tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86222165226475413862024-02-06T21:27:37.559-08:00BREAD BAKER'S DOGPosts about bread, plus bread recipe linksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-84469578896678278862011-10-06T15:08:00.000-07:002011-10-06T15:20:05.753-07:00R.I.P. Xam<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecubq6xOPvXpGl4waJLFnl9GsKHVY3v5EkkiAqku443M0vL_r2ylpDiUT2SR1NTccdg3cXD5B29edoK1iBRZTkdggllCLXTslwZ-snqaRj4yHynTvwEzhdUg4QCR_beJ51hiJnMWOYF3B/s1600/mananddog4-11.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660507293723892306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecubq6xOPvXpGl4waJLFnl9GsKHVY3v5EkkiAqku443M0vL_r2ylpDiUT2SR1NTccdg3cXD5B29edoK1iBRZTkdggllCLXTslwZ-snqaRj4yHynTvwEzhdUg4QCR_beJ51hiJnMWOYF3B/s400/mananddog4-11.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>It takes time. I know that, of course. Still it took from mid-June when his time on earth was done until now- early October- for me to be able to write a post in honor of the bread baker's dog, Xam on what I think of as his blog.</div><br /><br /><div>He lived a long time for a big black lab...15 years in fact. He was in pretty good health until about Christmas time when we noticed he was having trouble breathing now and then. The vet confirmed that and said that a valve that regulates breathing had worn out. Over the next six months it grew gradually worse, although some of the time he still seemed like a young dog, especially when we took walks. Even that changed about March or April. The walks became shorter although he still loved to be out in nature. </div><br /><br /><div>I still bake bread, although I don't blog about it as much...most of the bread is just slight variations of ones I've posted before. When the house smells so good with the fragrance of warm bread I know that Xam is with us in spirit, tail wagging, ready for his taste of what is fresh out of the oven. I carry his enthusiasm for life and good food with me as a gift. Thank you Xam for all the good years.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-8790286524859259022010-07-25T22:16:00.000-07:002010-07-25T22:38:57.115-07:00Visit Feeding My Enthusiasms For More Recent Bread Posts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvfxq2d35TnzQNcBD1vZa6IviZZkHqCW5nCJFpe0-PMR926xskhwm1Yg2rfrGhwENxUJtjndqdS52PG6FN_D8KiPIWo2OOuqE-cgSOK3uA_9CGkXSh-iW2ySLZO1E7NCWXG6fRReokxPJ/s1600/xam7-17-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 360px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498084916844580002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvfxq2d35TnzQNcBD1vZa6IviZZkHqCW5nCJFpe0-PMR926xskhwm1Yg2rfrGhwENxUJtjndqdS52PG6FN_D8KiPIWo2OOuqE-cgSOK3uA_9CGkXSh-iW2ySLZO1E7NCWXG6fRReokxPJ/s400/xam7-17-10.jpg" /></a> Xam, the Bread Baker's Dog is long suffering these days. A drawn out bathroom remodel has been creating upheaval and too much noise as far as he is concerned. It has also keep the Bread Baker busy and given me less time to bake (or cook) so for the moment I'm only posting at <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/">Feeding My Enthusiasms</a>.<br /><br /><div></div><div>Hope to be back to posting bread recipes here next month! Will this sausage bread lure you to the other blog?</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx3g8NbgN8md3-nW4EjW_rdVStjdSFo4ipHIMDSg3gCi8YducVFYBwLNH11NceDVMr9tw5Aqa1mrHq2gCQRS6FMXaQlMmo6uDvin2_Tpw17ovHdNh-pd4iaM6tyASqYl1Zxizx-47IUjr/s1600/slices.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 353px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498084923905513186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx3g8NbgN8md3-nW4EjW_rdVStjdSFo4ipHIMDSg3gCi8YducVFYBwLNH11NceDVMr9tw5Aqa1mrHq2gCQRS6FMXaQlMmo6uDvin2_Tpw17ovHdNh-pd4iaM6tyASqYl1Zxizx-47IUjr/s400/slices.jpg" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-54691715211082236452010-05-14T18:00:00.000-07:002010-05-14T18:20:27.486-07:00Oatmeal Bread for Sandwiches<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5auKPihl4RiRDjBeZI6X05u3hfnYKy5faFbOuOsUwi4YUQ8so8rb7DKPcft1I2NwTqRgZsVQFGjHy5k6RHl6-FC_DYPkf4tIImO5wiDhuKoNId7EXdyUZPpDmGccGCFJ3Iea3dNjy9WD/s1600/oatmeal+bread+sandwich.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 248px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471299123783669714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5auKPihl4RiRDjBeZI6X05u3hfnYKy5faFbOuOsUwi4YUQ8so8rb7DKPcft1I2NwTqRgZsVQFGjHy5k6RHl6-FC_DYPkf4tIImO5wiDhuKoNId7EXdyUZPpDmGccGCFJ3Iea3dNjy9WD/s400/oatmeal+bread+sandwich.jpg" /></a> There is something so satisfying about biting into a sandwich made with your own bread. Although my Mom had few choices for grocery store bought bread in the ancient days when I was young, she did try to go with bread that had some substance although white bread was still the norm. Eventually she found that she could buy Trappist Monks bread somewhere and that was good bread, although still white...not a whole grain in sight.<br /><br />Eventually my Dad began making bread on the weekends so our sandwiches suddenly became worth making and toast was fabulous! He liked white bread, so mostly that's what we had, although sometimes he would add some whole wheat flour.<br /><br />Not sure if it was the bread of my lack of interest in the fillings, but I spent most of my childhood not liking sandwiches (except for bacon, lettuce and tomato). I would pack soup for lunch in a thermos container, salads in Tupperware later in high school, and little containers of cottage cheese if I could convince my Mom to buy them. For a long time our sandwich wrappers were sheets of wax paper, then wax paper sandwich bags. Plastic didn't show up until I was in late high school or in college and even then it had a flap you tucked in so nothing too messy could be packed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZVFPoXS18GmsnSca3yzBfHk2FZUX_6edHoENxFzkiglwOc0pXCpfzcTyESj0jHpNKypCBuMS3f4m5z-gmC5Hv0ESFbxwMm3nHPlWGaVnpq1VLSuGM-s24YoRQyNDh6ilPQ8oK1C80TbD/s1600/oatmlbrd+fixns.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471299126031254674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZVFPoXS18GmsnSca3yzBfHk2FZUX_6edHoENxFzkiglwOc0pXCpfzcTyESj0jHpNKypCBuMS3f4m5z-gmC5Hv0ESFbxwMm3nHPlWGaVnpq1VLSuGM-s24YoRQyNDh6ilPQ8oK1C80TbD/s400/oatmlbrd+fixns.jpg" /></a><br />I still choose leftovers over sandwiches most of the time, but with a loaf of home made Oatmeal Sunflower on the counter, I took a sandwich to work this week. Due to lots of visitors I only worked the one day, but that sandwich hit the spot at lunchtime. This bread was made with cooked rolled oats and it has lots of chewiness, sunflower seeds scattered through it, and a nice crust, too, plus sourdough flavor. The oatmeal bread was first sliced from the loaf, toasted, slathered with grainy mustard, stacked with thinly sliced roast turkey, topped with lettuce and another slice of that toasted bread. Yum!<br /><br />For the loaf I used the second piece of the dough that I also used for a Lemon Marmalade Braid, and <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2010/05/oatmeal-bread-with-twist.html">the recipe can be found here</a>. Check it out!<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-5579493399824808672010-05-08T12:08:00.000-07:002010-05-09T08:38:31.853-07:00A Sweet Bread and Some Awards<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yhwV_-yYTfFhFLvNwryJId10M_67NWAPhmmPI8_EG0ZFRIGcHIPSkq25bdJo2rCKx4_MXuVnoh5Ct9nTdiCAni16HKLaJbyLsMJ05-XBSNLqy_Q5KRk5t6wYr8j-rF5elV8pqtHtmOeV/s1600/savarin+plated.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468989120309401618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yhwV_-yYTfFhFLvNwryJId10M_67NWAPhmmPI8_EG0ZFRIGcHIPSkq25bdJo2rCKx4_MXuVnoh5Ct9nTdiCAni16HKLaJbyLsMJ05-XBSNLqy_Q5KRk5t6wYr8j-rF5elV8pqtHtmOeV/s400/savarin+plated.jpg" /></a> Awesome Bread Babe Tanna at <a href="http://www.mykitcheninhalfcups.com/My_Kitchen_In_Half_Cups...Second_Helping_/My_Kitchen_in_Half_Cups...Second_Helping/My_Kitchen_in_Half_Cups...Second_Helping.html">My Kitchen in Half Cups</a> kindly gave my blog an award and I've been lagging in passing it on. Time to correct that!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPM6RoUwk6VNqQhJrW2_0Y7hF0LooUEjAOU8RwfVUWWH810M4n06kLvr8GRz1JtqErF1Z_d-JkXZl5PakrF35VdqdXGUL84PFfR1Q7Y1jvFBDx6S2kn2Ftvw3i-pnJedF4lE0KASBEWp/s1600/beautiful+b.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469291973008933186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPM6RoUwk6VNqQhJrW2_0Y7hF0LooUEjAOU8RwfVUWWH810M4n06kLvr8GRz1JtqErF1Z_d-JkXZl5PakrF35VdqdXGUL84PFfR1Q7Y1jvFBDx6S2kn2Ftvw3i-pnJedF4lE0KASBEWp/s400/beautiful+b.jpg" /></a> For winning the award, I’m suppose to tell you and Tanna 7 things about myself ... beautiful things, interesting things (hopefully), blogging things...perhaps:<br /><br />One: Baking and cooking provide things to eat and drink, but for me they are a way of being creative.<br /><br />Two: Recipes are where the creative spark starts for me much of the time. They provide a focus for the ingredients and flavors, a source of proportions of components, essentials like baking temperature. From there my imagination takes flight...sometimes with unexpected results :)<br /><br />Three: Enthusiasms come and go. I also blog over at Feeding My Enthusiasms and started this blog when my enthusiasm for sourdough was at full spate and dominated my posts. Now it seems that I post here about once a month, although I still bake with sourdough once a week or so.<br /><br />Four: I love coffee! Can't drink the stuff after about 2 pm if I want to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, but a little decaf is OK. Both kinds go great with a piece of toasted sourdough.<br /><br />Five: Gardening, especially vegetable gardening, is a passion. My Mom passed on her love of flower growing and my Dad his love of vegetable growing. Even when I lived in an apartment I figured out a way to grow veggies. My favorite Bread Baking Babes recipe was the <a href="http://www.mykitcheninhalfcups.com/My_Kitchen_In_Half_Cups...Second_Helping_/My_Kitchen_in_Half_Cups...Second_Helping/Entries/2009/6/16_BBB_Asparagas_Bread.html">asparagus bread.<br /></a><br />Six: Meeting bloggers whose blogs you enjoy and admire is very rewarding and special. Have not done the convention settings because you generally don't connect in that kind of setting, but maybe I should try it.<br /><br />Seven: I have been ver, very fortunate in my family, friends, most jobs, places I've lived and most especially in Sweetie, my husband and I thank God all the time for each of those.<br /><br />The other part of the award of course is to pass it along to 7 more bloggers - these are beautiful blogs and bloggers, some relatively new to me, some old friends, listed in alpha order:<br /><br />GIZ AT <a href="http://eatfordinner.blogspot.com/">EQUAL OPPORTUNITY KITCHEN<br /></a>JOHANNA AT <a href="http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com/">GREEN GOURMET GIRAFFE</a><br />LIEN AT <a href="http://notitievanlien.blogspot.com/">NOTTIE VAN LIEN</a><br />LISA MICHELLE AT <a href="http://lisamichele.wordpress.com/">PARSLEY, SAGE, DESSERT AND LINE DRIVES</a><br />LYNN AT <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/">COOKIE BAKER LYNN</a><br />MONIQUE AT <a href="http://livingonbreadandwater.blogspot.com/">LIVING ON BREAD AND WATER </a><br />TIA AT <a href="http://buttercreambarbie.blogspot.com/">BUTTERCREAM BARBIE </a><br /><br />The garden often takes precedence when time is limited in the spring. It's nice to find a dessert recipe that lets me do other things while it gets ready for baking in its own sweet time!<br /><br />With strawberry season finally here it’s always fun to think of new ways to serve the luscious, sweet , red, juicy fruit. With sourdough starter in the fridge needing to be fed regularly it’s always a challenge to find a new way to use the toss off.<br /><br />The two came together this week in the form of a sourdough savarin with strawberries and some whipped cream. I have been wanting to make a savarin for years but was never brave enough. It looked complicated, but was actually easy. There was only one minor mishap: I soaked the baked savarin with a sugar syrup that had some grated lemon zest in it. After enjoying my serving I decided that I should have used a sugar syrup that had something with more punch added - like rum or lemencello. The sourdough flavor was dominant and needed the foil of another strong flavor. Any suggestions?<br /><br /><br />We are still getting strawberries, so I have more opportunities to trick this recipe out with something delicious in the sugar syrup which the savarin soaks up just like a sponge.<br /><br />Other than the slight lack of balance in the strength of flavors this was a delicious dessert. The cake/bread was moist from the sugar syrup, tender and with just a bit of chewiness. It sank a little bit so I should perhaps have added an additional 1/4 cup flour. The cream and strawberries provided color, texture and flavor contrasts.<br /><br /><br />I know that Julia, Dorie and David may not have had sourdough in mind when they included their recipe in Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan with the recipe contributed by David Blom, so I changed it to use the starter.<br /><br />One of the neat things about making this is that the cook’s time is pretty short. I had lots to do the evening I made it so I ate lunch while the stand mixer did its job. Went grocery shopping while it rose the second time in its ring pan. Made a salad while it baked. Allow more time for it to cool before you douse it liberally with the sugar syrup…and give me some ideas on additions to that syrup, OK?<br /><br />Since this was a personal challenge, I’m sending it to Lynn of Cookie Baker Lynn for one of my <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-did-it-and-you-can-too.html">High Five </a>entries - I Did It!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRDU80f_Itm-Z33UQAfnt9rDvQKwiARUpnKo4EZ5OnUuew-15lBGeSSARMpm7IjUHVhMZQfespW7Lc-Pj0jYK6-tesoDfJDpDdFGlKnX6iOiITRLkzH2jZuujT4-klT_pGJtK4dmAiHSI/s1600/lynnshifive2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 288px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469294311790377954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRDU80f_Itm-Z33UQAfnt9rDvQKwiARUpnKo4EZ5OnUuew-15lBGeSSARMpm7IjUHVhMZQfespW7Lc-Pj0jYK6-tesoDfJDpDdFGlKnX6iOiITRLkzH2jZuujT4-klT_pGJtK4dmAiHSI/s400/lynnshifive2.jpg" /></a> It’s also going to Susan at Wild Yeast for her weekly wonderful event, <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXzF30eISaGx067uq8BZEClS9-_7Ns6chf_Zl1nWWbqEPdRo8auYKz7Kf-qCFZA5W1MBMZAD_3a41HWZM-Tw18NyYcHyqzwTkwGVriPUg6GZpPIdOLwqUTypqKdRUapbF6tCSDJIVyitV/s1600/savarin.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468989113092352882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXzF30eISaGx067uq8BZEClS9-_7Ns6chf_Zl1nWWbqEPdRo8auYKz7Kf-qCFZA5W1MBMZAD_3a41HWZM-Tw18NyYcHyqzwTkwGVriPUg6GZpPIdOLwqUTypqKdRUapbF6tCSDJIVyitV/s400/savarin.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Sourdough Savarin with Strawberries and Cream</strong><br />Makes a large savarin ring<br /><br /><em>The Dough</em><br />1 cup sourdough starter at room temperature<br />½ teaspoon instant yeast<br />½ cup lukewarm water<br />2 tablespoons sugar<br />2 large eggs at room temperature<br />1 cup all purpose flour<br />4 tablespoons ( 12/ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature<br /><br />Put the sourdough starter, instant yeast, lukewarm water and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Put bowl with the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add the flour, ¼ cup at a time with mixer on low speed, just until the ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium-low and beat for about 8 minutes (see, it was a quick lunch) until the mixture is smooth. Add the butter and beat on low only until the butter is absorbed, 1 – 3 minutes.<br /><br />Removed bowl from mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place (85 – 90 degrees F) for about 15 minutes, just until slightly risen. It will not double. (If your room or rising place is cooler, it may take longer. You are looking for a noticeable increase in volume and a lightness.)<br /><br />Once dough has risen slightly, brush a ring mold with clarified butter (although I just rubbed the inside surface of my monkey bread pan with soft butter) and fill with the dough. NOTE: If you don’t have a ring mold, you can use a Bundt pan or, probably, and angel food pan or gelatin mold with a center ring.<br /><br />Cover the mold with plastic wrap and let rise in a very warm place for about 30 minute, or until dough fills the ring mold. (Since my rising place was cooler, each rising took longer…but that way I could get to the grocery store and back AND unpack the groceries while the oven was preheating!)<br /><br />Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Carefully put the savarin on a parchment or silicon mat lined jelly roll pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to shrink from the sides of the mold. Unmold onto a cooling rack and cool completely before soaking.<br /><br /><em>For Soaking and Assembly:</em><br />Sugar Syrup<br />2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced<br />1 pint heavy cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form<br /><br /><em>Sugar Syrup</em><br />2 cups water<br />1 cup sugar<br />Grated zest from one lemon<br />(Something stronger??)<br /><br />Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 30 seconds and then turn off the heat.<br /><br />Line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper and set a cooling rack on tip of it. Place the savarin on the cooling rack. Spoon the hot syrup over the savarin, a few tablespoons at a time, continuing to soak the pastry until it is plump and cannot hold any more liquid.<br /><br />When ready to serve, slice the savarin into serving portions, place on a plate and spoon on a generous amount of sliced strawberries. Dollop with whipped cream and serve.<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-10564357479241110092010-04-28T19:26:00.000-07:002010-04-28T19:49:17.815-07:00One Potato Two Potato<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2DsVcuPmsu4Jwb2_TEEIa7obrXDmA7jXcTwL_rQVug7umdRH8wMZkueQzATlOOPQ7z11bxitZ3TA2eF6BCzksAQlGJWRshNk31MtEUI81HzQ0xoD7o7zEib11S7OVg8XNKDr-5gsJ8Uq/s1600/bbb+4-10+loaf.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465384483764244402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2DsVcuPmsu4Jwb2_TEEIa7obrXDmA7jXcTwL_rQVug7umdRH8wMZkueQzATlOOPQ7z11bxitZ3TA2eF6BCzksAQlGJWRshNk31MtEUI81HzQ0xoD7o7zEib11S7OVg8XNKDr-5gsJ8Uq/s400/bbb+4-10+loaf.jpg" /></a> The Bread Baking Babes usually come up with great bread recipes to bake. I don't always have the time between when they post and when a "Buddy" post needs to be up, but this time I did.<br /><br />I woke up early today and decided to quietly peel and boil some potatoes for the mashed potatoes so that they would be cool for later baking. The house smelled great and it smelled even better when I baked the bread for dinner.<br /><br />In between was a lot of running around looking at shower door samples and getting paint chips and getting shower stall samples and looking at vanities and sinks and mixer valves. Fun, but time consuming. The dough that had been left to rise at noon when we were just going a ten minute drive away to pick up a window turned into many hours gone. Fortunately this dough didn't seem to suffer from my neglect. I used about twice as much chives as the recipe called for. No soy milk in the house, either, so I used 2%. For the water at the beginning of the recipe I used the water that I had cooked the potatoes in, although it had cooled down.<br /><br />The two smaller loaves I made baked up beautifully. The crust was golden and had a nice crackle. The interior crumb was fine and moist and very flavorful. I'm afraid that Sweetie ate about a third of the loaf while it was still warm...and who can blame him?<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTcA1fNuySYjHY6QW0ykPJsUAqSnaiBjD3Ce7_DQ_ThT9-UQdYO2FcHBRPT_5XJmzfzLSq1_4NVFEgZzWMe01JjWq-ug6pCEOmendbc6mkVJuG7t8Psevo1p6EQsW_jZcClrXlgZUygXf/s1600/bbb4-10+half+loaf.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 277px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465384472232422930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTcA1fNuySYjHY6QW0ykPJsUAqSnaiBjD3Ce7_DQ_ThT9-UQdYO2FcHBRPT_5XJmzfzLSq1_4NVFEgZzWMe01JjWq-ug6pCEOmendbc6mkVJuG7t8Psevo1p6EQsW_jZcClrXlgZUygXf/s400/bbb4-10+half+loaf.jpg" /></a> I'm going to try some toasted tomorrow morning. Bet it would be great with some cream cheese.<br /><br />Thanks to Sara for choosing this great bread. My dough was a bit sticky but that's what bench scrapers are for. The contrast between the crisp crust and moist interior was really great! I did brush a little beaten egg over the loaves just before I slit the tops. Gives them a nice color and shine.<br /><br />The recipe below includes my changes. For the original recipe and to become a Bread Baking Babes Buddy, go to Sara's blog, <a href="http://iliketocook.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-am-completely-embarrassed-babe-potato.html">I Like to Cook</a>.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01QRafwpimVaKYyk0EBcMlV6BJ_XREHJG9zLChuJOLWMwvOioPmL_iFwu_A7AhjtGc-60yXsM-5ggEmNlvJjr0KO7f-9DV_MyiLo818GIDr5diuF6OuGNOREpYJtcZW9xBHZ_VKiB7oPJ/s1600/bbb+4-10+baked.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 286px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465384479254794898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01QRafwpimVaKYyk0EBcMlV6BJ_XREHJG9zLChuJOLWMwvOioPmL_iFwu_A7AhjtGc-60yXsM-5ggEmNlvJjr0KO7f-9DV_MyiLo818GIDr5diuF6OuGNOREpYJtcZW9xBHZ_VKiB7oPJ/s400/bbb+4-10+baked.jpg" /></a><strong>Potato Bread with Chives</strong><br />adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson<br /><br />"The addition of mashed potatoes gives this bread a moist, dense texture and delicate flavor that is accented by that of the chives. This bread is best eaten slightly warm from the oven on the day it is made. It is also good toasted."<br /><br />2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast<br />1 cup warm water that the potatoes were cooked in<br />1 tsp pure maple syrup<br />2 Tb safflower oil<br />2 tsp salt<br />1 cup cold mashed potatoes<br />1 cup 2% milk<br />5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for kneading<br />¼ cup minced fresh chives<br />1 egg, beaten<br /><br />In a large bowl, combine the yeast and 1/4 cup of the potato water. Add the maple syrup and stir to dissolve. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of potato water, the safflower oil and the salt. Mix in the potatoes, then stir in the milk. Add about half the flour, stirring to combine, then work in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Transfer to a lightly floured board.<br /><br />Lightly flour your hands and work surface. Knead the dough well until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, using more flour as necessary so the dough does not stick. Place in a large lightly oiled bowl and turn over once to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.<br /><br />Meanwhile, lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside. Punch the dough down and knead lightly. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle with the chives, and knead until the dough is elastic and the chives are well distributed, 3 to 5 minutes. Shape the dough into one large or two small round loaves and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly and cover with a clean damp towel or lightly oiled plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 400'F. Paint the loaves with beaten egg. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the loaf or loaves. Bake on the center oven rack until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on size. Tap on the bottom of the loaf or loaves - if they sound hollow, the bread is done. Remove from the sheet and let cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing. </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-85359073496684121262010-04-19T21:08:00.000-07:002010-04-19T21:58:58.354-07:00Morning Walk - Evening Boule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm5bO28v0DPfGBzmeNbq2YuCDlUi08VhL-TQZrdmywiDdFsUIHXknZRLHpnLXhTMuHmcurCOEhKxYibu0OUaOeTtLRoTvDICaU4nkzPKmnCK7F3RieRlHb0dzf9LVnqU4h3TeOfKAEmVS/s1600/laguna+morning+4-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 109px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075454332076578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm5bO28v0DPfGBzmeNbq2YuCDlUi08VhL-TQZrdmywiDdFsUIHXknZRLHpnLXhTMuHmcurCOEhKxYibu0OUaOeTtLRoTvDICaU4nkzPKmnCK7F3RieRlHb0dzf9LVnqU4h3TeOfKAEmVS/s400/laguna+morning+4-10.jpg" /></a> Sunday morning was glorious. I woke up with the sunrise and we took the Bread Baker's Dog on a walk by the Laguna. The morning mist was rising off of the shallows, a grebe's wake was perfectly reflected in the still water and a pair of ducks waddled together across a baseball field whose verdant grass was dense with dew. It felt good to be with my Sweetie and dog...good to be alive on such a beautiful day. Here is a photo of Xam on the walk. His birthday is this month and he is 15 years old but still takes a long walk every day and seems to highly enjoy it.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisv9IdpCNl3hr0x0gykiQZN6kJ2QBdioz0V03oyTn9N08XjVHVGRWnTAUazO_zCONCXnUiIBPUokpKlHzkTsj_O6EFrR_of9bJcoFz8Mh8Jhgqf8WI0HJgXq90HwxRf_IkgymL23E2TfTA/s1600/morning+dog.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 285px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075464886089074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisv9IdpCNl3hr0x0gykiQZN6kJ2QBdioz0V03oyTn9N08XjVHVGRWnTAUazO_zCONCXnUiIBPUokpKlHzkTsj_O6EFrR_of9bJcoFz8Mh8Jhgqf8WI0HJgXq90HwxRf_IkgymL23E2TfTA/s400/morning+dog.jpg" /></a> The day before we walked I fed my sourdough starter and made a fairly simple boule to go with our dinner pasta.My original plan had been to shape the dough into a long torpedo shaped loaf but, once shaped, I had covered it with plastic wrap to rise. Thought that the wrap was oiled, but apparently the oiled side was up, so in peeling it off I lost the shape. Not wanting to wait for it to rise again, I just shaped it into a ball, tucked the ends under and baked it. Julia Child would have approved I think.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqJ0BnOeW0Kew7lR6Q1rUMZ_NyGEg1as7KC5GrILJ5zscf9IBtsbaU2xd4iuU9Eu188QiFnBfcBDxCPYO9R95tLSdt9RNdrTyy04zlVqCWOE1hj4GMror6DkOwS9SBauFMPKYQlNX-Fvl/s1600/boule+4-10+side.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075478321634386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqJ0BnOeW0Kew7lR6Q1rUMZ_NyGEg1as7KC5GrILJ5zscf9IBtsbaU2xd4iuU9Eu188QiFnBfcBDxCPYO9R95tLSdt9RNdrTyy04zlVqCWOE1hj4GMror6DkOwS9SBauFMPKYQlNX-Fvl/s400/boule+4-10+side.jpg" /></a> This boule had simple ingredients: white and whole wheat flour, salt, water, sourdough starter and a little olive oil. It was fine grained, with a moist crumb and mild sour flavor.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI23khAejZjof147b6tNfTFcDhVhRBX_qyN8scnkzhYrSbn0RRCnTk7m85MHjG3gtDnC6lTO4OoT_RcUSWjHSPgh_0RMAJ4fvZqT3NX5I_1yYFlSFCZbJ22TOanBLRa1y3BUm6ANqoCe2V/s1600/boule+4-10+sliced.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075626830628514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI23khAejZjof147b6tNfTFcDhVhRBX_qyN8scnkzhYrSbn0RRCnTk7m85MHjG3gtDnC6lTO4OoT_RcUSWjHSPgh_0RMAJ4fvZqT3NX5I_1yYFlSFCZbJ22TOanBLRa1y3BUm6ANqoCe2V/s400/boule+4-10+sliced.jpg" /></a> Had a slice toasted this morning as we waited for the fellow to come and measure for our new shower pan. I liked that the toasting brought out the crunch of the crust. I started the loaf in a 450 degree F oven and added a pie pan of water right at the beginning of baking...some even spilled on the bottom of the oven. The steam helped create an nice crisp crust with a little crackle to it.</div><br /><div></div><div>I'm sending this over to Susan at Wild Yeast for her weekly <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a> event. It is a treasure trove of great recipes using yeast and yeasted items. Check it out!<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOjqVOOocLq_n1ORwf6t19M4JMgknK0gVoe3354H2A2o6iTX1A8adtg-8qh4-19kGRCT4y4kUYaXnOWVa_M1xbY2DqJGIPWfu8REkm1dWzVqBIvSwLMPJcFpinINWYkkwhgtUSA1jb__s/s1600/boule+4-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075470014982066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOjqVOOocLq_n1ORwf6t19M4JMgknK0gVoe3354H2A2o6iTX1A8adtg-8qh4-19kGRCT4y4kUYaXnOWVa_M1xbY2DqJGIPWfu8REkm1dWzVqBIvSwLMPJcFpinINWYkkwhgtUSA1jb__s/s400/boule+4-10.jpg" /></a></div><div><strong>Simple Sourdough Boule </strong><br />makes 1 loaf</div><br /><div>1 cup 100% hydration sourdough starter<br />1 1/2 cups warm water<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />3 cups unbleached white bread flour<br />1 cup whole wheat flour<br />2 teaspoons salt<br />enough extra bread flour to make a slightly tacky dough</div><br /><div>In the bowl of a stand mixer equiped with a dough hook, mix the starter, water and olive oil. In a large bowl whisk together the flours and salt.</div><br /><div>With machine running on low, add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, letting the dough climb the dough hook. Add enough additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, as needed, to create a soft, slightly tacky dough.</div><br /><div>Turn out onto a lightly flour surface and knead for a minute or two to make sure dough is well combined. Form into a ball.<br /><br />Place ball in lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours, longer if your house is cool.<br /><br />You can also let the dough rise for an hour or so and then let it stay overnight in the fridge, then continue the rise in the morning in a warm, draft free place. This will intensify the flavors of the grains and sourdough.<br /><br />Punch dough down and shape into a ball, tucking ends under. Place on parchment or a silicon mat and let rise until doubled in bulk.<br /><br />Paint the surface of the ball lightly with egg wash and slash in a few places...I make three slashed across the top...then place in a preheated 450 degrees F oven. If you have a pizza or bread stone, make sure that you have preheated that as well as the oven. Place a pan of water on the lower shelf or bottom of the oven. Splash a bit out if you want more steam. Let bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake another 40 - 45 minutes or until boule is golden brown and, when turned over and tapped, gives off a hollow sound.<br /><br />Cool, right side up, at least 15 minutes, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Great toasted, too!<br /><br />Have to give equal time to our wonderful cat Merlin. Here is creates the perfect scene with spring tulips and a garden hose.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn8FTXHNBpY6vZoxQV5gGpYuO9gBFUc5BiHSiS61enQuG4BjEjbxmN0Ihc_eZMspiNVjc1H4He8pnb21mynoOmIVXKM1zHfLUhA6G9x-ErHja-nksmY5gXeNyQsjn-1kORZrolJWCdT0-/s1600/merlin+and+tulips+4-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 356px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462075462584007602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn8FTXHNBpY6vZoxQV5gGpYuO9gBFUc5BiHSiS61enQuG4BjEjbxmN0Ihc_eZMspiNVjc1H4He8pnb21mynoOmIVXKM1zHfLUhA6G9x-ErHja-nksmY5gXeNyQsjn-1kORZrolJWCdT0-/s400/merlin+and+tulips+4-10.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-30755254561493861952010-03-10T11:00:00.000-08:002010-03-10T20:44:30.322-08:00Pancakes Are Bread, Too<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLJnJVue1DuWd9os3omMynq_YlBeXUQ2X1aC31TK34fjwo8sGJWyYrgEj-YumT3C9IF-n82nsRmpRURNsuuYDy4gF1H1x98GyCX5IqWsLXzmQlvzz0dGcG5QtUKPbF3P9e6PWGKq2JfUG/s1600-h/pancakes+3-10plated.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 328px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447229830622862130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLJnJVue1DuWd9os3omMynq_YlBeXUQ2X1aC31TK34fjwo8sGJWyYrgEj-YumT3C9IF-n82nsRmpRURNsuuYDy4gF1H1x98GyCX5IqWsLXzmQlvzz0dGcG5QtUKPbF3P9e6PWGKq2JfUG/s400/pancakes+3-10plated.jpg" /></a> You should have seen Xam this past weekend. He sat just outside of the kitchen, patiently waiting as I cooked the pancakes on the griddle, trying on his big brown eyed 'feed me' look. Sweetie got the first plate of pancakes, liberally garnished with a lovely apple-pomegranate-cranberry-cinnamon compote. Xam looked even more anxious. Then I managed to scorch two of the pancakes at the back of the grill...the heat on that burner was too high. Lucky dog! Once they were cooled a bit he was the recipient of some slightly burnt but good bread...pancakes, but still bread.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZ6iB_J2arwpgko_U9QccB2Z4hPe9qncVD_P4qVbIKHDdqu8VZ9rIpq54TxkumPhZDgdNPtacbeivQvCh9Cf7LpPTHwrFgzvwYyZ2VPzPsgrL34HIoH2saBVnMbLo8oqNPoCkGhRXKYMK/s1600-h/pancakes+3-10+on+griddle.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447229825289651426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZ6iB_J2arwpgko_U9QccB2Z4hPe9qncVD_P4qVbIKHDdqu8VZ9rIpq54TxkumPhZDgdNPtacbeivQvCh9Cf7LpPTHwrFgzvwYyZ2VPzPsgrL34HIoH2saBVnMbLo8oqNPoCkGhRXKYMK/s400/pancakes+3-10+on+griddle.jpg" /></a></div>A few days before I made these sourdough pancakes I took the ‘toss off’ from feeding the starter and put in a bowl and added a slurry of a cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water, whisked together. Once those were whisked together I let it sit out on the counter overnight to get some good yeast action going on, then put it in the fridge in the morning.<br /><br />Because some of the preparation had already been done, the pancakes went together very quickly. I probably should have let the batter sit another hour before cooking them for fluffier pancakes, but we were hungry…so I poured the batter on the hot griddle very shortly after stirring in the last ingredients.<br /><br />The first set of pancakes were fairly flat, but delicious even so. The next batch was fatter and the next batch were just like regular pancakes. I love the sour tang and tender texture, plus they seem to get a nice golden crust when I start with sourdough starter instead of packaged yeast. Molasses added depth, flax seed some texture, and buttermilk it’s own contribution of tang and tenderness. All in all these were excellent pancakes for a weekend morning…although they would taste fine any day of the week.<br /><br />To gild the lily I made the fruit compote to go on top. Sliced Braeburn apples went into a saucepan with some POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, some dried cranberries (which became soft and gorgeous with the steaming), a shake or two of cinnamon, and a bit of sugar. I covered the pan and simmered it until the apples and cranberries were soft, then uncovered the pan and let the juices cook down a bit for a syrup. The pancakes were excellent but with the apple pomegranate cinnamon compote they were extraordinary!<br /><br />I'm sending this over to Susan at Wild Yeast for the week's <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a> event. Always a bread bakers fantasy land, so check it out!<br /><br /><strong>Sourdough Pancakes with Flax Seed<br /></strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Serves about 4 people<br /></span><br />1 cup sourdough starter<br />2 cups all purpose flour, divided<br />¾ cup water<br />1 egg at room temperature<br />1 tablespoon molasses<br />½ cup butter, melted and cooled<br />½ cup buttermilk<br />½ cup sweet milk (I used 2%)<br />¼ teaspoon salt<br />1 tablespoon flax seed<br /><br />Place the sourdough starter in a bowl at least twice as big in volume. In another bowl whisk together 1 cup of the flour and the ¾ cup water. Add it to the starter and whisk to combine. Leave, uncovered, in a cool place (60-65 degrees F) overnight. In the morning cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.<br /><br />In the next day or two or three, remove the bowl with the starter mixture from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Then whisk in the egg, molasses, butter, buttermilk and milk.<br /><br />In another bowl, whisk together the second cup of flour, the salt and the flax seed. Add this to the starter mixture, creating a batter about the consistency of heavy cream.<br /><br />Let sit for half an hour if you have more patience than I do, or use right away. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium high heat until a drop of water dropped on the surface sizzles. Add a light coating of oil or butter or margarine, then scoop about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake onto the hot griddle.<br /><br />Cook until small bubbles form around the edges, flip over and continue cooking until cooked through and golden brown. Serve while hot.<br /><br /><strong>Apple Pomegranate Cinnamon Compote</strong><br /><br />1 large Braeburn (or your favorite kind) apple, cored and sliced. Note: I like to leave the peel on apples but you can peel them if you prefer, then slice them<br />1 cup POM Wonderful pomegranate juice<br />2 tablespoons dried cranberries<br />1 tablespoon white or brown sugar<br />1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />dash of ground cloves if you like cloves<br /><br />Place apple slices, pomegranate juice, sugar, cinnamon and cloves (if using) in a saucepan. Stir to combine. Place over medium heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cover and continue simmering until sauce is the consistency you like. Serve warm or cold. Good over vanilla ice cream, too.<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-34338900720317978032010-02-21T16:01:00.001-08:002010-02-21T17:07:42.050-08:00Bread Baking Babes Buddy Bakes Ensaimadas<span style="color:#ffff00;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYGxiDp5V3a25JjNcT7XizyLKDzydTJ6aHh16RYTLlJipN6WyjhY4qMIUo03UXj_LvNML_ofcFW5b2GY2psnPv1olk0JmZ9Y_ktE_6HeYK4NiUCK4poIYm3JrSdufcpQe4NsOvTjFLyjz/s1600-h/esmasbasket.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440863439648624418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYGxiDp5V3a25JjNcT7XizyLKDzydTJ6aHh16RYTLlJipN6WyjhY4qMIUo03UXj_LvNML_ofcFW5b2GY2psnPv1olk0JmZ9Y_ktE_6HeYK4NiUCK4poIYm3JrSdufcpQe4NsOvTjFLyjz/s400/esmasbasket.jpg" /></a> Poor BBD is not getting much attention these days. Fortunately the dog himself still gets lots of attention, walks, rubs, and loving, plus at least a taste of any bread baked.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRJ3KNssNK49bdZtb2yM4LyYNmeJ64jkTZf8BxilX5-PorNJ4Ab-iCP9VlSy3GomrEytlH6NLetv_dAJ4f_43HvIDJIQVfBJmo3qamrlDOu2EYNU4PSlgLNosYI3aMYfwGhbQK_-TNGfe/s1600-h/xam+lo+res+2-21-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 358px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440862943791250162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRJ3KNssNK49bdZtb2yM4LyYNmeJ64jkTZf8BxilX5-PorNJ4Ab-iCP9VlSy3GomrEytlH6NLetv_dAJ4f_43HvIDJIQVfBJmo3qamrlDOu2EYNU4PSlgLNosYI3aMYfwGhbQK_-TNGfe/s400/xam+lo+res+2-21-10.jpg" /></a><br />The Bread Baking Babes all bake the same recipe once a month and this month Karen of <a href="http://bakemyday.blogspot.com/2010/02/bread-baking-babes-bake-ensaimadas.html">Bake My Day </a>has come up with a winner. Sweetie, Straight Shooter and I just had a lunch of freshly made minestrone soup and hot from the oven Ensaimadas rolls and they were gone in a flash.<br /><br /><div>Light, tender, buttery and almost like croissants without the repeated rolling and folding and butter block that they require, these rolls will likely become the recipe I turn to when I want dinner rolls.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBPKfLsec-x8jAtognVrPIE_3ry__2duY6yIDt3S8Gsm8t2qlCREtuQe1iXIhQO1T_EQH5TmXYsMaSIPggPQix_IYwB7PNGKINIPK_CCAxr26qVhIFyYHOxzEf3cgST7cbhYNZYM9Ak0d/s1600-h/esmaslayers.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440861077963067682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBPKfLsec-x8jAtognVrPIE_3ry__2duY6yIDt3S8Gsm8t2qlCREtuQe1iXIhQO1T_EQH5TmXYsMaSIPggPQix_IYwB7PNGKINIPK_CCAxr26qVhIFyYHOxzEf3cgST7cbhYNZYM9Ak0d/s320/esmaslayers.jpg" /></a> Part of the fun for me was that I made good use of the lovely scale I was given for Christmas. Once the mixing bowl was weighed, I zeroed out the weight, added the flour, zeroed again, added the sugar and was ready to go on with the recipe with nothing extra to wash, plus it was fast! I used the scale again when I was dividing the dough into balls. That way each roll was almost the exact weight as the others.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4BSvpFbj8H2PRrViltn9VEbnmQtAJLhg9m0uOZLv2_GG0LZ1d6TD8BYLQp6Oh7AfLQZTKGj1QszbhAn0VA5xizK92Q-ltcRTKbE-yhVQrNOdWiAMuZF7BwkKCjUvjT0G-f9WmmXX16uS/s1600-h/esmas+snailbaked.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440864552690325922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4BSvpFbj8H2PRrViltn9VEbnmQtAJLhg9m0uOZLv2_GG0LZ1d6TD8BYLQp6Oh7AfLQZTKGj1QszbhAn0VA5xizK92Q-ltcRTKbE-yhVQrNOdWiAMuZF7BwkKCjUvjT0G-f9WmmXX16uS/s400/esmas+snailbaked.jpg" /></a><br />Not only are these Ensaimadas delicious but they are pretty to look at, too, being sort of snail shaped.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsPEblFvxT9txKvJQzMFF1cMABZZADl7bszgb9BtWp0i92oax0CfgcQ85Q_3gkXl1hFir23z2-Pakg1Uy9qlQ7dUtUMnCmf1x0yrK2titpR4xmstHIZEK7Kfn_ZgJBNs_XpCOTWeU2Rf2/s1600-h/esmasrolled.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440863434212594066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsPEblFvxT9txKvJQzMFF1cMABZZADl7bszgb9BtWp0i92oax0CfgcQ85Q_3gkXl1hFir23z2-Pakg1Uy9qlQ7dUtUMnCmf1x0yrK2titpR4xmstHIZEK7Kfn_ZgJBNs_XpCOTWeU2Rf2/s400/esmasrolled.jpg" /></a> The rolling of each piece of dough into a very thin circle took the lion's share of the work needed to make these. The dough itself was quick and easy. You do need to allow some rising time as with all yeasted breads, but since they are rolls, it is less than with most loaves of bread.<br /><br />For fun I made half of the rolls (5) exactly as called for in the recipe and then I dolled up the other half. Two have raspberry jam spread lightly over the butter before rolling up.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrouGvdXs_aSq_8kOF_EDvQSrEQU7A8w36AtVAnh0g_jhuHFXHUXayp1_PVOnb4wiiGREbEqq6fwF0GZLOss-uHOXuF8Zoh9TB92t-ZmOXHDYBB7y3TnDf8cibsOeqENV5OLbdVyGw4iI/s1600-h/eamas+rspberry.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440860480100235314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisrouGvdXs_aSq_8kOF_EDvQSrEQU7A8w36AtVAnh0g_jhuHFXHUXayp1_PVOnb4wiiGREbEqq6fwF0GZLOss-uHOXuF8Zoh9TB92t-ZmOXHDYBB7y3TnDf8cibsOeqENV5OLbdVyGw4iI/s320/eamas+rspberry.jpg" /></a><br />The other three have cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the butter.<br /><br />This post will be entered in this weeks <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a>, found at Susan's Wild Yeast blog, and also in <a href="http://www.canelaycomino.com/2010/02/bread-baking-day-27-hosted-here/">Bread Baking Day #27 - Latin Breads</a>, hosted by Gretchen of Canela and Comino, because this bread, originally from Spain, can be found in countries south of the U.S. border, too. Check out the events and also the Bread Baking Babes renditions of these delicate and delicious rolls. Links for the other Babes can be found at Karen and Gretchen's blogs.<br /><br /><strong>Ensaimadas</strong><br /><em>from Nicole at Delicious Days blog<br /></em>(yields about 10 Ensaimadas):<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />500g all-purpose flour (plus additional as needed )<br />75g sugar<br />1/2 tsp fine sea salt<br />40g fresh yeast (= 1 cube) =3 tsp active dry yeast<br />200-250ml lukewarm milk<br />2 eggs (M)<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br />150g soft pork lard <em>(I used butter)</em><br />powdered sugar for dusting <em>(didn't do this for the ones eaten with the soup)</em><br /><br />Add the flour together with sugar and salt into a large bowl <em>(I used my KitchenAid bowl)</em> and mix well. Make a hollow in the center, add the crumbled yeast <em>(I used active dry yeast)</em> and pour over just enough of the lukewarm milk until the yeast is covered. Stir the yeast milk once or twice, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for about 15 minutes or until the surface of the yeast milk looks bubbly.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh6bj-hLNxVHQqp1hm9GH9zNoJLeN9DXuYffSLG3KQ_05BeXCG3hotLFwDhKEC9HfxunvZbCSMe1JarW9OhUcdulEhk2UL7JY3CHCmhegSjTSwuL-jsajTNpQk1jV2Kkz926w2GXGbCRk/s1600-h/esmasdoughbowl.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440861070689852850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh6bj-hLNxVHQqp1hm9GH9zNoJLeN9DXuYffSLG3KQ_05BeXCG3hotLFwDhKEC9HfxunvZbCSMe1JarW9OhUcdulEhk2UL7JY3CHCmhegSjTSwuL-jsajTNpQk1jV2Kkz926w2GXGbCRk/s320/esmasdoughbowl.jpg" /></a><br />Add the other ingredients (the remaining milk, eggs,olive oil ) and knead well, either by hand or with your kitchen machine until the dough comes together nicely. I used less milk in the beginning (200 or 220 ml, while the original recipe suggests 250 ml) and my dough still turned out pretty sticky, I therefor added a tad more flour and let it knead at medium speed for 3 minutes (just for the record: my dough still felt sticky). Let the covered bowl rest again in a warm place for at least 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwhs0zo0VlnbDcamJhC3z4pU1s-bgVtuyIAptzkXhMFKcc4X66Y-AyJOFCXtUbpJW9GS3m0t1pwA5ItO6BEqtVwpt54ilwZ-bIn3WrIauaYNisCUGEC39GzRNrOqP35d2uKUREoda3bB9/s1600-h/esmas+balls.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440860488126602050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwhs0zo0VlnbDcamJhC3z4pU1s-bgVtuyIAptzkXhMFKcc4X66Y-AyJOFCXtUbpJW9GS3m0t1pwA5ItO6BEqtVwpt54ilwZ-bIn3WrIauaYNisCUGEC39GzRNrOqP35d2uKUREoda3bB9/s320/esmas+balls.jpg" /></a><br />Punch it down softly, then flip the dough onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle with flour. Cut into about 10 equally sized portions and form into neat little balls, before letting them rest – sprinkled with flour, covered with a kitchen towel – once more for at least 30 minutes.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzm1j5bX5uI4QcP6Kv2a5WjQ1mPlwDxQrfZLz6-SHy4Pq5PjAIx6UZvOhlM1OOI8OAhjgMEU4895Ze56KavUmrxv7Qo7LcH6UO_4CyaYIBIEW_9OoO-fFEf-5ajF6w2EHhqdngPXbM7U-/s1600-h/esmasbuttered.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 205px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440861065518794754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzm1j5bX5uI4QcP6Kv2a5WjQ1mPlwDxQrfZLz6-SHy4Pq5PjAIx6UZvOhlM1OOI8OAhjgMEU4895Ze56KavUmrxv7Qo7LcH6UO_4CyaYIBIEW_9OoO-fFEf-5ajF6w2EHhqdngPXbM7U-/s320/esmasbuttered.jpg" /></a><br />Shaping the Ensaimadas: Flatten one doughball, then roll out with a rolling pin (use flour as needed) until you get a pretty thin dough circle and brush it generously with the softened pork lard <em>(I used soft butter).</em><br /><br />Roll up cautiously, then let rest for a couple of minutes and continue with the other dough balls. (Meanwhile line the baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6UXbSB3RfQJPbWWzBPGr1itovTQkGnLMxcgWOWj7KtKcWf_wdVV7VF-fXLqIAVzx2quW4JtTAxV8kWaRoTVj-OknortXQCRudOKD2QdOJmpTVz2M67M67nLhPjwmXTgHZKTBi7Baxpi4/s1600-h/esmas+snail.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440863442961093378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6UXbSB3RfQJPbWWzBPGr1itovTQkGnLMxcgWOWj7KtKcWf_wdVV7VF-fXLqIAVzx2quW4JtTAxV8kWaRoTVj-OknortXQCRudOKD2QdOJmpTVz2M67M67nLhPjwmXTgHZKTBi7Baxpi4/s400/esmas+snail.jpg" /></a><br />Coil up each dough piece until it resembles the house of a snail (tuck the outer end under), ideally very loosely, because any spaces will fill up as the dough rises further. Place about five Ensaimadas on one baking sheet, making sure to leave enough space between them. Lightly brush with lard and cover up again.<br /><br />The final rise is supposed to last overnight, yet I baked mine in three different batches (with rising times of 1 hour, 4 hours, 13 hours) and we preferred their look and taste with shorter rising times (1 and 4 hours). But do as you like. <em>(I baked mine at 2 and three hours and they were wonderful!)</em><br /><br />Preheat the oven to 200°C (~390° Fahrenheit) and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and let them cool down on a wire rack for a couple of minutes, then generously dust with powdered sugar and enjoy while still warm. <em>(I left off the powdered sugar for the ones we ate with the soup. They are not terribly sweet without it and went well with the soup.)</em> </div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-74953499725697420152010-01-04T20:37:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:27:13.175-08:00Greeting 2010 with New Bread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6PgrcN6jULC38CLnTY9zxV80pay6tvnFmtw_QWdaE7bNQ22hXTEusqMuFo2QuOeSDC9mUtwikkKuA6ihtFDnmxnUAnrm1pkPLMTeNOsg7v3s8o_4gEcUKGj1BRroYwQS0xWfPEj04_-V/s1600-h/seedy+sandwich+loaf+1-10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423120308624192034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6PgrcN6jULC38CLnTY9zxV80pay6tvnFmtw_QWdaE7bNQ22hXTEusqMuFo2QuOeSDC9mUtwikkKuA6ihtFDnmxnUAnrm1pkPLMTeNOsg7v3s8o_4gEcUKGj1BRroYwQS0xWfPEj04_-V/s400/seedy+sandwich+loaf+1-10.jpg" /></a> The first day of any new year in almost any place of business is bound to be a little...or a lot...crazy. Today was no exception. The office where I work had been closed since Thursday afternoon, so there was a backlog of e-mails to handle first thing in the morning. Many folks apparently had made some good new years resolutions to take care of things they had been putting off because we also received about four or five times the phone calls we usually receive on our busiest days and most were asking about the pain clinic, so the calls took some time to do right. Being able to offer hope to some chronic pain sufferers makes the job worthwhile, even when the phones just won't stop ringing.<br /><br /><div>The good news is that the day flew by. The other good news is that when I finally stopped for lunch a little after 1 pm, I had a sandwich waiting for me that was extra good because I'd used some bread that I baked for the new year...and it was really good bread. I've come to enjoy not only sourdough bread, but sourdough bread that has multiple grains and lots of seeds worked into the dough. The crust is crisp, the bread has a nice chewiness and the flavors are delightful!</div><br /><div>This bread is no exception. I also put some extra dough in one of the balls, so the loaf really rose up high and spilled over the top. You can really make a nice sandwich with bread like this!</div><br /><div>I didn't have a recipe for this although it is loosely based on the bread I've been making lately that has some egg, butter and milk, along with mixed flours. The key is to add the flour a little at a time toward the end so that the dough stays moist but isn't too sticky...a fine balance. I started by microwaving about a cup of a multi-grain cereal mix I found in the pantry. Flakes of oats, triticale, and rye were joined by wheat berries and barley. It made a delicious smelling cooked cereal and a hearty flavored loaf. I also used some barley flour and some King Arthur's 12 grain flour mix, so lots of good grains played together and with the yeast. The King Arthur Flour company also has a seed mix called Harvest mix and I kneaded some of that into the dough after the first rise.</div><br /><div>As with most loaves, you can substitute packaged dry yeast which has been 'proofed' in some warm water for the sourdough starter and you will still have a great loaf of bread!</div><br /><div><strong>All Mixed Up Multi-Grain Loaf</strong></div><br /><div>1 cup mixed grains, cooked and cooled</div><div>1 cup sourdough starter, or 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F) with 1 package of dry yeast sprinkled over, and allowed to proof for 5 minutes</div><div>1 egg, slightly beaten</div><div>2 tablespoons butter, softened</div><div>1 cup milk at room temperature</div><div>1 cup barley flour</div><div>1 cup 12-grain flour or similar mixed grain flour</div><div>1 cup whole wheat flour</div><div>about 1-2 cups unbleached bread flour</div><div>1/2 cup mixed seeds, like King Arthur's Harvest Blend of seeds</div><br /><div>In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the cooked and cooled grain cereal mixture, the sourdough starter or proofed yeast, the egg, butter and milk with a wooden spoon. Set aside.</div><br /><div>In a large bowl whisk together the barley flour, 12-grain flour, wheat flour and 1 cup unbleached flour. Place a dough hook on the stand mixer. With the machine running on low, gradually add the flour mixture (plus the additional flour, if needed) until the dough comes together, climbs the dough hook, and cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue to run the mixer on slow to let the dough knead for another 5- 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and silky.</div><br /><div></div><div>Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead another minute to completely combine the ingredients. Gather dough into a ball and place in an oiled large bowl or other container large enough for the dough to rise in. Turn the dough over to oil the whole ball. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a draft free warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.</div><br /><div>Punch down risen dough and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Using your fingers, push down on the dough to spread it into a rectangle roughly 10 by 13 inches. Sprinkle with about 1/3 of the seed mixture. Roll up jelly-roll fashion starting on one long side. Fold the two ends in, then push down on the dough with your fingers or fist to again spread the dough into a rectangle. Repeat the scattering of the seeds and rolling up of the dough and folding in of the sides. Repeat the whole thing one more time, using up the rest of the seed mixture. Knead dough a few minutes to make sure all the seeds are well distributed. </div><br /><div></div><div>Divide dough into two pieces. Shape each into a loaf and put into loaf pans. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a draft free warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1- 1 1/2 hours. While dough is rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.</div><br /><div>Gently slash tops of risen dough and (optional) brush tops with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water). Place loaf pans into preheated oven and bake until golden brown. Loaf is done when loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom after being turned out of the pan.</div><br /><div>Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. Makes two loaves.</div><br /><div></div><div>I'm sending this over to Susan at Wild Yeast for the <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a> event this week. There is something very inspiring in checking out her post each week with all of the wonderful variations on the yeast theme. Do yourself a favor and go check it out!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-46948631454356838782009-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:002009-12-19T21:16:53.206-08:00Bread Baking with Miss G<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkJTwwltChgdNRKZQeGg1wlFe4XTqXkSqpvviElHqDjkdIUw0n4P51vN71DnlXIkx4tBMutxSq98eY77wkvqkkE0jngKCFUMc7RUEJp7TnvG1VDXDq31NXv5bAL5yL7PrA3E44OjIarPF/s1600-h/gins+braid.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417145325485657554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkJTwwltChgdNRKZQeGg1wlFe4XTqXkSqpvviElHqDjkdIUw0n4P51vN71DnlXIkx4tBMutxSq98eY77wkvqkkE0jngKCFUMc7RUEJp7TnvG1VDXDq31NXv5bAL5yL7PrA3E44OjIarPF/s400/gins+braid.jpg" /></a> I have a good friend who has encouraged my bread baking in many ways. Little did I know that she longed to learn to bake bread herself. One day I found that out and so we decided to devote the better part of a day so that I could teach her how to bake yeasted bread.<br /><br />Baking two kinds of breads in one day requires a bit of organization, but we wanted to make dinner rolls and something sweet, so we got started at 10 am. First we made the wheat dough for the rolls and started it proofing. I'm rarely envious of things (as opposed to experiences) but I am envious of my friend's convection wall oven with a proofing setting...it worked so well and made life much easier since it was the perfect temperature for proofing the dough.<br /><br />The recipe we used for the dinner rolls is the <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/11/gourds-and-pumpkins-of-fall-and-meeting.html">same one</a> I made for my afternoon with Sparkle Plenty and Arcadia. The dough is very easy to work with, which made it perfect for teaching Miss G how to handle the dough for rolls. The knots are very easy to do and they had great oven spring, a wonderful brown crust, and were much better looking and tasting than any rolls I've made. Beginner's luck or a natural talent for baking...I think the latter.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHyTERFlDJWQ7O3nYEDMQYXDVCST90Juq6TpCIVX7NPJPnopWbwhBuM5cb4GyXGBPakTE0Hu1iMEMm5tv3tWJCayq7wdWKki6vBR_PGNucuybQMHH73eIReJ8xVEKhbRAm0yBR42OdVvc/s1600-h/gins+rolls.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 234px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417145137319574162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHyTERFlDJWQ7O3nYEDMQYXDVCST90Juq6TpCIVX7NPJPnopWbwhBuM5cb4GyXGBPakTE0Hu1iMEMm5tv3tWJCayq7wdWKki6vBR_PGNucuybQMHH73eIReJ8xVEKhbRAm0yBR42OdVvc/s400/gins+rolls.jpg" /></a> When we made the wheat dough I had Miss G note how the yeast looked when it had 'proofed' in barely warm water. Once the dough was kneaded by the stand mixer, I had her feel it and knead it lightly before it went into the rising bowl. Seeing and feeling the different parts of the process go a long way toward feeling comfortable enough to bake some bread on your own...at least I hope it works that way. This was my first time trying to teach how to make bread, so it remains to be seen how well I did. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Once the wheat dough was in the proofing oven, ready for its initial rise, we washed up, then began the sweet dough for a large and impressive braid, full of dried cranberries and orange zest and walnuts. I've made this bread before, so I knew that it would be both easy and a knock out!</div><div></div><div>This time the dry yeast was combined with the dry ingredients and not rehydrated first in water. This dough goes together really easily and smells so good with that pungent orange zest! By the time it was ready for its first rise, the wheat dough had doubled in size and was ready to shape. We used a lightly oiled bowl and plastic wrap covering for each kind of dough for the initial rise. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Once the wheat dough was punched down, Miss G pulled it out of the bowl and on to a lightly flour marble slab. We used a bench scraper to divide the dough into 9 pieces. I told her that if you needed exactly the same amount of dough in each that you could always weight the pieces to make sure, but we decided to eyeball the divisions. Shaping each piece into a rope took a little time. Making the knot also took some practice, but soon we had nine lovely knots. We covered them with a towel and let them double in size while we had a well-earned lunch. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>After lunch the rolls were ready to bake. As noted above, they baked up into gorgeous and delicious rolls. While they were baking we took the sweet dough out of the proofing oven, punched it down (Miss G was getting good at that, too) and divided it into thirds with the bench scraper.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U8FWB535jNkBREA1jku7WEqrXr-9vsxNl_KcpkKV6QLsX6MEEbELiZ0H4_KJi0RTY6sfnZY3wKfRD3oSiAZXfddBXh9wBJi4nYgrd-O7HwRkLgKKM-uL88aee_hCT12ZTY4OOK_E5lly/s1600-h/gin+braid+divide.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 270px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417165276613986658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U8FWB535jNkBREA1jku7WEqrXr-9vsxNl_KcpkKV6QLsX6MEEbELiZ0H4_KJi0RTY6sfnZY3wKfRD3oSiAZXfddBXh9wBJi4nYgrd-O7HwRkLgKKM-uL88aee_hCT12ZTY4OOK_E5lly/s400/gin+braid+divide.jpg" /></a> Each third was shaped into a long rope. I found that squeezing the dough in the middle got the rope started forming and then it was like working with play-doh.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJuLau8HeqYaRASTMM-wZOBvE8d2zbaDpRw38Yu6vEK6lGGhXnvek8agbyziRudceCPUFON-yFVKwCU96TxtZzi4vZAtWR9HphlCjdKWtzPgbrnFjs-osSAdZwxO9kXG6dM7W6HNJfcCt/s1600-h/gin+braid+rope.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417165268584655410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJuLau8HeqYaRASTMM-wZOBvE8d2zbaDpRw38Yu6vEK6lGGhXnvek8agbyziRudceCPUFON-yFVKwCU96TxtZzi4vZAtWR9HphlCjdKWtzPgbrnFjs-osSAdZwxO9kXG6dM7W6HNJfcCt/s400/gin+braid+rope.jpg" /></a> Once the ropes were made, with one slightly longer than the other two, they were moved to a silicon mat lined baking sheet where we braided then just as you would plait hair. Now the towel was placed on over the braid and it was set aside to double in size.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>By now the rolls were done and the kitchen smell all nice and yeasty and of freshly baked bread! We brewed up some tea and shared one after it had cooled slightly. It was great with some butter but even better with a bit of bitter orange marmalade! When Miss G's hubby came home he enjoyed a fresh roll, too.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>The braid had doubled in bulk by then, so we glazed it with beaten egg,<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQ7Pokv5mRNLfnzS6H-xUFJQLohS-9wFoTxaW4UYZ2V0Q8vDkuUZFdpqs859w07R3pgt-GmtoROw5XSRSIY70E0ah2ze-sC0M5AJETApNQgV0MdPqPsDo1odFA2phA2OYhYrZgOwBPKp6/s1600-h/gin+braid+glaze.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417145134708580850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQ7Pokv5mRNLfnzS6H-xUFJQLohS-9wFoTxaW4UYZ2V0Q8vDkuUZFdpqs859w07R3pgt-GmtoROw5XSRSIY70E0ah2ze-sC0M5AJETApNQgV0MdPqPsDo1odFA2phA2OYhYrZgOwBPKp6/s400/gin+braid+glaze.jpg" /></a><br />sprinkled on some sugar and put it in the oven.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTDn2sy3WePV92F-8CWdKhKKltsb7GSYVgo9jcyscvSVJujRArtroJB0XmwCsJgosvLfZSVdsrWp7P9WJesKQe36rwwbDh68CxAnCr_kaYr_FkQ92LRxoEdP46TuZIwf3am-5O_tDyehe/s1600-h/gins+brais+in+oven.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417145146136038498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTDn2sy3WePV92F-8CWdKhKKltsb7GSYVgo9jcyscvSVJujRArtroJB0XmwCsJgosvLfZSVdsrWp7P9WJesKQe36rwwbDh68CxAnCr_kaYr_FkQ92LRxoEdP46TuZIwf3am-5O_tDyehe/s400/gins+brais+in+oven.jpg" /></a> The braid baked while we cleaned up. It, too had wonderful oven spring and it was so large that it stretched the length of a half sheet pan! Once baked it was a sight to behold, all golden brown and puffed. (See photo at top of post) You could see bits of the cranberries and walnuts peeking out of the crust. I had made a point to have Miss G tap on the loaf before it should have been done, 5 minutes later, and then 5 minutes after that when it was done so that she could hear the difference between almost baked and fully baked. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>All in all it was a super fun day and some great bread was made, conversations and laughter shared and new skills developed. We are already talking about another bread baking day in January! You'll want to come back and see what we make.<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>Happy holidays to you and yours! May your days be merry and bright and full of the smells of bread baking and being eaten with enjoyment!</div><div></div><div>XOXO Elle<br /><br /><strong>Cranberry-Walnut Bread<br /></strong><em>from the Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate’ blog<br /></em>makes one braided loaf, the shaped bread will fit on a half-sheet pan<br /><br /><strong>Dough Ingredients:</strong><br />Ingredients Volume<br />bread flour 3 cups<br />granulated sugar 3 tbsp<br />salt 1/2 tbsp<br />instant yeast 3 1/2 tsp<br /><br />orange zest 3 tbsp<br />large eggs 2<br />whole milk 1/2 cup<br />butter, melted 2 tbsp<br />water 1/4 cup<br />dried cranberries- 1 1/2 cups<br />coarsely chopped walnuts 3/4 cups<br /><br />1 whisked egg, for the egg wash<br /><br /><strong>Instructions:</strong><br />Mix Stir the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together.<br />Add the orange zest, eggs (lightly beaten), whole milk (at room temp.), butter, and water(at room temp.).<br />Mix until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.<br /><br />Knead 5 to 6 minutes – OK to use stand mixer<br /><br />Rest 5 minutes<br /><br />Knead On a lightly floured surface spread out the dough in a rough rectangle by pushing down on it. Add the cranberries and walnuts.<br /><br />Gently fold the dough over itself until the cranberries and walnuts are evenly incorporated.<br /><br />Bulk Ferment - 2 hours at room temperature<br /><br />Shape three-braid (as shown), boule, or batard.<br /><br />Final Proof 60 to 90 minutes at room temperature while uncovered,<br />or until almost doubled in size<br /></div><div>Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.<br /><br />Egg Wash - Glaze the braid with the egg wash<br /><br />Bake Bake for 50 to 55 minutes at 325ºF, rotating the loaf halfway through baking if necessary. The center of the loaf will register 185ºF to 190ºF when done.<br /><br />Cool At least 1 hour<br /><br />URL: http://www.applepiepatispate.com/bread/cranberry-walnut/ </div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-42043185135855068062009-11-28T21:38:00.000-08:002009-11-29T10:19:20.658-08:00Three Related Breads<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0XjEembiaBkwjfsqkPBPMuia-I4Ye2WyHLGlNUqXhFSjDpENmAuQRA-ZtKnx6aSmC-XiN4v49A3GjAdGKTs3SG-s8lY-tAQaUx1ldvPVJNsv6bFMnh3h9ZmabsDkpSm-Zi6UchRTrsrB/s1600/second+way+braid.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564744327829282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0XjEembiaBkwjfsqkPBPMuia-I4Ye2WyHLGlNUqXhFSjDpENmAuQRA-ZtKnx6aSmC-XiN4v49A3GjAdGKTs3SG-s8lY-tAQaUx1ldvPVJNsv6bFMnh3h9ZmabsDkpSm-Zi6UchRTrsrB/s400/second+way+braid.jpg" /></a><br /><div>It's been so long since I posted here! There has been bread baked, but the recipes were not written down and the memory of them got lost in the swirl that has been my life for the last two months or more.</div><br /><div></div><div>The good news is that a number of family members, including my Mom, came to visit mid-November and I made them some bread. When the first loaf was inhaled by those who will not be named so that Mom didn't even get a piece, I made it again in a slightly different version so that she could enjoy it. It was such a hit that I sent a braided loaf, this time with seeds added, to River City...and some of it actually made it to my brother on the East coast!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwX_wkcXmSiwowMvEYUGn5MhzYvn5Bj8VY7JdvXyVOjtqputcAiV7bOhM9oyCtGb49OZeezQhlImsT4OfQmdkPePlaPDRoaGqvZIFQqtS0qLOlQVi9P9LVqSAqhy1ybqDm_75B5PxFvz1/s1600/third+way+close.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564729215262738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwX_wkcXmSiwowMvEYUGn5MhzYvn5Bj8VY7JdvXyVOjtqputcAiV7bOhM9oyCtGb49OZeezQhlImsT4OfQmdkPePlaPDRoaGqvZIFQqtS0qLOlQVi9P9LVqSAqhy1ybqDm_75B5PxFvz1/s400/third+way+close.jpg" /></a> I have now had requests that the seeded one be sent for Christmas presents. Might happen...depends on if time allows...and that has been in short supply for optional things of late.</div><br /><div></div><div>All three loaves contained whole wheat flour, barley flour, and unbleached bread flour. The first one also had some oats and the last one had seeds but the recipe was largely the same. I baked the second one a bit longer than usual, but we liked the extra crustiness that resulted. I think I also forgot to glaze that loaf...it was still delish.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB7DUdJ9QQUjt5F8usnVVvPvAeKZrSouB4LYApdJ1VHpKLegJ1vSMB2hfNtmQb5HMaoHRO9SN13j2VRy6QE92zAB-pt-CjWeoQfbXe6lkHIkOAVUSjQw8GRCHWc5AUchnfUzUlYSbmGJ6/s1600/first+way+slice.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564975262868690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXB7DUdJ9QQUjt5F8usnVVvPvAeKZrSouB4LYApdJ1VHpKLegJ1vSMB2hfNtmQb5HMaoHRO9SN13j2VRy6QE92zAB-pt-CjWeoQfbXe6lkHIkOAVUSjQw8GRCHWc5AUchnfUzUlYSbmGJ6/s400/first+way+slice.jpg" /></a> The dough is soft and easy to work with and yields loaves that have a good crumb and tasty enough to eat without butter. I confess, my favorite thing to do was take a slice, toast it, butter the toast and add a little jam....yum! I never did taste the seeded one but was told that it was the best of the three.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6W4-6d9IIvwcFMTL8gQNFskNPA_KjZPfJGlefNnhl_8CDUojpfaiQRTKlPr_yiP3ivANszOeVUNmPZttbBwkzJwSQSfsmF51tmedGu7B9JmF3N0Q4Kt7qYCfe5usN7i6f9HasP8rE66b/s1600/first+way+crumb.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564987620932946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6W4-6d9IIvwcFMTL8gQNFskNPA_KjZPfJGlefNnhl_8CDUojpfaiQRTKlPr_yiP3ivANszOeVUNmPZttbBwkzJwSQSfsmF51tmedGu7B9JmF3N0Q4Kt7qYCfe5usN7i6f9HasP8rE66b/s400/first+way+crumb.jpg" /></a></div>The recipe is a little confusing unless you look at it as A) The Sponge - 2 versions, B) The Mixing and First Rise - pretty much the same for all versions, and C) The Shaping and Baking - 3 versions, although the only difference between Second Way and Third Way is that the latter has seeds added. Does that help? Guess not, but it's the best I can do.<br /><br /><div><strong>Three Way Barley Wheat Bread<br /></strong></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMFPMZKJ1LNB3caF_et5i-fLwUrHdPdKqiSB3ATUbj3PA-nopksaHmBhpFRjInYJ8jSx2DnW-dpgg8bB0YVlcJx_tGxk7nMEQkUe33tXRmgaiCPws8AcxM29msSveL9VMtsNQlHxIxpwf/s1600/first+way+loaf.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 354px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564981847283410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMFPMZKJ1LNB3caF_et5i-fLwUrHdPdKqiSB3ATUbj3PA-nopksaHmBhpFRjInYJ8jSx2DnW-dpgg8bB0YVlcJx_tGxk7nMEQkUe33tXRmgaiCPws8AcxM29msSveL9VMtsNQlHxIxpwf/s400/first+way+loaf.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>First Way - The Sponge:</strong></div><br /><div>Cook 1/4 cup steel cut oats in 3/4 cup water according to package directions. Cool. To that add either 1 cup sour dough starter or 1 package active dry yeast which has been proofed for 5 minutes in 1/4 cup barely warm water. Break up the cooked oats. In another bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup barely warm water. Add to the cereal. Whisk it all together, cover with plastic and let sit overnight in a warm place.<br /><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39meWj8tdZnv7w59NDbHjASxccyYIgHx_X0otdowQgWgnBawYkN0-pjLRFbmt_7cw_UgltH3kaVVroJb-Uy2EfmAFZWxOThRFPHBVspsNSipLV038ig540vGi6ArpfAPwtA3dWpN4mrEZ/s1600/second+way+closer.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564740390408226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39meWj8tdZnv7w59NDbHjASxccyYIgHx_X0otdowQgWgnBawYkN0-pjLRFbmt_7cw_UgltH3kaVVroJb-Uy2EfmAFZWxOThRFPHBVspsNSipLV038ig540vGi6ArpfAPwtA3dWpN4mrEZ/s400/second+way+closer.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><strong>Second Way and Third Way - The Sponge:<br /></strong><br />Whisk together 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup water. To that add either 1 cup sourdough starter or 1 package active dry yeast which has been proofed for 5 minutes in 1/4 cup barely warm water. Whisk to combine. Cover with plastic and let sit overnight in a warm place.</div><br /><div><strong>ALL Three Ways - The Mixing and First Rise:</strong></div><br /><div>The next morning take the sponge that has been sitting overnight and put into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Set aside.</div><br /><div>In a large Pyrex measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup warm milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons soft butter. Set aside.</div><br /><div>In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup barley flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour), and 2 cups unbleached bread flour. Set aside.</div><br /><div>Add the milk mixture to the sponge mixture in the mixing bowl. Blend with the mixer for a few minutes. Add 1 egg, beaten and blend with the mixer for a few minutes. With the mixer on a low setting, gradually add the flour mixture, letting the dough climb the dough hook. Continue to add small amounts of flour until a soft dough forms and the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. You may need additional bread flour...that's OK. let the mixer knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until silky.</div><br /><div>Turn dough out onto a lightly flour surface. Knead a few times, then shape into a ball. Oil a bowl or dough rising container, then oil the whole surface of the dough ball by turning it in the oiled bowl or container. Cover loosely and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.<br /></div><div>Punch down risen dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead a few turns to get rid of big air bubbles.</div><br /><div><strong>First Way- Shaping and Second Rise and Baking:<br /><br /></strong></div><div>Flatten dough into a rectangle, roll up jelly roll fashion, tuck ends under and place in a greased bread loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.</div><br /><div>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover loaf and discard plastic, if using. Bake risen loaf in oven until golden brown and until loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 -50 minutes. Turn out of loaf pan and let cool on wire rack. <strong>Makes one loaf of Oatmeal Barley Whole Wheat Bread.</strong></div><br /><div><strong>Second Way - Shaping, Second Rise and Baking:</strong></div><div><br />Flatten dough into a rectangle. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut dough into three equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it under your palm to make a rope about 15 inches long. Place the three ropes side by side on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet and braid.(I usually start the braid in the middle, braid out to one end, then start in the middle and braid out to the other end.) Tuck ends under, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover loaf and discard plastic wrap, if using. Brush loaf with a wash of 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Bake until golden brown and until loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 40-50 minutes. Place braid on a wire rack to cool. <strong>Makes one Braided Barley and Whole Wheat Loaf.</strong></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8oTxqyBELkKHe9XKhM_Lwv6U53MWfIG2xlySe3wT6__ldj3MvEhtOKsTAuC-FTCWWesfGrtvwwrwc7r1g9jw-h10I4V5TSsKBZdeNk_rQ-Izfebdcd9VTJ9gOYthHS1HrM4ZSHQnL8AX/s1600/third+way+braid.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564730703692818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8oTxqyBELkKHe9XKhM_Lwv6U53MWfIG2xlySe3wT6__ldj3MvEhtOKsTAuC-FTCWWesfGrtvwwrwc7r1g9jw-h10I4V5TSsKBZdeNk_rQ-Izfebdcd9VTJ9gOYthHS1HrM4ZSHQnL8AX/s400/third+way+braid.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>Third Way - Shaping, Second Rise and Baking:</strong></div><br />Flatten dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle on over whole surface 1 tablespoon mixed seeds (I use King Arthur Flour's Harvest Grains Blend which also contains some grain flakes). Roll up jelly roll fashion, then bring ends up and to middle of roll. Flatten dough into a rectangle again, again sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds, again roll up jelly roll fashion, again bring ends up and to the middle of the roll. Repeat two more times, for a total of 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of seeds. Knead about 10 turns to further distribute the seeds. Divide dough into 3 equal parts with bench scraper or sharp knife. Follow directions for Second Way to shape into a braid on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking sheet. Let rise as described in Second Way. Glaze as described in Second Way and bake the same way. <strong>Makes one Braided Barley Whole Wheat Seeded Loaf.<br /></strong><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59somJleAsy4n-_dgX6g-Kj3j8ktQeEAtHgOBt3gfK_aIeJjyJkKsv-9Lw3fGLbPnd0pKM0kkl0X5nIpqVmPdNlaNUVDWCN2hakHqTWksmxuDMhYqj0B0WKaTpSf54YhiYcZIuTNZIdmc/s1600/third+way+seeded.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409564721919533746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59somJleAsy4n-_dgX6g-Kj3j8ktQeEAtHgOBt3gfK_aIeJjyJkKsv-9Lw3fGLbPnd0pKM0kkl0X5nIpqVmPdNlaNUVDWCN2hakHqTWksmxuDMhYqj0B0WKaTpSf54YhiYcZIuTNZIdmc/s400/third+way+seeded.jpg" /></a><br /><div>So there you have three related breads. They all have the barley and wheat and one has oats and the last has seeds. One is a sandwich loaf and two are braids, although any could be sandwich loaves or braids or even dinner rolls...just different shaping to do that. This dough is a pleasure to work with and delicious once baked...in all three versions.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-6626437818244936512009-10-15T22:06:00.022-07:002009-10-31T21:55:53.359-07:00World Bread Day 2009 - Yes we BAKE!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwjLdCnhoRWH1rT2ASFcEpgjxj7G0GZslRjlVoQ6knQGrKkJjDsPVfzLSmiLw53jft3K573ndiNVwynVg_Pm2AUa_sSyEUwF69PEvHPcipa9WYASxxntrc5g3d5k9A1zEggTE252d37-A/s1600-h/wld+brd+day.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393064966570766194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 302px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwjLdCnhoRWH1rT2ASFcEpgjxj7G0GZslRjlVoQ6knQGrKkJjDsPVfzLSmiLw53jft3K573ndiNVwynVg_Pm2AUa_sSyEUwF69PEvHPcipa9WYASxxntrc5g3d5k9A1zEggTE252d37-A/s400/wld+brd+day.jpg" border="0" /></a> When World Bread Day came around last year, this blog didn't even exist. It is the product of my obsession with baking bread...I think of it as an adjunct to my original blog, Feeding My Enthusiasms. I was just at the beginning of my sourdough starter journey last October. Although I had baked yeasted breads in the past, I didn't think of myself, at all, as a bread baker. Poor Xam wasn't yet the Bread Baker's Dog. He is sure glad that I'm now a regular bread baker :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA93Ormaf-qYrzFhq7Da7MhEhK7Uvv91QhgthF1wXvjoFq2rByBS-wSHuO8ZullnUpPbaloVkurQbkHM_e_JmIStl_xPWRznEjsbsfvtCXhyphenhyphenAHCIgpC-cgYCRpIvNhAziEc30Q-PvUaqr/s1600-h/wbd+rounfup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398994056213970786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA93Ormaf-qYrzFhq7Da7MhEhK7Uvv91QhgthF1wXvjoFq2rByBS-wSHuO8ZullnUpPbaloVkurQbkHM_e_JmIStl_xPWRznEjsbsfvtCXhyphenhyphenAHCIgpC-cgYCRpIvNhAziEc30Q-PvUaqr/s400/wbd+rounfup.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The ROUNDUP can be found at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" 20href="">1x umruhren bitte</a>.You can go there to learn more about <strong>World Bread Day</strong> and Bread Baking Days, too.<br /><br />A constant source of inspiration is the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Yeastspotting</a> event, mostly hosted by Susan at Wild Yeast blog. Every week there are wonderful yeasted breads, rolls, flatbreads, sweet breads and more.<br /><br />Now that my sourdough starter from last October has gone bad, I'm making a new one, but that means that I'm using packaged yeast for recipes this month. With the holidays coming up, I've been spending time looking at The Festive Bread Book by Kathy Cutler. That is where I saw the illustration for making this bread, although I chose to use a different bread dough. This is a fun one ladies and gents...like playing with clay, only it's softer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0A6fl3L3FQ7LGPABvXzPM9vyqw6GEOyy-jvyb-qiHVLoJ7jEWSQZRMXN3NLez7SKjFTfMPR46_vpOuVOn4P_ZVrigxnDrFodtpkoA_bTl-XZEjgtraNd3BMBUKW4Yr8lZM85V8xRO38F/s1600-h/sheaf+slice+buttred.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393064998907506258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0A6fl3L3FQ7LGPABvXzPM9vyqw6GEOyy-jvyb-qiHVLoJ7jEWSQZRMXN3NLez7SKjFTfMPR46_vpOuVOn4P_ZVrigxnDrFodtpkoA_bTl-XZEjgtraNd3BMBUKW4Yr8lZM85V8xRO38F/s400/sheaf+slice+buttred.jpg" border="0" /></a> A third of the dough was used in a bodacious chocolate and vanillia swirled snail loaf. That recipe can be found <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/10/world-bread-day-2009-yes-we-bake.html">here </a>on Feeding My Enthusiasms blog.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RkQmMdRzQozfQT4mT7FiHuNTSQBUOa-i9BuPEsARg1VfHpkr4Ap-pIZpqO-uRvAnGIF2zZbdTEYwF6yn614jPUUSica0JTZzgARompaW2wBgvw3T2z4IS4nmCNDTKUsF63W2MFCvXrIn/s1600-h/slice+snail+and+bread.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393066695779613218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RkQmMdRzQozfQT4mT7FiHuNTSQBUOa-i9BuPEsARg1VfHpkr4Ap-pIZpqO-uRvAnGIF2zZbdTEYwF6yn614jPUUSica0JTZzgARompaW2wBgvw3T2z4IS4nmCNDTKUsF63W2MFCvXrIn/s400/slice+snail+and+bread.jpg" border="0" /></a> See that line of white milk bread? It sure helps temper the richness of all that chocolate!<br /><br />The other two thirds were used for this lovely, soft and sweet milk bread for <a href="http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/announcing-world-bread-day-2009-yes-we-bake/">World Bread Day</a>!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmONBiM-PNqNivKMnzUq_qfs1SfJUiqUowK_TKZLltI7hK6EzlniTprvxSffdKZdYogRphz_wAl5WaK_gLnHOat_ncjPHBzCki01BG6fU_G2ghCV3MfvtkR3Zbwru-zSezAyOo6UuxpWDp/s1600-h/full+sheaf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393064974050460946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmONBiM-PNqNivKMnzUq_qfs1SfJUiqUowK_TKZLltI7hK6EzlniTprvxSffdKZdYogRphz_wAl5WaK_gLnHOat_ncjPHBzCki01BG6fU_G2ghCV3MfvtkR3Zbwru-zSezAyOo6UuxpWDp/s400/full+sheaf.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Harvest Sheaf</strong><br /><br />This bread is shaped like a sheaf of wheat. It would make a great addition to a fall buffet table or for Thanksgiving breakfast or dinner.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArCFOSPXaxFbLQCzmfTiJHPu9VO8L2Pc-uO2Y8mjgVkqDtup8hgok9NgGsgqir0G80QTMXgKH5yN0OIGm4tG14efGdkm8lcphBUp7I7JWLQHYW9FUS4g4EgzrwuVI7ioOMZfoGZYBwHni/s1600-h/sheaf+and+jelly.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393064980252015362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 301px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArCFOSPXaxFbLQCzmfTiJHPu9VO8L2Pc-uO2Y8mjgVkqDtup8hgok9NgGsgqir0G80QTMXgKH5yN0OIGm4tG14efGdkm8lcphBUp7I7JWLQHYW9FUS4g4EgzrwuVI7ioOMZfoGZYBwHni/s400/sheaf+and+jelly.jpg" border="0" /></a> With quince jelly and a little butter, it is amazing!<br /><br />I used 2/3 of the Milk Bread recipe from The Italian Baker by Carol Field to make the Harvest Sheaf. You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post and also, along with one for a yummy Chocolate Bread, <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/10/world-bread-day-2009-yes-we-bake.html">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYnOwqfuh8pEQ4GkOMfmxexghV1z3oaqBvr2Iz8DERpLM7dxHGqkymfnxON4FoYo0kjlFVFhmrIULBQL2Ltk4ogXmVuwtwl4ATlRoPLrnX5Rpj7KQ-876CwVDDiHG61jvCo6L2s01Weec/s1600-h/yes+we+bake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393079164920255314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYnOwqfuh8pEQ4GkOMfmxexghV1z3oaqBvr2Iz8DERpLM7dxHGqkymfnxON4FoYo0kjlFVFhmrIULBQL2Ltk4ogXmVuwtwl4ATlRoPLrnX5Rpj7KQ-876CwVDDiHG61jvCo6L2s01Weec/s320/yes+we+bake.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>Shaping the Harvest Braid <span style="font-size:85%;">(diagram and recipe at the bottom of this post):</span><br /></strong><br /><br />Make the Milk Bread dough as it is given in the recipe.<br /><br />After the first rising, punch the dough down. You have to approximate the amount of dough needed for each of the following, but the Milk Dough is so easy to work with that you can pinch off some if you have too much or add a bit from another ball of dough if you don’t have enough.<br /><br />Roll dough into ropes, each about ½ inch thick: four 5-inch ropes, eight 13-inch ropes, eight 16-inch ropes. You may need to make the longer ropes 10 inches and 13 inches respectively … by the time I was making this bread I wasn’t into measuring…I just made eight long ones and eight shorter ones, plus the four very short ones became three very short ones.<br /><br />Start by putting a silicone mat or parchment paper on a large baking sheet.<br />The first layer has the ropes touching, starting from the center and moving left and right, with a bend about a third of the way down, four bending one way and four the other.<br /><br />The next layer has six of the shorter ropes, touching, placed on top of the first set of ropes, half of the ropes bending one way and half the other, about a third of the way down from the top.<br /><br />The final two ropes are placed on top of that with one bending one way and the other bending the opposite way. I think I actually put one of the long ones almost upright to fill in the sheaf top. I think I spread mine out too much, so the top was pretty, but seemed too flat in comparison to the stacked bottom part.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTyHJkMX1yW_5PSztH4TbQaGEhS4FA5wknp9GHBOtIZIoVk9er3s11zKGQPpAqVQFDP0EP82Y_o5-OqsHSlueQyJpZR7BHoI3jOSVJ1ff7hORBVibrB_y2CvK_3d_uTTcg8WrDY4iw9aQ/s1600-h/sheaf+close.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393064986880221042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTyHJkMX1yW_5PSztH4TbQaGEhS4FA5wknp9GHBOtIZIoVk9er3s11zKGQPpAqVQFDP0EP82Y_o5-OqsHSlueQyJpZR7BHoI3jOSVJ1ff7hORBVibrB_y2CvK_3d_uTTcg8WrDY4iw9aQ/s400/sheaf+close.jpg" border="0" /></a> Take the four (or three) short ropes and twist them together (two twists if you have four ropes, one twist of three strands if you have three like I did). Place the twisted rope across the ‘sheaf’ about half way down. As if it were securing the sheaf together. Tuck the ends under.<br /><br />Take sharp scissors and snip along the bent portion of the stalks to simulate wheat grains.<br /><br />Cover and let rise in a warm place until double – about 30 minutes. Make glaze of one egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush over the whole loaf.<br /><br />Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.<br /><br />This bread is slightly sweet and milky and very mild in flavor. It is great with butter and jam.<br /><br /><strong>Milk Bread</strong><br /><br /><em>SPONGE:</em><br />1 ¾ teaspoons dry yeast or 2/3 small cake (12 grams) fresh yeast<br />1 tablespoon sugar<br />½ cup warm milk<br />1 cup less 1 tablespoon (130-135 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour<br />Stir the yeast and sugar into the milk in a large mixing bowl or mixer bowl; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and whisk vigorously to make a thick batter. Cover and let stand until doubled, less than 1 hour.<br /><br /><em>DOUGH:</em><br />1 egg 1 tablespoon rum<br />1 cup milk, room temperature<br />½ stick (55 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />2 ¾ cups (175 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt<br /><br />Add the egg, rum, milk, and butter to the sponge and mix with the paddle for about 1 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour and the salt and mix on low speed. Change to the dough hook and add the rest of the flour and knead until soft, silky and elastic, 3 – 4 minutes once the flour is incorporated. Finish kneading briefly by hand on a lightly flour surface.<br /><br />Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours. The dough should be very soft but slightly tacky, and if you pinch the surface, the little peaks of dough should hold their shape.<br /><br />Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Take one of the pieces and use it for the Chocolate-Vanilla Swirled Snail Loaf, found <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/10/world-bread-day-2009-yes-we-bake.html">HERE</a>, or make a round loaf with it, pulling the dough under to form a 'skin', then cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Bake it along with the Sheaf, on a separate baking sheet.<br /><br />Form the Harvest Sheaf with the 2/3 left, using this diagram and the instructions above.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIduX1X0tleDinEjcjlFXvdwat8kIZ6PlTyqOxdJRHz8KekXLVe5BCj9diDLa4xBCkwr-2OoqNOBLCgmALElMd1lGN-1rGYQs-oOWhTA9We1fx46G9rrXUeNYlXQOjMVbyGP3FOZuxreU/s1600-h/harvest+sheaf+illustration.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393068235027903266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIduX1X0tleDinEjcjlFXvdwat8kIZ6PlTyqOxdJRHz8KekXLVe5BCj9diDLa4xBCkwr-2OoqNOBLCgmALElMd1lGN-1rGYQs-oOWhTA9We1fx46G9rrXUeNYlXQOjMVbyGP3FOZuxreU/s400/harvest+sheaf+illustration.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-73691991829933023002009-10-03T12:59:00.000-07:002009-10-06T10:52:23.439-07:00Friendly Fun Fougasse<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMnAnvTn91sMj4-m_Wyy5H6AG3T58CxL4a5E0g6mmnjtq17nZqfDjrDnfmpbnEEuogucGl3yjPw5J77wVk-sbEnpD6nlWvQ6f7r8lFFUgIHFbFa07pXCIO_1tZAV4LEFrKQxNWuLmOSt1/s1600-h/foucasse+baked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389284995533643506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 293px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMnAnvTn91sMj4-m_Wyy5H6AG3T58CxL4a5E0g6mmnjtq17nZqfDjrDnfmpbnEEuogucGl3yjPw5J77wVk-sbEnpD6nlWvQ6f7r8lFFUgIHFbFa07pXCIO_1tZAV4LEFrKQxNWuLmOSt1/s400/foucasse+baked.jpg" border="0" /></a> Bread Baking has been low on the list of priorities of late. The last post here was in August and it is already October 5. I've been reading a lot of bread recipes but not baking. Time to change that. Some days the words just don't flow, so if this post seems to need something, believe me I feel that way, too...maybe some salt?<br /><br /><div>A few months ago I was lucky enough to be in Seattle at the same time that Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups was visiting. She kindly asked me to join her when she met with Lynn of <a href="http://cookiebakerlynn.blogspot.com/">Cookie Baker Lynn</a>. Lynn lives in the Seattle area so she knew of great chocolate places as well at a wonderful bread store/cafe'.<br /><br />One of the fun things to do with bloggers is to exchange goodie boxes. Cookbooks are a fun thing to send and receive. Recently a cookbook found it's way to me from Lynn and I had a great time looking at all the recipes. Today I finally had time to make one of the breads in the book. The book is called Basic Baking: Flavored Breads by Linda Collister. There are dozens of delightful breads. I decided to start with the Bacon and Walnut Fougasses in the Mediterranean Flavors section. Thank you Lynn!<br /><br />I've never made fougasse before but have long been intrigued by the way that you slash the bread in a sort of herringbone or ladder shape. It is a kind of flatbread, similar to foccacia. I liked that the crust was not too thick or firm and that some crust formed in the slashed areas.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQl09N-CSAFpJ7bx-MpdR7UxzqifEpdkwThYZPZVAALYHDdL2t_oWWX_90zO9OPAWNhn1RmPP52zE2jpNSyPUfujNCGk9tUIV4RBFTIYMQqp13tr-3hXVoq6V2QGkK_KKUVJrSllDkjv6/s1600-h/walnuts.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389285018667839570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQl09N-CSAFpJ7bx-MpdR7UxzqifEpdkwThYZPZVAALYHDdL2t_oWWX_90zO9OPAWNhn1RmPP52zE2jpNSyPUfujNCGk9tUIV4RBFTIYMQqp13tr-3hXVoq6V2QGkK_KKUVJrSllDkjv6/s400/walnuts.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is the time of year when the walnuts are falling fromt he tree and making a loud thunk when they hit our deck. Walnuts are a great fall ingredient and since the gougasses are flat, the walnuts get toasted while baking. The walnut flavor was just strong enough, but the bacon flavor was faint in the four I made with bacon. It's possible that it would be better with a different kind of bacon than the one I found in the fridge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FH2tUjfmsCk4fQMr9a2MJTLRmiUxucHSMoHvCGENLuPem9hyphenhyphenQ7qKr_aI-hcINp-Gpv0KpgHbE1IpivryvO9HqgRzs9U6ekCQCEn8kOOOB14H_LF7ACBiXyRkx6yVRsT1nuA1O41W6mlZ/s1600-h/foucasse+shaped.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389301712365566306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FH2tUjfmsCk4fQMr9a2MJTLRmiUxucHSMoHvCGENLuPem9hyphenhyphenQ7qKr_aI-hcINp-Gpv0KpgHbE1IpivryvO9HqgRzs9U6ekCQCEn8kOOOB14H_LF7ACBiXyRkx6yVRsT1nuA1O41W6mlZ/s400/foucasse+shaped.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Walnut Fougasses</strong> (some with Bacon)<br />Makes 8 pieces<br /><br />“These attractive, oval, individual loves come from Provence where, these days, they are made plain or flavored with olives, herbs, charcuterie, or even candied fruit. Use top-quality bacon…”<br /><br />I changed the recipe a bit by using whole wheat flour for some of the flour and by using dry yeast instead of cake yeast. If you wish to you cake yeast, e-mail me and I’ll send you the recipe for using compressed cake yeast.<br /><br />1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil<br />5 oz. rindless bacon, finely diced<br />2/3 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped<br />3 cups unbleached white bread flour<br />1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour<br />2 teaspoons sea salt<br />1 package active dry yeast – I used quick rising yeast<br />1 ¼ cups lukewarm water, divided<br />1 egg beaten<br />3 tablespoons olive oil<br />extra flour, for dusting<br />extra oil, for brushing<br />several baking trays, greased or lined with silicon baking mats or parchment paper<br /><br />Heat the oil in a skillet, add the bacon, and saute’ until golden and crisp, but not hard. Drain on paper towels, then combine well with the walnuts. (If your bacon is very fatty, you can probably skip the extra oil in the pan…I did)<br /><br />Put the flours in a large bowl, mix well. Remove one cup and set aside. Mix the salt into the larger bowl of flour, then set that aside, too.<br /><br />Sprinkle the dry yeast over ¼ cup of the lukewarm water in a small bowl. Let sit 10 minutes to hydrate and proof.<br /><br />Make a well in the center of the flour/salt mixture. Into the well pour the yeast mixture, the rest of the lukewarm water (1 cup), the beaten egg and the olive oil. Gradually work in the flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. Use additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, from the reserved one cup to make the dough the right consistency to knead.<br /><br />Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes, adding additional flour from the reserved flour if needed. When finished dough will feel fairly smooth, very elastic, and silky.<br /><br />Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over so the entire surface is lightly coated with oil.<br /><br />Cover with a damp cloth and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size – about 1 ½ hours. Punch down the dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the bacon and nuts until evenly distributed.<br /><br />Weigh the dough and divide into 8 equal parts.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEatpo0GXWlsMijqbqsJVTAaOg6oFF7glEd4TVB9tzK_y8CvhLXfW5bQZJe4-6vlAocWFEBnO_dQ4x9PGTz1mXe2PHg6CX08vODcuBiahMHTwuSvmK6KsokXB9ycD8sEHPTHBi94BcSP/s1600-h/foucasse+stacked+dough.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389285015275642914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEatpo0GXWlsMijqbqsJVTAaOg6oFF7glEd4TVB9tzK_y8CvhLXfW5bQZJe4-6vlAocWFEBnO_dQ4x9PGTz1mXe2PHg6CX08vODcuBiahMHTwuSvmK6KsokXB9ycD8sEHPTHBi94BcSP/s400/foucasse+stacked+dough.jpg" border="0" /></a> Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into an oval about 8 ½ by 5 by ½ inch. With a sharp knife, cut about 8 slits in a herringbone pattern in each oval. Arrange them, spaced apart, on the baking trays.<br /><br />Lightly cover the baking trays with a damp cloth and let rise at cool to normal room temperature until doubled in size – about 45 minutes.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix28znE_yGNdJCC2OgJNVZY2MrAXEIW7z04hYo1ns9gC4fKquyl1PmhSx-97WFwGeA3aLQb-maCapoRwPnII1m5BA-IEw_QWl_dhyphenhyphenmMfL3YV70mKott5WSXCdrbXrk-EbMS5UlIHa3T_Rh/s1600-h/foucasse+ready+to+rise.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389285004591675714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix28znE_yGNdJCC2OgJNVZY2MrAXEIW7z04hYo1ns9gC4fKquyl1PmhSx-97WFwGeA3aLQb-maCapoRwPnII1m5BA-IEw_QWl_dhyphenhyphenmMfL3YV70mKott5WSXCdrbXrk-EbMS5UlIHa3T_Rh/s400/foucasse+ready+to+rise.jpg" border="0" /></a> Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the fougasses and lightly brush with oil. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.<br /><br />I made half of these with only the walnuts because I thought we were out of bacon, but later discovered that we had some bacon, so the second batch of 4 were made with the bacon. Although they were fine with just walnuts, the bacon added an extra dimension. Next time I would use a different kind of bacon...something drier and more intensely flavored. If you want to omit the bacon, I would add some herbs to add additional flavor…perhaps some minced fresh rosemary or parsley.<br /><br />These are nice because each fougasse is a good size for one person and the slashed make they interesting visually, too. I didn’t pull at the rolls once the slashes were made to open up the holes for the first batch without the bacon, so they closed up a bit during the second rise. Sweetie liked them that way, but I like crust so I made the spaced larger for the bacon ones which gave a better crustiness around the slashes in those loaves. You can make them either way depending on how much crust you like. You can also omit the whole wheat flour and use only white flour as the original recipe suggests. I like the additional grain flavor that the whole wheat flour adds, but all white flour would be more refined. </div><br /><div>These are fun loaves to make due to the visual interest, the nice crust and chewiness. They make a nice addition to the bread basket and are especially nice warm, with some good butter. They taste lovely toasted, too.</div><div></div><div>I've been missing the weekly wonderful event that is <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a> at Susan's Wild Yeast...no time to even go there and drool over the bread being baked by the fantastic bakers featured there...so it's nice to have an entry again...and time to bake bread. Here is the URL for Susan's blog :<a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/">http://www.wildyeastblog.com/</a> </div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-82657085257180709952009-08-23T12:58:00.000-07:002009-08-26T15:26:41.952-07:00Sourdough Again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv620D3zLMdQdkOsg3LHFuQrir4HKgiccpMrc6U_WDeCnOTKMhDIhmpOn_GAywXwGd9uoYgvUMuQF88D1ZSJCDEHUvq5N6c95do11EeBrltCtZp1MqwCXcaMnopXlr6NhQghMc_2P1bBI/s1600-h/aug+seed+srdgh+slice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374400244609009570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv620D3zLMdQdkOsg3LHFuQrir4HKgiccpMrc6U_WDeCnOTKMhDIhmpOn_GAywXwGd9uoYgvUMuQF88D1ZSJCDEHUvq5N6c95do11EeBrltCtZp1MqwCXcaMnopXlr6NhQghMc_2P1bBI/s400/aug+seed+srdgh+slice.jpg" border="0" /></a> After over three months hibernation, the sourdough starter that I froze before we left for Ireland has been thawed, fed twice and made ready for action. The onset of ripe heirloom tomatoes led me to crave a sourdough sandwich with crisp bacon, ripe heirloom tomatoes and crunchy bacon.<br /><br /><br />Although there are dozens of regionally produced sourdough breads available to buy, without too much trouble, making my own means that I can add whatever I like to the dough and not pay a king's ransom for the results. The fact that the Straight Shooter Man recently gifted me with not one, but two...two! freshly milled flours added to the fun. He visited the <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=482">Bale grist mill </a>in Napa on a photo shoot and bought both the whole wheat bread flour and the spelt flour that they milled on site with old French mill stones.<br /><br />I started with one of the first Sourdough Bread recipes I used when my <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2008/10/sourdough-woot.html">starter was brand new last fall</a>. Now that I have a better sense of how to bake bread with a starter, I only used the recipe for a general guide and quickly went down a different path.<br /><br /><br />The flour bowl contained a mixture of unbleached bread flour, 12-grain flour, whole wheat bread flour and spelt flour. For additions once the kneading was finished I lightly toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Although that looked good, I also toasted a rolled grain mixture I use for muesli. It has barley flakes, triticale flakes, wheat flakes and oat flakes.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzSzoICFndjfdrL_RyeUt03p7knvz7YrPZKt8tKuIaRXnYdnSugaca6DRjwVPGqEaYuFU0vHX9I9IcRo4oTT0t2TmNlkjTJkrDxXePKtOWWtTurR-STFKULBPxwG2OMqsjBQmUp0hHWxc/s1600-h/aug+seed+srdgh+seeds.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374400237621216466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzSzoICFndjfdrL_RyeUt03p7knvz7YrPZKt8tKuIaRXnYdnSugaca6DRjwVPGqEaYuFU0vHX9I9IcRo4oTT0t2TmNlkjTJkrDxXePKtOWWtTurR-STFKULBPxwG2OMqsjBQmUp0hHWxc/s400/aug+seed+srdgh+seeds.jpg" border="0" /></a> There was no addition in this bread of a sweetener like honey or molasses or brown sugar, nor any butter or milk. </div><br /><div></div><div>Although it might be too late for this week, I'm sending this over to the host of <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a>, that weekly wonderland of inspiration for yeast lovers, hosted this week by Susan (I think). Do go by and check out all of the wonderful entries.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwrlA6j5O7v3Yk0XDj9ZNUYhyphenhyphenKuUr9UhjDnBI44vQHMGlQYrvBsXmfIhD8Gk3MbgjrIr3BJQLY4Yughf33fxvJETbLBRcJa7jBP9G3UT99d9o7dUHty_YV0CQitRbxRBhQqglpl1ncJnG/s1600-h/aug+seed+srdgh+slices.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374400253992164418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 345px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwrlA6j5O7v3Yk0XDj9ZNUYhyphenhyphenKuUr9UhjDnBI44vQHMGlQYrvBsXmfIhD8Gk3MbgjrIr3BJQLY4Yughf33fxvJETbLBRcJa7jBP9G3UT99d9o7dUHty_YV0CQitRbxRBhQqglpl1ncJnG/s400/aug+seed+srdgh+slices.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Sourdough Multigrain with Seeds</strong><br /><br />2 cups all purpose unbleached flour<br />1 cup 12 - grain flour (or use additional wheat flour)<br />1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour<br />1/2 cup spelt flour<br />1 cup sourdough starter<br />1 1/2 cups lukewarm (70 degree F) water<br />1 tablespoon salt<br />additional bread flour as needed<br />1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted<br />1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted<br />1/3 cup mixed grain flakes (rolled grain), toasted<br />1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted<br /><br />In a large bowl mix the all purpose flour, 12 grain flour, whole wheat flour and spelt flour together to combine.(I used a whisk to whisk them until combined.) </div><div><br />Put the starter, water and 1 cup flour mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to make a smooth batter. Use the paddle or dough hook with mixer on a low speed to work in additional 1 1/2 cups flour mixture. If not using dough hook, change to dough hook at this point. Add rest of the flour mixture to the dough, 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer on a low speed. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until dough is elastic, or turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead in the rest of the flour then knead for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic. </div><div><br />Let the dough rest 5 minutes, then push down with the palms of your hands to spread it into a rectangle approximately 10 inches by 12 inches. </div><div><br />Mix the seeds, grain flakes and walnuts together. Spread half on the rectangle, leaving an inch uncovered around the edges. Roll up like a jelly roll, then fold the two open ends into the center of the dough roll. Again push down into a rectangle, spread the other half of the seed mixture over it, leaving an inch uncovered on all sides, roll in jelly roll fashion, fold in the ends and knead a minute or two to distribute the seed mixture even more. </div><div><br />Lightly coat a 4-quart mixing bowl with oil and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Turn the dough over once so that the top of the dough is lightly coated with oil. Cover the mixing bowl with a loosely applied layer of plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature, until it has doubled in bulk, at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. </div><div><br />Press the air out of the risen dough and gently knead it until it is springy again, The dough will have a smooth, flexible 'skin', although some seeds may poke through. </div><div><br />Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into 2 balls, tucking the cut edges of the dough into the center of the balls, and stretching the 'skin' over the surface of the dough balls. Try to do that without tearing the 'skin'. This is hard to do with all the seeds. If a few pop through, don't worry about it.</div><div><br />Put the balls of dough on a baking sheet lined with a silicone pan liner or bakers' parchment. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise until they are doubled in size, about 4 hours. </div><div><br />Put a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and put a second rack one position above it. Pour a 1/2 inch layer of water into the baking sheet on the bottom shelf. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Just before putting the loaves in the oven, use a box cutter or a very sharp knife to cut shallow slashes in a cross over the surface of the loaves, about 1/8 inch deep. Bake the loaves until they are well browned and sound hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a loaf will register 200 degrees F.</div><div><br />Transfer the baked loaves to a cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature before slicing. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGHvoPmicpIHNlYhsUbP2F42OxB7Wmt2I0_OTVFFSV__jwzbHbcWOUEmr7-IYmFxNsVUOL6GETPdzME3XVS0tfawrzXMGdLrpQNza9ynBFATPkwp0QZDL116YIIgcPTX99Hm_Zh0ya1lv/s1600-h/aug+seed+srdgh+xam1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374400263238404050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 289px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGHvoPmicpIHNlYhsUbP2F42OxB7Wmt2I0_OTVFFSV__jwzbHbcWOUEmr7-IYmFxNsVUOL6GETPdzME3XVS0tfawrzXMGdLrpQNza9ynBFATPkwp0QZDL116YIIgcPTX99Hm_Zh0ya1lv/s400/aug+seed+srdgh+xam1.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong> Bakers dog news:</strong> Xam had stitches removed on Friday and he is like a young dog again, running around and even chasing his tail! Still has the grey muzzle and eyebrows to let us know the truth, but he has a spring to his step when we take walks that hasn't been there for months. Yay! Thanks for all your good wishes...I know it helped. Hugs, Elle</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-64540503660501097252009-08-11T20:45:00.000-07:002009-08-11T20:47:51.947-07:00Doggy UpdateBig smiles around here tonight. We heard from the vet and test results are great...no cancer and all is OK. Xam will go back in a little over a week and get the stitches out. Right now he is getting antibiotics and lots and lots of affection and hugs!<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-87887481303891816032009-08-08T16:04:00.000-07:002009-08-08T19:11:26.351-07:00Chunky Bread and Bread Bakers Dog Updates<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE4ZN4f4y3JgabxWBipHYjoPKpXrfdgm6dHZon-8PZFM2THnUzXcBxE4gKvrUHg2t8N_1oEbEgG0_CVjr1pVSBajNctDQK0n5_ubD2J2jMtOYeHkkLu2_PzLmlEOQI7C9lDvhwIovER9O/s1600-h/chunkybrdsliced.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367745749354051906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE4ZN4f4y3JgabxWBipHYjoPKpXrfdgm6dHZon-8PZFM2THnUzXcBxE4gKvrUHg2t8N_1oEbEgG0_CVjr1pVSBajNctDQK0n5_ubD2J2jMtOYeHkkLu2_PzLmlEOQI7C9lDvhwIovER9O/s400/chunkybrdsliced.jpg" border="0" /></a> If you have been following my other blog, <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/07/get-well-cards-and-comments-welcome.html">Feeding My Enthusiasms</a>, you'll know that I have had dental (gum) surgery and have been on soft foods for over a week. It gets old. It is also difficult to get up much enthusiasm for baking a nice, crusty bread when you won't be able to eat it. Doing better, but still mostly eating soft foods. By next week I'll be back to sterner stuff.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8u9LuuJIZ5yAARTNRlHvyy0XJfF56S0kFOLm-jIsttefF_F8TT3FN3SdU_FaqsUArSksop-wmIdhTB9LoMz7XEa51-bNrSElrT6T2-MQXNJVPbNhW0P70OJ9WN7MSTcmukO6mC4mIGCrd/s1600-h/chunkybrdgolden.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367745744606576850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 301px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8u9LuuJIZ5yAARTNRlHvyy0XJfF56S0kFOLm-jIsttefF_F8TT3FN3SdU_FaqsUArSksop-wmIdhTB9LoMz7XEa51-bNrSElrT6T2-MQXNJVPbNhW0P70OJ9WN7MSTcmukO6mC4mIGCrd/s400/chunkybrdgolden.jpg" border="0" /></a> Today I did bake two nice loaves of fresh, fragrant bread because Sweetie really, <strong>really</strong> deserved some bread and this is the one he requested. He put up most of the signs for a Yard Sale that the <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2007/06/joy-and-love-in-action.html">P.E.O. chapter</a> I belong to is holding today to raise money for scholarships for women. Over an hour last night and about the same this morning (staring at 6:30 am!) certainly earned him something special from the oven. He followed that up with about 6 hours of tree trimming and then chipping the branches trimmed, with liberal assistance from Straight Shooter from SF.<br /><br />This bread is also by way of a thank you to Straight Shooter from SF because he returned from a photo shoot to Napa last weekend with some freshly ground wheat bread flour and spelt flour. I used a cup of the whole wheat flour in the bread and as I was kneading it I could really smell the sweetness of fresh grain.<br /><br />This bread is a variation of the asparagus bread that the Bread Baking Babes made in June. I substituted 1/2 cup cubes, roasted zucchini for the asparagus. I used 1/2 cup fresh Swiss chard (cut in chiffonade, steamed, drained and squeezed dry, then measured) instead of the arugula in the original recipe. I used 1 cup of the freshly milled whole wheat bread flour and three cups of unbleached white bread flour. Because tomatoes are late to ripen but the basil is going gangbusters, I added 1/4 cup minced fresh basil. Zucchini doesn't have the assertive flavor that asparagus does, but the basil not only smells wonderful, but adds great herby taste to the bread. Otherwise the recipe is the same.<br /><br />This makes a moist, flavorful, chunky bread, full of veggies, nuts and Parmesan. The crumb is soft and fairly tight and the crust is good, although not as good as last time when I used the sourdough starter. I did add steam a couple of times, but didn't open the oven door...already too hot in the house! The loaves are a bit on the flat side, partly because I think I let them rise too long for the second rise and partly because the plethora of veggies makes it hard to have a good 'skin' of dough to hold the loaf higher. </div><br /><div>I'm sending this lucious bread over to <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a>, one of the best places to see what other bakers are doing with yeast bread! Check it out!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfn2yX7jEiHD0Wwo4nc1h-TMbLumhzzwaLyLlx6LphIJKVYFWgq4q5uDeSXJt-elfUO38_DjSLzPe7FQNQt26uDDgHlcQJC4WzsQBmrzpE51hdFGosrVXRXujsBg3W7X-I44FZHqh65OVb/s1600-h/chunkybrdend.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367745739883401570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfn2yX7jEiHD0Wwo4nc1h-TMbLumhzzwaLyLlx6LphIJKVYFWgq4q5uDeSXJt-elfUO38_DjSLzPe7FQNQt26uDDgHlcQJC4WzsQBmrzpE51hdFGosrVXRXujsBg3W7X-I44FZHqh65OVb/s400/chunkybrdend.jpg" border="0" /></a> Update on Xam: He had surgery this past Thursday to remove a large mass back to the left of his spine by his tail. A fluid biopsy a few days earlier had shown infection, but not cancer, so we have our fingers crossed...won't hear until Tuesday. He is in good spirits and doesn't seem to have noticed the 30 stitches on his rump! He ate bits of this bread with great gusto!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9mGHLo2L6-JXnNewiz8exnJ1-W36hZzUiWQCCz729W9CwTkDHVTixCtj0Q28rFBsplFvdVdW7JIZoKYWsfKdC4xXHKoZNyAXFSAQyz0ztbVUQCpB0f1RibGY39skJ87xj_jI_QZaNVWg/s1600-h/chunkybrdwhole.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367745753421847234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9mGHLo2L6-JXnNewiz8exnJ1-W36hZzUiWQCCz729W9CwTkDHVTixCtj0Q28rFBsplFvdVdW7JIZoKYWsfKdC4xXHKoZNyAXFSAQyz0ztbVUQCpB0f1RibGY39skJ87xj_jI_QZaNVWg/s400/chunkybrdwhole.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div><strong>Asparagus (Zucchini) Bread</strong><br />(with Parmesan Cheese and Walnuts - 2 small loaves)<br /><br />125 g green asparagus (I used 1/2 cup diced, roasted zucchini instead)<br />25-30 g rocket (I used 1/2 cup Swiss chard instead)</div><div>1/4 cup minced fresh basil<br />50 g walnuts,<br />50 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese<br />450 g strong bread flour (you can also use half whole wheat and half white or white whole wheat if you can get that) (I used 1 cup whole wheat bread flour and 3 cups unbleached white bread flour)<br />12 g fresh yeast or 1 1/4 tsp dry instant yeast<br />250-270 g water (whole wheat version may use a little more water)<br />25 g olive oil<br />10 g (sea) salt<br /><br />Boil 3/4 liter of water with a pinch of (sea) salt. Clean the asparagus, set two of them aside, cut the rest into 4 pieces. Boil these pieces for 2 minutes in the water, scoop them out (so you can use the water for the rocket as well) and rinse under cold water (to stop them cooking).<br /><br />Put the rocket in the boiling water for a few seconds (until wilted), drain and rinse under cold water and drain again. Press the water our of the rocket, chop it coarsely and but the asparagus into 1/4 inch (± 1 cm) long pieces, set aside.<br /><br />Crush the walnuts coarsely and grate the Parmesan.<br /><br />Measure the flour and yeast in a large bowl, mix in most of the water and knead for a few minutes (on low speed), add the olive oil and knead for 10-12 minutes. Add the salt and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes until very elastic.<br /><br />Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Work the asparagus pieces(zucchini pieces), rocket(Swiss chard), walnuts, basil and Parmesan in with care so that they're evenly distributed. The dough should be very supple and elastic, hence the long kneading time. For me the best way to incorporate all the ingredients is to spread the dough out into a large slap, sprinkle all the ingredients on and roll it up. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, press flat and fold... rest 5-10 minutes press flat and fold. Shape into rounds.<br /><br />Place the dough in a greased container, cover and let rise for about 2 hrs.<br /><br />Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.<br />Make round balls, cover with a tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes.<br />Flatten the balls and fold into taut breads with slightly tapering ends. Lay one asparagus in lengthwise in the middle of the bread and press in slightly. Sprinkle with wheat flour and cover to rise for 70 minutes or until doubled. Before baking you can sprinkle a little grated cheese on the bread if you like (optional).<br /><br />Preheat the oven (preferably with stone) to 460ºF.<br /><br />Place the loaves directly on the stone. Spray with water (or poor some hot water in a metal container on the bottom of the oven that you preheated to create steam)<br />Lower the temperature after 5 minutes to 400ºF. Open the door after another 10 minutes to let some air in. Repeat twice during baking. (I must admit I forgot about this step)<br />Bake for 40-45 minutes and cool on a wire rack. </div><br /><div><a href="http://notitievanlien.blogspot.com/2009/06/bbbabes-go-seasonal.html">http://notitievanlien.blogspot.com/2009/06/bbbabes-go-seasonal.html</a> June 26th </div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-68267336899365141692009-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:002009-07-15T11:59:21.545-07:00Bread Baker's Dog Returns with Zucchini Cheese Bread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8o2hngwLizs5m2UBDLN3cF6fZYbDmscU2dkmymJiC8qqFf3lKBIX7NhmYQYKL_bzkdjPo0sUxF2Hx2dlU1iDLAuetMykho5zIa1O6xCfoh959TYiFsEdP-3O5j2bLxku3yCWEF1w5fck/s1600-h/zuch+sliced.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357777274165461746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8o2hngwLizs5m2UBDLN3cF6fZYbDmscU2dkmymJiC8qqFf3lKBIX7NhmYQYKL_bzkdjPo0sUxF2Hx2dlU1iDLAuetMykho5zIa1O6xCfoh959TYiFsEdP-3O5j2bLxku3yCWEF1w5fck/s400/zuch+sliced.jpg" border="0" /></a> Xam, the Bread Baker's Dog, is finally doing well. His infection has cleared up after three full weeks of antibiotics, twice daily warm compresses, and lots of love, affection, and vet bills. Since he found the compresses a bit uncomfortable, after the first two times he knew when it was happening and refused to cooperate. Since bribery works, he soon found that the compresses were accompanied by doggie cookies to munch on. It's also called positive reinforcement, but truly it was bribery. Come sit on Sweetie's lap while Mom presses a warm towel where it already hurts. The joys of dog ownership!<br /><br />The other good news is that his appetite is back...Sweetie's never left...so it's time for bread baking. Since the zucchini continue to be fruitful and multiply and fill the platter on the table, it seemed like a good zucchini bread recipe would be just the ticket. I've only had the sweet, spicy quick bread type so I went looking for a good recipe in my cookbooks. On the way I found a yeasted on that wasn't sweet and included cheese. It's in <em>Breaking Bread with Father Dominic</em> under the Veggie Bread category. It makes two loaves and the crust gets nice and brown because of all the cheese.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX8ZftI_fjWKkUC5sNB9ghnxBXBB7ZYyneUygJA7iWuXmdxWxtlVj6yfaXiNKjPCDulexHB6oMzKxNsAZJAPDFJf15cCeXLGKolOISKM85BN-HFM9wWwGkcCkleeJXtQJhzng2_RN7htz/s1600-h/round+in+pan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357777265073229810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxX8ZftI_fjWKkUC5sNB9ghnxBXBB7ZYyneUygJA7iWuXmdxWxtlVj6yfaXiNKjPCDulexHB6oMzKxNsAZJAPDFJf15cCeXLGKolOISKM85BN-HFM9wWwGkcCkleeJXtQJhzng2_RN7htz/s400/round+in+pan.jpg" border="0" /></a> As usual I changed it a bit. Father's version called for caraway seeds and Swiss cheese, but I went with Parmesan cheese and fresh minced basil, plus some pine nuts on top, for a more Mediterranean feel. I used olive oil for the vegetable oil and some 12 grain flour from King Arthur's for part of the flour, both of which added some needed flavor.<br /><br />It made a lovely, moist bread with a good crumb and great crust.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6hhkxs6ddKDBPN7vvwqr5gVgL7Mp6fWxU_uZPLk62TdIbYLOFa5-UcPvX5QONKseQJd7SDYrH4Hx2PvlckRbwE66OJ0g0-QI9PMNGrqhNmMK_iQ4fv_DnwoFIXacPEcMgD3zxYOxc0EE/s1600-h/zuch+yeasted+close.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357777279559686594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 307px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6hhkxs6ddKDBPN7vvwqr5gVgL7Mp6fWxU_uZPLk62TdIbYLOFa5-UcPvX5QONKseQJd7SDYrH4Hx2PvlckRbwE66OJ0g0-QI9PMNGrqhNmMK_iQ4fv_DnwoFIXacPEcMgD3zxYOxc0EE/s400/zuch+yeasted+close.jpg" border="0" /></a> The cheese isn't a dominant flavor, but you can tell that it's there. The zucchini add moistness and some nice speckles, but very little flavor. Even the basil is a hint, not a hit. It's marvelous freshly cooled, but also good as toast. It's a batter bread. I baked one loaf in a loaf pan and the other in a cast iron skillet. The skillet one had a particularly wonderful bottom crust, but the interior was still quite moist but not gummy. Now that I've made an <strong>Asparagus Bread</strong> <strong>(see June 20th post)</strong> that he loooovvved and a Zucchini Cheese Bread that he couldn't stop eating, I think I've made a veggie bread lover out of Sweetie!<br /><br />And Xam?...he love all baked goods. I tried three times to get a photo of him eating a small piece of this bread, but he scarfed it down so fast that each photo was a black blur...this one is the best!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M-8_uHHDkvr77j6dOLoafQFMRlf0Pi4Ov7AysVlp8YH4zJ-hYB0dLA7ppidtQhQhHEa680FVozjTpenJXuZ_uJOOvV2RRy86WTLCNaZxedVxqsrWV3DD5CkO-5NIbIApyY7vxobWIjHL/s1600-h/bbdog+eats.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357777263021647826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M-8_uHHDkvr77j6dOLoafQFMRlf0Pi4Ov7AysVlp8YH4zJ-hYB0dLA7ppidtQhQhHEa680FVozjTpenJXuZ_uJOOvV2RRy86WTLCNaZxedVxqsrWV3DD5CkO-5NIbIApyY7vxobWIjHL/s400/bbdog+eats.jpg" border="0" /></a> Guess he likes Zucchini Cheese Bread, too!<br /><br /><div>I've been missing the weekly wonderful event that is <strong><a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeastspotting</a></strong> at Susan's Wild Yeast...no time to even go there and drool over the bread being baked by the fantastic bakers featured there...so it's nice to have an entry again...and time to bake bread. Here is the URL for Susan's blog :<a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/">http://www.wildyeastblog.com/</a> Nick at Imafoodblog is the host this time. His URL is: <a href="http://www.imafoodblog.com/">http://www.imafoodblog.com/</a> . Thanks Nick!!<br /><br /><strong>Yeasted Zucchini Cheese Batter Bread</strong><br />adapted from a recipe in <em>Breaking Bread with Father Dominic</em><br />Yields 2 loaves<br /><br />2 cups milk at room temperature<br />1 egg<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />2 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />2 packages active dry yeast (1/2 oz)<br />2 tablespoons minced fresh basil<br />1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper<br />1/2 tablespoon salt<br />about 3 cups bread flour, divided<br />2 cups 12-grain bread flour (or additional plain bread flour), divided<br />1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese<br />2 cups shredded zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out in a towel<br />2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihERxEXeRAf4g2IMF2PBukfQtiXQ5uCM9BwURXmyi0Yar-OyDRjjuGDSX7NIbgyaAeRChmbGbIp4fdvuQlXI1Y3Fck03ROFc_CaIARbKadbMURzRZidZH_pHkPiG_ZV0ilALwLzLXMZp6w/s1600-h/zuch+shredded.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357777272825113474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihERxEXeRAf4g2IMF2PBukfQtiXQ5uCM9BwURXmyi0Yar-OyDRjjuGDSX7NIbgyaAeRChmbGbIp4fdvuQlXI1Y3Fck03ROFc_CaIARbKadbMURzRZidZH_pHkPiG_ZV0ilALwLzLXMZp6w/s400/zuch+shredded.jpg" border="0" /></a> Combine milk, egg, oil, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add the basil, pepper, salt, and 1 cup each of the bread flour and the 12-grain flour. Beat well (about 150 strokes by hand or three minutes with an electric mixer). Stir in the cheese and zucchini. Add another cup of bread flour and cup of 12-grain flour; beat well. Add enough of the remaining bread flour to make a thick batter that is still easy to manage. Stir until all flour is thoroughly incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to make sure there are no pockets of flour on the bottom of the bowl.<br /><br />Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place about 1 hour. Thoroughly grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Stir the batter down. Divide the batter between pans. It should fill each pan halfway. Cover and let rise about 20 minutes or until dough nearly reaches the top of the pan. If desired, sprinkle about a tablespoon of pine nuts on the top of each loaf just before baking.<br /><br />While dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and top crust feels solid. Let cool slightly in pans before attempting to remove loaves. Note: If top crust browns too quickly due to the cheese, tent some aluminum foil over it to slow the browning process. </div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-39970160329007712602009-06-20T20:45:00.000-07:002009-06-20T21:13:27.199-07:00Babes Bodacious Asparagus Bread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_I6woEEguPfsSLCHp7xH9WZZ19TZPwDvS2ZdO-FB3ckhmnm_CyEUfHZ2EevBUodKW9o40-vKotvCsnFfXtQ6CoYfrB1P1Arzad7vw5Tn9kqjQH9eZV0iwD3RIb1fDGS6oBjCwSPykwub/s1600-h/asparagus+bread.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349628812495545746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 327px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_I6woEEguPfsSLCHp7xH9WZZ19TZPwDvS2ZdO-FB3ckhmnm_CyEUfHZ2EevBUodKW9o40-vKotvCsnFfXtQ6CoYfrB1P1Arzad7vw5Tn9kqjQH9eZV0iwD3RIb1fDGS6oBjCwSPykwub/s400/asparagus+bread.jpg" border="0" /></a> The Bread Baking Babes have a real winner this time with a delicious, seasonal and unusual Asparagus Bread, chosen by Lien who blogs at Nottie Van Lien's. The recipe is found <a href="http://notitievanlien.blogspot.com/2009/06/bbbabes-go-seasonal.html">HERE</a> and I'm making it as a Bread Baking Buddy type person.<br /><br /><div>There is plenty of green in this bread from the asparagus and from arugula (although I substituted Swiss chard because my garden is producing so much of it I have to use it where ever I can!) but what ties the flavors together is the walnuts. It makes two smallish loaves of a very moist and tender, flavorful and pretty bread. </div><div> </div><div>While it was still a little warm from the oven I cut a slice and gave it to Sweetie. He made appreciative noises, so I asked for a bite. After I took the bite I started to move away from Sweetie and he reminded me that he was only giving me a bite...he really wanted to finish that slice...and about half the loaf with dinner!</div><br /><div>One of the things I missed during my travels in May was making bread. Since I've been back it's been hard to find the time, so it was a real pleasure to have my hands in yeast dough again. Don't expect that all of the non-dough ingredients will be totally encased in the dough once it has baked. Having the odd little bit of asparagus or chard peeking out is part of the pleasure for me.</div><br /><div>Do give this recipe a try. If you have a stand mixer to do the kneading, it is a simple recipe. The veggies are basically blanched, drained, and chopped. The rest is pretty fun and the results are spectacular!</div><br /><div>This is my entry for this week in Susan's event <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/06/19/yeastspotting-61909/">Yeastspotting</a> at Wild Yeast. If you check out last week's entries you will see at least one loaf of this outstanding seasonal bread. You can also visit all of the Babes's sites using the links on Lein's blog.</div><br /><div>Want to be a Buddy, too? Lein <a href="http://notitievanlien.blogspot.com/2009/06/bbbabes-go-seasonal.html">tells you how </a>and you still have time...the deadline is June 26th!</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>On the home front, please keep our dear Bakers Dog Xam in your thoughts. He had surgery on Monday for a glandular infection, but will be seeing the vet on Thursday to see if there are other things wrong. Took him on his first walk this week today and he seemed fine if a bit slower than usual. Fingers and toes crossed that the surgery took care of it all.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-73298855047990862462009-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:002009-06-07T21:34:44.391-07:00Bacon Makes This Bread Special<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1421_-fWXel7WtNJu5QTlmptBURMgclX83JSmow23MzgMysQEdJATIZeY3zX8Ku6d0872dYFyOUZTpIDrMtDjiQ2mqWCfnHyoIgOenGj4ijTJ2UIrwh8cG_9didf3U2buAqdILdJWCHuX/s1600-h/bacon+focaccia+baked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344808442766689554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 345px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1421_-fWXel7WtNJu5QTlmptBURMgclX83JSmow23MzgMysQEdJATIZeY3zX8Ku6d0872dYFyOUZTpIDrMtDjiQ2mqWCfnHyoIgOenGj4ijTJ2UIrwh8cG_9didf3U2buAqdILdJWCHuX/s400/bacon+focaccia+baked.jpg" border="0" /></a>Have had very social times since returning from the Emerald Isle. Needed to bring something to a pot luck and also an appetizer to a dinner. This easy recipe filled the bill for both. The dough goes together easily in a bread machine, but you can make it with a stand mixer and dough hook, or stir it together and knead by hand, too. The olive oil adds flavor and suppleness to the dough so it’s easy to work with. Be patient in spreading the dough into the pan. If it resists, let it sit a minute then try again.<br /><br />Bacon seems to be a hit with most people. Use good quality bacon since there really isn’t a lot of it here. Cook enough to crisp up the fatty parts and don’t be surprised that there will be a lot of fat left in the pan when you drain the cooked bacon bits. They don’t really stay on the bread very well, but you can boost any that fall on the cutting board back onto the cut pieces.<br /><br />Since I came home to a LOT of Swiss chard and a fair amount of small zucchini, I used some of those in the topping. You could use spinach or arugula instead of the chard and skip the squash, too. If you don’t have small squash, do skip using squash.larger ones have too much water for this recipe. Sauteed onions would be another great topping.<br /><br /><strong>Bacon and Chard Focaccia</strong><br /><br />1 Recipe Basic Focaccia<br />4 slices bacon, cut into 1/3 inch lardons<br />2-3 tablespoons olive oil<br />4-5 large Swiss chard leaves, washed, dried, and cut in chiffonade (rolled up and thinly sliced)<br />1 very small zucchini, cut in coins<br />salt and pepper to taste (I used garlic salt and some pepper)<br />¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHyVgsKnHn3wZim6xZMHENsvuaA1_KcL0nrAFPgoJq5kJAJOZOMJHcxzrzs8JR1nwxYYOoPZbQHUyPotcxpXVkENiFZtkCjU3jlEusCOcWfluiaYmZSfJnGn-7Cc-Sooc1obvloPKs-b1/s1600-h/bacon+focaccia+inprocess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344808446079494514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 345px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHyVgsKnHn3wZim6xZMHENsvuaA1_KcL0nrAFPgoJq5kJAJOZOMJHcxzrzs8JR1nwxYYOoPZbQHUyPotcxpXVkENiFZtkCjU3jlEusCOcWfluiaYmZSfJnGn-7Cc-Sooc1obvloPKs-b1/s400/bacon+focaccia+inprocess.jpg" border="0" /></a>Follow the directions below for the basic focaccia. Use the larger pan if you like your focaccia less bready.<br /><br />Drizzle with the 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil. (I then spread a thin coat over the whole thing with a pastry brush.<br /><br />Cook the bacon pieces over high heat until crisp but not burnt. Remove from fat with slotted spoon then drain on paper towel. Sprinkle focaccia with the bacon, Swiss chard, and zucchini, distributing each ingredient as evenly as possible over the pan of dough. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over all. Place plastic wrap loosly over the top and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.<br /><br />Remove plastic wrap and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.<br /><br />Can be served warm or cool. Cut into small squares for appetizers, larger pieces to go with a meal.<br /><br /><strong>Basic Focaccia</strong><br /><br />King Arthur Flour website<br /><br />Large or Small* Machine<br /><br />1 cup water, warm<br />3 tablespoons olive oil<br />3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose OR Unbleached Special Bread Flour<br />2 teaspoons salt<br />5 teaspoons italian seasoning, heaping<br />2 teaspoons active dry yeast<br />Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine. Program for Dough or Manual, and press Start.<br /><br />*If you're using a small (1-pound) bread machine, remove the dough from the machine at the end of the second kneading cycle, and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.<br /><br />At the end of the cycle, remove the dough from the machine and punch it down. Roll it out to form a rectangle, and transfer it to a cookie sheet, 10 x 15-inch to 12 x 18-inch. Pat the dough into the pan. Make indentations in the dough with your fingertips, about an inch apart, and drizzle sparingly with olive oil.<br /><br />Let the focaccia rise for half an hour to an hour. This will make a lighter bread. Bake the focaccia in the preheated 450°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and serve. Serves 6 to 10.<br /><br />Yeastspotting, that wonderful, mouthwatering, inspiring weekly event at Susan's Wild Yeast blog has turned a year old! Happy Birthday!! Sorry I missed the anniversary last week, but this entry will have to do since I wasn't around to bake bread last time. If you love yeast, or just want to enjoy looking at fantastic recipes made with yeast, hurry on over to <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting">http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting</a> !<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-80083233192182796192009-05-15T09:26:00.001-07:002009-05-15T09:26:31.444-07:00See You Later Alligator<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-cJrmgxefGBDhX22YiQcCJ5FCFgJ9E5vlTXI0iZMQnzP98_w7i63PFrq3bHVZfYlSTW4nwJWb0LaNi7OlqkKB_6bmZgnzJDoxBThDVuOvLGDf8n31ExBl0CnwuwHoXY6FZFUM8fcWVk/s1600-h/Brennan+cottage+lawn+charl+and+xam+4-08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336087441544657346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-cJrmgxefGBDhX22YiQcCJ5FCFgJ9E5vlTXI0iZMQnzP98_w7i63PFrq3bHVZfYlSTW4nwJWb0LaNi7OlqkKB_6bmZgnzJDoxBThDVuOvLGDf8n31ExBl0CnwuwHoXY6FZFUM8fcWVk/s400/Brennan+cottage+lawn+charl+and+xam+4-08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Off to the land of a thousand shades of green...so there will be few if any posts for a while. A little walking, a little putting up the feet and reading. </div><div></div><div>Happy end of Spring!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-21709074888346202132009-05-10T20:01:00.000-07:002009-05-10T20:52:44.994-07:00A Swirl of Many Grains and Raisins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyxg3kimlAQWkaVHD1AEHWtqtgNRrteGkPZTphyphenhyphenrpRpVV4cNMhd2eGOe0Jykip-goPW7nt0Rhnc2AnqVgwznxkBVbo3LCKzlS8ugNGxSru9AUXY5I19j5-3B-QIx4fmRfJvsiCzzhfGrc/s1600-h/fullswirl+12+gr+raisin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334400678243781970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 336px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyxg3kimlAQWkaVHD1AEHWtqtgNRrteGkPZTphyphenhyphenrpRpVV4cNMhd2eGOe0Jykip-goPW7nt0Rhnc2AnqVgwznxkBVbo3LCKzlS8ugNGxSru9AUXY5I19j5-3B-QIx4fmRfJvsiCzzhfGrc/s400/fullswirl+12+gr+raisin.jpg" border="0" /></a> As a little girl one of my favorite snacks was cinnamon toast. Warm bread, lots of butter, plus a healthy dose of cinnamon and sugar...comfort food at it's best. I liked it best with a big mug of hot cocoa. I'd setttle down with a good book and time would just slip away.<br /><br />Lots of people my age can tell you the exact words of commercial jingles from television, even though it was decades ago. I'm a cultural misfit because afte I was about 8 years old we didn't have a working television. One day it just 'broke' and my Dad took all of us who were old enough to get a library card straight to the library. We went back once a week. My younger sister would leave with a stack of books almost as tall as she was and she would plow through them during the week, ready for new ones when we returned last weeks' treasures. I was lucky to finish three books a week, but we all developed a love of reading...or became printaholics...depending on your point of view.<br /><br />Now that I have the siren song of sourdough starters calling from my fridge, I spend more time baking bread than reading about it. Through trial and error I have figured out the proportions that make the kind of bread I like, so I mostly forget about recipes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bq5wKIddF-bcl04S77KtBX9TcwDswiuzuIIPbpMtptxa5KrxO0BLNVeFqQqlkAygkukrKjaIHKvmamYIzh7GnqFHMNRun5iyS3X6Sx0HNW2FNZVLM7VhHg2jqDuT41dDXo3V24Q0hFZB/s1600-h/12gr+raisin+full+top.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334400674390820658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 332px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bq5wKIddF-bcl04S77KtBX9TcwDswiuzuIIPbpMtptxa5KrxO0BLNVeFqQqlkAygkukrKjaIHKvmamYIzh7GnqFHMNRun5iyS3X6Sx0HNW2FNZVLM7VhHg2jqDuT41dDXo3V24Q0hFZB/s400/12gr+raisin+full+top.jpg" border="0" /></a> This week I decided to make some raisin bread...something that I love but have not yet tried as a sourdough loaf. The recently arrived order from King Arthur flour included a lovely sack of 12 grain flour. Included are flours of wheat, amaranth, quinoa, sorghum, brown rice,spelt, barley, millet, oats, rye, buckwheat and corn. They add a lot of flavor and some extra nutritional value. The swirl is a combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon...lots of cinnamon!...walnuts and, or course, raisins. It is great as is but even better toasted and spread with a bit of butter. Didn't try it yet with hot cocoa, but it was quite enjoyable to eat while reading my latest novel. It would even be good while reading a cereal box...something I've done as a printaholic when no other print was available.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTc5yWt_lETiQZfaCBc2a3TtL9VNssYLmbCVyTWJs4-JBeHE2960U0hNEZGAN5eZpldarecUdbu72UZdpBEY7yIVGG5lkMZ8M2h6gAUIr8Db5Qfdkk78Jc0m16G73Zfv_g1H094pE1x_B/s1600-h/12gr+raisin+close+top.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334400670777993058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTc5yWt_lETiQZfaCBc2a3TtL9VNssYLmbCVyTWJs4-JBeHE2960U0hNEZGAN5eZpldarecUdbu72UZdpBEY7yIVGG5lkMZ8M2h6gAUIr8Db5Qfdkk78Jc0m16G73Zfv_g1H094pE1x_B/s400/12gr+raisin+close+top.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>12 Grain Raisin Swirl Sourdough Bread</strong><br /><em>makes one large loaf</em><br /><br />1 cup sourdough starter<br />1 ¼ cups milk, slightly warm<br />1 tablespoon molasses (dissolved in the warm milk)<br />1 egg, slightly beaten or ¼ cup egg substitute<br />3 cups all-purpose bread flour, divided<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 cup 12 grain flour mix (I used King Arthur brand)<br />¼ cup butter, softened<br />½ cup brown sugar<br />1 tablespoon cinnamon<br />½ cup raisins<br />½ cup chopped walnuts<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, milk, Molasses, and egg.<br /><br />In another bowl mix together 2 cups all-purpose bread flour, 1 cup 12 grain flour and the salt. Mix to combine thoroughly.<br /><br />With dough hook attached to the stand mixer, gradually add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, letting the mixer dough hook knead at low speed as you add the flour. Once that is all incorporated, continue to add the rest of the all-purpose bread flour until a soft dough forms and the dough ball cleans the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead for 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly flour surface and gather into a ball, kneading a few times if needed to thoroughly mix the dough.<br /><br />Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl or dough rising container, turning the ball to oil all sides. Cover lightly and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.<br /><br />Punch down risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times, then flatten dough with your hands to about 8” by 10” rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over the surface, leaving ½ to 1 inch around edges free of butter.<br /><br />In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the butter.<br /><br />Evenly sprinkle the raisins, then the walnuts over the cinnamon-sugar mixture on the dough.<br />Roll up along the long side, jelly-roll fashion. Seal the edges at the end of rolling. Turn under the ends to fit a large bread pan. Lightly oil the bread pan. Place dough, sealed side down, into the bread pan. Cover lightly and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.<br /><br />Bake risen loaf in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until top is browned and loaf sounds somewhat hollow when bottom is tapped. Due to the filling it won’t sound a hollow as an unfilled bread loaf.<br /><br />Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Slice with a serrated knife to serve.<br /><br />This recipe goes to Tangerine's Kitchen for <a href="http://tangerineskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/announcing-bread-baking-day-20.html">Bread Baking Day #20</a> - Multi Grains! It also goes to Susan at Wild Yeast for that wonderous event <a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">Yeast Spotting</a> - if you love yeast you should really check it every week!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnbZIh5diSJRiWrzHlk-ds1-XHtctu1_p-Ge3bvqvZt114dEd-lyKiFu_yi6y8n4kQZcc2VRYhR_-g8LtISpQsv5GrMkhzWShRX4koA-V70U9D3ofV42Sk6Xca1n-ZqVV4vw0XRDvrpWY/s1600-h/12gr+raisin+twoslice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334400675444216994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnbZIh5diSJRiWrzHlk-ds1-XHtctu1_p-Ge3bvqvZt114dEd-lyKiFu_yi6y8n4kQZcc2VRYhR_-g8LtISpQsv5GrMkhzWShRX4koA-V70U9D3ofV42Sk6Xca1n-ZqVV4vw0XRDvrpWY/s400/12gr+raisin+twoslice.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-304520644803483592009-05-03T19:38:00.000-07:002009-05-03T20:24:37.157-07:00There Are Spicy Biscuits On the Other Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2dKfzfl0f3tuV2w2AcU0eJqpvHZGxQSw9DPGjkvoiwbt6igIzikoNs_RoQGg5iLm40m1rc8UIrn_iYNNZWRixj2yIYyrkCjQ84lVUd8WN8FYAKFTAthsNMAn2OrjnBfqPj0qg-MnMHvh/s1600-h/cheese+seedy+biscuits.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331793131497766514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2dKfzfl0f3tuV2w2AcU0eJqpvHZGxQSw9DPGjkvoiwbt6igIzikoNs_RoQGg5iLm40m1rc8UIrn_iYNNZWRixj2yIYyrkCjQ84lVUd8WN8FYAKFTAthsNMAn2OrjnBfqPj0qg-MnMHvh/s400/cheese+seedy+biscuits.jpg" border="0" /></a> Thought I might post about 'em here, but changed my mind. Go on over the <a href="http://feedingmyenthusiasms.blogspot.com/2009/05/somthing-new-for-arcadia.html">Feeding My Enthusiasms</a> for some delightful Spicy Seedy Cheesy Biscuits!<div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-28013589536972789892009-05-01T21:29:00.000-07:002009-05-01T22:00:29.748-07:00It's Spring - Onions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcF7T50ptSqfsdq2Hkcc8EtaBe6_HohYuSKGh6OoFKTPjXO_zdkuwK2CYR1D9pZ-noDFPH7rTa1DcbJ_2BmPfm_RF89cFOaW83tS2tWe2qcBqNvPrzGbqUR6G8mYD-xmc9t6U3zrJ-vhI5/s1600-h/spring+onions.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331079754707778034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcF7T50ptSqfsdq2Hkcc8EtaBe6_HohYuSKGh6OoFKTPjXO_zdkuwK2CYR1D9pZ-noDFPH7rTa1DcbJ_2BmPfm_RF89cFOaW83tS2tWe2qcBqNvPrzGbqUR6G8mYD-xmc9t6U3zrJ-vhI5/s400/spring+onions.jpg" border="0" /></a> In years past I’ve noticed the bunches of spring onions for sale at the market and passed them by. They look a lot like green onions or scallions, but are more expensive. This year I decided to try a bunch in some filled bread.<br /><br />Surely these onions, looking like a cross between scallions, leeks, and regular white large onions, would be a taste of spring. They really are only available during the spring. Left in the ground I suspect that they become prosaic white onions.<br /><br />To go with the spring onions, I used some fresh baby spinach, another harbinger of spring. The leaves are bright green and tender, needing only a quick chop and brief steaming to break down the cell walls, releasing the excess moisture and wilting them slightly. I dried the steamed spinach with paper towels because extra moisture wouldn’t be a great idea in baked buns.<br /><br />The final part of the filling is shredded jack and cheddar cheese. You could also use some feta for a tangier combo.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpXpikx1tLchpIfOqMXK9kvI8CbuF9V4mv1xizF1IsUw4ACuaQg-UFP_8XfYEXBezujf4nxCDGO_D8JF2XUd66T2iRtp5GHEOkrc3UhR-4gzx5Z0n-lf1PMEvFls7icj5v47Gs4Ums1ue/s1600-h/spring+onion+v+close+baked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331079750721353826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpXpikx1tLchpIfOqMXK9kvI8CbuF9V4mv1xizF1IsUw4ACuaQg-UFP_8XfYEXBezujf4nxCDGO_D8JF2XUd66T2iRtp5GHEOkrc3UhR-4gzx5Z0n-lf1PMEvFls7icj5v47Gs4Ums1ue/s400/spring+onion+v+close+baked.jpg" border="0" /></a> The bread dough is one I put together using a King Arthur Flour recipe for Stuffing Buns for proportions. I changed so much of the recipe that it is barely based on theirs. I used my whole wheat sourdough starter and a little reconstituted active dry yeast, too. Some potato starch adds suppleness. Look at what a great crust it has!<br /><div></div><br /><div>Some Meyer lemon flavored olive oil goes well with the onions and spinach. A little dried rosemary gives additiona flavor. An egg and some milk add richness, more whole wheat flour and unbleached bread flour give the rolls their body. </div><br /><div>This dough is a little sticky, but a pleasure to work with and easy to form into the filled buns. Once the dough had finished it’s first rise, I punched it down, turned it out onto a lightly floured board, kneaded it a few times to release any extra trapped gas, then used my bench scraper to cut it into eight pieces. If you want smaller buns, you could probably make ten or twelve buns.</div><br /><div></div><div>The nice thing about having eight was that a tablespoon of the cheese mixture went into each one and that is exactly a cup. A little cheese leaked out of a few of the rolls, but that's OK. Each bit had a nice cheesiness to go with the spinach and onion flavors.</div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSl1LY5qrB_aGzKG7Xh4BXCfroms0b2_V82Wo0Q36zJrYtymmCFvyKYB9PyxcWJx3Gt_n4Du7TMJk_Nw3umDqkxZ2hNL2kEhJTL5E_0Id_wZXhK0wY_MLP7ax3l5liNcpn3EkZ85exRsx/s1600-h/spring+onion+baked.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331079744913861010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSl1LY5qrB_aGzKG7Xh4BXCfroms0b2_V82Wo0Q36zJrYtymmCFvyKYB9PyxcWJx3Gt_n4Du7TMJk_Nw3umDqkxZ2hNL2kEhJTL5E_0Id_wZXhK0wY_MLP7ax3l5liNcpn3EkZ85exRsx/s400/spring+onion+baked.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />These are great little buns for lunch or brunch or even a picnic, although the cheese won’t be melty as it is when served warm from the oven. I'm going to send them over to Cinzia at <a href="http://cindystarblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-bread-baking-day-19.html">Cindystar </a>for <a href="http://cindystarblog.blogspot.com/">Bread Baking Day #19...Spring Country Bread</a>. She invited us to have a virtual picnic. These rolls should find a welcome place in a picnic basket.<br /><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2w0gCaieaxTieyI1BskRnPJl7Aop0KakCj8FO0NdJYPecP7sSerCCSnRbAF70959eCCXFTVMgvrkZ6hcDzo3_y6jat3C-XxFJd4jrENbzJ90MbLQHTnqs6A-QIqKCii41pIDoqWRZYHjd/s1600-h/spring+onion+cut+open.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331079751101731282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2w0gCaieaxTieyI1BskRnPJl7Aop0KakCj8FO0NdJYPecP7sSerCCSnRbAF70959eCCXFTVMgvrkZ6hcDzo3_y6jat3C-XxFJd4jrENbzJ90MbLQHTnqs6A-QIqKCii41pIDoqWRZYHjd/s400/spring+onion+cut+open.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><strong>Spring Onion Stuffed Rolls</strong><br /><br />1/3 cup warm water<br />¼ teaspoon active dry yeast<br />1 cup sourdough starter, whole wheat if you have it<br />2 tablespoons olive oil – I used Meyer lemon flavored, but good quality plain olive oil is fine<br />1 egg, slightly beaten<br />1/3 cup milk at room temperature<br />1 cup whole wheat flour<br />¼ cup potato starch<br />2 cups unbleached bread flour, divided<br />½ teaspoon dried rosemary, broken into very small pieces<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 cup finely shredded cheese – either one kind or a mixture<br />Spring Onion and Spinach Filling Mixture – at end of recipe.</div><div><br />In a small bowl, mix together the warm water and active dry yeast. Let stand 10 minutes to proof. Set aside.</div><div><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, proofed yeast, olive oil, egg, and milk. </div><div><br />In another bowl or a measuring cup, combine the whole wheat flour, potato starch, and one cup of the unbleached bread flour.</div><div><br />With the dough hook in place on the mixer, slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add the salt and mix. Continue to add the remainder of the flour mixture. Then begin adding the rest of the unbleached flour, letting the dough absorb the added flour a little at a time. Knead with the mixer for 4-5 minutes until the dough is supple and silky. You may still have some of the unbleached flour not used. </div><div><br />Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. If it seems too sticky, knead in a little more flour. Gather into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl or rising container, turn dough ball over to oil all sides. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. </div><div><br />Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times to release any trapped gas. Divide dough into 8, 10, or 12 pieces, depending on how many buns you want and how big. </div><div><br />Take each piece of dough and spread it into a circle roughly 5 inches in diameter. Into the center place 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Top with a generous teaspoon or a little more of the spring onion mixture.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEahHS-SISHm0EF7bOul0wEeP_7qXKPiPztNb7fq4q3YoM5tiNwFDTAxVIJmbC4Text2Wg1_5pA9HiJTQ0KxfDvNxQoB6dD2hPRZlx7DTBSImAW9uA9F8jJe4s0mZtMARMlqEVF_DXu_FL/s1600-h/spring+onion+beig+filled.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331079745722652882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEahHS-SISHm0EF7bOul0wEeP_7qXKPiPztNb7fq4q3YoM5tiNwFDTAxVIJmbC4Text2Wg1_5pA9HiJTQ0KxfDvNxQoB6dD2hPRZlx7DTBSImAW9uA9F8jJe4s0mZtMARMlqEVF_DXu_FL/s400/spring+onion+beig+filled.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Gather the edges together to make a ball, pinching to seal. Place sealed side down on a greased baking sheet or silicon mat which has been placed in a baking sheet. Repeat until all dough has been filled. </div><div><br />Place a towel over the pan and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.<br />Optional: Paint tops of rolls with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds right before putting in the oven.<br /><br />Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for xx minutes, until rolls are browned. (Rolls can be brushed with melted butter once removed from oven if you prefer a soft top and have not done the egg wash.)</div><div><br />Let cool slightly on a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. </div><div><br /><strong>Spring Onion and Spinach Filling Mixture</strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong>1 cup thinly sliced spring onions, root end removed. Use a little of the stem part, but not as much of the greens as you might with scallions<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />2 ½ cups packed chopped fresh spinach, briefly steamed and then drained </div><div><br />In a heated sauté pan place the olive oil and let it heat a minute. Add the onions and stir to coat with the oil. Stir over high heat for another minute, then cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Let onions and oil sweat gently for 15 minutes, then uncover and turn off the heat. Any remaining extra moisture will evaporate as the mixture cools. Once cooled, add the steamed and drained spinach and stir to combine. </div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-65402201012818740872009-04-24T21:49:00.000-07:002009-04-25T16:20:45.873-07:00Leftovers Make Cheese Croutons<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSw3nSFo-jpk4gWPwlwbWH0rDG4nzgDpaPo99gxcs_BwlcZcMHFtCOXR95BDVh3PW5Z_nbjeq_XVh-Gd7UCO6w62uo2_rf_xfjJ1w7ruYRMDTZJ1Uj7XwaY5Qn93M4SSa-7dArumBJPzpp/s1600-h/cheese+brdslice+close.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328765980776686402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSw3nSFo-jpk4gWPwlwbWH0rDG4nzgDpaPo99gxcs_BwlcZcMHFtCOXR95BDVh3PW5Z_nbjeq_XVh-Gd7UCO6w62uo2_rf_xfjJ1w7ruYRMDTZJ1Uj7XwaY5Qn93M4SSa-7dArumBJPzpp/s400/cheese+brdslice+close.jpg" border="0" /></a> You gotta love cheese to enjoy this bread. I've been a big fan of cheese most of my life. When I was pregnant the second time I had a lactose intolerance. Cheese was the dairy product I missed most. Even one slice of this will sooth a cheese craving.<br /><br /><br />The dough has lots of grated cheddar cheese, plus some grated Parmesan. Here and there are bits of salty feta, too.Here is a photo of the bread ready to roll into a loaf, spread with the herb, lemon zest and lots of feta.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90saMJHjPV4e4evbxdPFVx7JvL2QM2ABkTT8zPAAR0OwmdvVw2CUuz9283EE6D5TTBNIl_P8AC6gm_wHMfW89x8FfRpN11P9kV6Eg47Eb8NEYCRyM0xfkr43apNyg3vdTC_bDLdUInQDx/s1600-h/cheese+brd+feta.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328765978276744962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90saMJHjPV4e4evbxdPFVx7JvL2QM2ABkTT8zPAAR0OwmdvVw2CUuz9283EE6D5TTBNIl_P8AC6gm_wHMfW89x8FfRpN11P9kV6Eg47Eb8NEYCRyM0xfkr43apNyg3vdTC_bDLdUInQDx/s400/cheese+brd+feta.jpg" border="0" /></a> When Sweetie bought a five pound bag of grated cheese at Costco I discovered just how much cheese that is! There are bags in the freezer, each with 2 cups of the cheese, plus a big gallon bag in the fridge. Seemed like a good time to make a bread with cheese. </div><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>This one is pretty simple, using sourdough starter, some bread flour and whole wheat flour, a little olive oil, some milk, a bit of sugar and salt, and both cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Once the dough was set to rise, I decided to jazz it up a bit by making a swirl in the loaf. The added flavors of the swirl include lemon zest, fresh marjoram, and feta cheese. It turned out that I didn't use enough marjoram to really make it a visual swirl (I used fresh marjoram from the garden, but it's early enough in the season that I only had a tablespoon, minced, once I was done),</div><div></div><div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYfk92n49h8zfHnc4zgZw4X7wDsgNZfvinOtGZ2We8HWpZ0JoBTTVDW1V_WYWnn5RluOr6DkMWIFdjB-UxYQN9ByS1Terk0bsqiWkkr8A3S_jR9-hAESL9pC_btMGPlU_hyphenhyphen7jkBWHhWee/s1600-h/cheese+brd+herb+lemon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328765982805157442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYfk92n49h8zfHnc4zgZw4X7wDsgNZfvinOtGZ2We8HWpZ0JoBTTVDW1V_WYWnn5RluOr6DkMWIFdjB-UxYQN9ByS1Terk0bsqiWkkr8A3S_jR9-hAESL9pC_btMGPlU_hyphenhyphen7jkBWHhWee/s400/cheese+brd+herb+lemon.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>but the baked bread is alive with the flavors of the herb, lemon and feta. Sort of like a quick trip to Greece, maybe. With three kinds of cheese, it's a true Cheese Bread.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEsiBUpjLx5ZEBzy0kmlanfSY6KJqgPSl6EmOQopuagKNz37qxdo8mKbb_DR5Ohs4UoNIKtWlrH3TE15UPhwo8eZN_6528g0d0cv7RJNNPlpFmsL8oU-FWkMmN395fX4IBpGBVhDpL0WD/s1600-h/cheese+brd+sliced+loaf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328765983681274978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEsiBUpjLx5ZEBzy0kmlanfSY6KJqgPSl6EmOQopuagKNz37qxdo8mKbb_DR5Ohs4UoNIKtWlrH3TE15UPhwo8eZN_6528g0d0cv7RJNNPlpFmsL8oU-FWkMmN395fX4IBpGBVhDpL0WD/s400/cheese+brd+sliced+loaf.jpg" border="0" /></a> On the off chance that there are leftovers, you can cut them up, toast the cubes, and have cheese croutons for salad or to top soup.</div><div><br /><br /><br />The dough is soft, but not sticky. I didn't glaze the top, but I did slash it diagonally. Eat this while it is still warm and you won't need to add a thing. I did find that ti took longer to bake than I had thought it would. Do bake it until it gives a hollow sound when the bottom is tapped when you turn it out to cool on the wire rack. If you don't get that sound, put it back in the pan and baked some more. You can tent it with foil while it finishes baking if the crust gets too brown.<br /><br />Once it is cool it becomes a great sandwich bread, especially for cured meats like salami or ham. If you are a true cheese fanatic, try making a grilled cheese sandwich with this bread. Outstanding!</div><br /><br /><div></div><div><strong>Cheese Cheese Cheese Bread with Herb and Lemon</strong></div><div></div><div>1 cup sourdough starter<br />1 cup milk at room temperature<br />2 tablespoons olive oil<br />1 tablespoon sugar<br />1 1/4 teaspoon salt</div><div>1 cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded</div><div>1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese<br />1 cup whole wheat flour<br />2-3 cups bread flour, divided</div><div>2 tablespoons freshly minced marjoram (oregano could be used instead)<br />1 teaspoon lemon zest - yellow part only</div><div>about 1 cup feta cheese</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>In stand mixer bowl, mix together the sourdough starter, milk, olive oil, sugar, salt, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Take the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the bread flour and mix together in a medium bowl. Use the dough hook on the mixer and add the flour mixture to the sourdough mixture. Add additional bread flour and let machine knead the dough as you do until the dough is soft but not sticky.<br /><br />Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another minute or two. Shape into a ball and place ball in oiled bowl or whatever container you use to let bread dough rise in. Lightly oil the top of the ball, then cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft free place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hands. spread the dough into a rectangle roughly 9" x 11". Distribute the herb and zest evenly over the surface, leaving about an inch at the ends free of herb and lemon zest. Distribute the feta evenly over the herb-lemon zest mixture, again leaving the ends free of cheese. Roll up jelly roll fashion along the long edge and seal the edges by pinching them. Turn under the ends and place, seam side down, in a bread pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place until the bread just reaches the top of the pan, about an hour.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for about 45 minutes or until hollow sounding when bottom is tapped. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.</div><div></div><div>Makes one loaf.</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>This is my entry this week in Susan of Wild Yeast's Yeastspotting (<a href="http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/">http://www.wildyeastblog.com/category/yeastspotting/</a> ) event, a wonderland of delightful recipes collected each week to bemuse and inspire those who love to bake with yeast. </div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8622216522647541386.post-76303193872508215892009-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:002009-04-17T22:53:44.744-07:00Happy Cows and Other Delights<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmEF_k1ecRtrd5q__8vH53GV4hRbJP89x2NN6Rk984m197VmMb8ojbXjGgB3uKghbmUQiDIoPRkxyTEPfoH2vOaeqr9Gime96oW2YKiDokbwepdlBbjM2A7SHzvO3PlsSOi93bQLvuOXX/s1600-h/cows+vines+mountain+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325904969297883138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmEF_k1ecRtrd5q__8vH53GV4hRbJP89x2NN6Rk984m197VmMb8ojbXjGgB3uKghbmUQiDIoPRkxyTEPfoH2vOaeqr9Gime96oW2YKiDokbwepdlBbjM2A7SHzvO3PlsSOi93bQLvuOXX/s400/cows+vines+mountain+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a> Lots of the bread recipes I make contain dairy products. Not too far from the local high school there is a park that has a dairy herd in residence next door. Since I tend to buy local, it's quite possible that some of their efforts go into my bread, too. Here is a photo of the herd at a distance, along with some wine grape vines (wine being another local product that is enjoyable) and hills off in the distance.<br /><br />By the way, spring butter tends to be just a bit better than butter the rest of the year. Look at that grass and you'll see why. Of course it could be that they are just happy California cows.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCIBUj4lPQNQeT68NuVWIXXiNmwPoNNewt2g-ycCuCIyp-j6l48ft-KMYU0kXWTMMFx7nZKdyixHHiChUDZzXBHUYGUJVLKcAnwzLMrw0C_giHCMBAW1Ac10N5ztneRNe-fZW6LVqv-py/s1600-h/happy+ca+cow+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325900822575951730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCIBUj4lPQNQeT68NuVWIXXiNmwPoNNewt2g-ycCuCIyp-j6l48ft-KMYU0kXWTMMFx7nZKdyixHHiChUDZzXBHUYGUJVLKcAnwzLMrw0C_giHCMBAW1Ac10N5ztneRNe-fZW6LVqv-py/s400/happy+ca+cow+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAiYTqj171rHUx9S77scja_g79yw5R5eQVMGwPz29WOM9ZGB4ZnkDfVe-eYwAVklpclNo3RqMinNzZVqfw-7w5VpvUyWkH9A7qx9q6vWiOsgeq7akIHXqWBMfas5IwgIXsSo0hF1-_Fa4/s1600-h/laguna+spring+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325902169537991954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAiYTqj171rHUx9S77scja_g79yw5R5eQVMGwPz29WOM9ZGB4ZnkDfVe-eYwAVklpclNo3RqMinNzZVqfw-7w5VpvUyWkH9A7qx9q6vWiOsgeq7akIHXqWBMfas5IwgIXsSo0hF1-_Fa4/s400/laguna+spring+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a> The bread baker's dog likes his walks...most dogs do...and one of his favorite walks takes us past the cows and to the laguna, our local waterway. It is enchanting year round, but the spring is especially wonderful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5olVDIJcQ34BTObypSKD123eHOPbv8gqu2cqZ0LWBNpUlZPAbRkplyHusEkYzlTUmsZ5dSkn3v_OUR46EagMVGMZCgYg5bQAgBsRJvyxUyqoqOt9dEuQSUMRFU1f8rw0_V1RygKWPH3su/s1600-h/gr8+wht+heron+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325900827962744738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 272px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5olVDIJcQ34BTObypSKD123eHOPbv8gqu2cqZ0LWBNpUlZPAbRkplyHusEkYzlTUmsZ5dSkn3v_OUR46EagMVGMZCgYg5bQAgBsRJvyxUyqoqOt9dEuQSUMRFU1f8rw0_V1RygKWPH3su/s400/gr8+wht+heron+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />We were lucky enough to get fairly close to this great white heron among some reeds in a shallow area. There were also ducks nearby, but this big one is quite a sight up close.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwEZa9FK7S1gA3mejdF2i1qGCC_aj9-0GEFoP6iij747t8NDIepW_cUbX4GCFQevVwrZ8foVZnl8T7sCVuGrywVKXm3R7s1SdF7A7Og2tjoGAwIFmYEZJYyhrRicpyokOjqb7gFgjmi55/s1600-h/seedlings2+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325905387147946562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 342px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwEZa9FK7S1gA3mejdF2i1qGCC_aj9-0GEFoP6iij747t8NDIepW_cUbX4GCFQevVwrZ8foVZnl8T7sCVuGrywVKXm3R7s1SdF7A7Og2tjoGAwIFmYEZJYyhrRicpyokOjqb7gFgjmi55/s400/seedlings2+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a> Still not food, but these seedlings will soon be producing food and are keeping this blogger quite busy getting the garden prepared for them. No fresh bread for the dog, either, but that should change in the next day or so. Stay 'tuned'.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaxiW8VUGJb2HNwkRdh96uH_Ugulekd_7sh0CAFwg-7W0kUxt2JBNPUBPixysxHSQQIR0kjgmCsO4unHb7GPO8xPd1-ce9ban91lbhK9w4Js_2nlzsaz4T2Lv56djMRgfr6Xi2fDT5ZkX/s1600-h/seedlings1+4-09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325900827556586466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaxiW8VUGJb2HNwkRdh96uH_Ugulekd_7sh0CAFwg-7W0kUxt2JBNPUBPixysxHSQQIR0kjgmCsO4unHb7GPO8xPd1-ce9ban91lbhK9w4Js_2nlzsaz4T2Lv56djMRgfr6Xi2fDT5ZkX/s400/seedlings1+4-09.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">All content is original to this site and may not be used elsewhere without permission</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2