September 17, 2014 - 4:30pm
Old Bakes, Pancakes, and Fish
Here are some relevant and not so relevant past bakes and things.
Multi-Grain Levain with many, many seeds.
Some healthy buttermilk spelt flour pancakes with fresh blueberry maple syrup.
After eating some amazing seafood dishes this summer in the Okanagan valley, and a trip to our local produce farm market, I came up with this inspired fish dish. Pan seared halibut with beurre blanc sauce, yellow zucchini, arugula, new potatoes, garnished with oregano blossoms and smoked paprika. No, there is no bread, but I sure wished I had a crostini to soak up the remaining bit of beurre blanc sauce.
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Bread looks perfect. How was the crumb?
Fish.....you're killing me....send some over please! You need one of my rolls I just made to mop up that sauce!
Thanks Ian. Yes, the crust on this bake was the best I have ever produced on this bread, and maybe any other. I tested out using a smaller roaster and sprayed a bit of water on the loaves and in the bottom shallow grooves that are found on the bottom of roasting pans. This probably gave the extra bit of steam and a more constrained environment to give that crust. The crust was also the thinnest/crispiest I've ever made.
The crumb was just as always, moist, soft, with a ton of seeds to make you feel like you are the healthiest guy in the world...even if it is a farce.
I really do wish I had one of your rolls man...I always think of your roll bakes when I ponder if I should make some.
Yes, I have DEFINITELY have gotten onto a seafood kick here of late. Living on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, I have always loved seafood, but ordering fish in some good restaurants lately has really got me 'hooked.' Years ago, I got bored of the typical steak when going out for a splurge type dinner out. I then moved onto mostly ordering game meats - duck, boar, venison, etc. Just recently, I kind of wanted to branch out into more seafood, and I am glad I did. A few weeks ago I tried a mussel dish that blew me away. I never really ordered mussels, but I had been dying to try a Belgian style moules frites (mussels and fries) after our company painted a well known restaurant in Vancouver. Served with a fresh baguette to soak up all that broth. Damn...
Thanks for your comments Ian and happy baking.
John
the bold bake and the blisters. Looks like it has a fair amount of whole grains to go with the seeds too? The cakes, berries and fish look great too. Well done John -
Happy Baking and Cooking.
Yes sir, it had ww and rye and about 5% spelt. About 40% whole grain flour in this bread.
Happy baking to you too dabrowny. Hope you aren't close to any of the flooding.
John
Hi John,
Good to see a post from you :) Interesting in that I have your Swedish Rye coming up to be baked this weekend… ( With cooler weather I am toying around with heartier loaves and I always liked making yours last winter so back it comes, by popular demand, this year.)
Love the Multi-Grain loaves! Great crust color all around. Amazing what steam and a pan can do for a bread!
Bet the pancakes didn't stay around long or the fish.
Thanks for sharing and I love your photos too.
Take Care,
Janet
Thanks so much Janet. I appreciate the kind words.
It means a lot to hear that I have inspired a bake or two, so please do enjoy. And in turn, you have reminded and inspired me to bake that one up soon as well. It's been a while. I would also love to see the results of your bake!
Take care and let me know how it goes this weekend.
John
The loaf is done. Crust got a bit dark and hard - over baked. I was out when I should have been home tending it….Due to being out I also left it covered longer hence a gummy crumb BUT son still loves it as it makes great toast and it will stay nice and moist and tasty for several days. (I did tweak a few things around. No sunflower seeds - used bulgar wheat instead and added some soaked spelt.)
Now to work on baking times covered/uncovered to let more moisture out. Notes to self: I will stay home at critical times during bake.
Take Care,
Janet
Thanks for posting Janet. Also as I am sure you know, the bread gets better and better over the next few days. I used to think the crumb was gummy, but it just needed a few more days on the counter.
I am sure your next attempt will be a keeper.
John
"…over the next few days on the counter"
An almost 18 year old son + athlete + stands 6'2" tall+ fresh baked bread anywhere near the counter = bread does not last a few days :*)
Which is why it is only mom who is wanting to get a bit of the gum out….perfectionist thing i think ;)
Janet
Gotcha. Maybe find a good hiding spot. Somewhere near the vegetables ;)
John
Wise man speaks.
:*)
Fantastic looking loaves, John. Can't get much better than this!
Khalid
Thank you Khalid. But I have seen your bakes, so I beg to differ. Hope to see some from you soon.
John
You made looks absolutely fantastic!! Beautiful bread, love the bubbles you got on the surface. The pancakes and fish look melt-in-your-mouth good, stunning presentation for the fish as well! A grand trio here, beautifully done! Congrats!
I appreciate the comments Kiseger. The blistering was a result of lots and lots of steam for the first 15 minutes. I have finally perfected my system. Thanks again and happy baking.
John
Nice spread John. I know they are just pancakes but they look just about perfect. What is your final steaming system as you got such great results.
Cheers
Josh
Thanks Josh! We will never go back to eating pancakes without some whole grain flour. I always used to feel so heavy and weighed down after eating AP flour pancakes. I never do with these.
My final tweaks were quite simple actually. I just looked at my trusty turkey roaster method (I assume you are familiar with), which I have always been pretty happy with, and tried to figure out how I could maximize the steaming even further.
1. Chose to use a smaller roaster, to constrain the environment.
2. Realized there were shallow grooves in the bottom of the roaster that are designed to hold the rendered fat/juices of the roasting meat. I used these grooves to hold a bit of water that slowly evaporates over the 15 - 20 mins.
3. Finally, I give the bread dough and roaster a good spray of water (more than I usually did) before loading it into the oven.
These simple steps were enough to make a significant difference.
Happy baking Josh.
John
Big thumbs up on the multigrain, pancakes, and halibut! Oh god, the halibut... I have an intense craving for fish now. That dish alone raises the suspicion that you've been to a handful of spectacular restaurants in your lifetime.
Anyway, please post more food / bread photos in the future. They're great. :)
Best wishes,
Zita
Thank you ZIta. Yes, I am a foodie to say the least. I will surely be posting more bakes/food now that the cooler months are right around the corner. I don't care to bake bread in a warm/hot home.
Here are a few more photos of dishes I came up with in the last few months, since you asked ;)
Take care and happy baking.
John
A spaghetti pomodoro with home grown basil.
Sockeye Salmon marinaded in soy and maple syrup with a cracked black pepper crust, on a bed of jasmine rice, grilled scallion, spinach, and a shitake mushroom ponzu sauce reduction.
Grilled chipotle marinaded chicken on mexican rice, black bean and corn salsa, cotija cheese yogurt sauce.
Blackened salmon on a bed of quinoa, avocado mango salsa, cilantro yogurt.
Awesome! Love your photography and food styling.
Thanks Ian. As you can see, I have to try a few new placements. It would help if I had some differently shaped plates (eg., longer, bowled, etc.). I knew the foodie in you would enjoy.
John