sun dried tomato

January 11, 2013 - 12:02pm

dabrownman

Multi-grain Sourdough Chacon with Olives, Sun Dried Tomato, Garlic, Rosemary and 2 Cheeses

We had one more batch of saved white Italian starter left over from the panettone bake which produced so much excess starter it is nearly obscene. It was built up over 3 stages and had been previously refrigerated for several days. We decided to do an Italian bread and was torn between an Altamura Pope’s Hat or the Chacon it eventually inspired.

For breakfast a couple of days ago, we were finishing off the last 3 slices of the Eric’s Chacon; a marbling of challah with Eric’s Favorite Rye, toasted with a schmear of grilled salmon and cream cheese and decided to do a chacon in a way we had not done before. It is funny how bread decisions get made sometimes.

We used the same whole grain variety of Kamut, rye, WW, quinoa, barley and oats with a little potato and Toady Tom’s Tasty Toasted Tidbits this time but reduced to 22% of the flours used so that the rest of the add in goodies could possibly come through a little better. We kept to the 72% hydration of the last bake and hoped that it wouldn’t end up feeling as wet overall since the scald was deleted from this bake too.

We also decided to reduce the 36 hour retard and final proof in the fridge back to 24 hours after the last batch over-proofed at the 36 hour mark. Reducing the whole grains in the mix should slow things down a little bit my apprentice noted as well. She would be pretty smart sometimes if she wasn’t so dumb, if cute, otherwise.

We used a high percent of levain (20%) of the total dough weight again, which is more than we normally would use if we were going for sour, but that is what we had left over and after refreshing it to bread speed.

Some fine bakers like to use large levain amounts in their bakes like Peter Reinhart and our own Ian. This might have contributed to the over proofing of the last bake though and another reason to go with a 24 hour retarded proof this time. But, after 15 hours it sure hasn’t proofed itself up much in the fridge.

The method was the same this time as the last bake except for the 24 hour final proof and retard in the fridge and we divided the dough into two, not to make two different loaves but to make two different kinds of bread in one chacon.

One half of the dough had kalamata olives, home made sun dried tomatoes and grated asiago cheese added to it and the other half had fresh rosemary, garlic and grated parmesan cheese. Now that sounded pretty Italian to me but I cut the salt down some to account for the salt in the add ins.

The chacon started with an olive knotted roll in the middle surrounded by a rosemary twisted rope. The rope was surrounded by balls of alternating doughs. The remaining dough was separated into 2 ropes each and made into an alternating 4 strand round challah shape.

The ends were braided but instead of being tucked under they were rotated to the side to make the challah larger in diameter. This was placed on top of the rest of the shapes in the basket. It didn’t quite cover but we didn’t want to smoosh it up too much to see what the shape would be like on the bottom of the loaf after baking. Why should top get all the pretty decoration?

This dough was still pretty wet, much wetter than our normal chacon dough, so it will be interesting to see how the shapes come though the cracking stage when baked. Hopefully it will still crack as expected. If it tastes half as good as it smells before baking, we will have some fine Italian bread to eat.

Just checked on it and this bread needs much more time in the fridge to proof right so, 36 hours is back on the table but it will have to be 40 hours because I’m not putting this bread in the oven a 5 AM! Or 10 AM either.

Just put it on the heating pad to warm up and proof before we heat up Big Old Betsy. It should bake it in A DO to be consistent with the last bake but consistency is far from my baking prowess.

Wow! After 42 plus hours in the fridge and on the counter this bread baked up the deepest, richest, mahogany color with blisters I have seen on any bread coming out of our Big GE. It was baked on a stone at 500 F for 2 minutes and then an additional 12 minutes at 450 F all under steam with 2 of Sylvia’s steaming pans and a 12” skillet with lava rocks, ala David Snyder, that I threw a half cup of water into as I closed the door.

This chacon is awfully handsome on the outside and it sure smells just as tasty too. Can’t wait to slice this bread and have a taste but I will – at least till it cools. Sadly, all the intricate balls didn't crack due to too much hydration. The challah on the bottom didn't even show a sign of being there much less crack.

I turned the oven off and cracked the door when the chacon got to 203 F since it was so dark and let it sit on the stone till it hit 205 F on the inside.

The crumb came out not quite as open as the last bake but it was moist and soft. The crust went softer as it cooled but was mighty tasty and chewy. This bread is delicious and I can't wait to have it with some lemon flavored olive oil, fresh Italian herbs, black pepper and Italian grated cheese. This is some kind of delicious that should be patented or illegal.

Formula

Starter	Build 1	Build 2	Build 3	Total	%
SD Starter	20	0		20	2.92%
AP	35	45	45	125	22.69%
Water	35	45	45	125	22.69%
Total Starter	90	90	90	270	49.00%

Starter
Hydration	100.00%
Levain % of Total	20.50%

Dough Flour		%
Red Malt	3	0.54%
White Malt	3	0.54%
Toady Tom's Tasty Toasted Tidbits	5	0.91%
Quinoa	10	1.81%
Whole Wheat	10	1.81%
Dark Rye	10	1.81%
Spelt	10	1.81%
Barley	10	1.81%
Dark Rye	10	1.81%
Potato Flakes	10	1.81%
Oat Flour	10	1.81%
AP	400	72.60%
Dough Flour	551	100.00%
Salt	11	1.60%
Water	355	64.43%
Dough Hydration	64.43%

Total Flour	686
Total Water	490
Total Dough Hydration	71.43%

Hydration w/ Adds	71.43%
Total Weight	1,317

Whole Grains	22.01%

Add - Ins		%
Asiago & Parmesan Cheese	50	9.07%
Olives & Sun Dried Tomato	80	14.52%
Total	130	23.59%

1/2 T of Fresh Rosemary
1 Clove of Minced Garlic

May 18, 2012 - 7:18pm

dabrownman

Semolina, Rye, WWW Ciabatta w/ Chia Seeds, Herbs and Sun Dried Tomato

We haven’t made SD ciabatta in a long time and wanted to make one that included some YW in the levain, had some semolina, rye and WWW for flavor while using mostly AP and a little bread flour for the rest of the dry. We added some VWG to up the gluten of this dough and improve its crumb. We also took some of our standard pizza dough ingredients; the mix of herbs, garlic and sun dried tomato and added them with some chia seeds.

The crust came out nicely browned and crunchy and softened as it cooled. The crumb was open, soft,glossy and moist. The herbs, garlic and sun dried tomatoes came though but were not over powering. The SD tang was there in the background but it was subdued due to the YW and no retarding of the dough or starters to bring out the SD flavor. We didn’t do two separate levains this time but mixed the YW right into the SD starter from the beginning.

This might well be the best tasting ciabatta we have ever made – just delicious!

It looks to be some fine sandwich bread for paninis by putting the crust of the bread on the inside and grilling the inside of the bread on the outside of the sandwich. Formula and Method follow. Here is a nice beer can chicken sandwich with lettuce and Amish Swiss, chips, berries and some salad and a chocolate sandwich cookie.

Method

Make the YW and SD levain in 3 stages each 4 hours apart for a total of 12 hours. The levain will triple in volume

The next morning autolayse the flour with the water for 1 hour in the mixer bowl. Add the levain and knead with dough hook on KA 8 for 8 minutes or until the dough releases from the bowl. Add the salt and chia seeds and knead on KA 8 for 1 more minute. Place in a well oiled plastic covered bowl for 15 minutes. Do 4 S & F’s every 15 minutes in the bowl. Add the herbs garlic and sun dried tomato and do 2 more S & F’s. Let ferment and develop in a well oiled bowl until the dough at least doubles. This will take about 3 hours

Turn out onto a well flowered counter, shape into (2) 8”x14” rectangles with an oiled dough scraper, dimple top with fingers, spray top with oil and cover with a dusting of flour and plastic. Let rest 60 minutes.

After 60 minutes, preheat oven for 45 minutes at 500 F regular bake with steam and stone in place. With 2 dough scrapers, transfer ciabatta to a floured parchment paper on a peel by flipping in over at the same time. Reshape as necessary. Slide onto stone and steam for 6 minutes. Remove stream, turn loaves 180 degrees and bake another 6 minutes at 450 F convection this time. When the internal temperature reaches 205 F it is done but not finished.

Turn off oven, leave door ajar and bread on the stone for another 8 minutes to crisp the ciabatta crust. Move to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

Semolina, Rye and WWW Ciabatta w/ Chia Seeds, Herbs and Sundried Tomato

Mixed Starter	Build 1	Build 2	Build 3	Total	%
SD Starter	25	0	0	25	3.69%
Yeast Water	30	10	0	40	8.00%
AP	55	50	60	165	16.00%
Water	25	35	40	100	16.00%
Total Starter	135	95	100	330	66.00%

Starter
Hydration	74.65%
Levain % of Total	24.54%

Dough Flour		%
Rye	25	5.00%
Semolina	200	40.00%
White WW	25	5.00%
Bread Flour	80	16.00%
AP	170	34.00%
Dough Flour	500	100.00%
Salt	10	2.00%
Water	500	100.00%
Dough Hydration	100.00%


Total Flour	677.5
Total Water	632.5
T. Dough Hydrat.	93.36%

Hydration w/ Adds	92.67%
Total Weight	1,345

Add - Ins		%
VW Gluten	5	1.00%
Chia Seeds	20	4.00%
Total	25	5.00%

Herbs and Veggies
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 T Garlic Chive
1/2 T Rosemary
1/2 T Sage
1 T Sundried Tomato

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October 29, 2010 - 3:45pm

Franko

Savoury Polenta Levain

This summer our garden provided us with a bumper crop of little cherry tomatoes , so many in fact that we, or rather my wife Marie, ended up putting a large portion of them in the dehydrator so we could make use of them through the winter time. The tomatoes were cured briefly in a mix of salt, olive oil and fresh oregano before going into the dehydrator. When they were finally ready to eat we were amazed at how well the pure tomato flavour had been retained. I've eaten a lot of the sun dried type that you can find at the grocer or deli over the years, but I've never had any with quite as intense a flavour as these little gems. At last count we had just over a half pound of dried cherry tomatoes , which made me think that we could spare a few to make a bread with. The idea of using them in a loaf with polenta came from remembering an excellent grilled polenta with a sun dried tomato, garlic, parmigiano and olive oil dressing that I'd had years before at a pot luck BBQ with some friends.

Searches on TFL and the web in general didn't turn up much that I was interested in as most them called for eggs and milk or other ingredients I wasn't keen on, so I thought a little experimentation was in order to make the bread I had in mind. It had to be made with natural yeast, polenta -(more accurately, a hot cornmeal soaker), and the dried tomatoes, other than that I was pretty open to using whatever I felt would help compliment the flavour of the tomatoes. Thinking about the grilled polenta dish that I'd had, I decided to just go with some roasted garlic and parmigiano as the flavour additions and see how that worked. Well it worked just fine! The tomato flavour came through as the main player, the garlic and cheese offering subtle support, and the polenta adding a soft texture to the overall loaf. The sour sort of plays around in the background, which is what I was hoping for since I wasn't going for a tangy or sharp flavoured bread. The polenta gives it a soft crumb, and the wheat provides a good chewy crust, making for a pleasant contrast while you're eating it. This bread is great for panini sandwiches and toasts up quite nicely as well, but to me this is what I call a 'cocktail bread' , or something that you might make to take to a friends for dinner, or to have with some olives and cheese and a glass of wine as your waiting for the main course to finish cooking. There are a number of other things you could add to it such as toasted pine nuts, various herbs, or a different type of cheese but if you're looking for the taste of the tomato to shine through I'd recommend using a light hand. The recipe is included below as well as some photos. If any TFL'rs are interested in giving this one a whirl, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

All the best,

Franko

SAVOURY POLENTA LEVAIN

Ingredients	%	Kg

Levain
Mature liquid Culture	13	10
Bread Flour	100	78
Water	125	100

Polenta
Water-144 F	100	300
Yellow Cornmeal	33	100
Butter/olive oil *	5	15

Final Dough
Bread Flour	100	600
Polenta	69	415
Honey	2.5	15
Roasted Garlic/ Shallots	6	36
Parmigiano Cheese	10	60
Levain	31	188
Salt	2	12
Water	25	150
Dried Tomatoes *	10	60
Total		1305.5

Notes:

*drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatoes to soften before starting the mix.

sundried tomatoes packed in oil and drained can be used as well -all or in part

* either butter or olive oil work well, use butter if a richer flavour is desired

Procedure:

Mix the levain 16-18 hrs before making the final dough and keep at room temp.

Make the polenta at the same time as the levain. Pour boiling water over the cornmeal and butter/oil and stir well then heat in microwave on high for 1 minute, stir until it begins to thicken, then heat for another minute or less and stir again till the polenta is very thick. Pour into a shallow container and let cool overnight. The polenta should be soft and slightly granular, not gelatinized or rubbery.

Break the polenta up in the mixer using the paddle attachment on 3rd speed for 1 minute, then add and mix all the ingredients except the salt and tomatoes on 1st speed until combined in a rough mass. Add the salt and mix on 1st speed for 3-4 minutes then on 2nd speed for 7-8 minutes. Adjust the water if needed to attain a medium soft dough. The dough should be soft enough to incorporate the dried tomatoes easily.

Mix in the dried tomatoes on 1st speed until thoroughly combined. Knead the dough by hand on the counter for 4-5 minutes using minimal dusting flour and a scraper until it's developed and the dough is smooth and elastic.

1st stretch and fold after 1 hr, then again after the 2nd hr.
Retard at 45F or less for 18 hrs. Allow the dough to come to room temp of 70-75F for 1-1/12 hr before shaping.
Lightly round the dough, cover and rest for 15-20 minutes, then shape as desired and roll the loaf in semolina. Try to tuck any tomatoes poking through the suface back inside or underneath the loaf to keep them from scorching. Let rise for 2-1/2 to 3 hrs, then slash and slide on to a stone in a preheated 500F oven with normal steam and lower the oven temp to 460F. Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the loaf for even baking if using a non convection oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, rotating the loaf once more.
Cool the loaf on wire racks for 8hrs wrapped in baker's linen

Three-Tiered Braided Christmas Bread

Forums:

General Discussion and Recipe Exchange

I'm a newbie breadophile and I've been baking nonstop for about three months. Most stuff I make is good, with the occasional clunked. This came out so good I wanted to share. We had a large family gathering on Christmas Eve so I wanted to make a special bread. I found this recipe on Food Network's site...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/three-tiered-braided-christmas-bread-recipe/index.html