Julies Spinach Bread Recipes

JULIE'S SPINACH BREAD

Steps:

• Heat milk and water for 90 sec on high in microwave (or until very warm to touch but not scorching hot). Place in bread making machine. Add the olive oil to the milk and water mixture. Place flour, salt and sugar on top of the wet mixture (do not mix). Make an indentation in the flour mixture. Add the yeast to the indentation. Turn on your bread machine to mix and rise. My machine takes 90 minutes for the cycle. You may need to add additional water or flour if dough is to dry or wet. Alternately, place the yeast and sugar to the hot liquids with the oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and kneed until dough is pliable (about 5 minutes). Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. While dough is rising. Drain thawed spinach. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Once dough is ready, separate into 2 portions. Flatten each portion like you are going to make pizzas. Place have of spinach mixture on each portion. Roll up dough jelly roll fashion (looks like log now). Fold over ends of each roll. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprinked with corn meal. Make several slits along top of log for air to escape. Brush each log with egg wash. Top with sesame seeds. Turn on oven to 400 degrees F. Let bread loaves rise until oven is heated to temperature. Bake for about 20 minutes or until loaves are golden and sound hollow when you knock on them. This bread freezes well and is best to be refrigerated after cutting into.

JULIE'S CREAMED SPINACH

Steps:

• Thaw spinach and squeeze water out.
• Over medium-high heat, melt butter and sautee onion until translucent.
• Add flour and stir for a minute or two until just slightly browned.
• Add cream, a little at a time, continually stirring. When thickened, turn heat down to low.
• In a coffee cup, add boiling water to chicken bouillon to dissolve it. Then add that to the white sauce along with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Add spinach, cover and heat a few more minutes until spinach is hot.

JULIE'S FLATBREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoons flour, and sugar. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the remaining 3 cups flour, cornmeal, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper; add to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed while slowly adding the remaining 1 cup of warm water. Mix, adding more warm water, if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface, and knead four turns into a ball.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, and coat the dough with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a clean surface; divide into 6 smaller balls, each about 4 inches in diameter. Transfer the balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and loosely cover them with plastic wrap.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, shape one of the balls into a 3-by-5-inch rectangle, then roll it out to a 5-by-17-inch rectangle; it should be very thin. Place on the diagonal on an ungreased baking sheet. Slice the onion lengthwise as thinly as possible, leaving the root end intact. Fan out each slice of onion. Brush the surface of the dough with olive oil; place 3 or 4 sage leaves, 2 to 3 slices of onion, 2 to 3 slices of tomatillo, and 2 to 4 slices of tomato on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush again lightly with olive oil. Repeat with remaining dough, and place on the sheet.
• Bake until the flatbread turns golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer the flatbread to a wire rack to cool. Working in batches, roll out, top, and bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.