Honeymeadbread Recipes

BASIC MEAD

Steps:

• Note on equipment:
• Making mead requires essentially the same basic kit necessary to brew beer at home: primary and secondary plastic-bucket fermenters with air locks and spigots, transfer hosing, a bottle-filler tube, heavy bottles, bottle caps, bottle capper, and a bottle brush and washer. You should be able to find these items for approximately $70 total (excluding the bottles) through a home-brewing supplier, such as The Home Brewery. Bottles cost from $6 to $20 per dozen, depending on style. You might instead buy a couple of cases of beer in returnable bottles, drink the beer, and - after sanitizing them! - reuse those bottles, for the cost of the deposit.
• All your equipment must be sanitized or sterilized before use. Ordinary unscented household bleach does the job fine. Put all the equipment (including the lid and stirring spoons) into the fermentation bucket, fill with water, and add 2 teaspoons of unscented bleach. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Drain the water through the spigot, rinse everything in hot water, and allow to air-dry.
• Bring the 4 1/2 gallons of water to a boil. Well water, by the way, should be avoided because of potentially high levels of strong tasting minerals like iron. Boiling should remove harsh chlorine from municipal tap water. If you don't own a pot large enough to hold five gallons of water, boil as much as possible. You will add the remaining water to the fermenter later.
• Once the water reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and stir in all of the honey. Do not boil the honey, as it reduces the aromatic quality of the finished mead.
• While the honey dissolves in the water, put a cup of lukewarm (90 to 100°F) water into a clean bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. When the honey has been fully dissolved in the water and the pot is cool to the touch (not over 80°F), pour the honey-water into the fermentation bucket and stir in the yeast mixture. Note: Cooling the honey-water should take about half an hour. This process can be accelerated with a so-called sink bath, that is, repeatedly immersing the pot in cold water in a sink or basin.
• If you have not already added the full 4 1/2 gallons of water, top it off with the balance in bottled water (or tap water if you're confident of its quality).
• Seal the bucket and allow the mixture to ferment for two weeks to one month. The progress of fermentation can judged by monitoring the carbon-dioxide bubbles escaping from the air lock: When they drop to one bubble every sixty seconds, fermentation has nearly concluded. Note that is only an issue during this primary fermentation; secondary fermentation has more to do with aging and mellowing and hence is more flexible. When primary fermentation has subsided, siphon the mead over to your secondary fermentation bucket and seal it. Allow one to four months aging time. Do not open the fermenter, as this risks contaminating the mead.
• When you decide it has matured enough (and the mead has cleared), you will want to siphon it into sterilized bottles and cap them. Follow the same procedure as you would for home-brewed beer. My book Beer for Dummies has a detailed guide in its Chapter Ten, or consult the web site of the American Homebrewers Association.
• Keep in mind that this is a recipe for still (i.e., non-carbonated) mead.
• Mead typically improves with age, so the longer you can wait to open the bottles, the better.

HONEY BREAD ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water and leave it for five minutes. Then add 1/4 cup honey, salt and egg and stir until combined.
• Add flour and stir until the dough comes together.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, knead the dough for about seven minutes or until the dough is elastic. If dough is too sticky to work with, add flour (about 1 tbsp at a time) and knead it into the dough until it is elastic. Be careful not to add too much flour or it will make your rolls very dense.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Leave the dough to rise for about two hours or until it's doubled in size.
• Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or a baking sheet. Slightly punch down the dough to deflate it. Divide the dough into 12 equal parts. Form each part into a ball and place each in the prepared pan or sheet.
• Cover the pan with a dish towel and rest the dough balls for about 20 minutes. While the dough balls rest, preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with remaining honey. Brush the honey over the surface of the rolls. Bake the rolls for 10-13 minutes or until tops are light brown and rolls are cooked through.

HONEY MEAD BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix dry ingredients, and then add Honey Mead.
• Pour into a greased (preferably with butter) loaf pan.
• Pour melted butter over dough.
• Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool.

HONEY WHEAT BREAD I

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water.
• Combine milk, 1/4 cup water, shortening, honey, salt and wheat flour in food processor or bowl. Mix in yeast mixture, and let rest 15 minutes. Add bread flour, and process until dough forms a ball. Knead dough by processing an additional 80 seconds in food processor, or mix and knead by hand 10 minutes. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.
• Punch down, and divide dough in half. Roll out each half, and pound out the bubbles. Form into loaves, and place in buttered 9x5 inch bread pans. Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled; second rise should take about 30 minutes.
• Place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tops are dark golden brown. Butter crusts while warm. Slice when cool.

HONEY BREAD

Steps:

• Put water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it; let stand 2-3 minutes and stir to dissolve.
• Combine the egg, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl and mix well with a whisk or spoon.
• Add the yeast, milk and 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and beat until well blended.
• Stir in the flour gradually, adding only enough to form a soft dough that can be gathered into a soft ball.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface; if the dough is sticky, lightly butter your hands rather than add more flour.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, then shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly buttered bowl, cover with a towel or non-stick foil and place in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size (if you poke it with your finger, it should not"bounce back").
• Spread the remaining melted butter on the sides and bottom of a 3-quart round baking dish at least 3" deep.
• Punch down the dough and knead it for 2-3 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a round and place in the dish, pressing the dough down so it covers the bottom of the container.
• Return the dough to the warm spot and let it rise until it reaches the top of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350º.
• Bake the bread in the middle of the oven 50-60 minutes, or until the top is crusty and golden brown.
• Turn out of the pan and cool on a rack.

HONEY BREAD

Steps:

• Toast the rosemary in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the oil, yeast, and warm water and stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
• Combine the flour and salt and mound in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle. Slowly pour the dissolved yeast into the well, working in the flour with your fingertips, then knead the dough until a ball forms. Knead in the honey and toasted rosemary.
• Put the dough in a large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth or oiled plastic wrap and let rise to 1 1/2 times the original size, about 1 hour.
• Grease two 9 x 4-inch loaf pans. Punch down the dough and transfer to a floured work surface. Knead for 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves. Place in the prepared pans, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pans in the oven and bake until the tops are golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Invert the pans onto a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes, then remove the pans and let cool.

BASIC HOMEMADE BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface. Whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Stir oil into yeast mixture; pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours., Bake at 375° until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200°, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.