Annie Golden Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Cover with a towel and set aside for about 15 minutes. When you come back it should be ready.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the milk, the olive oil, 4 cups of the flour and the salt; stir until well combined.
• Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
• When the dough has pulled together but is still sticky, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• While the bread is rising get your butter garlic mixture ready and grate your cheeses.
• Take a mass of garlic, a head is not too much and saute it in a stick of butter until it is lightly brown and the butter is reeking of garlicky goodness. If desired, chop 10 anchovies and throw them in the butter. (Pesto also works, play with it.).
• The cheese; whatever you've got, although the sharper the better. 3 to 5 cups and some pine nuts if you have them, a few chopped olives are good too.
• Get your biggest springform pan out and put a sheet of parchment in the bottom, oil the sides.
• Oil your hands and pick the dough a ball at a time, roll in your hand, dip in the butter and place into the pan, keep doing it leaving about 1/2 inch of space between the balls. Got a layer? Take big handfuls of cheese and throw it over the whole thing. Pine nuts and olives, throw then in now too.
• Hungry yet?.
• Do it again.
• At the end you should have about 3 layers of cheese and bread.
• Cover and set aside for an hour or so until it is springy.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 50 minutes until is is puffy and golden and just a touch crisp on top.
• When you serve it to your guests let them grab the balls by hand and tear the bread apart. It will give you a chance to tell them the story of a little girl from Brooklyn singing in a rock band in the East Village who got discovered by Milos Forman and cast in the film Hair.

Steps:

• Spray a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour. Mix until well combined.
• Evenly spread cookie dough into prepared tart pan. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle shortbread with sanding sugar. Using a 2-inch round fluted cookie cutter, make a shallow cut in the center of the dough. Using the tines of a fork, score dough from the edge of the circle in the center toward the edge of the pan into 12 equal wedges.
• Transfer tart pan to oven and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the shortbread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Immediately re-score circle and wedges with cookie cutter and the tines of a fork. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 1 hour. Remove shortbread from tart pan and let cool completely. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife along the scored lines.