Honey breads are rich and golden and they stay fresh much longer than those baked with sugar.
2 cups whole wheat flour
2–3 cups unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon yeast
1½ cups very warm water
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon cold water
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 1 cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup unbleached flour, salt, honey, and undissolved yeast. Gradually add warm tap water and beat for 2 minutes with an electric beater at medium speed. Add ½ cup unbleached flour. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. By hand, stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in an ungreased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 20 minutes. (The dough will not double in bulk.) Punch down. Turn onto a lightly floured board.
Cut the dough into 12 equal parts. Roll each piece into a long strip. Pinch the ends of the strip together to form a circle. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
Boil 2 inches of water in a shallow pan. Lower the heat and add a few bagels at a time. Simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from the water and place the bagels on a towel to cool. Cool for 5 minutes.
Place the bagels on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375°F. for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the combined egg white and cold water. Return to the oven and bake about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
MAKES 12 BAGELS.
This is a basic hearty bread and the secret of its success is in kneading it until the dough is satiny.
3 cups warm water
2 cakes or tablespoons yeast
½ cup honey
6–7 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup oil or melted butter
2 teaspoons salt
Place the warm water in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Allow 5 minutes for the yeast to start bubbling. Stir in the honey, 3 cups of the flour, the oil, and the salt. Beat this mixture by hand until smooth. Slowly add the remaining flour cup by cup, until the dough becomes easy to handle. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny in texture. Use more flour if the dough is still sticky.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place (85°F.) until it is double in bulk (about 1 hour). When doubled in bulk, punch it down, divide it into two parts and shape into loaves. Place into 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let it rise again until it doubles in volume.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F. for 50 minutes or until the top is well browned. Remove from pans to cool.
MAKES 2 LOAVES.
You can make a lot of these and freeze some. The honey and molasses make them so good.
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached white flour
2 cups bran
1 cup powdered milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup molasses
¾ cup honey
1 cup chopped dates or raisins
Combine the flour, bran, powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the water, eggs, and oil and stir; then add the molasses, honey, and fruit. Stir until the batter is smooth. The batter will be quite moist. Spoon the batter into buttered muffin tins and bake in a 350°F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook these muffins.
MAKES ABOUT 36 MUFFINS.
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups unbleached flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup blueberries
Combine the honey and melted butter. Add the milk and eggs. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the honey mixture to make a smooth batter. Stir in the blueberries. Fill a greased muffin tin two thirds full and bake in a 400°F. oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS.
Whole Wheat Bread Recipe (page 12) — substitute half or all of the whole wheat flour with unbleached white flour
6 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup warmed honey
1 cup raisins
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
Prepare the dough as for the bread recipe. After the dough as risen once, punch down and divide it in two. Roll each piece of dough on a floured board into an oblong shape, ¼ inch thick. Spread each piece with the melted butter, honey, raisins, and cinnamon. Separately roll each piece of dough up as for a jelly roll and pinch the seams to seal. Tuck the ends under and put each loaf in a wellgreased bread tin. Brush the top of each loaf with a tablespoon melted butter. Bake in a 350°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pans to cool.
MAKES 2 LOAVES.
⅔ cup honey
½ cup oil
3 eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Beat together the honey and oil, then add the eggs. Add the mashed bananas, salt, and vanilla; mix well.
Sift together the flour and baking soda. Gradually blend the flour mixture in with the banana mixture until the batter is smooth. Grease 1 large or 2 small loaf pans, pour in the batter, and bake in a 350°F. oven for 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the pan. Lower the oven temperature if the bread is browning too quickly.
MAKES 1 LARGE LOAF, OR 2 SMALL ONES.
This is my favorite yeasted bread. I use it around the holidays when friends drop in.
Yeast Dough:
1 cake or tablespoon yeast
1 cup milk scalded, cooled to lukewarm
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons oil or melted butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups unbleached white flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour (do not use whole wheat pastry flour)
3 tablespoons melted butter
Apple Filling:
4 apples
2 tablespoons water
½ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts (optional)
¼ cup honey, warmed slightly
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
Soften the yeast in milk with 1 teaspoon of the honey in a small bowl. Blend the rest of the honey, butter or oil, salt, and eggs in a large bowl. Add the yeast and milk and stir in the white and whole wheat flours. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly, adding a small amount of flour if necessary. Turn into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until double in bulk — about 1 hour.
Peel, slice, and stew the apples in 2 tablespoons of water until soft. Allow to cool slightly.
Roll out the dough into an oblong shape, ¼ inch thick. Brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Spread the apples, raisins, and nuts over the dough. Drizzle the honey over the apples and sprinkle on the cinnamon. Roll the dough up as for a jelly roll. Put it on a greased cookie sheet and shape into a crescent, turn the ends under and slit the top in a few places to expose the filling. Cover and set in a warm place to rise slightly.
Brush the top with the remaining tablespoon of butter and bake in a 375°F. oven for about 30 minutes.
MAKES 1 LOAF.
Batter:
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup honey
1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup wheat germ
¼ cup powdered milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
Topping:
½ cup chopped cashews
¼ cup warmed honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
Blend the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in a bowl. Slowly add the honey, beating the mixture the whole time. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and gradually stir into the liquid mixture. Pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch by 8-inch pan. To prepare the topping, mix the cashews, honey, butter, and cinnamon together. Slowly drizzle the topping over the batter. It will sink down into the batter as the cake bakes. Bake at 350°F. for 30 to 35 minutes.
SERVES 9.
