Friday, April 4, 2008

It's not social commentary...it's just bread


White Trash Bread...the story is when the bakery first opened way back in 1993, we took on one wholesale customer, a local restaurant that was also revamping an old space. We made their desserts and developed a bread for them. In the process of finding out what it was they were exactly looking for in a bread,one of them said, "you know, like that trashy white bread you get in Texas." We thought," OK, we get it"...and when he picked it up we told him," Here's your white trash bread!"...and that was it, no judgements or social commentary...just soft, flavorful, slightly chewy white bread...silky in texture and a little bit sweet (just like the Texans we know!). It is by far our most asked for recipe...

White Trash dough

mix together in a measuring cup and 'proof' to test the liveliness of the yeast
2 pkg active dry yeast
1 T(ablespoon) sugar
1 cup very warm water (not hot)

when this bubbles and looks healthy...hopefully in 5 minutes or so, transfer to a mixing bowl.
and add:
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1/2 cup milk-whole fat
1 T olive oil (melted butter would be great, also)
1T Honey
5 cups unbleached white flour
mix this by hand or in a mixer until it just barely comes together..
.then cover and let rest for 20 minutes or so...this is referred to
as an 'autolyse' and it allows the flour to absorb the moisture without
the salt hampering the process. After time is up, stir in...
1 T salt and another cup of flour
the dough should be coming together now and may need the addition
of up to 2 more cups of flour.It should be a medium soft dough that
stands up to kneading but is not too firm. Knead until silky in texture
and thin bands form when pulling it apart.
.
Let rise, covered, until double in bulk.
You may now either form it into loaves to rise again and slash and
bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until internal temp is 195.
OR you can make dinner rolls or bread sticks...
this is also the perfect dough for STICKY BUNS!

3 comments:

Holly O'Leary said...

Yeehaw, ladies!!!!! Holly and Ed are coming to Homer in July! Be in Anchorage on 7/10 through 7/14. In Homer on the 15th through the 18th. Damn! I can't wait. Have a cup o' joe and some buns waiting for us. Hurry up, July! Love you all. Holly O' (formerly Koons...Hhhhmmm, I guess I can stop saying that now,)

Unknown said...

Carri - I tried making the rolls yesterday and they were fine, but not quite as good as yours. I might not have kneaded enough. It was certainly silky, but I wasn't sure what "thin bands" look like. I made the dough into rolls using the method I learned from Julia Child in which one folds in the corners, flips it over and cups her hands and spins the dough, and repeat to make a tight little package. I only did this three times per roll, and I think more times would be helpful because they were a bit flat and not high enough. They also didn't have the good thick crust. I tossed some ice cubes in the oven when I put them in. They got good and golden in 25 minutes at 350. Any advice?

Carri said...

Hi Meg! Glad to have you baking with us! the thin bands I refer to appear when the dough is pulled apart betwen your hands. We make this at home alot and the texture really comes out with enough kneading, but john never has the patience for that, so his tends to be a bit rougher. the convection thing may help, too. We've been using the brick oven to bake them at the bakery and that has been very successful. Also, are you using an active dry or an instant yeast...use a little less if it's instant. Good Luck! (hey, Thanks for the lovely Birthday Card!)