Turkey Minestrone and Mr Nut's Utah loaf bread

Hello loyal follower(s)
    Sadly, Mr Nuts pain from his herniated disk was returning, a little more each day.  However, the discomfort was less while standing.  Thus,  Mr Nut got to help the main chef (Cyndy) make Turkey Minestrone.  We used a recipe (modified by Mr Nut of course) from a Natural Foods flyer in our local newspaper.  Mr Nut got to do all the chopping of the vegetables while Cyndy did the actual cooking.  The result were very good.
     Mr Nut then rewrote  the recipe so a man could follow it;  "four large carrots" became three cups carrots"; 1 medium onion became 1/2 cup onion; etc..  That way the carbohydrates and calories could be determined more accurately.

This evening Mr Nut tried a new bread recipe that was suppose to be done in about two hours.  It was a good guess for timing even for slow Mr Nut.  It originally was called Anadama American loaf Bread, but Mr Nut had no idea what Anadama was or mean't so he renamed the bread.  When I showed Cyndy the word Anadama she new immediately what it was.

There are no pictures of the soup, but Mr Nut offers you a picture of Limon, Italy, which is as close to Minestrone as possible.  Limon was a town  Mr Nut and Cyndy enjoyed in 2005.

This is the bread after 35 minutes of baking, 15 more minutes to go.

The finished loaf, Mr Nut only made one loaf because he didn't know how it would turn out.

The crumb looked good, most of the bubbles were the same size because the dough was machine kneaded. and the fermentation was  short.
It was a keeper because the taste was excellent.




Recipes follow:

À bientôt,
Mr Nut

Turkey Minestrone 

By Dawn Franz; taken From Natural Foods flyer; Modified by Mr Nut and his wife, Cyndy

 Totals for complete recipe:  carbs 144g ; 2136 calories.  (about 12 cups)

Per cup; carbs  12 g; calories 178

Makes about 6 servings  

2 tbsp olive oil.                                                      Carbs  0 g; calories 240

12 oz ground turkey.                                            Carbs 0 g;  calories  450

4 oz bacon, diced.                                                Carbs  0 g;  calories  570

1/2 cup  onion, chopped.                                          Carbs 7 g;  calories  32

2 cups celery, finely chopped.                               Carbs 7.2 g;  calories  38

3 cups carrots, cut into thin “wheels”.                  Carbs 3.7 g;   calories  156

2 cups zucchini, finely chopped.                          Carbs 8.4 g;  calories  40

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp oregano

1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, diced.                  Carbs  5 g; calories  25

1 teaspoon minced garlic.                                    Carbs 1.3 g;  calories  7

2 1/2 cans ( 5 cups) chicken broth.                    Carbs 2.5 g;  calories 75

1 can ( 15 ounces) navy beans.                          Carbs 70 g;  calories 285

5 oz (2 cups) frozen leaf spinach, chopped.        Carbs 6 g;  calories 60

1/4 cup dried parsley flakes                       

 1/2 cup pasta shells.                                   Carbs 33 g;  calories  158

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt

1/4 teaspoon  pepper

Directions:

1. In large pot over moderate heat, partially cook 4 ounces diced bacon.  Pour off the fat and add 12 ounces ground turkey.When meat is browned add 1/2 cup onion, 2 cups celery, 3 cups carrots, 2 cups zucchini, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and 1 teaspoon oregano and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the 1 can tomatoes, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 1/2 cans chicken broth, and 1 can beans, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to boil, add 5 ounce frozen spinach, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, until fresh veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the 1/2 cup pasta shells in boiling, salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Taste test often, as brands differ. (Cooking pasta separately gives more reliable results.) 
4. Drain, reserving water. Add pasta and chopped parsley to minestrone. Minestrone is meant to be a thick soup, but if its too thick, add a little of the hot pasta water. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.

Mr Nut’s Utah Loaf Bread

Based on ANADAMA AMERICAN LOAF BREAD 

By Cook’s Illustrated Published June 1, 1996. 

Modified for a seven quart Cuisinart heavy duty stand mixer with speeds 1-12

Makes two 5 x 9-inch loaves.    

Want a good sandwich bread recipe that requires a minimum of your time?  Then try this recipe, it only takes about two hours.  Hand kneading is possible, but it is too much work and time consuming.

Totals for two loaves:   618 carbs; 3519 calories.

Ingredients:

1 cup water.

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal.                         Carbs 28 g; calories  120

6 cups (30 ounces; 840 g ) bread flour.   Carbs 528 g; calories 2640

3/8 cup dough enhancer. (optional)          Carbs 12 g; calories  114

1 tablespoon Sea salt.

1 1/2 cup warm milk (110℉).                      Carbs 18 g; calories 195

1/2 cup warm water (110℉).

1/4 cup Smart Balance (melted).                  Carbs 0 g; calories 320

1/8 cup molasses.                                     Carbs 32 g; calories 130

3 teaspoon instant dry yeast (2 1/4 ounce packet is OK)

Instructions:

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan, slowly whisk in 1/2 cup cornmeal.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about one minute.  
2. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Adjust oven rack to just below middle  position and heat oven to 200 degrees. After the oven has been at 200℉ for ten minutes, then turn off oven heat. Use the slightly heated (less than 115℉) oven for the first fermentation of the dough and part of the second fermentation.
3. 1. Mix 6 cups bread flour, 3/8 cup Dough Enhancer (optional) and 1 tablespoon Sea salt in bowl of stand mixer, using the Chef’s Whisk at speed 2. Then change to the Paddle Blade, and mix in  the cornmeal mixture.
4. 1. 1. Mix Red ingredients: 1 1/2 cup warm milk (100 to 115℉), 1/2 cup warm water, 1/4 cup melted Smart Balance , 1/8 cup molasses, and 3 teaspoons instant yeast in 1-quart liquid measuring cup. 
5. 1. With the stand mixer speed at 1 using the Dough Hook, slowly add Red Mixture .  When dough is mixed, increase speed to 4 and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook if necessary, about 5 minutes. Adjust dough with flour to yield a workable dough.  Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds. 
6. 1. Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes. 
7. 1.   Use parchment Paper in the bread pans . Divide the dough into two rounds. Form dough into loaves by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in Parchment Papered 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan (seam down) and press gently so dough touches all four sides of pan.
8. 1. Cover the pans of dough with plastic wrap as best as you can with the Parchment paper; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Maybe ten minutes in the warm oven.
9. 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, place an empty broiler pan on bottom rack.
10. 1. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a sauce pan on the stove top. 
11. 1. Remove plastic wrap from pans of dough. Place the pans in oven.  Immediately pour the  heated water into the empty broiler pan; close oven door. Bake for about twenty minutes and then check the loaves for desired browness.  Cover the tops with aluminum foil if desired.  Continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads at least 195 degrees, about and additional 30 to 40 minutes. Remove bread from pans, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.