Meatballs with homemade bread

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade bread ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 3
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
4. 4
   Shape the dough into an oblong loaf and place it in loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

   Loaf pan

   💡Shape a tight loaf the length of the pan: it fills the pan evenly, and the bread rises tall instead of spreading sideways.
5. 5
   Cover and Let rise 30 minutes, until the loaf has risen.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel
6. 6
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
7. 7
   Bake 35–40 minutes, until the loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

   OvenLoaf pan

   💡Tapping the bottom of the loaf is the test: baked bread sounds hollow; if the sound is dull, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 8
   Turn the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a rack before slicing.

   Cooling rack

   💡Bread left in the hot pan sweats, and its crust softens: turn it out right away and cool it on a rack.

For the Meatball mix

1. 9
   Grate the potato and onion.

   Grater
2. 10
   Soak the bread in cold water until it softens.

   Bowl
3. 11
   Squeeze the potato, onion and bread dry in a clean cloth.

   Kitchen towel
4. 12
   Mix the ground meat with the potato, bread, onion, eggs, salt and black pepper until evenly combined.
5. 13
   With wet hands, shape patties the size of golf ball.

   💡Wet hands don't stick to the mixture, and the patties come out smooth and even.

To assemble

1. 14
   Heat the oil in a pan and brown the meatballs 3–4 minutes per side.

   StoveFrying pan

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
2. 15
   In a bowl, mix the tomato paste, olive oil, garlic and paprika with the salt.

   StoveFrying pan
3. 16
   Add and fry 3 minutes, until the peppers soften.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 17
   Add the paprika and stir about a minute, until fragrant.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
5. 18
   Combine the meatballs and the sauce in the pot. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce thickens.

   StovePotLid

   💡Drop the meatballs into boiling sauce and don't stir at first: that way they firm up and keep their shape.
6. 19
   Serve with white rice.