Recipe: White Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, Breadsticks (Cuisinart Food Processor recipe)

WHITE BREAD

"Even cooks who have never made yeast dough find the processor method fast and easy, with virtually certain success on the first try."

1 package yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup warm water, 105 to 120 degrees F
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour*
2 tablespoons (15 ounces) unsalted margarine
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2/3 cup ice water

Stir yeast and sugar in 1/3 cup warm water until dissolved.

Insert metal blade. Put flour, margarine and salt in work bowl and process for 20 seconds.

Combine yeast mixture and 2/3 cup cold water. Turn on machine, remove white pusher and pour water mixture through feed tube in a steady stream, only as fast as flour absorbs it. Continue processing until dough cleans inside of work bowl, then let machine run for 60 seconds to complete kneading.

Remove dough from work bowl and shape into smooth ball. Place in lightly floured plastic food storage bag. Squeeze out air and close end with wire twist, allowing space for dough to rise. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove wire twist and punch dough down in bag. Shape into loaf and place into greased 8-inch loaf pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until dough rises just above top of pan, about 3/4 hour.

Preheat oven to 370 degrees F.

Bake bread on center rack of oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Makes one loaf weighing approximately 1 1/2 pounds

WHOLE WHEAT VARIATION:
Replace 1/2 of white flour with an equal amount of whole-wheat flour.

*Bread made with bread flour will rise higher in the oven.

BREADSTICKS
Makes 24 breadsticks

1 recipe dough for White Bread or Whole Wheat Bread (above)
Cornmeal (for sprinkling baking sheet)
1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt (for brushing tops)
Coarse salt, poppy seeds or sesame seeds (for sprinkling on top)

Prepare one recipe for White Bread or its Whole Wheat variation. Grease baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal.

Punch down dough after first rising and divide it in half. Shape each half into cylinder 12 inches long. Cut each cylinder into twelve 1-inch pieces. One at a time, roll out each piece between your hands and then roll it on a work surface into a stick about 1/4-inch in diameter. Place sticks on baking sheet, cover them and let them rise in warm place for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Brush breadsticks with glaze of egg and salt and sprinkle with coarse salt or poppy or sesame seeds.

Bake sticks for 30 minutes. Then increase heat to 350 degrees F and bake until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.

Source: Cuisinart Food Processor DLC-5 Series Instruction and Recipe Booklet