01 Tuesday Nov 2011
Posted in Bread, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
We have just posted a recipe for a delicious Cheddar Soda Bread in the Master Recipe File found in the sidebar. This bread would be great with a Split Pea and Ham Soup. Cheers!
16 Monday May 2011
Posted in Baking, Bread, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Gail Parker, What's For Dinner?
This recipe came to me via Gail McClellan Parker. She said I would like it ….. I Do! This has a unique chocolaty, slightly sharp – from the beer – crunch. The cornmeal in the batter gives it that crunch. The orange comes out on the back palate. It is really a good bread and we will have some for dinner tonight, if there’s any left!
Originally, it was supposed to be made in a bread machine. I don’t own one any more. So I adapted it to the old fashioned, heat-up-the-kitchen method. Give it a try and let us know what you think. I have also made a “batch” of the sweetened whipped butter. You can find the recipe below. YUM-O! Cheers!
Source: Gail McClellan Parker
Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
2½ t Dry Yeast
¾ c medium Rye Flour
2⅓ c Bread Flour
¼ c Whole Wheat flour
3 T Cornmeal
2 T Cocoa
1 t Salt
12 oz Beer, warmed
2 T Molasses
2 t grated Orange Rind
2 T Butter, softened
⅓ c Warm water
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 ºF
Place all ingredients into the bowl of a mixer. Mix and let knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be dark brown and soft. Remove from bowl and divide into half. Place into two greased 4×8 loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a digital thermometer reads 190 ºF to 195 ºF. Remove from oven and remove from loaf pans. Let completely cool before slicing.
Note: Try this bread with sweetened whipped butter: Mix 1 stick of butter (at room temperature) with 1 T honey, 2 T Amaretto (or any sweet liqueur of your choice) and ¼ t almond extract
04 Friday Feb 2011
Robin found this really very good Deli Rye bread from one of her blog subscriptions, the Smitten Kitchen. The directions are somewhat long and involved, but the end result is great. Give it a try.
Adapted from The Bread Bible by The Smitten Kitchen
Notes From The Smitten Kitchen: I have trimmed Beranbaum’s directions significantly. The thing is, she gives great and extensively detailed directions, but my thing is, I like to pare things down a little bit, especially when it comes to bread. I honestly believe that once you are certain your yeast is working, it’s harder to mess up a loaf of bread than it is to make it delicious. Follow the rising times and size pointers, see that it’s kneaded well and baked at the right temperature and you can have a little bit of New York City in your kitchen without a lot less dingy gray snow and loud sirens.
Set aside 8 hours for this. Yes, eight. You’ll only need to be hands-on for about 30 minutes of it, and you’re welcome to run errands in the rising intervals, but you need to be able to check in every hour or two. It’s worth it, promise.
Yield: 1 3/4-pound round loaf
Sponge:
¾ c (4 ounces, 117 grams) Bread Flour
¾ c (3.3 ounces, 95 grams) Rye Flour
½ t (1.6 grams) Instant Yeast
1½ T (0.6 ounces, 18.7 grams) Sugar
½ T (4.6 grams) Malt Powder (or Barley Malt syrup or Honey (10.5 grams), or Sugar (6.2 grams))
1½ c (12.5 ounces, 354 grams) Water, at room temperature
Flour Mixture:
2¼ c (12.5 ounces, 351 grams) Bread Flour
½ plus 1/8 t (2 grams) Instant Yeast
2 T (0.5 ounces, 14 grams) Caraway seeds (you can grind these if you want to avoid the crunch)
½ T (0.3 ounces, 10.5 grams) Coarse Salt
Dough and Baking:
½ T (0.25 ounces, 6.7 grams) Vegetable Oil
2 t (about 0.5 ounces, 16 grams) Cornmeal for sprinkling
Make the sponge: Combine sponge ingredients in a large or mixer bowl and whisk until very smooth, to intentionally incorporate air — this will yield a thick batter. Set it aside.
Make the flour mixture and cover the sponge: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour mixture and gently scoop it over the sponge to cover it completely. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (The sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places.)
Mix the dough: Add the oil and mix with the dough hook on low speed for about 1 minute, until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Raise the speed to medium and mix it for 10 minutes. The dough should be very smooth and elastic, and it should jump back when pressed with a fingertip; if it is sticky, turn it out on a counter and knead in a little extra flour.
[Or by hand] Add the oil and, with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a very lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, after which it might be a little sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (Resting the dough makes it less sticky and magically easier to work with. Trust me.) Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic and your upper arms are strapless gown-ready.
Let the dough rise: Place the dough in a large container or bowl, lightly oiled. Oil the top of the dough as well. Allow the dough to rise until doubled, 1½ to 2 hours. Flip the bowl over and let the dough fall out on to a lightly floured counter, press it down gently, fold or form it back into a square-ish ball and allow it to rise a second time, back in the (re-oiled) bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 45 minutes.
Shape it and wait out the final rise: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gently press it down again. Round it into a ball and set it on a cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet. (You can also use a 12”x4”x4” loaf pan.) Cover it with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. When it is gently press with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 450°F.
On a shelf at the lowest level, place a baking sheet or bread stone. [If you want to get fancy and bread-oven like: Place a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven to preheat.]
Slash and bake the bread: With a sharp knife or singled-edged razor blade, make ¼ – to ½ -inch-deep slashes in the top of the dough. Mist the dough with water and quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 400°F and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (or a thermometer inserted into the center reads 190°F; I prefer this method because you’ve done much too much work to possibly end up with an under- or over-baked loaf of bread).
Cool the bread on a wire rack.
04 Saturday Dec 2010
So it is lightly snowing. 33 degrees F and essentially no wind. Supposed to maybe change to rain this afternoon. But close to 40 degrees. We’ll see. So I guess the Boise Sourdough Bread that I have made, might be good with beef stew. Might just be good to counter the cold weather! The Taste Test has been made – The bread Passed with flying colors! YUM-O.
But then, we must also eat healthy at a Tailgate Party. How about some mixed Blue and Orange Fruit? (Blue Berries and Mandarin Orange) Use your imagination, please. Gail says, “Sharon–I am Ccing Bob so we can brainstorm what might go with chicken wings, chocolate cake and beef stew…I am wearing lots of warm clothes–expect to look like Michelin Woman.” (Believe me, Gail never looked like the Michelin Woman!) I will have some photos later tonight. Cheers! and GO BRONCOS! BSU 42, Utah 14.
11 Wednesday Aug 2010
Posted in Bread, Food, Recipe By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
The other day while I was looking for the Mole Recipes that are listed below,I came across this recipe for Bolillos, 
Mexican rolls. One of the recipes, has bolillos (the double “ll” is pronounced like a “y”) mentioned. I had no idea what they were, so I searched for these also. From the photo, the bread looks like it has a fairly open crumb. And from the recipe, the bread might be soft, yet sweet and maybe a little heavy from the lard. I would not try anything else except lard, at least for the first batch. That way, you will know what the rolls are supposed to taste like and I might ask for them at the next Mexican restaurant we go to.
At the end of the recipe is a short discussion on the history of the bread. The photo to the left and the recipe comes from The Fresh Loaf, a baking blog that I subscribe to. Do try these rolls and let us know how you like – or dislike – them.
Source: Adapted from The Freshloaf, http://www.thefreshloaf.com
Ingredients:
1 pkg (1/4 ounce or 7 g) Active Dry Yeast
1⅓ c (330 mL) Warm Water (105 to 115°F or 40 to 46°C)
3 T (15 mL) Tupelo Honey
1 T (15 mL) Lard or vegetable shortening, melted and cooled
1½ t (7 mL) Sea Salt
3¼ to 4 c (810 mL to 1 L) Bread Flour
¼ c (60 mL) Cold Water
1 t (5 mL) Cornstarch
Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast over the warm water in large mixer bowl; stir to mix. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Stir honey, lard and salt into yeast mixture; add 2½ cups (625 mL) flour. Mix at low speed; then beat at medium speed until very elastic, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in as much of the remaining flour needed to make soft dough, ½ to 1 cup (125 to 250 mL).
3. Knead dough on floured surface, adding just as much remaining flour needed to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough in greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top. Let rise, covered, in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Stretch and Fold; knead briefly in a Cuisinart with a dough hook. Let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 10 equal pieces; roll each piece into ball on floured surface with palm of hand.
5. Starting at center and working toward opposite ends, roll each ball on floured surface with palms of hands into oval tapered at both ends. Each piece should be about 5½ inches (14 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide at center. Place, evenly spaced, on 2 greased baking sheets; let rise, loosely covered, until almost doubled, about 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Mix cold water and cornstarch in small saucepan. Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, to boiling; boil until thickened and clear, about 2 minutes.
7. Brush risen rolls with warm cornstarch mixture. Slash each roll lengthwise with razor blade or sharp, thin knife to ½ inch (1.3 cm) from each end, cutting about ½ inch (1.3 cm) deep.
8. Bake until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 min¬utes. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.
Makes 10 rolls
Discussion:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mexican bolillos
A bolillo (English pronunciation: /bɵˈliːjoʊ/ bo-LEE-yoh) is a type of savoury bread traditionally made in Mexico, where it originates. It is a variation of the baguette, and is often baked in an horno de piedra.
It is about 15 cm (six inches) long, in the shape of an oval, with a crunchy crust and a soft inside, known as migajón. It is the main ingredient for tortas and molletes. A variation of the bolillo is the telera, which is very similar, though it has a more rounded shape, is divided in three sections, and is usually softer. Other variations include bolillos made of alternate ingredients such as whole wheat, wheat germ or flax.
Names:
The bolillo is a variation of the baguette, and thus often has names in the local language reflecting this. In Yucatán they are known as barras. In Guadalajara and Sonora they are called birotes which are often made with sourdough. In northern Mexico they’re known both as bolillos and pan blanco, whereas in Northeast Mexico it is known as pan francés. In Sinaloa, they are called torcido and birote. In Brazil, a similar bread is made and known as pão francês or pão de sal.
So there you have something else to try. And to me, they look interesting. At any rate, if you do try these, please let us know what you think and if you had any problems. Cheers!
16 Friday Jul 2010
Posted in Bread, Photos, Recipes, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?
Now here is a bread that really sounds interesting. Give this one a try. Try this variation: Change the seeds to sunflower seeds and call the rolls Sonnenblumenkerne Rolls. Just a thought. Thanks Gary for passing this recipe along. Might be good with rabbit! It might also be wise to use a scale that is calibrated in grams/ounces, as suggested by Maria below. Cheers!
Source: The Inverse Cook, via Gary Payne
Yield: 10 round rolls
Pâte Fermentée
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) Flour, Type 700 (strong white flour)
30g (1 oz) (2 T) Cool Water
2g (¾ oz) (1½ T) Fresh Yeast
1g (¼ oz) (½ T) Salt
Mix together and let rest for 12 hours in a cool place, or 1 hour at room temperature and in the fridge overnight, 12-16 hours.
Soaker:
25g (⅔ oz) (1⅓ T) coarse Rye Meal
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) Pumpkin Seeds
25g (⅔ oz) (1⅓ T) Flaxseeds (linseed)
100g (3½ oz) (7 T) Warm Water
Stir the ingredients of the soaker together and let stand covered for about 12 hours.
Dough:
250g (8½ oz) (2 c) Flour, Type 700 (strong white flour)
50g (1¾ oz) (3½ T) light Rye Flour, Type 960
140g (5 oz) (⅔ c) Cool Water
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) Barley Malt
15g (½ oz) (1 T) Pumpkin Seed Oil or Vegetable Oil
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) Salt
10g (⅓ oz) (⅔ T) fresh Yeast
Soaker ingredients
Additional pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Directions:
Combine all ingredients to a shaggy mass and let stand for 10 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds, either on an oiled surface or drag the dough in circles with a strong fork in the bowl. Let stand for another 10 minutes, then knead again for 10 seconds. Let stand for 10 minutes, then tip the dough onto an oiled surface and fold it onto itself a couple of times. It will be sticky, although not excessively wet like ciabatta dough.
Let stand for 40 minutes at room temperature. Agitate / Fold the dough after 20 minutes.
Divide dough into ten pieces weighing roughly 73g (2⅔ oz) (⅓ c) each, shape round, moisten the surface and press with the wet top into a bowl of pumpkin and sesame seeds (I omitted the sesame).
Proof for 50 minutes.
Bake at 240°C (465°F) for 20-25 minutes reducing the heat to 200°C (390°F) after 10 minutes.
22 Thursday Apr 2010
Posted in Bread, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sourdough Bread
I have had several requests over the past 3 or four weeks for the recipe(s) for the Sourdough Bread I make. The latest just today from my Niece Beth. I sent these recipes to her, so I’ll post them to the “others” too. The hardest part is the starter – making your own. Remember, most of the sourdough yeasts are wild yeasts. That’s what makes the San Francisco sourdough bread so unique – the strain of air born wild yeast. Anyway, here are my recipes. Enjoy! They are listed from the easiest to the more difficult.
This might be easier. Listing these from the easiest to the more difficult –
1. Rustic Sourdough Bread – Rustic Sourdough Bread
2. San Francisco Sourdough French Bread – San Francisco Sourdough French Bread
3. Boise Sourdough Bread – Boise Sourdough Bread
Or, if you go to our, Web Page and click on Recipes By Bob and Robin and then follow the link to “Breads …..”, you will find each one listed. If you have problems finding the recipe you want, just let me know. One Note: The SF Sourdough French Bread I usually make into loaves using a loaf pan. The basic recipe, though, is for baguettes. Also, I have added some different grains – whole wheat, flax, oat flour – in some of the recipes. If you don’t have these grains, don’t worry. Just make sure your flour content is the same. 5 c All-Purpose, can equal 3 c Whole Wheat, 1 c Flax and 1 c All Purpose. Have fun and let me know how the bread comes out. I am in the process of making more of the #3 right now. People love it!
15 Thursday Apr 2010
Posted in Bread, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Sourdough
So here we go … the Final Act! After the bread rises I always like to do the final rise in the pan that I am baking the bread in. That way I don’t disturb the rise and deflate the bread as much. Slash the top – the cut could be deeper – so the bread has a place to expand, especially when it hits a 450 degree oven.
After it rises to about 1/4 inch above the top of the pan, it is ready to bake. 450 degrees F for about 25-35 minutes. I always use an instant read thermometer. 190 degrees F is the internal temperature I am looking for.
And then … the Bread! The aroma in the house, and in the alley along the house, is amazing and reminds me of Freihoffer’s Bakery in Wilmington, DE. when I was “tiny”.
I took some of this bread with us last night to the TVWS Pinot Noir tasting and shared it with some “testing tasters”. “Good sour taste”, was the comment from Chef James. Other comments were “Good texture”, “Good taste”, “Great with the wine and the dinner”. If you want the recipe, and it is involved, just Click Here and enjoy the process!
Have fun and I do hope you have enjoyed the postings on this bread. Cheers!
13 Tuesday Apr 2010
Posted in Bread, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Sourdough
Let’s see. Almost 6 days to get to this point. But, the starter is made and can now be saved and used again. So, unless I mess up the starter I have, I should not have to make any more for, say, 100 years!! Now we start the bread making process. This will take 2 1/2 days, or there abouts.
Ingredients:
For the starter: (04/13/10) See Note #4 below
• 1 piece of starter the size of a tangerine (kept out at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours or in the refrigerator for a few days)
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 cups organic, unbleached white or all-purpose flour
Directions:
1. (04/13/10) Break up the starter, dilute it in the water, and mix in the flour. Cover this mixture loosely and set it aside in a warm spot for 18–24 hours or until it is quite bubbly.
After mixing the 2 cups of water and the 2 cups of flour. Let this sit and rise. Remember: There is only wild yeast in this bread. No cultured yeast. So be patient!!
For the dough: (Not quite yet, but soon!)
• 2 1/2 cups organic, unbleached white or all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup starter from the previous step
• 3/4 cup cool water
• Cooking oil (to grease the bowl)
2. Mix the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with the plastic dough blade. Pour the starter in and pulse the machine several times to mix the ingredients. Then, with the machine running, slowly add the water and continue mixing for a few minutes (If you don’t have a food processor, simply mix the dough in a bowl for about 5 minutes, until it forms a ball.)
3. Remove the mixture from the bowl and place it on a well-floured work table and round it into a ball.
4. Let the dough rise in a well-oiled bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for 12–15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up at room temperature for 2 hours.
5. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, and stretch them into tight baguette shapes. Place each one on a baguette tray or a parchment-lined baking tray.
6. Cover the baguettes and let them rise for 6–7 hours, until they have doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
8. Using a sharp razor blade, slash the tops of the loaves diagonally 3 or 4 times (this will allow them to expand more easily while baking) and spray them with a fine mist of water from a spray bottle.
9. Place the loaves in the oven and immediately spray them, along with the walls and floor of the oven, with water. Repeat this step after about 5 minutes of baking.
10. Bake the loaves 25–30 minutes, until they are entirely golden and the crust is crisp and blistered. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes:
1. The (Dates) represent the days that I performed the stated tasks.
2. Step #4 (04/09/10). I added 1 c King Arthur flour and 10 T of water. I placed the starter in a bowl and covered it with a warm, damp towel.
3. This starter is the same starter that Boudain Bakery in San Francisco uses. They have had theirs since 1849.
4. (04/13/10) It looks like this amount of starter is enough for about 8 loaves.
I know it looks like a bread making. But, I won’t normally change any new recipe until I have tried it. Then I can see how the recipe works and can change it at that point. Cheers!
12 Monday Apr 2010
All three of these photos are from Step #7.
Directions:
1. (04/06/10) In a mound of flour, make a small well and add the water.
2. Slowly mix the flour and the water, bringing more flour into the center of the well. The mixture will gradually transform from a paste into a small piece of dough.
3. Knead this small piece of dough with your fingers for about 5–8 minutes, until it becomes springy.
4. (04/09/10) Place the dough in a small bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it sit in a warm spot for 2 or 3 days.
5. When it’s ready, the dough will be moist, wrinkled, and crusty. If you pull off a piece of the crust, you’ll find tiny bubbles and smell a sweet aroma.
6. Throw away any hardened crust. “Refresh” the remaining piece by mixing it with twice the original amount of flour and enough water to make a firm dough. Set aside as before.
7. (04/12/10) After 1 or 2 days the starter will have a new, fresh look. Remove any dried dough and mix with about 1 cup of flour.
8. (04/12/10) Once again, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place for another 8–12 hours.
9. When the starter is ready, it will appear fully risen, and a small indentation made with a finger won’t spring back.
I will make some bread from this tomorrow, Tuesday 13 April. I will save you some. Yea ….. Right! Cheers.
Boise Foodie Guild 