Posted November 18th, 2009 by Katy
Continued from Part 1… I tried to style the loaf according to the photo in Peter Reinhart’s book, but it wound up looking like a sea creature from SpongeBob SquarePants. So, I sliced a quarter of it for the photo.
This bread is delicious with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and a honey/lemon glaze. I am planning to revisit the recipe at a later point to make another attempt at fancier dough shaping.
Posted November 18th, 2009 by Katy
I was eager to make this lovely bread with its aromatic spices and dried fruit.
Unfortunately things did not go as smoothly as planned. As I’m drafting this my second boule is going through its second 90-minute proofing, the kitchen is littered with the flour-covered remnants of my morning struggles, and my first attempt at this bread landed in the garbage with a thud about a half hour ago.
I could tell almost immediately after kneading the first batch that the dough was not going to rise. When I placed it in the oiled bowl for proofing, it just sat there like a raisin- and walnut-filled lump. It was missing what I can only describe as an “alive” and resilient feel. Maybe it was because my poolish and other ingredients were too cold or the dough was just too dense – I’m not sure.
I dropped it in a loaf pan and tried baking it anyway, and although it filled the house with a wonderful aroma and did finally rise during baking, it came out of the oven heavy and undercooked in the center. (Cooking it in a loaf pan instead of a boule may have been part of the problem.)
The second time around I substituted agave nectar for honey in equal amounts and omitted the dried fruit and walnuts. I also mixed and kneaded the dough by hand instead of using the KitchenAid. The second batch doubled in size during the first proofing. So, we’ll see. Part 2 later today…
Posted November 12th, 2009 by Katy
I stumbled on the BBA Challenge several months ago at Pinch My Salt. I’m a little late to the party but hoping to catch up in the next month or so.
Day 1 – The Soaker
I set aside yesterday afternoon to make this bread, but it turned out that I only needed about 5 minutes for Step 1. Step 1 is the “soaker”: mix one cup of cornmeal with 1 cup water and leave standing overnight at room temperature.
I was still in a baking mood after that, so I tried out a scones recipe from another baking book. It was my first attempt ever at making scones, and although they were very tasty with lemon zest as one of the ingredients and a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top, they came out of the oven a mass of ugly white baked blobs. My 9-year-old daughter offered to help me get rid of them. She calls things like this my “not-turnouts” and informed me yesterday that she’s willing to eat any not-turnouts that I make unless, you know, it’s salad or something like that.
Day 2 – The Sponge (and remaining steps)
After letting the soaker sit overnight, it was time to create the “sponge” by adding flour, salt, instant yeast and warm water and allowing the mixture to ferment for an hour or so.
Peter Reinhart recommends using instant yeast in most of his formulas, and can I just say here that after struggling for a long time with regular yeast, which is temperamental and high maintenance, instant yeast (also called “bread machine” and “quick rise” yeast) is the best. invention. ever.
When the sponge was done fermenting, it was time to mix in the remaining ingredients to make the dough. I used my Kitchenaid for mixing, swapped in the dough hook to start the kneading process, and then finished kneading by hand.
When the dough was supple, resilient and tacky without being sticky, I shaped it into a ball and placed it in a lightly oiled bowl to ferment for another hour or so. Then I went for a run.
When I came home, the dough had doubled in size.
I divided it in two halves, shaped them into loaves and placed them in 9×5 loaf pans. This is the proofing stage, where the dough rests again for another 60-90 minutes. I still had a couple of hours before my daughter’s school bus, so I headed back outside to rollerblade. (It was sunny and mild, which is highly unusual for November in Chicago, and Chicagoans know better than to take days like this for granted.)
At this point you may be thinking “what a lot of work over a loaf of bread,” and it’s true that Peter Reinhart’s formulas contain a lot of steps and many of them take more than one day to make. But it’s a methodical prep-and-rest, prep-and-rest process, and once your hard work is done and the bread is in the oven, there’s no better reward than wonderful baking aromas permeating your home.
I believe that my loaf pans may have been a little large for the amount of dough I used. It was supposed to crest over the top of the pan during proofing but didn’t quite make it.
This bread has a slightly chewy crust and soft center with a hint of sweetness. It makes a great sandwich bread (tried it with tuna salad earlier this evening) and I’m going to warm up a slice in the morning and spread it with melty butter.
Posted November 9th, 2009 by Katy
For Meatless Mondays this week I made the Portobello Wrap sandwich via VegCooking.com with Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus, one of my favorite recipes from the Gilded Fork.
I suggest following both recipes to the letter. I wouldn’t change anything. This sandwich is so delicious and filling you won’t miss the meat!
Posted August 24th, 2009 by Katy
If you’re like me and searching for a way to reduce your carbon footprint, follow a healthier diet or become more mindful about factory farming and the treatment of animals, Meatless Mondays are a great way to start.
There are many talented and dedicated vegan and vegetarian cooks out there who’ve published blogs and cookbooks, and each week I will spotlight their recipes. Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink and Be Vegan is the source for tonight’s dinner menu: White Bean Rosemary Soup (p. 104) and Veggie Tempeh Muffaletta (p. 112). Dreena also has a blog, which can be found here.
The soup
For the broth, I personally like Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt, by Rapunzel, that you can get at Whole Foods. It has a hint of nutmeg and tastes better than any meat-based bouillon I’ve used.
As for the cannellini beans (a.k.a. white kidney beans), you may find them in your grocery store’s pasta sauce/pasta/Italian food section, which is where Dominick’s keeps them, rather than the canned veggie aisle. For a fresher taste, Dreena recommends using dried beans and cooking them in the soup.
The rosemary in the photo is a clipping from a plant I purchased at my local farmer’s market back in June.
The sandwich
The Muffaletta is basically a confetti of different vegetables, olives and herbs tossed together with vegan Worcestershire (available at Whole Foods), olive oil and tamari. I served mine in a sandwich roll. The recipe also calls for tempeh, but I omitted it this time around.
The bolder flavors in the sandwich, which is a little like an antipasti, provides a nice complement to the mellow soup.
Posted August 21st, 2009 by Katy
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Posted August 16th, 2009 by Katy
The dough
Note: the following amounts will be enough for one very large pizza crust or two smaller ones. I cut the dough in half after it was done rising, wrapped one of the halves in plastic wrap and stored it in the fridge.
To make the dough, dissolve 5 teaspoons (or two packages) of active dry yeast in 2 1/4 cups of warm water. Let it stand about 5 minutes. If the yeast is working it will be foamy on top, like a cafe latte. You’ll also see bubbles rising to the surface and notice a ‘yeasty’ aroma.
Next, add two teaspoons of sugar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 5 cups of bread flour, and 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Stir the dough with a mixer or by hand until it forms a loose ball.
Scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for several minutes and sprinkle flour as necessary to keep it from sticking. It should feel light and airy but resilient and spring back when you push it down.
After kneading, form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until it doubles in size, up to 2 hours.
The pizza
About 20 minutes before you’re ready to roll out the dough, preheat the oven to 500 and prepare the toppings. Slice the tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella (I used about half the package that’s pictured below).
Once the dough is ready, place it on a lightly floured work surface, punch it down a bit, shape it into a ball and separate into two halves. Wrap one half in plastic and reserve in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Sprinkle the other half of the dough with semolina flour and roll it out onto a pizza stone or round baking pan.
Add the toppings in layers. First, dust the surface with grated parmesan and then evenly spread the fresh chopped basil.
Next, layer the sliced tomatoes over the basil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Nest the mozzarella in and around the tomato slices and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
Bake 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden and cooked through and the cheese has melted.
Posted August 2nd, 2009 by Katy
For dinner tonight I’m mixing and matching recipes from some of my Asian cookbooks, specifically Hema Parekh’s The Asian Vegan Kitchen and Alexandra Greeley’s “Asian Grills,” (which appears to be currently out of print).
Posted August 1st, 2009 by Katy
As of May 4, Nicole at Pinch My Salt estimated about 200 participants worldwide in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge. Over the next year the group will be baking its way through Peter Reinhart’s Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
I jumped ahead and made cinnamon rolls (pictured below) but am about to start from the beginning with Anadama Bread.
Below are pain-au-chocolat and crossaints, the dough recipe of which I pieced together from several recipes around the web. This photo represents the one and only time I’ve been able to get them to turn out (so far anyway).
Laminating dough is very tricky and requires a lot of practice and just the right touch. Fortunately my daughter is an enthusastic croissant tester and doesn’t let the rejects go to waste.