Ingredients:

• 3 c all purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 4 t baking powder
• 1 c grated zucchini (skin left on)
• 1 c Monterey jack cheese
• 2 T fresh dill
• 1 c buttermilk
• 4 T unsalted butter, melted
• 1 T flaxseed meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand, available at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Amazon)
• 3 T water
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 T vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 1 standard loaf pan, 6 personal size loaf pans, or 12 muffin cups.
3. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
4. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, zucchini, cheese, and dill in a large bowl. Set aside.
5. Mix the buttermilk, butter, flaxseed+water mixture in a medium bowl. Set aside.
6. Mix the baking soda and vinegar (the mixture will foam) and add immediately to the buttermilk mixture.
7. Pour the wet buttermilk mixture into the relatively dry flour mixture and mix gently. The batter will be quite thick. You want to have everything to be well moistened, but the mixture should not be totally homogeneous.
8. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan.
9. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup milk
• 5 cups all-purpose flour (you may substitute up to 2.5 cups whole grain flour, if desired)
• 1/4 cup egg white
• 1/4 cup large grained salt

Directions:

1. Pour water in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Gently mix in remaining ingredients except egg white and Kosher salt until a thick dough is formed. Slight additions of flour or milk may be necessary in order to come to the right consistency.
3. Form dough into a ball and set in mixing bowl. Set mixing bowl in a warm location covered by a towel.
4. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size (approximately 2 hours).
5. Coat hands and work surface in four and roll out dough in sections 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
6. Cut dough into strips and form into shapes. Shapes can include traditional pretzels, braids, and letters.
7. Place shaped dough on cookie sheet.
8. Brush shapes with egg white followed by a sprinkle of the large grained salt.
9. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top.
10. Serve warm. Particularly good with honey and butter, mustard, or cream cheese on the side.

• 1/4 t yeast
• 1 1/4 t salt
• 345 grams water
• 432 grams flour

Note: Any flour or combination of flours will work, however, my favorite combination is 232 grams of whole grain kamut flour and 200 grams of all purpose unbleached white flour. If you are not familiar with kamut it is an ancient relative of wheat that is low in gluten, has a slightly nutty flavor, and a lovely buttery yellow color. It is a whole grain and has all of the benefits of whole wheat but I find it makes a lighter bread than using traditional whole wheat. I use it in everything from bread to pancakes.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand in a large (at least 4 quarts) bowl. The dough will appear quite “wet”. This is correct.
2. Loosely cover the bowl with a lid, plastic wrap, etc. and let is rise for 12 – 24 hours. Seriously, there is no kneading or anything like that and any rising time between 12 and 24 hours is fine. (I usually make up the dough around dinner time and then bake it the next morning.)
3. After 12 – 24 hours, place a covered casserole dish or dutch oven (at least 4 quarts, 6 is better) in the oven.
4. Preheat the oven, the dish, and the cover to 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. While the oven is preheating, take a little flour and shape the dough into a nice ball or “boule”.
6. After 30 minutes of preheating, place the dough ball in the preheated dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes covered.
7. After 25 minutes, remove the cover and bake for 5 – 10 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups water
• 3 Tablespoons baking soda
• Kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Dissolve yeast in 1 1/3 cups warm water.
3. After yeast is dissolved, mix in brown sugar and flour.
4. Knead dough for approximately 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  The surface of the dough should be moist.
5. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes in a covered bowl.
6. Remove dough and flatten slightly.  Pour salt onto the dough and then knead for approximately 2 – 5 minutes to work in the salt.
7. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes in a covered bowl.
8. While dough is resting, bring the 6 cups of water and the 3 Tablespoons of baking soda to a boil in a large, shallow pan.
9. After 10 minutes cut or pull off a 2 inch diameter ball of dough, roll into a rope, and shape into a pretzel.
10. After the pretzel is formed, drop into the boiling water/baking soda bath for 60 seconds and then transfer to a greased cookie sheet.  Note:  if your pan in large enough you may boil more than one pretzel at a time.
11. After all of the pretzels have been boiled, bake for approximately 8 minutes until a dark golden brown.
12. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.

Notes:

• Makes approximately 12 pretzels.
• Particularly good when served with honey or flavored cream cheese.