i like lemons

As much as I like to cook and bake, I must confess that I tend to keep an ill-stocked refrigerator and pantry. I do, however, always seem to have yogurt in the fridge and I keep flour and a couple packages of yeast in the pantry. Salt is a staple for me, as is honey. With those ingredients, I have what I need to make Honey Yogurt Bread.

I came up with this recipe when I was craving a soft-crusted bread to eat with some butter and jam, and didn’t have any milk or eggs to make brioche. It isn’t as buttery and light as brioche, but it does have some richness to it because of the yogurt. It also has a sweetness from the honey, but the tang from the yogurt keeps it from being overpowering. The texture of the crust and interior is soft, with a bit of “chew”, but it is not cottony like some store-bought sandwich breads tend to be. Great for sandwiches, french toast or just buttered, and enjoyed with some fruit preserves.

Honey Yogurt Bread

3 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water (110F)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon kosher salt
~6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
vegetable oil

In a large glass bowl, combine warm water and 1 tablespoon of honey. Sprinkle yeast over the honey water and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until yeast is foamy. With a wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups of flour and mix very well. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so that the flour can absorb the liquid. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons honey, yogurt, salt and another 2 cups of flour and beat the dough with the spoon for a couple of minutes. Add another 1 1/2 cups of flour. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes, adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour only if dough is too sticky.

Lightly grease a clean bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat surface with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, around 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Turn risen dough out onto floured surface and knead for about a minute to remove air bubbles. Form dough into a ball and allow to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Grease two 9″x5″ loaf pans (or four mini 6″x3″ pans).

Divide dough in half (quarters for mini loaves) and roll or pat each piece into about a 12″x10″ rectangle (9″x7″ for mini loaves). Starting at the shorter edge, tightly roll dough up, jelly roll style, pressing the seam and the ends well to seal. Place loaves seam side down in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Place oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400F. Slash the top of each loaf lengthwise. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes (depends on size of loaves), until loaves are golden brown. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.

Makes 2 regular loaves or 4 mini loaves.

You can freeze the baked loaves. Wrap cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil before placing in freezer. Thaw loaves in refrigerator.

I like to eat this bread with “Trader Joe’s Cherry Preserves made with Fresh Cherries” (the apricot version is quite good too). Also, the bread makes really good curried chicken salad sandwiches.

Oh! I don’t usually eat my bread with *that* much butter on it. For photographical purposes only!

I have fond memories of making bread with my mother when I was a little girl. She would place a step-up stool next to the counter so I could reach the big, wooden baking board and let me sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. I would exclaim that it smelled stinky!

I suspect that I caused more trouble than good, getting flour everywhere and slowing down the whole baking process. Mom would let me punch at the dough like a prize-fighter since my little hands couldn’t properly knead the dough. No electric mixers or bread machines for us! White bread in loaf pans, brown bread in coffee cans, go down for a nap and wake up to the bread miraculously done, ready to be eaten.

This recipe makes a very dense, hearty bread. Pair it with stew or think “slather” when considering topping it with any spreads.

Hearty Homemade Bread

Sponge:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110F)
1 package active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough:
1 cup warm water (110F)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
~3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil

To make sponge:
In large glass bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over sugar water and allow to sit for 5 minutes, or until yeast is foamy. Stir in flour until a smooth, stiff batter forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 6-8 hours at room temperature (70F) or place in refrigerator for 12-14 hours.

To make dough:
Add water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and 3 cups of flour to sponge and stir until the flour has been absorbed. Transfer dough to floured surface and knead for 15 minutes, adding additional flour only if dough is too sticky. The dough will want to stick to your hand but it should pull away towards itself instead.

Grease clean bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat surface with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 hours.

Turn risen dough out onto floured surface and knead for about a minute. Divide dough in half and form each half into a round loaf. Place loaves on an ungreased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F. Remove plastic wrap/towel and make a few slashes with a knife on the tops of the loaves. Bake loaves for 30-40 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and make a hollow sound when gently tapped on the bottom. Remove to wire racks and allow to cool before slicing.

Makes 2 ~8-inch diameter loaves.

If you want a darker crust, brush the loaves with milk or an egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water, milk or cream) before baking.

You may freeze one of the loaves if you like. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil. To thaw the loaf, unwrap and allow to thaw on the counter. Or wrap loaf in aluminum foil and heat in a 325F oven for 15 minutes, remove foil and leave in oven for 5 more minutes.

Feel free to add herbs (rosemary, thyme, chives, etc.), olives, carmelized onions, pancetta, etc. If using dried herbs, add them at the same time as the oil and salt. Other add-ins can be incorporated after the 2-hour rise and before forming the loaves.