Sunday, February 20, 2022

Whole Wheat No Knead Bread

I finally joined the no knead bread craze (again). A couple of years ago, I remember doing it once or twice with sourdough bread, but fell out of the habit...and my sour dough started died. I love that you can mix it the night before and in the morning have a crusty loaf of bread in less than an hour!




No Knead Bread (adapted from The Scratch Pantry)

1 1/4 c white whole wheat flour

2 c all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp active dry yeast  

1.5 c water (best is 110 degrees, 105-115 okay)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until a dough forms. It may be sticky. 

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise overnight (12-18 hours). 

With floured hands, form into a ball and place on parchment paper. Allow to rest for 30 minutes or so while you preheat a dutch oven to 450 degrees. 

Place bread on parchment paper into the dutch oven and replace lid. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove lid and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown. (If concerned about over-browning, reduce heat to 350. ) Bread is done when it sounds hollow or has reached an internal temperature of 204 degrees. 

Remove from dutch oven and cool on wire rack. 

Italian Wedding Soup


Italian Wedding Soup (recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

10 cups chicken stock
2 cups water 
4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
1 tablespoon (about 3 cloves) minced garlic, divided 
4 cups kale or spinach, chopped  
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1 lb italian sausage (I used turkey sausage) 
1 1/4 cups small shaped pasta or tortellini

Make mini meatballs: 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 

Combine the cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, the remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined.  Fold in the sausage, but do not over mix

Use a small cookie scoop to portion the mixture into roughly 1-inch meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Make soup
Combine the chicken broth, water, carrots, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, and the kale (if using spinach, add at end) in a large pot over medium-high heat. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Add the pasta to the soup. Continue simmering until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. 

 Add the meatballs to the soup (heat briefly to rewarm if necessary). Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add cheese for serving.