Country Sage Bread Recipes

COUNTRY BREAD AND SAGE DRESSING

Steps:

• Heat large saute pan over high heat. Add the sausage and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Add butter to the rendered fat in the pan, and then add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and fold in the sage. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• When the vegetable mixture has cooled slightly, add the sausage to the bowl. Add the egg and bread and mix to coat. Add the chicken stock until the mixture is moist. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Butter a large baking dish and scrape the mixture into the dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

COUNTRY SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. , Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.

COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the bread or early in the day, make the poolish (or biga) by placing 8 ounces of the flour, 7 ounces of room temperature water and the yeast in a large bowl and mixing it well with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. The poolish should double in volume.
• Add 1 pound of the flour and 12 ounces of room temperature water to the poolish and mix together well with your hands. It will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt over the surface of the dough and then fold the dough onto itself several times until the salt is incorporated. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• Cover your hands with flour and sprinkle flour around the outside edge of the dough. Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times, dust a board generously with flour and pour the dough out onto the board.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and turn and form each part into a ball, stretching the dough to form a smooth top. Sprinkle flour heavily in 2 separate bowls (there should be enough flour to keep the dough from sticking) and turn each ball of dough upside down into a bowl. Sprinkle the top of each ball with flour, cover each bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Turn each ball of dough bottom-side up onto its own sheet pan and use a knife or razor blade to score a tic-tac-toe design on the top of each loaf.
• Place the loaves in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes. (Do not open the oven door!) The loaves are done when they are golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Cool the loaves on a baking rack.

COUNTRY SAGE LOAVES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water.
• Stir in sugar and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add the wheat germ, oil, honey, sage, salt, rosemary, nutmeg and 1 1/2 cups of flour.
• Beat until smooth.
• Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
• Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
• Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Punch dough down.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface,divide in half.
• Shape each half into 2 oval loaves.
• Place on a greased baking sheet.
• Cover and let rise until double,about 15 minutes.
• With a sharp knife, make 3 shallow slashes across the top of each loaf.
• Bake at 400°F for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown.

GRANNY'S OLD-FASHIONED BREAD AND SAGE DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet. Add celery and onion. Sauté until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage, salt (optional), and pepper. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, place bread slices on a baking sheet and lightly toast on both sides, about 10 minutes per side (or you can use the toaster). Break bread into bite-size pieces. Mix in vegetable mixture and parsley. (At this point, stuffing can be made one day ahead, placed in a self-sealing container, and refrigerated.)
• In a medium saucepan, heat broth to a simmer. Place dressing mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add hot broth and stir until bread is evenly moistened, starting with 2½ cups broth and adding additional broth to reach desired consistency. Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until lightly browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.

COUNTRY SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.

WILD SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• Combine sugar, sage, salt, baking soda and flour.
• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
• Beat egg and cottage cheese together until smooth.
• Add melted shortening and yeast.
• Add flour mixture slowly to egg mixture, beating well after each addition until a stiff dough is formed.
• Cover dough with cloth and put in warm place until double in bulk (about 1 hour).
• Punch dough down, knead for one minute and place in well-greased pan.
• Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.
• Bake in a 350-degree oven for 50 minutes.
• Brush top with melted shortening and sprinkle with crushed, roasted pine nuts or coarse salt.

COUNTRY-SAUSAGE AND SAGE DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the untrimmed bread into one-inch cubes. There should be about 21 cups.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and add the sausage patties. Cook, turning the pieces often, about eight minutes or until cooked through and browned on both sides. Remove the patties and pour off almost all the fat from the skillet. Cut the patties into bite-size pieces.
• Heat the skillet and add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, about three minutes, then add the apples. Cook, stirring, about three minutes longer. Stir in the sage.
• To a large bowl, add the cubed bread, sausage pieces, the apple and sage mixture, the beaten eggs, chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste. Blend well, tossing gently to moisten without making the mixture mushy.
• Use two tablespoons of the butter to grease a pan measuring about 18 by 12 by 2 1/2 inches. Pour the dressing into the pan and smooth it over. Dot with the remaining four tablespoons of butter. Place in the oven and bake one hour.

COUNTRY SAGE BREAD

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, celery seed, salt, sage, nutmeg, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Shape into a round loaf. Place in a greased 8-in. or 9-in. pie plate. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pie plate to a wire rack to cool.