No Knead Artisan Bread - 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 white

When I was a little girl, I liked nothing better than walking home from school and smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from my home.  My mother baked our family's bread weekly and there was always a warm slice slathered with butter and honey waiting for us after school.  My mother baked fluffy white loaves in shiny aluminum loaf pans.  My bread baking tends to lean toward free-form crackly, dark brown crusted artisan style loaves that sound hollow when thumped on the bottom of the loaf.

Artisan loaves are very different than the fluffy white bread of my childhood.  The crumb should be moist and the holes big and custard-y with a slight shine, just like the air pockets in this loaf.  

This slice needs no adornment but I did slather a little butter and some jam on mine (for old times sake)!  In part, those wonderful childhood memories are why I love bread baking so much.  Especially this time of year when it's so cold outside.

When the girls lived at home I baked big loaves, usually on my pizza stone. An unglazed terra cotta ceramic tile that has been washed works fine if you don't have a pizza stone. Today I tried a different method; baking my bread in my Le Creuset cast iron oven.  It was not much different than the bread baked on the stone.  I did however learn something.  I had read that the ceramic knobs on the lids of Dutch ovens would not stand up to the 500 degrees F temperature that I preheat my oven.   The solution is a stainless steel knob sold by Le Creuset that replaces their standard ceramic knob. Six years ago, anticipating baking bread in my Dutch oven, I purchased a stainless steel knob but  never got around to replacing my original knob or baking bread in the Dutch oven. I had read that wrapping aluminum foil around the original knob would protect it from cracking in high heat so I gave the foil wrap a try first.  It didn't work.  You can see my that the ceramic knob cracked so I located and unwrapped the knob I purchased six years ago.

I'll replace the cracked knob as soon as I scrub off the baked-on brown bits that didn't show before baking in the 500 degree oven.  And I thought the casserole was clean!  I'm off to SCRUB!  And then I think I'll reward myself with another slice of bread. 

Let me know how you like this recipe if you should decide to give it a try.

No Knead Whole Wheat/White Artisan Bread

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water

2 tablespoons yeast (for high altitudes see * below)

1 rounded tablespoon kosher or other coarse salt

4-1/2 cups un-sifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method

2 cups whole wheat flour, measured the same as the white flour

Cornmeal for pizza peel or parchment paper for a baking vessel

*For high altitudes:  Decrease the yeast to 2 teaspoons.

Mixing and Storing the Dough:

In a stand mixer or a re-sealable lidded (not airtight) plastic food container add warm water (100 degrees), yeast, salt and flour.

Attach dough hook or use wooden spoon and incorporate all ingredients. Do not knead.

Option one:  Allow dough to sit on counter 2 hours, then refrigerate for 5 additional hours and use.  

Option two: refrigerate immediately and use dough the next day.

Store the dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 7 days: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the 7-day storage period. Refrigerate unused dough in a lidded storage container (again, not airtight).  Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them.  The dough can also be frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

 On Baking Day:

Prepare the pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal. Cut a piece of parchment paper twice the size of the bottom of the baking vessel.

Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour.  Pull up the dough and cut off a 1- pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears. 

Shape the loaf, do not knead.  Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter–turn as you go.  Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough.  This should take 30 to 60 seconds.  The bottom of the loaf will not be beautiful, but the top should be smooth. 

Rest the loaf on the pizza peel or parchment paper and let it rise for 40 minutes.  You may not see a significant amount of change in the loaf but the loaf will continue to grow in the oven. If using a vessel, the parchment paper facilitates ease in lifting the dough into the vessel after the rise.

Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray below on another rack. If using a vessel, put it into the oven and heat to 500 degrees F.

Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour (this allows the knife to cut more easily through the dough), and using a serrated bread knife, slash a 1/4-inch deep cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top.  The loaf will crack if you don't slash it to let the steam out while baking.

If baking on a stone, fill a measuring cup with a cup of hot water and set it by the oven.  Place the loaf in the oven by sliding it off the pizza peel onto the preheated baking stone.  Quickly, but carefully, pour the hot water into the broiler tray and close the door.  Set timer for 25 to 30 minutes. You are cooking with steam for at least the first 10 to 15 minutes of the baking process.  This will help to form the hard, crackling crust of artisan bread that we’re familiar with.  Remove loaf with pizza peel and let cool on a wire rack before cutting.

If baking in a vessel, pick up the edges of the parchment paper and set it into the vessel with the dough on top of the paper.  Put the lid on the vessel and bake for 40 minutes.  Turn the oven temperature down to 450 degrees F, slide the parchment out from under the loaf so the bottom can crisp up and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes without the lid. Remove the loaf to a wire rack to cool before cutting.

An instant read thermometer should read 195 to 200 degrees F when stuck into the middle of the loaf.

Tip:  To achieve a sour dough-like taste, hold over some of the dough from batch to batch and mix it with your new recipe of dough.  

Maddox Ranch Rolls Revisited

You might remember this post about Maddox Ranch Rolls.  I first made them a while back.  I assumed when I got the recipe that it was adjusted for my altitude since Maddox is in my area.  They weren't.  They were a bit heavy. I have tweaked the recipe for my altitude a bit since I first posted the recipe and now they are light and fluffy.  We LOVE these rolls.  They are batter rolls so they're best eaten the day they are baked.

These rolls are easy and quick and you need to bake some of these for your Christmas dinner.

Oh... and I suggest you try some before the big dinner.  Maybe today.  You won't be sorry and your family and guests will thank you too.  I like to serve them with raspberry or strawberry butter or honey.

I live at 4,300 feet above sea level so this recipe works for me.
If you live at sea level or below 2,000 feet in altitude, click here to get the low altitude recipe from my original post. If you live at a higher altitude, click here to be taken to a post I did on high altitude baking adjustments.

Maddox Style Ranch Rolls

1 Tablespoon, plus 1 Teaspoon of active dry yeast

1/3 cup, plus 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

½ cup warm water

2 cups of whole milk

4 ounces of unsalted butter, cubed

1 Tablespoon of kosher salt

3 large or extra large eggs

5 ½ to 6 cups of all-purpose or  bread flour

Set up a mixing bowl with a dough hook attached.

Warm the milk (do not boil).  Add the cubed butter to the milk and stir and let it melt.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Put the warm water (about 104 degrees F.) into the mixer bowl.  Sprinkle the granulated yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the water and stir lightly.  Let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the eggs to break them up.  Add the remaining sugar and blend.

Add the salt to the bowl.

Add the milk mixture and the egg mixture to the mixing bowl.  Mix slightly. 

Sprinkle the flour into the mixture in the mixing bowl one cup at a time slowly.

Let the mixture work and knead the flour.  When the previous cup is almost smooth, add another cup.  When you have added 5 cups of flour, assess the “wetness” of the dough.  Depending on the humidity in your kitchen and air, more or less flour will be needed.  Continue to add the last bit of flour, 1 spoonful at a time until the dough just begins to pull away from the mixing bowl.

Heat your oven to 375 º F. Generously grease or spray the muffin tins with shortening, butter, or quick release spray.

Remove the dough and scoop into muffin tins.  Let the rolls raise for another 10-15 minutes until doubled in size. 

Bake until the rolls are golden brown, about 12 minutes.  Let cool on a rack.

This recipe made about 28 large rolls.  Serve with honey butter or raspberry butter.

TIPS: 

I live at 4,300 ft. above sea level.  This is adjusted for my altitude.  The original recipe can be found here.  Use that recipe if you live at sea level or up to 2,000 ft. above sea level.

See City Home/Country Home for more tips on baking at high altitudes.

My friend Si, at A Bountiful Kitchen also did a post on her version of these rolls.  You might want to visit her and check out her great food blog.

Smitten...with caramelized onions.

One of my daughters gave another daughter the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for Christmas.  It has great photos and the recipes are good.  I wouldn't say really "gourmet" or difficult to make, but that's a good thing.  Not every cookbook has to have difficult recipes.  These are good for quick, easy dinners

We love caramelized onions at our house and the recipe in Deb Perelman's book is easy and good.  Probably not everyone needs a recipe to make these (they are exactly like the ones I make) but they are GOOD!  I have never put them on a grilled cheese sandwich so thanks Deb.

I made up a double recipe and put them in the fridge for later.  They were delicious on this simple grilled cheese sandwich.  I served them with my favorite lentil soup recipe.  You can find it here.  Soup and sandwiches; perfect for our chilly spring weather.

I made a few modifications on the Smitten Kitchen sandwich.  I sliced a hearty multi-grain bread and buttered the outside of the slices.  I spread a good mustard on one slice of bread.  Pile on the onions, top them with a big handful of grated Emmental cheese (or any other cheese that you like) and let the cheese melt and the bread get toasty golden brown in a medium hot skillet.   MMM....

Caramelized Onions

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon of butter

1 large red onion, halved and sliced thinly

2 teaspoons of brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and butter and add the onion.  Saute for 5 minutes.  Add the brown sugar and salt, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes more on medium heat.  Add the vinegar, and stir and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken.  Season with black pepper and more salt if desired.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

Add these to sandwiches, hamburgers or egg dishes.

We love Banana Bread

 I love banana bread.  These beautiful loaves are ready for gifting (with a few leftover for our freezer).

There's nothing better with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter morning.  This bread has a moist crumb. You can add nuts to your loaves if you like (we don't), but this bread is delicious either way.  Make sure your bananas are very ripe and check for "done-ness" about 10 minutes before the specified time.  You don't want your bread dried out.

Bonnie’s Banana Bread

Makes One Loaf

½ cup of butter

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup of very ripe mashed bananas

¼ cup of buttermilk

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350º F.

Grease and flour one 8x4x3-inch loaf pan or use four small loaf pans.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.  Add the bananas and buttermilk.  Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture.  Fold in nuts if using them. 

Bake for one hour, checking with a toothpick at 50 minutes.  Decrease time for smaller pans (about 30 minutes).  Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack,  and then turn out of the pans onto the rack to cool . Cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife.

This bread is best eaten one day after it's made.

Challah for the holidays.

Rachel made Challah bread with a dried fig filling.  The recipe came from the new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  #1 Sister gifted it to Rachel and she immediately started putting sticky notes on recipes to try first.

This challah loaf won out.
I love this cookbook and just might have to purchase it for myself.  I wanted to add my own sticky notes on the pages of Rachel's book (but that would have been a bit pushy, don't you think?).
The directions are well written and the photos are just gorgeous.  The Challah had a nice crumb and it was utterly delicious.  Good job Rachel!
I can see slightly altering the filling in many different ways and you have to agree that the presentation is stunning.  I love the swirls of fig in the ropes and the sprinkling of course salt on the top was a nice flavor touch.  This would be a superb bread for New Year morning, but we'll have to make more if we want some.  This loaf won't last that long.  Aren't we fortunate that our girls are talented cooks and bakers?  I will be well taken care of in my old age (and quite possible very rotund).

We got about 12 inches of new snow and the sun is shining and the world is white, blue and sparkly.The family is all home and the everything in our world is just right.  I am grateful.
Hope your Christmas holiday was Merry and bright.  Ours sure was. 

Pumpkin Spice Scones

It's been a while since I last posted but I'm making up for it by sharing with you a winner of a recipe.  Two of our daughters came home for the weekend which warranted some seriously good breakfast food and these Ginger Pumpkin Scones were a hit all around.  They would be perfect for Easter Brunch.


Let me say right up front: I AM NOT A SCONE LOVER (or even a scone liker)!  I find them dry, heavy (think hockey pucks) and bland.  I always pass scones up for anything else, but these scones made me change my tune.  My friend Cristie, one of the best cooks I ever met, always brings something wonderful to the table.  Her scones are made with crystallized ginger, pumpkin, and cinnamon chips and they are packed with flavor and moistness.  So I begged Cristie for the recipe and asked if I might share it with you.  Cristie said, "Sure, it originally came from King Arthur Flour".  And I will tell you that the one scone that was leftover was still delicious the next morning.


Think you're not a scone lover?  Try these and be ready to change your mind.

Cristie’s Pumpkin Spice Scones

(original recipe from King Arthur Flour)

2 ¾ cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¼ teaspoon allspice

½ cup minced crystallized ginger

½ cup cinnamon chips

½ cup butter

2/3 cup pumpkin

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tablespoons sugar & ½ teaspoon cinnamon

coarse sugar

milk

Prepare crystallized ginger* and set aside. Place all dry ingredients into large mixing bowl and whisk together. Cut butter into dry ingredients until evenly crumbly (as a pie crust). Add crystallized ginger and cinnamon chips. Mix pumpkin and eggs together and stir into dry ingredients until all is moistened and holds together. Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide into two pieces. Pat each piece into a circle that is 6 inches round and about ¾ inch thick. Using a bench knife cut circle into half, then divide into 6 wedges. Remove to parchment paper, leaving them in the shape of a circle.

Once dough is to this stage it is best to FREEZE to get optimum texture and highest rise. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. OR, if you choose simply prepare as follows:

To bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare scones by placing them on a sheet pan and sil pat or parchment in the shape of a circle leaving a bit of space for the scones to rise between each one. Brush tops with milk, sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar mix and following with coarse sugar. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

* Place crystallized ginger in freezer overnight, or store it there to keep it from going rancid. When ready to chop put in zip lock bag and pound with a meat pounder or tenderizer. It makes tiny pieces of the ginger with little mess.

Plans for the weekend? Make some Bread.

I cut slits into the bread for steam to escape and I made an un-intentional design.  Doesn't this look like a shamrock?  I think I've found my new favorite St. Patrick's day recipe.

The weekend is a good time to catch up on chores that take a little more time.  OR...you could do something fun instead and make this quick artisan bread at the same time you are doing chores.  This is quick easy bread and won't take even a little bit of your weekend time.  Start the dough today and bake it tomorrow.

I love this recipe and make it fairly often and if you are a follower of my blog you might already know that.  If you are a newer reader or even an older one who hasn't taken the time to try this bread out,  don't delay.  It's fast, easy, cheap and tastes like you paid a small fortune for it at the bakery.  I made two large loaves this week; one to share and one for us.  It was gone in a flash so maybe I need to whip up some more loaves.  Start this sponge today and make it this evening or this weekend.  The refrigerator does almost all of the work.

Master Recipe: Boule (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes four small 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.  For 2-pound loaves, increase the baking time.

3 cups lukewarm water
*2 tablespoons yeast (see high altitude note below)
1 rounded tablespoon kosher or other coarse salt
6-1/2 cups un-sifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method
Cornmeal for pizza peel
*For high altitudes (above 3,000 ft.): Decrease the yeast to 2 ¼ teaspoons and increase the salt to 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon.


Mixing and Storing the Dough:

1. In a stand mixer or a re-sealable lidded (not airtight) plastic food container add warm water (100 degrees), yeast, salt and flour.

2. Attach dough hook or use wooden spoon and incorporate all ingredients. Do not knead.

3. Option one: Allow dough to sit on counter 2 hours, then refrigerate for 5 additional hours and use. Or option two: refrigerate immediately and use dough the next day.

Store the dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the 14-day storage period. Refrigerate unused dough in a lidded storage container (again, not airtight). Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.

On Baking Day:
1. Prepare the pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal.

2. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up the dough and cut off a 1- pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears.

3. Shape the loaf, do not knead. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a 1/4–turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it’s not intended to be incorporated into the dough. This should take 30 to 60 seconds. The bottom of the loaf will not be beautiful, but the top should be smooth.

4. Rest the loaf on the pizza peel and let it rise for 40 minutes. You may not see a significant amount of change in the loaf but it will continue to raise in the oven.

5. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray below on another rack.

6. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour (this allows the knife to cut more easily through the dough), and slash a 1/4- inch deep cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife.

7. Fill a measuring cup with 1/2-cup of boilinb water and set it by the oven. Place the loaf in the oven by sliding it off the pizza peel onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly, but carefully, pour the hot water into the broiler tray and close the door. Set timer for 25 to 30 minutes. After 10 minutes, heat another 1/2-cup of water to boiling.  Open the door and pour it quickly into the pan.  Immediately shut the oven door.  You are cooking with steam for at least the first 10 to 15 minutes of the baking process. This will help to form the hard, crackling crust of artisan bread that we’re familiar with and mimics the steam jet commercial ovens.  After 25 minutes, check the loaf by thumping on the bottom of the loaf.  If it sounds hollow, it is done.  If not, let cook for a bit longer.  Crusty, brown color is best.

8. Remove the loaf with pizza peel or gloved hands and let cool before slicing.

To achieve a sour dough taste, hold over some of the dough from batch to batch and mix it with your new recipe of dough. Soon you will have a sour dough flavor.  The longer you let the dough develop, the more flavor the loaf will have.

After I have used all of the dough in my container, I scrape down the sticky leftover bits on the inside of the container and mix then in with the water for my new batch of dough.  You can use a hand blender to dissolve them if they are dry, but I usually just stir them back into the new batch.  These bits of dough act much like sourdough starter and instantly boost the flavor of your new dough.  The authors of this recipe suggest that you use the same container and add your new dough ingredients but I wash my container out between recipes just to be safe.

Linked to Look What I made.

Ranch Rolls

My Dad is turning 80 this week and the extended family is going to Maddox Ranch House to celebrate.  Your eyes are not playing tricks on you; this is not a birthday cake.  It is a roll, specifically a roll like the ones they make at Maddox Ranch House, a Utah icon.  

My Mom and Dad married in September on my maternal Grandfather's birthday and we always celebrated both occasions at Maddox, which was located halfway between our homes.  Mr. Maddox raised beef in a pasture out back and ran a butcher shop off to the side of the restaurant.  When our family visited for Grandpa's birthday, Wilma Maddox (the hostess) alerted Irv in the butcher shop that Orval had arrived.  Just as we were finishing up dinner, Irv would come out in his whites (minus the butcher apron) with Wilma,  bearing one perfect slice of house-made fresh peach pie from local peaches, whereupon a chorus of wait-staff would sing "Happy Birthday".  Grandpa and Irv were old friends from way back and Grandpa and Grandma would never think of going anywhere else for a special occasion.

The restaurant is still run by younger generations of the Maddox family and still serves steaks (now purchased from a local rancher), fried chicken, and house made pies and rolls.  The food is not upscale or gourmet; it's stick-to-your-ribs country fare and the menu hasn't changed much in 70 years.  When Wilma and Irv opened Maddox in this out of the way spot, they built a small log cabin on skids, just in case they had to move it into town.  It still stands in the same spot 70 or so years later, the original cabin being added onto many, many times.



The food is good (especially the steaks), but it's the rolls that that my family loves.  The wait staff brings them out in baskets and they just keep coming, and coming, as long as you want more.  Light and fluffy; just look at the crumb.  Slather them with honey or raspberry butter like they serve at Maddox. 

If you can't get to Maddox Ranch House, these rolls are the next best thing to being there.

Maddox Ranch House Rolls

2 Tablespoons of yeast (not rapid rise)

1/2 cup of warm water

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup (or 4 ounces) of  butter

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

3 large eggs

5 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the milk and salt.  Scald but do not boil.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a measuring cup, mix the yeast and warm water.  Add a pinch of sugar from the 1/2 cup measure and stir.  Let the yeast sit and proof for a few minutes (to be sure your yeast is active.  Mine WAS VERY ACTIVE).

In a large bowl, mix the yeast mixture, eggs, sugar, milk mixture and flour just until blended and no lumps of flour remain.  Do not overmix.  The dough will be sticky and very loose.

Let the batter/dough raise until double (about 90 minutes).  Mine took only 50 minutes to double in size;  I live at high altitude so my dough raises quickly.  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Spoon it into greased muffin tins and let it raise again until doubled in size. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.  Serve with honey or raspberry butter.

This recipe makes about 30 dinner sized rolls.

Linked to Friday Potluck

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

Pumpkin...Love it and this is the season of the harvest.  Nothing says fall like Pumpkin (unless it's zucchini and I know that you gardeners still have some of that).  Instead of sneaking zucchini into your friends' cars when they happen to leave them unlocked, make this bread.  No one will know you "snuck" the zucchini in here instead.  The three younger daughters were home for the weekend and we made 4 batches...some to freeze, some to eat, and some to share with friends.

 

We made 4 batches of mostly mini loaves.  Then we put them in cellophane bags with some of that great Bell'Occhio twine. They also freeze well wrapped in aluminum foil and freezer bags. 
You will get two large loaves from this recipe as written or 8 mini loaves.

Zucchini Pumpkin Bread

2 cups finely grated zucchini

3 large eggs, beaten

½ cup of melted butter

½ cup of vegetable oil

1 cup of pureed pumpkin

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups of granulated sugar

2 teaspoons of baking soda

½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

¾ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg

1 ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of nuts, chopped (optional)

Butter two 8-4 inch loaf pans generously and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Combine the zucchini, eggs, butter, oil, pumpkin and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir well. In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend together until there are no lumps of flour.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until well combined. Fold in the nuts if using. Do not over mix.

Scoop the batter into the pans and bake for 50-60 minutes until the bread is golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out dry. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans to a wire rack. Let cool completely before cutting.

Yield: 2 loaves

High altitude changes:

Add 2 to 3 Tabs. more liquid (I used the juice from the pineapple can).

Decrease sugar to 1¾ cups.

Decrease baking powder to a scant ½ teaspoon.

Decrease baking soda to 1 ½ teaspoon.

Linked to Friday Potluck.

If using small baking pans, bake for about 35 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Gold Rush Bread (Not the Same Old Zucchini Bread)

Do you grow zucchini in your garden?  If  you answered yes, then you surely have gone out one morning and found a baseball bat-sized zucchini.   What to do with it?  Scrape out the spongy center, grate it up, and make this bread.

This is not the same old same old zucchini bread.  It's pure gold.  I grow Gold Rush variety zucchini in my garden, so I thought, "Why not add some pineapple too kick the yellow color up a notch?" Of course you could use green zucchini.

Gold Rush Bread

2 cups finely grated gold or green zucchini

3 large eggs

½ cup of melted butter

½ cup of vegetable oil

10 ounces of crushed pineapple, drained but not dry

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups of granulated sugar

2 teaspoons of baking soda

½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

¾ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg

1 ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of nuts, chopped (optional)

Butter two 8-4 inch loaf pans generously and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Combine the zucchini, eggs, butter, oil, pineapple and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir well. In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend together without lumps.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until well combined. Fold in the nuts if using. Do not over mix.

Scoop the batter into the pans and bake for 50-60 minutes until the bread is golden brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out dry. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans to a wire rack. Let cool completely before cutting.

Yield: 2 loaves

French Toast with Raspberries

Mr. City Home made french toast while I was in the garden.  You'll never guess what he topped it with.

I picked another 5 pans of berries, but I gave up before I got through the patch.  I was tired, so I went in and made myself some french toast.  I deserved a reward.

French Toast

Day-old or slightly stale ciabatta bread (or any bread you have on hand), sliced

Large eggs

pinch of ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

milk or cream

(The amount of eggs and milk you need vary depending on the amount of bread slices you have.  I guess.)

In a flat bowl big enough to fit the bread slices, whisk the egg, salt, and cinnamon until the yolk and white is smooth and combined.   Add a bit of milk to thin the egg.  (We are not making toast coated with a scrambled egg so do thin the egg a little bit).

Lay the bread slices in the egg mixture for about 15 seconds per side or until the bread absorbs some of the egg mixture.  Let the excess egg drip off.

Butter or spray a skillet, griddle or pan and let it pre-heat slightly.  Lay the bread slices in the skillet and cook on Medium heat until the bread is golden brown and slightly dried out.  Flip and cook the other side.

Serve warm with butter, pure maple syrup and fresh fruit...we used raspberries, of course.

You could also top this with bananas, or any other fresh fruit you happen to have around; maybe even a dollop of sour cream.

Ina's Cheddar Corn Chowder

It all started with this....

Fresh sweet white corn on the cob from Sunflower Market.  I bought the cobs and then decided on soup. 
I love Ina Garten's recipes, especially her soups...and this cheddar corn chowder was no exception.  I was expecting it to be a little cheesier, and I wasn't sure about that, but the cheese flavor was very understated.  I might call this potatoe corn chowder if I had written the recipe.  The potatoes were more prominent than the cheese.  I used fresh corn from the cob but for the money, I think frozen would work just as well.  Erin liked the firm texture of the fresh corn and she could tell it was fresh.  This soup was very thin as the recipe was written,  so I doubled the roux and it was perfect for us; morelike what we have come to expect from a chowder.

It's still cold here, we were 20 degrees below normal for this time of year today.  Where is spring?????  We counted 9 golden eagles migrating home on our way home this weekend so we know it's here.  Now if only the temperature would cooperate and warm up.

I needed a meal to take in to friends so the soup turned out to be just the ticket with a small loaf of sunflower whole wheat bread.  Maybe I should be glad we still get to enjoy soup for a little longer.

Sunflower Whole Wheat Loaf

I first adapted this recipe many years ago.  It is a hearty whole wheat bread with toasted sunflower seeds inside.  The original recipe called for seeds on top but they always burn for me so I tuck them inside with the buttermilk, the honey, and the organic whole wheat flour.  This is not your dainty finger sandwich kind of bread.  It's the kind you slather with unsalted butter, and maybe some marmalade or homemade jam.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Cut yourself a BIG slice and see what I mean.

This bread is made the traditional way with several rises.  The photo on the left was taken immediately after kneading.  You can see the whole grain goodness.  The photo on the right is after the first rise;  I can tell it's risen enough because the indentation that I made with my finger doesn't collapse.  Then it's de-gassed, turned and proofed again, then formed and turned into the loaf pans.. 
 Just look at that beautiful crumb!


This is definitely a loaf for whole wheat lovers.  Just look at that beautiful crumb!

Sunflower Whole Wheat Loaf

Makes 1 loaf

¼ cup of clover honey

½ cup of buttermilk

1 ¼ cups of hot water (120º F.)

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

2 packages of dry yeast

3 ¾ cups of whole wheat flour, approx.

¼ cup of vital wheat gluten

½ cup of toasted sunflower seeds, unsalted

Combine the honey, buttermilk, water, and salt. Stir to dissolve the honey. Add the yeast, 2 cups of the flour, vital wheat gluten, and the sunflower seeds. Beat to blend with a wooden spoon or in a heavy duty stand mixer outfitted with the bread hook or flat beater. Add the balance of the flour, ½ cup at a time, working it into the dough. When the dough is a rough mass, lift it onto a floured work surface or leave it in the mixing bowl with a dough hook. Don’t add too much flour. The dough will absorb it and become less sticky as you knead it. It will never get the elasticity of white flour dough; it will be heavier and stickier.

Knead the dough by hand or by mixer for 8 minutes.

Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature for about 20 minutes to rise.

Remove the wrap and punch down with your fingers. Gently turn the dough over in the bowl and replace the plastic wrap. Let it raise a second time, this time for 40 minutes or until double in size. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan generously.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently press it into an oval the length of the baking pan. Fold the oval in thirds and press the seam together. Gently lift it into the loaf pan, tucking the ends under.

Cover it with another piece of greased plastic wrap or a clean towel and let it rise for the third time. It should have risen about 1 inch above the pan, about 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, as dough is rising in the pan, preheat the oven to 375º F. for 20 minutes prior to baking.

Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf is brown and done.

Cool the loaf in the pan for about 5 minutes. Unmold the loaf onto a wire rack to cool.



Sweet Rolls

I rarely make cinnamon rolls for one simple reason - I have a hard time resisting them. I'd feel OK about making them if I could just eat one...like that's going to happen.

But I made a batch because

• It was Easter Sunday and my girls were home, so there were more of us to eat a batch.
• I made challah dough from the Artisan Bread Book last Tuesday with Erin and Sarah
• And the said challah dough was still in the fridge and needed to be baked off.

So you see,

I HAD TO BAKE THESE ROLLS.  And yes, these were wonderful... fluffy and rich, buttery and crunchy sweet.   And yes, I ate more than one.

My favorite part of the cinnamon roll is not the creamy frosting with it's vanilla flavor profile, or the rich challah dough, or even the frosting that I made with real butter and cream.  My favorite part of the cinnamon roll is the crunchy bottom where the sugar has caramelized just below the pillowy pastry.  Maybe I should just cut off the bottom and eat that part.  As I said before, like that's going to happen.  

Challah Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1 ¾ cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated yeast

1 ½ Tablespoons Kosher salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup honey

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

7 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/2 cup of butter, softened

½ cup of granulated sugar

½ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Frosting:

4 cups of confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

½ cup of butter, softened

1Tablespoon of real vanilla extract

Small amount of cream or milk

Mixing and storing the dough:

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter (or oil) with water in a 6- quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Using a spoon or a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook, mix the flour into the ingredients from step 1. without kneading. If you’re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to mix in the last bit of flour.

Cover (not air tight) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), about 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the first rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1-pound portions in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Allow the usual rest and rise time.

Rolling out the dough into rolls and baking them:

Roll out the dough into a 10” x 14” rectangle. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up jelly-roll style starting from the longest side of the rectangle. Pinch seam together. Cut into slices with dental floss. Set in a greased pan and cover. Let rise until double in size.

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

For Frosting: Cream the butter until fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Add vanilla, pinch of salt, and cream or milk to achieve desired spreading consistency and fluffiness. Frost.



Artisan Bread

I have made this bread using this recipe over and over.  Today it came out of the oven looking like this.

It usually looks like this.

Why is it that the same baker following the same recipe in the same location has one batch turn out like this and the next yields totally different results?  Is it the yeast? The humidity (or lack thereof)?  The flour?  The water?  A cold kitchen? The signs of the zodiac?  All of the above?  The only thing that I did differently was to mix it with a wooden spoon instead of the Kitchen-Aid.  I can't imagine that was it, but next time I'll use the Kitchen-Aid just to be safe.

It has a moist custard-y crumb and well developed flavor.  This is what artisan bread is supposed to look like on the inside (well, except for the bubble at the top of the loaf) .  At least it tastes good.

What was your worst "bread disaster"?  I dare you to admit it.