Tuesday, May 31, 2011

BREAD.........You gotta love it.

Don't you just love bread? Every Friday I'm in the kitchen baking bread and sometimes I add a batch of buttermilk biscuits. Now that spring/summer has finally arrived I'm itching to try some new recipes. Of course local farms are always a great place to get ideas to use local produce. With the sun shining and a mission on my mind I headed out for Brookford Farms in Rollinsford N.H. in search of kefir and Camembert cheese. They had sent me a new recipe for rolls that was oh so interesting. I just could not resist giving them a try. I've never used kefir for baking but, I hear it can be used anytime buttermilk is requested. These little rolls are stuffed with mash potatoes and chive and the Camembert. The cheese was so wonderful that it's a miracle it made it in the rolls.

I don't usually make my dough using all whole wheat flour but, I was following their recipe for the first time and certainly wanted to have it their way before I would even think of changing anything. Straight whole wheat requires a longer rising time. I'll have to work that in. Once the little rolls were stuffed with the mash potatoes and the oh so delicious camembert(drool here) They had to rise for another 1/2 hour. Don't they look like little baked potatoes? I'm waiting to hear from Mary before I post her recipe. Let you know when she says yes.

Here they are in all their glory. I really think these are worth repeating. If you are a hiker or camper these are just the right thing to bring along when you need a pick me up. No, we don't do either of those things but, we love eating outside in the summer and having these with a little wine and maybe some pate, if it's been a good week, will be my go to evening break for this summer...........Just heard from Mary at the farm, she thinks it would be fine for me to give out the recipe She's the best........................said the hobbit
This recipe makes about a dozen and a half small breads, or fewer if you want 6" rounds.

the dough:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour

1/2 cup kefir

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon dry yeast

a dribble of honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

a beaten egg mixed with a little water

sesame seeds or oats as optional topping

the filling:

1/2 round of Camembert cheese, sliced

2 cups mashed potatoes

1/2 cup chives or scallions

salt

Mix the warm water, kefir, honey and yeast. Stir together the salt and flour, and then pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. It is OK to add more water if you need to, but you want a fairly stiff dough in the end. Knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand, less in an electric mixer. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for two hours or so, until doubled. Meanwhile, cook and mash the potatoes, and stir in the scallions and salt. When the dough has risen, punch it down and cut it into 12 - 18 pieces. Form each one into a ball, and then roll it out to a thickness of about 1/2". Place a slice of Camembert in the center of each round, and then drop a spoonful of potatoes on top. Paint the outside of each dough circle with water to make them sticky, then draw the edges closed like a drawstring purse. Turn each dough ball over so the sealed side is down, and flatten them on an oiled baking sheet. Paint the flatbreads with an egg beaten with a little water and allow them to rise for about half an hour. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until brow

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