CLASSIC 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 1/3 cups (10 1/2 ounces) lukewarm water
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour OR King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup (1 ounce) nonfat dried milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.
Nutrition per serving (1 slice, 51g): 150 cal, 3.5g fat, 5g protein, 24g total carbohydrate, 5g sugar, 3g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium.
The Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
Golden brown, craggy from a surfeit of chips, these moist cookies bend, then reluctantly break to reveal a lava flow of melted chocolate. Truly—if you’re a chewy chocolate chip cookie lover, it just doesn’t get any better than this. The surprise ingredient? Vinegar. The small amount of vinegar accomplishes two things: it tempers the sweetness of the sugar just a bit, allowing the flavors of the chocolate and butter to shine through, and it reacts with the sodium bicarbonate in the leavener, giving the cookies a little extra lift in the oven. Try it, you’ll like it.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies | Baking temperature: 375°F | Baking time: 10 minutes
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter
2/3 cup (5 1/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) light corn syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar or white vinegar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and vinegar, then beat in the eggs. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips.
Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they’re just set; the centers may still look a bit underdone. Remove them from the oven, and transfer to a rack to cool.
Nutrition information per serving (1 cookie, 29 g): 124 cal, 6 g fat, 1 g protein, 5 g complex carbohydrates, 12 g sugar, 1 g dietary fiber, 17 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 60 mg potassium, 31 RE vitamin A, 1 mg iron, 11 mg calcium, 25 mg phosphorus, 7 mg caffeine. |
