Soft Wheat Sandwich Bread

Cucumbers and basil are here, and before you know it we will have juicy heirloom tomatoes to stack into our picnics and sandwiches.  So before we get too far into the season I thought I would make sure you have a good sandwich bread recipe. And this is the easiest bread recipe I have ever seen.  It seems to be foolproof, since everyone in my family (including my 4-year-old) has managed to bake a decent loaf with this one.  So if you were thinking, "Hey, I'd like to try baking a fresh loaf of bread sometime," then now is the time.  The original recipe came from a friend in Poltava, Ukraine.  She said it's a traditional village loaf, and the first bread she baked as a child.  I'm giving you an edited version that uses oil instead of butter, and I don't use an egg wash over the crust before it bakes.  If you want a shiny crust, you can brush a whisked egg over the top before you bake.

Ingredients:  5 cups or 700gr wheat flour* 2 tsp salt 1/4 cup canola or olive oil, plus extra for oiling pans 2 tsp dried yeast** 1 Tbs local raw honey 450 ml warm water (about 115 degrees)

Method: Pour the yeast, honey, and 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl or glass jug. Mix together gently and let rest until the yeast becomes frothy and puffs up. Weigh or measure flour and salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork. Add the oil and stir with a fork until it is fairly evenly distributed. Add the yeast & honey mixture, plus the rest of the water to the flour and gently mix together with a wooden spoon until the flour is all wet and begins to form a ball. You can knead this bread pretty much any way that you like, as long as you don't knead it too much.  Over-kneading will make the bread tough.  Not enough, and it might be too crumbly for a sandwich.  My favorite way is to knead it in the bowl, adding flour if it gets too sticky.  I grab the edges and fold and press them into the center.  About 60 times is usually enough to have a smooth, evenly textured dough. In another large bowl, drizzle some oil (enough to generously coat the bowl).  Turn the dough into the bowl, then flip over so both sides of the dough are coated in oil.  Cover with a cotton (not terrycloth) towel, and place in the oven with the light on and the door shut.  Do not turn on heat. Leave until the dough doubles in size (1-2 hours). Meanwhile, generously oil two glass loaf pans. When the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured board.  divide the dough into two parts.  Knead each ball about 20-30 times, then stretch or roll it into a loaf shape.  Place the dough in the oiled pans then return them to the oven with the light on.  Leave to rise for about 30 minutes, or until they have filled the pans and begin to rise above the edges a bit.  Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. and set the timer for 30 minutes.

It may take 5 minutes more or less, depending on your oven, the weather, or how brown you like your loaf. It will be done when it sounds hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf.

Remove the loaves from the pans immediately and place on a cooling rack to rest for at least 20 minutes.

*Rise times will vary depending on the type of flour that you use.  White flour rises faster, soft bronze whole wheat will take a little longer, and hard red whole wheat will be the heaviest and will not rise as well as the softer grains.  You may want to get a variety of flours and try blending to your taste. **I use Saf-Instant yeast (purchased on Amazon.com). It's great and keeps well in the freezer, wrapped in a ziplock bag.  I am not a professional baker, but I have read that the quality of your yeast can make a big difference.

Napa Farmhouse Salad With Sesame Dressing

This was my end-of-the-week salad, inspired by a lunch made for me once by CSA member Beth Capecchi.  Her's was an Asian salad with chicken, cabbage and ramen noodles.  It was delicious.  I didn't have ramen noodles for this one, but I did have a lot of crispy vegetables.  Nearly everything in this week's box can go in a salad, so you can pick and choose which ingredients to add or omit. If you are vegetarian, you can use extra Shiitake mushrooms or tofu for protein. This makes a large salad for 6-8 people, but if you have leftovers they will still be tasty the next day. Also, if sesame is not your favorite flavor, check out The Basics Of Vinaigrette recipe and create your own signature dressing!

Ingredients: 1 Head of Napa cabbage, sliced thinly Beet greens, sliced thinly 3 Green onions, sliced 2 Carrots, julienned 3-5 Radishes, sliced 6-8 Shiitake mushroom caps, sliced thinly 3 Beets (any color) cut into sticks and cooked to your taste. (I sauteed mine in oil with salt, then added a splash of white balsamic vinegar, some water, covered the pan and let them steam until they were tender.) 1 lb boneless chicken, cooked and shredded Thin style fried rice noodles for garnish (optional)

Sesame Dressing: 3/4 cup cold-pressed extra virgin sesame oil 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/4-1/3 cup rice vinegar Juice from one lemon 4-6 garlic cloves, minced A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 1 Tbs local honey Sea salt to taste

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure the cooked chicken and beets have cooled first.  Whisk together Sesame Dressing ingredients until they partially emulsify.  Then pour the dressing over the salad and toss until it is coated.

Kohlrabi Soup with Ginger & Lime

This is a great spring soup for cooler, rainy days like today.  Most of the ingredients are available at local grocery stores.  Kaffir lime leaves may be harder to find, but they make all the difference for this soup. If they are not available at a local Asian market, they can be purchased online.

Ingredients: 3 Kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced 1 Leek, chopped 3 Carrots, sliced into circles 6 Cloves of fresh garlic, minced Canola oil 1 Cup red lentils 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated 3 Limes, juiced 3 Kaffir lime leaves 1 Can coconut milk (15 oz) 1 Bunch of curly kale, stems removed and leaves chopped 1 red chili pepper, (optional) Sea salt to taste 3 Green onions, chopped

Method: In a large stock pot, saute 2/3 of the chopped kohlrabi, the leek, and 1/2 of the carrots in a little canola oil.  When they are soft, add the lentils, the garlic and 4 cups of broth.  Cover and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and puree roughly with an immersion blender.  Add the remaining broth, carrots, kohlrabi, Kaffir lime leaves and chili pepper.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the ginger, lime juice, coconut milk, and kale.  Stir and cook on low heat until the kale is wilted.  Salt to taste.  Add about a tablespoon of chopped green onions to each bowl before serving.