Wild Sage Bread Recipes

PICNIC SAUSAGE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cook and stir sausage in a skillet over medium heat until crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
• Spread pizza dough evenly onto a 9x13-inch baking sheet; sprinkle with sausage and mozzarella cheese. Roll the dough around the sausage and mozzarella, using the method similar to rolling a cinnamon roll. Crimp the roll closed; place seam side down on baking sheet. Brush the roll with olive oil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

WILD SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine sugar, sage, salt, baking soda and flour.
• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Beat egg and cottage cheese together until smooth.
• Add melted shortening and yeast.
• Add flour mixture slowly to egg mixture, beating well after each addition until a stiff dough is formed.
• Cover dough with cloth and put in warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour).
• Punch dough down, knead for one minute and place in well-greased pan.
• Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.
• Bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.
• Brush top with melted shortening and sprinkle with crushed, roasted pine nuts or coarse salt.

SAGE BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch-long, 3/4-inch-wide rope.
• Braid 3 ropes together on a prepared sheet, tucking in sage leaves as you work. Pinch ends to seal; tuck under loaf. Brush with beaten egg. Drape loosely with buttered plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough, sage leaves, and egg wash. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 55 minutes.
• Bake loaves until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Brush center with butter and continue baking until outer crust sounds hollow when bottom is tapped, about 8 minutes more. Brush all over with butter. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

SOURDOUGH (WILD YEAST) BREAD

Steps:

• DAY ONE: You will need 2/3 cups of active starter so refresh your starter with 2/3 cup flour and 2/3 cup bottled water. Cover and allow to ferment for 6-8 hours. Once the starter has been refreshed you can continue with the recipe, or refrigerate the bowl over night.
• MAKE FIRM STARTER:.
• If you have refrigerated the starter, remove it from the refrigerator and measure out 2/3 cups and place in a small bowl, cover with towel or plastic wrap and allow to warm up for one hour. If the starter is room termperatue then continue as noted below.
• Add one cup flour to the bowl; add the starter and mix together, adding only enough additional water so that you can knead this into a small ball. Should be about the texture of french bread dough. No need to work very long, just be sure that the flour is hydrated and the starter is evenly distributed.
• Place dough in small bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking oi, turn dough once and cover with plastic; allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 4 hours.
• Place in the refrigerator overnight.
• NEXT DAY:.
• Remove the firm starter from the refrigerator and cut into about 10 small pieces with a pastry scraper. Mist with non-stick spray, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour to take off the chill from the dough.
• To a large mixing bowel stir together the flour and salt.
• With a large spoon, stir in the starter pieces and enough water to bring everything together into a ball.
• Hand Kneading: Sprinkle counter lightly with flour and knead for 12 to 15 minutes.
• Kitchen Aid Mixer: Sprinkle dough lightly and knead with DOUGH HOOK for 4 minutes on medium-low speed; allow dough to rest for 5-10 minutes, and then mix for another 4 minutes.
• Additions such as garlic, nuts or cheese, should be added during the last two minutes of mixing.
• With both methods, adjust the flour and water as needed. The dough should be firm but tacky, like firm French bread dough. The temperature of the bread dough should be between 77º and 81º F.
• Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat with oil.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
• Gently remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 2 equal parts (approximately 22 oz. each), being careful not to degas the dough.
• Gently shape dough into a boule, baguette, batard or rolls.
• Proof the dough in bannetons or proofing bowls, or on parchment-lined sheet pans that have been dusted with semolina flour or cornmeal.
• Mist the exposed part of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap.
• At this point you can either proof the loaves until doubles (2 to 3 hours), or retard overnight in the refrigerator. Or you may wish to do as I do, bake one now and retard the other for tomorrow.
• If retarding, remove them from the refrigerator approximately 4 hours before you plan to bake them.
• BAKING:.
• Place baking stone on middle shelf.
• Place oven-proof skillet or broiler pan in bottom of oven to use as a steam pan. (*I use a cast iron skillet,but a broiler pan will work just fine.).
• Preheat oven 500º F.
• Ten minutes before baking remove plastic covers.
• Carefully move dough to peel dusted with cornmeal or semolina flour.
• Score the top of the dough.
• Slide the dough onto preheat baking stone.
• Pour 1 cup hot water into the steam pan and close the door.
• After 30 seconds spray the oven walls with water and close the door (careful not to spray glass window).
• Repeat twice more at 30 second intervals.
• After the final spray reduce the temperature to 450º F and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the loaves are done.
• The centers should register 200º in the center on an instant read thermometer.
• When done they will be a rich golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
• Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack and cool for 45 minutes before slicing.

BASIL AND SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over 1 cup water in large bowl, stir to dissove.
• Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Mix rye and white flour together to equal 6 cups flour.
• Mix 1 1/2 cups flour in with yeast/water, stir well.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour over dough.
• Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise in warm area until doubled (1 1/2 hours).
• Heat oil in skillet over low heat.
• Add basil and sage, stir about 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and cool.
• Blend 1 cup of flour, oil mixture, 1/2 cup water (or wine), salt and pepper into dough using a dough hook or by hand.
• Slowly add remainlng 1/2 cup water.
• Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough is smooth and elastic (10 minutes if using dough hook), adding more flour if dough is still sticky.
• Grease large bowl.
• Add dough, turning to coat all sides of dough.
• Cover bowl and let rise until doubled (1 1/2 hours).
• Grease two baking sheets.
• Punch dough down.
• Divide dough in half.
• Form each piece of dough into a 14-inch long loaf.
• Place on baking sheets, seam side down.
• Let rise in warm area until almost double (1 hour).
• Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.
• Slash tops of loaves with knife.
• Bake bread 50-60 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom and is golden brown.