Bread Machine (138 page)

When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Leftover Bread Cookery: Whole Trout with Prosciutto Stuffing

Serves 6

This is a really fast entree; once the bread is made, you have about 40 minutes from prep to table. Of course, the fresher the better with trout; look for clear eyes, shiny skin, and firm flesh. Plan to cook it the same day it is purchased or caught. Serve this entree with lemon rice and steamed baby green beans.

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loaf Prosciutto Stuffing Bread (opposite)

3 medium shallots, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

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cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

6 whole trout (about 1 pound each), cleaned with bone in and head and tail left on

Pinch of salt

Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Cut the bread into chunks and whirl in the food processor to make about 3 cups fresh breadcrumbs. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan, and cook the shallots until limp, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the breadcrumbs and the parsley; toss to combine.

Oil a large 14-by-12-inch shallow roasting pan or baking dish. Sprinkle each trout inside and out with a bit of salt. Lightly fill each cavity with the stuffing and rub each fish with some olive oil. Lay side by side in the baking dish.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until fish is opaque near the bone when pierced with a knife. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side.

CHEESE BREADS

C
heese and bread—there’s a natural pairing. For the palate that desires variety but appreciates simplicity, a bit of cheese makes a simple dough into something really special. Knowledgeable cheese lovers may dote on the rustic European cheeses like Locatelli (in the Romano family), rich creamy St. André with its powdery rind and woven straw mat (used instead of Brie), Emmenthaler from the Jura Mountains (in place of a less flavorful domestic Swiss), young fresh whole milk ricotta (heaven on a spoon), and fresh mozzarella that needs to be sliced in an old-fashioned egg slicer because it is so slippery (the softer the cheese, the fresher it needs to be). Regular old bakers like myself love the cheeses from their childhood, such as Colby, cheddar, Parmesan, feta, and Monterey Jack. They are easy to find and their predictable flavors delight over and over again. You will find a whole range of cheeses incorporated into these recipes.

Cheese is ephemerally flavored; treat it with care and respect, whether it is an accompaniment to your fresh baked breads, melted between grilled slices, or an integral part of the ingredient list or filling. In your breads, expect the cheese to influence the character of the loaf; the texture will be more moist and the flavor more distinct. In bread machine baking, cheese is counted proportionally as part of the liquid ingredients and, unless it is called for in little cubes or chunks, can be added with the main ingredients at the beginning of the cycle. Don’t be tempted to use the dark crust setting for any cheese breads since they have a tendency to overbrown easily; a light or medium crust is best. These breads should be stored in the refrigerator once they have cooled.

RICOTTA AND FRESH CHIVE BREAD

R
icotta was originally a fresh, soft cheese made with the whey left over from producing mozzarella. It is a smooth, small curd, Italian white cheese that is made in America, too. Ricotta may be made from either whole milk or part-skim (the closest in flavor to traditional Italian ricotta), each very different in taste. This is a recipe I got from one of my recipe testers who lives in California’s Napa Valley. She raved about it and said it was her first real success at breadmaking. It is chock full of fresh chives, which have a more subtle flavor than scallions or regular onions, and add a nice flecked appearance to every slice. Since it is such a delicately flavored bread, eat this fresh. It loses its subtle nature after being frozen. Serve this with pasta dishes.

1
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-POUND LOAF

1 cup water

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cup whole or part-skim ricotta cheese

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon gluten

1
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teaspoons salt

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cup chopped fresh chives

Dash of ground black pepper

2
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teaspoons SAF yeast
   or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast

2-POUND LOAF

1
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cups water

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cup whole or part-skim ricotta cheese

4 cups bread flour

1
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tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon plus
   1 teaspoon gluten

2 teaspoons salt

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cup chopped fresh chives

Dash of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon SAF yeast
   or 1 tablespoon plus
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teaspoon bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)