# Hybrid Bread



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 16, 2009)

I had a potluck to make something for yesterday. I enlisted the aid of my eldest daughter last week and bounced ideas off of her. We decided that Pigs-in-the-Blanket sounded like a good thing to make and take. I had been experimenting with trying to get a sourdough starter going, mixing together AP Flour and water into a slurry and letting it sit in my kitchen for 4 days. It began to bubble, but not very well. There aren't as many yeast floating around in U.P. Michigan in the winter. So I stirred in a bit of milk (learned that trick here in D.C.), covered the ceramic mug in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for two more days. Made up a batch of bread dough using the starter. Let it rise for an hour in a warm place. It rose, but not double as it should have. The rise was modest at best. So I mixed together a single packet of Fleschman's Instant Rise yeast with a bit of warm water, let it proof, and kneeded it thoroughly into the bread. I divided the dough into 2 equal parts, placed in the fridge and let it rest there for about 15 hours. I took it out and brough it to room temp by placing the bowl over steaming water and turning the dough every couple of minutes. The dough began rising beautifully. I tasted it and it had a very rich, yeasty flavor, with a nice hint of sourdough. The comercial yeast complimented the wild yeast so that neither was predominant. The bread had flavor componants from both types of yeast.

To make a long story short, the dough was wrapped around Koeghle's (sp) hot dogs, let rise, then baked until golden brown. I took them to the pot luck and they were the most talked about, and popular dish there. I made forty pigs-in-the-blanket, with each dog cut in half before wrapping in dough. I had to admit that I enjoyed the bread flavor better than either pure sourdough, or pure comercial yeast bread.

Here's the recipe:

6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. salt
12 tsp. sugar
3 cups milk (heated to 100')
1 pkg. Fleshman's Instant Rise Yeast
1/4 cup sourdough starter
1 cup + 2 tbs. cooking oil

Mix all together. The dough should be soft and sticky, but smooth and elastic. It should not stick to the mixing bowl, but should stick somewhat to your hands. This is sooooo hard because I don't use exact measurements but judge my dough by testure and feel. I'm not sure how to give you an accurate description of the proper feel. but when you get this bread right, it will wow those who eat it. 

The only ingredient you will have to play with is water. If the dough feels right with the measurements I've given you, then leave it alone. if it's too dry, add 1/4 cup water. If too wet, add 1/4 cup more flour. Also, you will have to knead the dough for at least ten minutes for it to develop properly. Then, let it rise once, punch it down. Put it into the loaf pan, or form into bread-sticks, or pizza dough, or wrap around hot dogs or a filling, and bake at 350 degrees until done (about 20 minutes or so). I also very the oven temp depending on how I'm using the dough. For a full loaf, in a loaf pan, I cook at 350 for 20 minutes. For pigs in the blanket, I use 370 for 10 minutes, as the dough is thinner and I want the crust a bit more crunchy. For breadsticks, bake at 350 again. For pizza, bake at 450 with the toppings on.

I don't know. It all becomes intuitive after a while. Play with it. You will love the results.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## kadesma (Mar 16, 2009)

Thanks GW, this looks like something I'm going to enjoy making.
kadesma


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