Snow, Ice, Flour and Yeast

I've been more or less stuck in the house since Friday night. This is probably something that many of you can sympathize with. Is anyone else starting to worry that once they do get out and back to real life, they will have become agoraphobic, like a house cat? On Tuesday, I did get to the pet store (for cat food), liquor store (wine is almost a necessity when snow-bound, I find), and Target for groceries, since the Giant Eagle was unbelievably crowded. While perusing the shelves at Target, I was at a bit of a loss, since our Target store doesn't carry fresh vegetables, etc. I'd been planning on stewing some eggplant and making Chicken Masala, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

When being snow bound, one has nothing if not time and then some more time, so it occurred to me that this would be a good opportunity to make Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza Dough. It requires hardly any work, but you do need 12 to 24 hours of rising time. I'd tried the bread on Friday/Saturday, and it was really good, especially for something that I mixed together and plunked in my laundry room to forget about for 18 hours!

I used 1 1/2 cups of all purpose white flour and 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour for the pizza dough, partially because a lot of people mentioned that the pizza dough was extremely floppy and hard to work with. I allowed my dough to rise for the full 24 hours, in my toasty laundry room, which seems to make a huge difference for rising dough. I had no trouble working with the dough, even when tossing it to make the crust. However, I wasn't too crazy about the strong wheat flavor with the tomato sauce, so next time I think I will use 2 cups of AP flour and 1 cup of wheat flour, or maybe even 2 1/2 cups AP and 1/2 cup wheat.

And there will definitely be a next time. I'd like to use more sophisticated and creative ingredients than a Kraft Italian cheese mix and some Hormel turkey pepperoni. I did, however, make a really good pizza sauce, which can be found in the comments section of my blog here. It's the first comment, and it was added by my sister, Rachel. It was a very easy, delicious sauce, and I'd definitely recommend using it.



Jim Lahey's No-Knead Pizza with a Simple Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Co.
Makes four 12-inch pizza crusts, with each crust serving one or two people

3 cups all purpose flour or bread flour, or a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (it is important to use instant)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70°.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and lightly sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour and cover the dough balls with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.

Stretch or toss the dough into the desired shape, cover with toppings and bake (the pizzas will probably not be a perfect circle, but rather oblong in shape. I baked my pizzas in a 450 degree oven for about 12 minutes each).

Summer at Last

I love warm weather and the content feeling of relaxation that comes with the summertime, but to me, this satisfaction is never really complete until I have enjoyed a real tomato. The tomatoes I am referring to are juicy and flavorful at their best; hardly resembling the pale, pulpy specimens one might find languishing on a salad in the middle of winter.

When my coworkers decided to organize a pot luck office party last week, I saw this as a good opportunity to make my fist batch of tomato bruschetta of the season. Sean doesn't like tomatoes (the foods that Sean won't eat are a common theme in my writing, I know), so it always seems like a waste to make it just for myself. And so, like a number of my other favorite dishes, I often look for excuses to make this recipe. I foist it on practically everyone, so it was only a matter of time before I posted it on here. It's just that good.

Tomato Bruschetta

Serves six as a substantial first-course, or a good-sized group (twenty or thirty), when served with other snacks.

Adapted from Dining Out , by Mary Engelbreit

You may initially find it a bit odd that I have added a good amount of fresh mint to my bruschetta. However, please don't let that stop you from making it; read this article before you decide against it. And if the mint still seems like it isn't for you, try the recipe without. It's still very flavorful and delicious.

-Four or five small to medium-sized stem tomatoes, the riper the better
-One tablespoon kosher salt
-1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive-Oil
-Four tablespoons chopped, pitted Mediterranean olives, or a tapenade from your grocery store's olive bar
-Three tablespoons fresh, slivered basil, torn, not cut, to preserve green color
-Three tablespoons chopped, fresh mint leaves
-Two tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
-Two or three garlic cloves, chopped, plus two slightly crushed cloves for the bread
-Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
-Twelve 1/2 inch thick slices of bread (a baguette or some nice Italian bread works well), grilled, toasted, or broiled

Directions:

Peel, seed and finely dice the tomatoes. Ripe tomatoes are easiest to peel; however, this step may take a little time and patience. You will get better with practice!

In a large colander, season the tomatoes with the kosher salt. Stir and let drain in the sink for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, chop the additional ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, olives, basil, mint,parsley and chopped garlic. Stir until well-mixed, then season with salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are ready, add them to this mixture and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slice and toast/grill/broil the bread. Use the remaining crushed garlic to lightly flavor the bread, being careful with the hot bread. Serve immediately with the refrigerated tomato mixture. Is especially satisfying when enjoyed outside with a glass of white wine or Champagne.

There's Always Room for Bread and Cheese

I often think of a story I read years ago when McD's was expanding through Europe. When they started building restaurants in France, the farmers rebelled. First they began dumping loads of manure in the parking lots. Later they opened competing "fast food" stands on roadsides near the restaurants. The farmers' stands offered a quick lunch of cheese and fresh baked bread. Sounds good, but I'm not sure how effective it was since Europe now teems with McD's. But still, I like the idea of some quick homemade bread with cheese and/or soup. Maybe for Memorial Day weekend I should be talking watermelon and lemonade, but we've had enough cool weather in May to justify occasional bread and soup.

This is a quick and simple loaf of Italian style bread. Most homemade bread loses flavor after the day it is baked. This one will too, but all of the butter keeps it moister than most and it makes great toast for days. I've had the best results with bread flour, but it works out well with plain old white flour too. Someday I'll try the artisan flour.


Italian Bread in Two Hours

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot water

3 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
About 4 cups bread flour

1 egg mixed beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for wash
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Start by melting the butter in the hot water. Allow this mixture to cool while preparing the other ingredients.

Place the yeast into the warm water. After the yeast begins to foam, add the sugar. Allow this to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Add in the butter/water mix, making sure it has cooled enough to not kill the yeast! Then add the salt to the mixture.

Stir in flour starting with one cup and then gradually adding until a dough ball begins to form.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth. When kneading is finished allow it to sit for 2 to 5 minutes. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a rectangle of about 9 X 14 inches. Roll this into a cylinder shape and then, using a small amount of water on the fingers, work the ends under and into closed, classic tapered ends.

Move the formed dough onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Allow it to rise for one hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. With a very sharp blade, carefully cut 5-7 slashes along the top of the loaf. Be careful to not compress the dough. Brush the loaf with the egg wash and then allow the dough to rise for a few more minutes while the oven heats. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it has the golden color and hollow sound. Allow to cool before slicing. Add some cheese and imagine you're in France. Manure pile optional.

Getting to be a Certain Age

Some of the more recent posts on this site point to the evidence: I have reached that point in life whereupon it is appealing to me to make homemade bread. I honestly never thought that this would happen to me. Baking my own bread seemed too complicated and labor intensive. It is easy to purchase bread of a decent quality at any number of bakeries and grocery stores.



That was before I realized that it could be rather fun to make bread. It has also proven to be more economical and not nearly as difficult as I imagined. And so, with little realization until now, I have begun this new quasi-life stage. Who knows where it will take me? I only know that I still have much to learn. One of my next projects (I think) will be to make my own sourdough starter.



This past weekend, I decided to use some leftover whole wheat flour to make two loaves of honey wheat bread. Though whole wheat bread is often very tough, this was nutty and soft (I think the presence of canola oil helped with this), with a nice, crispy crust on the outside. I froze one loaf, and I have been happily munching through the other, toasted with a little butter, for breakfast.

Happy Birthday, John K!

In honor of John K's birthday, I tried a recipe from one of his favorite bakers, Bernard Clayton. These are described as breakfast rolls, and are quite delicious when paired with tea or coffee. That said, I found them to be tasty as an afternoon snack. I originally discovered the recipe on The Wednesday Chef, and I knew that I just had to try them. The rolls taste best, naturally, fresh from the oven. After a day or two, they are certainly edible, but toasting them with a little butter really improves the flavor and texture at this point. I would also like to taste a little more honey and more lemon in the rolls. Finally, I don't really feel that placing a pan of ice on the oven floor really did much to improve the the crusty texture of the bread. This may have been the fault of my crazy oven, but the steam rising from the bottom of the oven caused the underside of the rolls to cook faster. The rolls don't taste burnt, but some of them certainly look over-cooked. I would, however, make them again.
I did not follow the kneading instructions exactly as printed on Luisa's blog. Luisa follows the food processor method to prepare the bread, which is one technique that Bernard Clayton offers. In his book, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads , he gives instructions on how to make the bread by hand. As I did not have access to the hand-kneaded version of the recipe, I made my own directions at this point. I must admit that I was proud of myself when the rolls turned out well, since I don't know too much about making bread! Below is the technique that I used to knead the bread by hand. As it is pretty basic, it most likely bears a strong resemblance to the book's instructions.

Bernard Clayton's Honey-Lemon Whole-Wheat Rolls
Makes about 24 rolls

3 cups bread flour
2 envelopes dry yeast (or just over two tablespoons)
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups hot water (120 to 130 degrees)
1/4 cup honey (using more would give a stronger flavor of honey)
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 to 3 cups whole-wheat flour
Oil, for brushing on top of the rolls before baking

1. In a very large bowl, mix together the bread flour, yeast, salt, hot water, honey, butter and lemon peel to the bowl of the processor. The ingredients will form a batter-like dough. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour. Blend well. Let the batter rest for 3 minutes, until the whole-wheat flour has been absorbed. Commence stirring and gradually add 1 to 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour. At this point, the dough should be soft and a bit sticky, but a solid (not hard) mass.

2. Discard your spoon, if you have not already done so, and knead until the dough begins to stay together. If your bowl is big enough, you can continue to knead inside of it. If you need more room, turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. It will be sticky but light. Add sprinkles of bread flour or all-purpose flour as necessary and knead by hand. You may be kneading for up to 10 minutes, adding flour, as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Test to see if you've kneaded enough by slapping your hand on the dough, holding it there for a count of 10, then lifting your hand up. If bits of dough stick or cling to your hand, continue to knead, adding flour. If the hand comes off clean, the dough's ready for the next step.

3. Form the kneaded dough into a mound and cover it with wax paper or a clean dish towel. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

4. Knead the dough for 30 seconds to press out any air bubbles. Using a sharp knife or dough blade, cut off pieces of dough a little bigger than golf balls. Roll between your hands to form balls. Place each ball on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, flattening slightly with the palm of your hand.

5. Brush the rolls with oil (I used light-tasting olive oil, do not use extra-virgin olive oil). Cover with plastic wrap that is loose enough to allow the rolls to rise but is sealed around the edges to hold in the moisture. Place the sheets of rolls in the refrigerator overnight.

6. Remove the rolls from the fridge and let them sit, covered, at room temperature for 25 minutes while the oven heats to 400 degrees. Place a small cake pan on the floor of the oven to heat as the oven heats. Have about a dozen ice cubes ready.

7. Uncover the rolls. Place them in the oven, then quickly and carefully place the ice cubes into the hot pan on the bottom of the oven (steam will rise immediately) and close the oven door. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rolls are browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Something Like Polish Bread

I've never found a way to recreate the taste of European bread at home. When I was a lad in Pittsburgh, there was a bakery in the Lower Hill area. I think it was called The Mayflower Bakery. They made bagels and rolls that were like heavenly delights. My dad used to go there early on Sunday mornings and bring back a bag of each for breakfast. The rolls were the true European style bread with a crisp crust and a soft, sweet interior. I know that the texture of European flour is a little different from the flour we buy in the supermarket. I've tried some different bread flour and some day I'll get around to trying the King Arthur European-Style Artisan Bread Flour. Some day I might even make it to Vermont for the King Arthur factory tour. But it takes more than European flour to match the texture of European bread. A run-of-the mill kitchen oven won't do it. I've tried the tricks to create steam in the oven, but it really doesn't help much.

I wish I had a picture of Tom's face when he bit into his first bread roll in Krakow. We had no problem locating a bakery by scent alone. It was a good one too. Just around the corner from the main square in central Krakow and literally in the shadow of the Basilica of the Holy Trinity. This was really a religious experience. I was afraid that maybe I had talked the bread up too much and that Tom might be disappointed. No problem! His eyes widened and he drifted into ecstasy with a single bite. We went back there every morning. Sometimes more than once.

BIALYS
Bernard Clayton has a recipe for bialys, a Polish bread roll. They won't carry you away to Krakow, but they're pretty good. The recipe calls for onion flakes. I've made them with dried onion flakes, with chopped onion and without any onion at all. I've liked them each way, but the dried onion flake form seems to have the most unique and memorable taste.

Reprinted for educational purposes from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.
Enough for 2 dozen rolls.
Ingredients:
Filling
2 tablespoons onion flakes
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt (Kosher salt is better)

Dough
4 1/2 cups flour
5 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast
1 3/4 cups hot water

Soak onion flakes in water for about 2 hours. Drain and press out the water with a paper towel. (You can probably skip this step if using fresh onion.) Combine minced onion in bowl with poppy seeds, salt and oil. Set aside for later use.

Combine 3 cups of flour in a bowl with all of the dry ingredients for the dough. Stir together and form a "well" in the flour. Pour in the hot water. Mix together to make a dough batter, adding small amounts of flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. This can be done by hand or with a Kitchen Aid style mixer.

Knead the bread for about 10 minutes using the Gallant Method.

Place the kneaded dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about one hour.

Punch the dough down, re-cover and allow it to rise a second time for about 45 minutes.

After the second rise, divide the dough into 24 relatively even pieces. The quickest way to do this is by dividing the dough ball in halves, then in halves again. Then divide each of the four resulting balls into 6 same-sized pieces. I generally just eye-ball this, but they can also be weighed out.

With your hand or with a rolling pin, press each of the 24 small dough balls into flat, round circles. They should be about 1/2 inch thick and 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

Allow the dough circles to rise another 30 minutes

After the 30 minutes, very carefully depress a small area at the center of each circle with your thumbs. Try to not deflate the surrounding dough. Stretch the flattened area outward into a well that is about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place about a 1/2 teaspoon of the onion filling into each well.

Allow the dough to rise yet another time for about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. I have found it best to bake one dozen at a time in a regular-sized kitchen oven. Check frequently after about 13 minutes since 450 degrees can burn quickly. After baking, place on wire cooling rack. Use pot holders!

After the Feast

Now that we have learned the proper way to make bread (thanks, Gallant!) I thought I would quickly address a method for saving this delicious creation when it is past its prime (if there is any left, of course). One way that I like to prevent the waste of stale bread is to make croutons. This is not an ingenious idea, I know, but it is a very simple process, and making your own is a great way to control sodium and trans-fat intake. The entire process should not take more than thirty minutes, if that.
It is so simple, in fact, that I don't even feel the need to write a recipe. The seasonings are up to you and what is on hand at the moment.
After preheating the oven to 350 F, I start by taking some good but stale bread, enough for at least five good-sized slices. I then cut them up into large crouton squares. I do not worry about continuity. I then toss the squares with some extra-virgin olive oil and other herbs and spices, such as pepper, garlic salt, herbes de provence, oregano, or grill seasoning. Flavored olive oil is also nice, if you have some.
I then cook the croutons in the oven for about fifteen minutes, or until brown. I let the finished croutons cool, and then I store them in an airtight container.

Goofus and Gallant Make Bread

When Goofus sets out to make bread he follows Mama’s recipe carefully except that he makes it his singular goal to see how much flour he can force into the dough. He presses hard when he kneads and keeps forcing more and more flour in until the dough ball becomes dry and rough. If he could, Goofus would pack an entire 5 pound bag of flour into a single ball of dough. When he finishes his kneading, he holds his newly formed, white cannonball in his hand and silently debates whether it would be more fun to lob it at Gallant’s head now or after it is baked.

Gallant, of course, takes a very different approach. He starts by going through a full surgical scrub. After treating all work surfaces with Lysolä Brand disinfectant, he carefully mixes all of the ingredients from Mama’s recipe in a large bowl. He stirs in just enough flour to form a moist ball that begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. After donning his surgical mask he spreads about ½ cup of flour on his kneading board. He keeps another cup of flour close at hand because he knows he’ll be “kneading it” later. He lovingly lifts his dough ball from the bowl and places it onto the floured board. He begins the process of lightly pressing and gently folding the dough over and over. He allows the flour on the board to take away that excessive stickiness that Gallant finds so distressing. If the dough ball again begins to feel too sticky before the kneading is complete, Gallant sprinkles a little more flour on the board from the “emergency cup” he has standing nearby.

Gradually the gooey mass begins to take form. Instead of a mix of ingredients, it develops into an entity. It acquires a soft, airy, beautiful character that feels almost silky to Gallant’s fingers. At this point Gallant loves to poke at it gently with his index finger and watch the indentation spring back ever so slowly. Then he is ready to allow his new creation its time to rise, knowing that it will soon be ready for the ultimate glory of baking. He can already imagine the aroma and the transformation to a true loaf of bread!

Gallant steps back to admire this growing, almost breathing form. He can’t help but drift into peaceful contemplation. He knows that this very process has nourished mankind since time immemorial. This thought takes him so deeply into meditation that he fails to notice a large, white, airborne mass rapidly approaching his head.