Yield: Makes 8 9-inch pizzas

Sponge:

1 cup lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)

1 envelope active dry yeast, divided

1 cup all purpose flour, divided

Dough:

1 1/2 cups lukewarm (110°F to 115°F) water

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

6 cups (or more) all purpose flour

Olive oil

Yellow cornmeal

Sauces and toppings

Special equipment:

Pizza stone (not required)

For sponge:

Place 1 cup lukewarm water in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon yeast (reserve remaining yeast for dough) and 1/4 teaspoon flour over water. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture looks spongy, about 4 minutes. Add remaining flour and whisk until smooth; scrape down sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge rest at room temperature in draft-free area overnight (about 12 hours; sponge will look bubbly).

For dough:

Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 envelope yeast, and reserved remaining yeast to sponge, then add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating with dough hook to blend after each addition. Continue to beat until dough is smooth, comes cleanly away from sides of bowl, and is only slightly sticky to touch, scraping down bowl  occasionally, about 5 minutes.

If dough is very sticky, beat in more flour, 1/4 cupful at a time. Scrape dough onto floured surface; knead into smooth ball. Brush inside of large bowl with oil. Add dough; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 6 hours, kneading dough down when doubled (after 2 hours).

About 1 1/2 hours before baking, dust 2 baking sheets with flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead gently; shape into 16-inch log. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Knead each piece into smooth ball. Arrange 4 balls of dough on each sheet. Cover loosely with kitchen towels and let rise until almost doubled, 1 to 11/4 hours.

If using pizza stone, place in oven to pre heat.

Preheat oven to 500&Deg;F for 45 minutes. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough with flour. Press into 5-inch round, then gently stretch and roll out to 9-inch round.

If using pizza stone, sprinkle pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal.

If not using pizza stone, sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal. Place dough round on cornmeal; brush lightly with oil. Top as desired. Slide pizza onto stone or place pizza on baking sheet into oven.

Bake pizza until sauce is bubbling and crust is crisp and brown, lifting edge of pizza to check underside, about 14 minutes.

Note: I like to have a very thin crust.  Use a rolling pin to get your dough to the desired thickness.  Also, this dough keeps fairly well in a large airtight container stored in a refrigerator.  Make sure there is room for the dough to rise in the container.

3 tbsp. Yeast

Dissolve the yeast in the water.

1 ½ cup hot water

1 regular sized can evaporated milk

1 ½ cup sugar

2 tsp. Salt

3 eggs

6 – 8 cups flour

Mix all together.  Add just enough flour to make a light weight dough.  (The more flour, the heavier the roll.) (I get my dough just past the sticky stage and then work in what additional flour for that soft dough.)  Roll out and cut with a glass (round).  Put a little bit of butter in the center of the roll and fold in half.  Put on greased cookie sheet, cover with a towel and let raise for about two hours.  Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes and when taken out of oven, baste with butter.

One batch will make two of the district size cookie sheets full of rolls, probably about 3 dozen, depending on the size of the glass

½ cup butter

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. dry yeast

3 beaten eggs

4 ½ cups flour

½ cup melted butter

To ¾ cup of the milk add the butter and allow to melt. To ¼ cup of milk add 1 T. of the sugar and the yeast (milk should be about 105°) and allow to proof. It should bubble and activate.

When butter is melted add the rest of the sugar and the salt. When the temperature of this is no warmer than 105° add the eggs and yeast mixture.  Mix well and then add 4 ½ cups of flour. Mix until ingredients form a smooth, soft dough.  Knead for several minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.

Divide dough in thirds; roll each third out on a floured surface to a 9-inch circle. Brush with melted butter. Cut each circle in 12-16 wedges. Roll each wedge starting with wide side. Arrange on a greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise until double in size.

Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove rolls from pan and brush with butter. Allow to cool on racks.

2 heaping TBSP Yeast

1 TBSP Honey

5 Cups Warm Water (105-110 degrees)

Put yeast in mixer, add honey and pour water over the top.  Set aside to sponge/proof while grinding wheat.

Grind 6 cups of Wheat

Turn mixer on and add:

3 cups of the whole wheat flour

½ Cups Vegetable Oil

¾ Cups of Honey

5 tsp Salt

½ Cup Potato Flakes

Mix dough until smooth.  Slowly add the rest of the whole wheat flour until a soft dough is formed and it is smooth and stretchy.  (If more flour is needed, add white flour)  The dough will come away from the side of the bowl.  Knead approximately 7 minutes.

Let the dough rest while preparing the pans.

Spray 5 bread pans with PAM.  Knead on the counter that has been sprayed with PAM and shape into loaves.  Put into 8×4x2 pans.

Let the oven preheat to 350 while bread rises until double in size – about 25 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a deep golden brown color.

Remove from pans.  Let cool completely on rack before storing in plastic bag.  Loaves can be frozen.

3 Loaves in Mixer

1 ½ TBSP Yeast

1 TBSP Honey

3 Cups Warm Water

Put yeast in mixer, add honey and pour water over the top.  Set aside to sponge/proof while grinding wheat.

Grind 4 Cups of Wheat.

Turn on mixer then add:

1 ½ Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/3 Cups Vegetable Oil

½ Cup Honey

3 tsp Salt

1/3 Cup Potato Flakes

Mix dough until smooth.  Slowly add the rest of the whole wheat flour until a soft dough is formed and it is smooth and stretchy.  (If more flour is needed, add white flour)  The dough will come away from the side of the bowl.  Knead approximately 7 minutes.

Let the dough rest while preparing the pans.

Spray 3 bread pans with PAM.  Knead on the counter that has been sprayed with PAM and shape into loaves.  Put into 8×4x2 pans.

Let the oven preheat to 350 while bread rises until double in size – about 25 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a deep golden brown color.

Remove from pans.  Let cool completely on rack before storing in plastic bag.  Loaves can be frozen.

2 heaping TBSP Yeast

2/3 Cup Sugar

5 Cups Warm Water (105° – 110°) (4 cups of water for yeast & sugar / 1 cup to mix with powdered milk)

5 tsp Salt

2/3 Cups Shortening

2/3 Cups Powdered Milk (NOT Instant Powdered Milk.  MUST be regular powdered milk– Maggie Moo’s works)

Bread Flour (10-11 Cups)

3 Loaves in Mixer (Kitchen Aid or Bosch)

1 ½ TBSP Yeast (not instant yeast)

½ Cup Sugar

3 Cups Warm Water (105° – 110° ) (2 cups of water for yeast & sugar / 1 cup to mix with powdered milk)

1 TBSP Salt

½ Cup Shortening

½ Cup Powdered Milk

(NOT Instant Powdered Milk.  MUST be regular powdered milk– Maggie Moo’s works)

Bread Flour (5 to 6 cups)

Directions:

(Save 1 cup of water and add the powdered milk & whisk well.  Then add to yeast mixture with salt, shortening & flour)

Put yeast and sugar in the mixing bowl of your mixer.  Pour warm water over it.  Proof for 5 minutes (it will foam up).

Add: Salt, Shortening, Powdered Milk.  Mix with the kneading arm for your mixer on medium speed.  Gradually add enough flour to make a batter (the consistency of cake batter).  Continue to mix for about 5 – 7 minutes until the flour is completely incorporated and the batter is smooth.  This is an important step as it develops the gluten.

Gradually add enough flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition, until the dough leaves the side of the bowl.

Continue to mix for about 5 – 7 minutes more.

Put the dough in a Pam sprayed bowl and cover.  Raise until the dough is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down.

Divide the dough into 5 (3) pieces and knead.  Spray your counter with Pam and knead dough.  Don’t knead the dough on a flour counter.  Pam works best, and is much less messy.

Form into loaves, and place in Pam sprayed 8×4x2 bread pans with the seam side down.  Roll the dough in the pan so that the grease coats the whole loaf.

Let the dough rise again, until double in bulk – about 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place loaves on low rack so that the tops of pans are in center of oven.  Pans should not touch each other or the sides of the oven.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until deep golden brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped.  You may need to cover the tops of the loaves so they don’t burn for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

Remove the hot loaves from the pan and let cool of cooling rack before storing in plastic bag.

The loaves can be frozen.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST use Non-Instant Powdered Milk.  It can be hard to find, but most health food stores sell it.

Bread Won’t Rise: Too much flour in the dough, dough too cold, yeast was killed by excessive heat, improper kneading, oven temperature too high, too much salt.

Bread Flops Over the Sides of the Pan: Bread over risen, too much bread dough for pan size, not enough salt.

Thick Crust: Oven temperature was too low, bread was over baked.

Bread has a Strong Yeast Taste and Crumbly Texture: Not kneading long enough.

Rule of Thumb:

1 cup liquid = 1 ½ lb of Dough

1 ½ lb of dough = 8×4x2 pan

1 lb of dough = 7×3x2 pan

Things to Know in making Wheat Bread:

Yeast: Yeast is used as a leavening agent.  It feasts on the sugars in the mixture, producing carbon dioxide to raise the dough and make it light.

White Flour: Bread Flour that is unbleached makes the best bread dough

Wheat Flour: Wheat that is high in protein is the best for bread.  Freshly ground makes for a better loaf of bread.

Fat: Fat is the term used for one of the most essential and important ingredients in baking.  Fat imparts richness and tenderness.

Milk: A loaf made with milk has a velvety grain, a browner crust, and a creamy white crumb.  The loaf is softer and stays that way longer than bread made without.

Salt: Salt controls the action of the yeast in dough and strengthens the gluten.  Salt accents the flavor of other ingredients.

Sugar: Sugar increases yeast fermentation, and adds flavor and imparts a rich brown color to the crust.

Potato: Potatoes have many positive effects on bread.  Yeast loves it.  Bread is softer and stays fresher longer, and bread dough with potatoes does not have to be mixed as long as bread without potatoes – amazing, but apparently true.

Honey: Honey increases yeast fermentation, adds flavor and imparts a rich brown color to the crust.  Bread made with honey stays moist.

Gluten: Gluten is responsible for the elasticity of kneading the dough.  Its part of the magic of bread!

Things to Remember:

There is nothing better than the aroma of fresh bread baking in the oven.  IT touches the senses in many different ways.

Bread making is an art.  It can be achieved by anyone who has the patience and desire to learn.  Practice makes progress.

Technique is as important to a delicious loaf of bread as are the ingredients.

Know your equipment and apply the proper techniques.

Bread is best stored at room temperature, in a tightly closed plastic bag.

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

½ Cup Sugar

1 Tsp. Salt

½ Cup Milk

1 ½ Cup Flour

2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Grease muffin tin.

Mix all ingredients with a wire wisk.

Don’t over mix.

Spoon mix into muffin tins ¾ full.

Bake at 400°F

Bake for 15 Minutes

2 GARLIC CLOVES

¼ CUP FRESH LEMON JUICE, PLUS LEMON WEDGES, FOR SERVING

COARSE SALT AND GROUND PEPPER

1 ½ POUNDS CHICKEN CUTLETS (about

4 THICK SLICES COUNTRY BREAD

HEAT GRILL TO HIGH; LIGHTLY OIL GRATES.  MINCE 1 GARLIC CLOVE, AND PLACE IN A SHALLOW DISH.   ADD LEMON JUICE AND 1 TBL OIL; SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER.  ADD CHICKEN, AND TOSS TO COAT.  LET STAND AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AT LEAST 5 MINUTES (AND UP TO 30 MINUTES.)

BRUSH BREAD ON BOTH SIDES WITH REMAINING 2 TBL OIL; SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER.  GRILL BREAD UNTIL BEGINNING TO CHAR, ABOUT 1 MINUTE PER SIDE.  CUT REMAINING GARLIC CLOVE IN HALF, AND RUB CUT SIDES OVER GRILLED BREAD; SET BREAD ASIDE (DISCARD GARLIC CLOVE).

GRILL CHICKEN UNTIL OPAQUE THROUGHOUT, 1 TO 3 MINUTES PER SIDE.  SERVE WITH GARLIC BREAD AND LEMON WEDGES.

Yummy…we’re going to have grilled lemon chicken sandwiches tomorrow with pesto spread on the leftover bread.

¼ Cup Honey

¼ Cup Butter (softened)

2 Eggs, beaten

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tsp Salt

1 TBSP Baking Powder

1 ½ Cup Ground Sunflower meats

1 Cup Milk

½ Cup Whole Sunflower Meats

Beat together honey & butter.  Beat in Eggs, Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and ground seeds in separate bowl.  Add to honey/butter mixture alternately with the milk.  Fold in whole sunflower meats.  Pour into greased loaf pan & bake 1 hour at 325°F.

Cool on rack.

This bread slices better when cool.

Directions: