinner rolls, pretzels, etc all from the same batch of dough.
Ingredients:
-4 cups of bread or all-purpose flour
-1 cup quick oats
-2 tbs yeast
-3 tsp salt
-2 cups lukewarm water
-5 tbs olive oil
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl stir together flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in water and olive oil.
2. Cover with wrap, punch a few holes with a fork, and let rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours or until dough has doubled in size
3. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight
4. Preheat the even to 425 degrees
5. Cover work area with a thin layer of flour. With floured hands, take a fist sized roll of dough and spread it into a disc using a pastry roller, roll it into a loaf and cut into 2 pieces for bread rolls, or into a thin strand for a pretzel. Brush with essential egg wash** and sprinkle with course sea salt.
6. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are brown.
*The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Easy Artisan Bread
**In a small bowl whisk one egg with 1 tsp of water
Note: refrigerate any unused dough for up to a week.
-Mourad Ben Rached