Cooking – Simply Sha

Here’s a yummy bread recipe that will fill your home with a beautiful savory aroma!

So far, I’ve made this bread twice, and it’s by far one of my favorites. On my first try, I made an entire loaf, and it split while baking. So heads up, if you choose to bake one loaf with this recipe, I recommend scoring the dough down the middle with a knife or lame.

Scoring bread involves slashing the dough before baking using a sharp knife or lame. The purpose of slashing is to create weak spots in the bread’s crust which allows for expansion instead of burst seams.

I’ve done scoring with my sourdough, why didn’t I think do this with my herb bread?

Anyway, check out the recipe below and enjoy!

Here’s what you need:

2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water
3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil
1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 to 3 1/2 cups of flour (your preference of flour is cool here)

Here’s what you do:

Dissolve yeast with warm water. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and melted butter. Allow this mix to sit for about 5 minutes; you should see your yeast bloom. That’s how you know that it’s active and ready to go!

Mix the flour and herb into a large bowl and mix until it’s smooth. I like to use 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.

Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir it up! I recommend using clean hands to mix the dough. It’ll be super sticky, but the more you work with it, the dough should become more manageable. If the dough feels like it needs more hydration, have 1 cup of warm water nearby and add small increments until the dough is less dry.

Lightly flour a clean countertop and pour your dough onto the surface and knead the dough for 10-12 minutes to tighten the gluten strands.

TIP: to check if the dough is kneaded enough, pull a piece off and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball and shape it like you’re making a mini pizza. Continue to stretch the dough and see if it breaks apart. If it doesn’t break, it should look like the photos above. Hold it up to a light and you should barely be able to see through it.

Place the kneaded dough in an oiled bowl (feel free to lightly oil the dough) and cover it with a damped cloth. Set aside and let the dough rise for an hour.

Uncover the dough and punch it! Place it onto a lightly floured surface.

Shape the dough into a loaf.

I chose to braid my dough into “bread sticks”.

Set your shaped dough aside, cover, and allow it to proof for 30 minutes. In the meantime, lightly grease a baking pan or cast iron. You can even use parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 350 to 375 degrees and bake your loaf for 30 t0 35 minutes. (I have a gas stove, and I found that baking mine at 350 degrees for 30 minutes gives me a perfect loaf. You’re going to have to play around with this part to figure out how yours will turn out in terms of doneness.)

Remove your loaf from the stove and baking dish. Place it on a wire rack and allow it cool.

Here’s my finished loaf! I decided to roll my braided dough into a circular shape so they’d fit in my pans.

You’re finished! Enjoy this bread with some pasta, lasagna, or ziti! It’ll also pair great with olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix.

Will you try this recipe? Leave your thoughts below and let me know how it went!

Happy Baking!

Sha’s Breakfast Biscuits

What better way to start your day than with some decadent, buttery, flaky biscuits?

I’m new to the baking scene. I recently discovered how therapeutic it is to sink my hands into a sticky dough—smearing flour all over the surface of my counters. The calmness of kneading dough –– whether it’s by hand or with a kitchen aide mixer –– is probably my favorite part of the baking process. Not to mention there’s a science to baking. You can’t make this stuff up or wing it as you go; I’ve learned that precise measurements are best. The entire process is all trial and error. Readjust the measurements as needed and repeat. Boom. Success.

This recipe should only take about 25 minutes from start to finish.

Here’s what you need.

3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
3 Tables Spoons of Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
4 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
3/4 Cups of Cold Butter
1 Egg
1 Cup of Cold Milk

Here’s what you do.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. I have a gas stove and found that any temperature above 375 degrees will cook my biscuits too fast. Here, I suggest that you experiment and make adjustments to the cooking temperature based on the type of stove you have.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Afterward, add the cold butter. I found that it’s best to dice the butter into tiny squares and then mash them into the flour. It’s okay to leave some bits whole. Next, add the wet ingredients and mix, mix, mix!

Dust your countertop with flour before emptying the dough mix from the bowl. Using your hands, work quickly to knead the dough for 5 minutes. If the surface becomes sticky from the dough mixture, just sprinkle on some more flour! Next, flatten the dough until it measures to about a 3/4 to 1-inch thickness.

Cut circles into your dough with a biscuit cutter or a glass cup –– I used a wine glass.

Place your freshly cut biscuits on a lightly greased baking pan lined with parchment paper or a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet; I experimented with both and found that I prefer to bake my biscuits with cast iron.

TIP! Before placing your biscuits in the oven, you can put them in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes to harden up any butter that may have softened during the kneading process.

Brush your biscuits with melted butter (I used Ghee), and you can also sprinkle a little flaky salt on the tops before baking.

Place your biscuits in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

You’re finished! Enjoy these yummy biscuits with a sweet jam or honey butter blend.

Have you tried this recipe? Comment below and let me know how it went!