Bigger Than A Bread Box

We are fortunate enough to have three small bedrooms in our triangle house which allows my husband and to each have a room of our own.  Mine was the office/guest bedroom but has now been taken over by the cats.  My husband's room, or "the forbidden room" as we call (see above re:cats), is a sea of computer cables, camera equipment, and laundry in various stages of clean or dirty.  The forbidden room has a secret though- it is the perfect temperature for proofing dough.  Living near-ish to the beach keeps the downstairs pretty chilly even most of the time, the upstairs tends to be on the warm side but that corner bedroom is just right so when this Goldilocks wants to bake bread that's where it goes to rise.  When making this week's TWD, Raisin Swirl Bread, my secret weapon worked a little too well and I had to bake the bread on the lowest rack to avoid it hitting the top burner.  Luckily the rest of the bread managed to grow into it's golden brown top and came out perfectly.

Simply toasted and buttered, a slice of this bread made a perfect breakfast.

Thanks Susan for a great pick!  For the recipe, check out her blog.

Pitter Pat

We took a rare field trip into Beverly Hills the other day on the hunt for fancy accessories for our newly remodeled bathroom. Designer labels like Versace, Mossimo, and Tiffany don't hold much allure for someone whose jobs all require me to get up at ungodly early hours to be covered in flour, or dirt or both so I was thoroughly content to window shop- until I got to The Cheese Store.
Amidst the flash and glam of Rodeo Drive, this place is the real deal, a foodie paradise of specialty cheese, cured meats, aged balsamics, wine, the works. Awed into a stupor, I could only croak a small "Help?" to the woman behind the counter who then graciously guided me through their amazing selection. You name it they've got it, and they even let you sample everything before you buy it. Ultimately I dropped $30 on some manchego, quince paste, butter, and some other cheese with caraway seeds that I don't even know the name of and it was money well spent.
To do justice to the thick, bright yellow, Humboldt County butter, I made a loaf of Prosciutto Bread from Malgieri's Modern Baker.

Bread + Bacon + Butter = Heaven
Forget designer labels. Get a slice of homemade bread and a pat of quality butter and taste the good life.

Sunday School, Now With Yeast!

Forget "new car" smell, driving home from class today with a bag full of still warm, fresh baked bread made for a truly heavenly commute. Today marked a departure from all the cakes, sweets & treats we've been making up until now and began our journey into the world of yeast. I have a few loaves under my belt (figuratively and sadly, literally) thanks to Artisan In Five, but I was really looking forward to experimenting with more traditional bread making methods. Today's recipes included Rustic Country, Challah, and Rosemary Olive Breads but it was really all about my new single-celled little friend, yeast.

Yeast can be broken down into 3 types: freeze dried, compressed/cake, and starters. Freeze dried yeast is what most of us use, sold in the grocery store in a jar or those convenient little packets. This is yeast in suspended form and once its activated creates a fast rise, perfect for the kind of breads we made in class today.

Compressed or cake yeast is better suited for slow rise breads and pastry like cinnamon rolls. To ensure best quality, avoid grocery store cake yeast, instead buying it at specialty stores or by mail order and always keep it in the fridge.

A starter is made by gathering wild yeast from the environment, made with a combination of mashed grapes (or some other fruit or vegetable) and flour, covered in cheesecloth and left outside for about 24 hours which causes fermentation and creates a bubbling mixture brimming with live yeast. Kept in the fridge and fed often, it will last 2-3 weeks, is the ultimate slow riser, and creates a tangy, complex bread which is most commonly sourdough.

Phew, so much information and we've barely scratched the surface to understand all we need to know about bread making. Lots more yeasted fun to look forward to in the coming weeks classes- can't wait to share what I've learned. Until then, give this challah recipe a try.

Challah
adapted from New School of Cooking Curriculum
1tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
poppy and sesame seeds
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water

Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve. Combine with oil, water, sugar, salt, eggs and half the flour. Mix well. Stir in remaining flour, cover dough and let rest 10 minutes. Turn onto a floured board and need for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until doubled.
Turn dough onto counter and divide into 3 equal parts. Shape into long strands and braid loosely, tucking in the ends. Brush with beaten egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Care to Mango?

Lately I've been cheating...on my favorite fruits. Bananas, grapes, and every type of berry are consistently being passed over for the sweet, perfumed mango. So soft, so juicy, so gosh darn tropical, how could I resist! Needless to say, I was thrilled with Kelly's pick for Tuesdays With Dorie, Fresh Mango Bread.
This simple quick bread recipe is easy on your pantry and your budget. I only had to buy the mango which was on sale at my local market. And it's easy on your dishwasher too- you've gotta love a recipe that comes together with two bowls, a whisk and a spoon. I followed Dorie's recipe to the letter, except for the addition of a 1/4 teaspoon of coriander, and while I usually make mini's this time I chose to go with the full loaf.

Sorry berries, I'm with mango now.

Pita Party

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you may have noticed we (collectively) are in a bit of a financial pickle. Record unemployment, businesses going under left and right, words ending in "ession" being carelessly tossed about, what are we to do? Hang our heads, cry in our coffee, have a big ole Pity Party? Screw that, how about a Pita Party!

With 3 months of unemployment threatening to drive me to drink (ok, drink more), I've been keeping my hands busy and my grocery bills down by cooking and baking as much as possible. Why spend my hard earned unemployment check on Trader Joe's pita and hummus when I already have everything I need to make my own?

The pita recipe comes courtesy of my new best friend, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. You can use a number of their basic doughs to make pitas- I chose Light Wheat. Just pull off sections of dough, roll them out into thin rounds, toss them on your preheated baking stone and watch them puff up! So simple and easy to make, and they keep really well. Seriously, this book has changed my life. Hmm, wonder if they pay for testimonials?

Lemony Hummus
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
Juice from 2 large lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp tahini
2tsp olive oil
1tsp cumin
1/4tsp kosher salt

Combine everything in a food processor and process until smooth

Reinventing The Wheel

Eureka! Ok, I know its silly to be so excited about one little loaf of bread but I have been suffering from yeast anxiety for months. For some reason I thought I would fail at bread making which is why I bought Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day in the first place. It's based on a basic no knead recipe where you make the dough in bulk and refrigerate it, then you can pull some out and bake off a loaf whenever the mood strikes.


This first loaf is from the Master Recipe but there are over 200 hundred pages of recipes ranging from traditional French and Italian loaves to sandwich bread and pastry.

If this post is starting to sound like an infomercial well, it is. Buy this book and have fresh bread with dinner...tonight!

Fingers Crossed

Ever since receiving Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day, I've been putting off making my first loaf of bread, ever. Not enough flour in the house, the container I plan to use for the dough is still full of gingerbread, I'm sick, I'm better but on a no wheat detox diet. I'm officially out of excuses and my first batch is rising on the counter as we speak- I hope.
Anyone have experience with this book or advice for a bread virgin?