puff balls

What a beauty! You can serve almost anything you want in these balls, (my friend had some cereal in one of them, and it didn't break!) and it will make a meal look beautiful! If you follow the directions closely you'll get perfect puffs. I read that sometimes they crack, so you can eat them as chips, but mine all worked nicely.

The key to getting perfect puffs in this recipe is to make sure that there are no tiny pieces of dried dough on the counter or rolling pin, as any pieces that get into the dough will stop it from puffing up. Keep in mind that the balls can't be too big, otherwise they will be too heavy and they won't puff up.

________________________________

Ingredients

A little more than 3/5 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

A little less than 2 cups white bread flour

3/4 cups water at room temperature

Directions

FOR WHITE BREAD DOUGH: Whisk yeast into flour.

Add water and mix with a wooden spoon until strands form.

Take out onto counter and knead.

Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 20 minutes.

Take out, add salt, knead again.

Let rise for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C) an hour before baking the puffs.

FOR PUFF BALLS: Put the white bread dough on a clean counter.

Cut it into 10 pieces (each piece should weigh 40 g).

Round each piece of dough into a small ball, cover with dishtowel, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Roll out each piece of dough into a thin disc (1-2mm thick), flour as you go.

Bake the puff ball one at a time. They are ready when they are completely puffed up, and partly golden on the outside.

Carefully remove the puffs and let them cool on a wire rack.

TO SERVE: Brush a small circle of water at the bottom of puff balls. Put some fresh salad inside (dressing on the side so it doesn't get soggy), and flip over. Let everyone break the tops with a spoon or fork, and the salad will spring out.

Recipe from Richard Bertinet's Dough.