recipe

I've been making a lot of bread lately. Had some extra that I either needed to throw away or make something out of. They won't let you feed it to the ducks in Portland, you know. So, I used my remarkable internet research skills to look for recipes using leftover bread. Apparently, many people just make bread crumbs and put them in the freezer. I was looking for something a little more exciting. The New York Times happened to have a recipe for panade published last week in an article about young yuppy farmers (you may have to register to see the article.) It was interesting but it uses a lot of cauliflower, not one of my favorite foods, so I kept looking. Epicurious had a strata recipe with spinach that got a ton of comments but it was one of those recipes that you have to make eight hours ahead. I rarely know what I want for dinner until I get right up to it so I hardly ever plan that far ahead unless I'm cooking for company. The strata sounded good though so I checked around for something similar and came across this recipe from Martha Rose Schulman, also in the New York Times. Her recipe just mixes all the ingredients and pops it right in the oven. It sounded perfect, so I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and picked up the cavolo nero or black leaf kale that I was sure was in the recipe. I checked the dried mushrooms she calls for, was appalled at the price and decided to substitute fresh criminis instead. Last night, ready to cook, I pulled up the recipe again. Hmmm, her recipe is for cheese strata with chard. Why was I so sure it was black kale? Ahh, the kale was in the panade. OK, another substitution. Of course I was also using my leftover whole grain bread for her french baguette and some random bits of cheese I wanted to clear out of the fridge instead of the Gruyère she listed. I guess we'll see how it comes out. An hour or so later and I was pretty pleased with myself. I had accomplished my goal of using up some of that bread and made myself a pretty tasty dinner. Here's the recipe...

• 4 or 5 thick slices of whole grain bread (I used about 4 cups of my Pilgrim's Bread)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 pound of crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• half bunch (about 8 ounces I think) of cavolo nero/dark leaf kale, stemmed and cleaned
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 cut in half, the other two minced
• 2 cups of milk (I used 2%)
• 3/4 cup of grated cheese, tightly packed (I used what I had in the fridge, about half goat cheddar and half kasseri)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil or butter a two quart baking dish or gratin pan. If the bread is soft, as mine was, toast it lightly and then rub each slice front and back with the halved garlic clove. If your bread is really stale, you can skip the toasting. Cut into 1 inch dice. Place in a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup of the milk. Set aside.

In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they smell good. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add the still wet kale to the skillet and cook over medium high heat until it starts to wilt. Cover the pan and let the kale steam until it has collapsed, about 5 minutes. Add more water if needed but just enough to steam not boil it. Uncover and stir. When all the kale has wilted, remove from the pan and rinse in cold water. Squeeze to get out the remaining moisture and then chop and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and quickly saute the minced garlic over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms, rosemary and kale. Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Remember that the cheese and bread both have salt in them so adjust your seasonings with that in mind (my dish turned out slightly too salty because of this, I think). Remove from the heat and add the kale mixture to the bread cubes. Add the grated cheeses (not the Parmesan, that comes later), toss to mix and then arrange in the prepared baking dish.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the remaining milk, the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Pour over the bread mixture. Press the bread down into the eggs. Sprinkle the Parmesan on the top and drizzle the other tablespoon of oil on top of that. (The oil thing is in Martha's recipe. I have to admit that I couldn't tell there was oil there and will probably not waste the effort next time I make the dish.) Place in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes until puffed and browned. Serves 4 to 6.

Martha says you can do all the hard work ahead, up to the egg step, and it will keep, covered, in your fridge up to a couple of days. Add the egg and milk when you're ready to bake. Next time I make this I will probably halve the recipe and bake it in a small dish. It's way too much for one person to dispose of. I'll likely let the bread sit out to get a little more stale before toasting. And as I said, I will cut the salt a little bit. The crimini were fabulous, great flavor. It was, however, the rosemary that really made it.

New Norcia Sourdough Recipe.

Related post in General Discussion forum.

http://www.abc.net.au/local/recipes/2010/08/05/2974566.htm

Ingredients
Sourdough starter:
250ml cold potato water, grape juice, lemon juice or
plain water
250 grams stone-ground, wholemeal flour

Sourdough bread:
750 grams baker's flour
15 grams salt
250ml starter
250ml water

Method
Sourdough starter:
1) Mix together to a thin paste in a plastic or ceramic
mixing bowl.
2) Cover with a porous cloth (eg: cheesecloth) and
leave near an open window out of direct sunlight for
three to four days. It should have started to ferment
(i.e. bubble) and have a sweet/sour pleasant aroma.
3) Mix in another 250ml water and 250g flour. If not
using within four hours, refrigerate.
4) The starter needs to be fed daily with 250ml water
and 250g flour. Pour off excess starter before feeding.
5) Two to three hours before using the starter, remove
from refrigerator and feed.

Method

Sourdough Bread

1) Mix together and knead well. Let prove for two to
three hours.
2) Mould into two loaves and let prove for one and a
half to two hours until soft and puffy.
3) Slash and bake at 230 degrees for one to one and
a quarter hours until golden brown and tested hollow.

Doughty

So I'm writing a recipe for everyone. Its intended so that anyone, regardless of experience can try to make bread. So far, I've been told that the recipe reads as a technical document. As yet, I'm not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. 

But please read and tell me if its not detailed, too detailed, or in general too wordy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.00 Cups Bread Flour
1.00 Cup Water
4.00 Tbsp Water
1.00 Tbsp Instant Yeast
1.00 Tsp Salt
3.00 Tbsp Melted Butter

Notes:

Bread flour has protein content of between 11-14%, the bag should say which, but all purpose works too (generally the more protein the better)

Instant yeast can be mixed directly in with the flour, bread machine yeast works, but if all you can get is active dry yeast use 1.5 tablespoons, and proof it in water with some sugar first, it should bubble (use some of the water you have measured for the bread).

Water at around body temperature is great, around 80-90F (25-30 C), but any hotter and you risk getting the water too hot for the yeast. Use your finger as a thermometer (finger test!), if you can't tell if the water is hot or cold, use it.

(the instructions to this recipe may seem long, but I am describing everything from start to finish in as much detail as I can, really the process is quite simple)

Procedure:

1.) Melt your butter.
2.) Measure out all your ingredients. Mix the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl, then mix in the salt.
3.) Pour the water and melted butter into the mixing bowl on top of the dry ingredients.
4.) Using one hands, scoop and fold the ingredients in the bowl; with the other hand continuously turn the bowl.

After a few minutes the dough will come together into a sticky mass.

5.) Turn the dough out onto a table and knead the dough by stretching it away from you and folding it towards you.
6.) Seal the fold by pushing the dough against the table.
6.) After sealing the fold give it a quarter turn (turn it 90*) and repeat until the dough is smooth and tacky.

You will know the dough is finished when it is smooth, and just slightly grabs your fingers (tackiness). By this time your hands should be no longer covered in dough (the gluten has settled).

7.) Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent oxidation, and boil a small pot of water
8.) Put your mixing bowl into a turned off oven, put the steaming pot of water below it
9.) Let the dough ferment until it has doubled in size (this takes about one hour)
10.) Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into sixteen equal sized pieces

11.) Beat one egg with salt to make egg wash.
12.) Line a baking pan with parchment paper (dusting with semolina flour, or oiling up the pan also works)
13.) Lay the dough onto the paper seam side down, and brush it with egg wash
14.) Boil some water in a small pot; cover the dough with plastic wrap
15.) Put the baking pan in the oven (with the oven off) along with the steaming water for about 15 min

Press Test: press the dough, it should spring back halfway, thats when you know its proofed

16.) Preheat your oven to 400 F, bake the rolls until they are well browned and sound hollow when thumped

When baking, you must always bake it until it is done!

17.) Let the dough cool before cutting into it

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

--Gabriel

Well, this is actually the Chocolate Cinnamon Babka recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day. I followed the recipe to a T except I substituted the chocolate for dark brown sugar, as per the request from my girlfriend, who barely ate any after it was done, haha.

I really like how it came out and I love the look. A loaf doesn't get any cooler looking than this and you can't go wrong with a rich, sweet, cinnamony, streusel topped bread. I gave my parents half the loaf and I pretty much ate the rest by myself over two days, my girlfriend only had a taste and acknowledged it was fantastic, she considers herself a expert. She had to look good in a bikini the following week so she said "I should stop making bread!".

This is the first bread I made out of this book, I have made many from PR's other books. I have my eye on taking a whirl at the croissant recipe in this book but I don't know when I will get to that. This was easy, fast, and fun to make and I will definitely be making it again, next time with the chocolate. It is a cool bread to bring to a dinner party for desert, in my opinion.

Enjoy the pictures,

Nick

First up: the Failure.

They were completely sourdough, but something wasn't quite right. They got a bit too puffed. I'm thinking that the fact that I let the dough come back up to room temperature had something to do with that. I should've boiled straight from the fridge, then baked. It could also be that I didn't get them stretched out quite enough, either.

The taste, though? Perfect. Exactly what I want.

Second: the Success.

This is another basic sourdough rye. No caraway, no sugar...just flour, salt, water, and starter. No complaints. Time to get out the mustard. Or maybe the corned beef...

Just to show that I've been baking. Not neglecting my hobby this week. :)

Which one book, has the most, the tastiest recipes ?  Instructions on bread baking 101 not necessary, if it has that's ok but not essential by any means.