Cottage White Bread Food

TRADITIONAL COTTAGE LOAF - OLD FASHIONED RUSTIC ENGLISH BREAD

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a bowl, stir in sugar and yeast. Make a well in the centre, stir in the tepid milk and water to make the dough. (If using fresh yeast - put the yeast in a jug with a little of the milk and water mixture, and allow it to dissolve and become frothy - mixing thoroughly, then add it to the flour.).
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Put the dough in a large, clean, oiled bowl. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size.Then knead the dough for 1 minute and divide it into two-thirds and a third. Shape the pieces into rounds. Cover them and leave for 5 minutes.
• Put the smaller round on top of the larger one. Push a floured wooden spoon (or your fingers) through the centre of both rounds, to join them together. Take a very sharp knife and make cuts all around the top round and the bottom round - see my photos. Put the cottage loaf on a lightly floured baking tray, cover and leave for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220C/440F/Gas 7.
• Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush the glaze over the cottage loaf and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, until dark golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped beneath.
• Cool before slicing. Delicious served with butter, jam, cheese, cold meats or make sandwiches or toast for picnics and breakfast!

BRITISH COTTAGE LOAF

Steps:

• Add the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast on one side and the salt on the other. Add the softened butter pieces and pour in about 1 cup of lukewarm water. Mix using one hand, then add a further 1/3 of water (you may not need it all, or you may need a little more), a little at a time, until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is soft but not soggy.
• Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until it is smooth and silky.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size. This will take at least 1 hour and can take 2-3 hours, or longer, depending on the room temperature.
• Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it inwards repeatedly to knock out the air and ensure that it rises upwards, rather than outwards. This is especially important in a freestanding loaf without a tin to support it.
• Tear off one third of the dough and set aside. Shape the larger piece into a ball by first flattening the dough into a rough rectangle, then rolling it into a thick oblong. Turn the dough so that the longer edge is running away from you and flatten it slightly. Now fold in the two ends to the centre and press them down, so you end up with a chunky, squarish shape. Turn the dough over, so that the join is underneath.
• With your palms turned upwards, put your hands on each side, slightly under the dough. Move the cob around, tucking the dough neatly under itself as it turns. You are gently forcing the sides of the dough down and underneath, to create a smooth, taut top and a rough underside. Avoid using too much extra flour during shaping. Place the ball of dough on the prepared baking tray.
• Repeat the rolling and shaping for the smaller piece of dough, then place the smaller ball on top of the larger ball. Flatten the top slightly, then dust your middle finger and forefinger with flour and push them through the centre of the loaf all the way to the bottom. Use a sharp knife to make 8 slashes in the surface of both the top and larger lower part of the loaf.
• Place the tray inside a large, clean plastic bag and leave to prove for 1 hour, or until well risen, and springy when prodded. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 415°F and put a roasting tray in the bottom of the oven to heat up.
• Remove the risen loaf from the bag and dust with flour. Fill the roasting tray with cold water to create steam and put the bread in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 375°F and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until crusty, golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped. (If not, put it back into the oven for another 5 minutes.)
• Transfer the baked loaf to a wire rack to cool.

COTTAGE CHEESE BREAD I

Steps:

• Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer, and start. You can use up to 1/2 cup more bread flour if the dough seems too sticky.

COTTAGE WHITE BREAD

Steps:

• Add ingredients in manufacturer's suggested order.
• Basic bread cycle.
• This makes a 2 lb loaf.

CARB FREE CLOUD BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Separate the eggs very carefully, there must be no yolk in the white.
• In one bowl, mix together the egg yolks, the 3 T. of Cottage Cheese OR Cream Cheese and the one packet of Sweetener until smooth.
• In the other bowl add 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to the whites and beat the whites on high speed until they are fluffy and form nice peaks.
• Very carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until mixed, but try and not break down the fluffiness of the egg whites too much.
• Spray two cookie sheets with Pam or other fat-free cooking spray.
• With a large spoon, "scoop" the mixture into 10 even rounds on the sheets (about the size of the top-half of the McDonalds hamburger bun; roughly 3/4 inch thick and 4 to 5 inches across).
• Bake on the middle rack. Here is when you have to watch them, because the cooking time is not the same on any two batches. It is somewhere around 1/2 hour, but it could be less or more. You just need to watch them until them become nice and golden brown (again, the color of a McDonalds bun).
• Remove from the pans and cool on a rack or cutting board.
• While warm they are crumbly and similar to cooked meringue - but don't let this fool you! Once completely cool, seal them in a ziplock storage baggie or a tupperware over night. They will totally change their consistency, to something much more like bread - a softer texture that is nice and chewy. If you do not like softer chewy bread, then eat them as they are, nice and crisp.
• Since the sides that were facing the pan are perfectly flat, you use these to spread things on, or make sandwiches, or even as a burger bun! The choice is up to you, and you will be quite amazed at how much like a bun these really are!

COTTAGE CHEESE BREAD II

Steps:

• Add the ingredients to the pan of your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer, and Start. You can use more bread flour if the dough seems too sticky.