Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sourdough Tomato Amish Friendship Bread

This sounded like such an interesting recipe (and the added benefit that it uses 2 cups of the Amish starter and I am starting to get overwhelmed and I end up with something that isn't a dessert or breakfast bread)!! 

I don't ever have tomato juice so my first step was to google how to make tomato juice from scratch :)  Check out this recipe in case you don't have tomato juice either!!  I used a can of tomato paste which I got for free a little while back on a stock up.  I mixed one can of the tomato paste with four cans full of water.  I only needed 1 1/2 cups for this recipe so I sealed the rest to store in the fridge.  I have enough to make another loaf if this one is super yummy!


First I mixed the starter, tomato juice, and sugar in a bowl.


Then I added in the spices.  I decided to try Mrs. Dash's seasoning since I don't always use the mixed ones.  Plus, I thought it might be a good addition to the flavor.


I mixed in the seasoning per the recipe to the liquid ingredients.


Then, I mixed in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook.  Adding one cup of flour at a time.  The beginning seemed so slow but I added in the flour quickly as soon as the previous one was mixed in.  The dough formed very quickly on the dough hook.  I took it out and worked in the last cup by hand on the counter.  It was a lot of strength to work that bread over and over.  It is my first attempt at making a bread without the bread machine.  I thought that I would try it and see how it worked since I have never done it before! 

I kneaded lots and then put it in a greased bowl and covered the bread dough with oil.  I covered the bowl with a towel and let it rise.  I was less than patient because it wasn't rising but the 12 hour suggestion would be at 11 pm but I let it sit until the next day.  It still didn't rise so I put it in the oven to proof.  Still nothing so I put it in the oven that was preheating for dinner.  I figured at this point that I wasn't getting anymore so I formed it into two loaves and baked.



It turned out to be tasty but it never got the fluffy texture from the rising.  I was sad that my first attempt at bread by hand didn't work but I think that it had more to do with the recipe, then the cook... I hope!!  I would not recommend this recipe but I wanted to let you know that you should keep using the Amish starter for the quick bread recipes.

Sourdough Tomato Amish Friendship Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Servings: 16
Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients
2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1 1/2 cups warm tomato or V8 juice
2 teaspoons sugar
7 cups flour
2 teaspoons Italian seasonings (optional)
Grated cheese (optional)

Directions
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the starter, tomato juice and sugar. Add optional ingredients.
  2. Add in 1 cup of flour at a time and stir well to develop the gluten.
  3. When the dough is stiff, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Add the last 1 cup of flour as you go.
  4. Add to a greased bowl and lightly grease the top.
  5. Cover with a towel and place in a draft free area over night or for 12 hours.
  6. Punch down dough and divide into two.
  7. Form into rounds and place each on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled generously with cornmeal.
  8. Let rise for 1-2 hours, covered with a towel.
  9. Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
  10. Rub tops of loaves lightly with flour and slash with a sharp knife.
  11. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned.
Kitchen Notes
It works best to use a stand mixer and dough hook to mix the dough up to the kneading. For a soft crust, cool bread under a clean dish towel. For a harder, European type crust, let cool without a dish towel.

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