Category Archives: Bread

Olive Breadsticks, Revisited

Posted on by
Reply

I made a batch of these breadsticks a few months ago and yesterday I realized I was ready for a few more. These are great plain as snacks or with a nice marinara sauce for dipping or as a side with pasta. The slight tartness of the olives adds a nice balance to the sweetness of the bread. My problem is I eat too many.

These breadsticks are easy to make. The only tricky part is cutting, handling and shaping the slack dough. After rising, the dough is soft, sticky and wet. Use a LOT of flour Breadsticks2on your work table and generously dust the top of the dough before you gently form it into a rough rectangle about 16″ x 14″. Cut the rectangle in half (two 7″ smaller rectangles) then cut each of those into about 1″ strips, avoiding dissecting any olives. Use your bench knife and separate the first strip by flicking it onto the flour next to the dough rectangle. Pick it up with flour dusted fingers, place on the parchment-lined baking sheet and stretch it to about 10″ and try to straighten. I was not totally successful in straightening the breadsticks, but it doesn’t hurt the flavor.

He Said With a Rye Smile

Posted on by
Reply

When I retired, I realized I needed a new hobby, beyond brewing beer, (I have a batch of English Bitter about to be bottled) so I decided to start baking seriously, expanding my skills and experimenting with new recipes and techniques.  Now,  having nearly mastered the concept of retirement, I bake a lot of bread. I also bake a lot of pastries, cakes, cookies, biscuits, crackers, pizza, bagels and pretzels. (I’ve gotta get another hobby!)Hubble Deep Field Image

One of the holy grails of baking is to produce a good New York Jewish Rye Bread. This bread has a tangy rye flavor, chewy crumb and glazed, blistered crust. There are as many recipes and techniques to make this bread as there are galaxies in Hubble’s Deep Field image.

The recipe/method I chose was from Chef John V., A Good Cooking Recipe! This is not the easiest recipe, nor does it use the most common ingredients, however, his historical introduction rang with an authenticity that hooked me. His grandfather owned a dairy farm, as did mine. He was from Hudson NY, whereas mine was from Salisbury Vermont. He sold the farm and became a baker, whereas mine was a farmer to the end of his life. His other grandfather would work at the bakery whenever they needed help, whereas mine, did not. I didn’t say we had parallel experience, just that his sounded authentic.

Chef John V. uses some unusual, or at least uncommon (to me) ingredients that I found intriguing. Potato water: I have recipes that use small amounts of potato flour, but never potato “water”. First Clear Flour: milled from spring wheat and has a very high gluten and protein content which gives this rye its chewiness. White Rye Flour: milled from whole rye berries after the bran and germ are removed. I made the potato water and purchased the unusual flours from King Arthur (another Vermont connection.) He also uses a sour starter which requires 3 days of room temperature fermentation. When ready, the starter has a very yeasty, sour aroma – delicious.

The result of this first try was three small loaves of flavorful, aromatic, chewy crust and crumb rye bread, well worth the effort and will certainly be repeated. It might be fun to try an “easy” rye bread recipe to contrast the effort/reward of the two techniques. I think two medium sized loaves (think bigger sandwiches) would be appropropriate for this recipe.

New York Style Jewish Rye

Recipe by: Chef John V., A Good Cooking Recipe!

This recipe is as close to the original as can be. The only difference is they baked it in ovens that could inject steam during the first 10 minutes, which gave the crust its blistered look and chewy texture.

Note: This is a must have proper ingredient recipe! You can’t substitute medium rye flour without a change in texture. Light Rye or White Rye flour is a must is as 1st Clear Flour. Also note that flour has a different moisture content during the winter as in the summer, so in the winter you may need to add a bit more water and in the summer a little less. No more than a few tablespoons should do—this is a stiff dough! For your success please remember to measure exactly as baking is a science.

Serving size: 3 – 1½ pound oblong rye loaves (Note: next time 2 medium sized loaves)

Preparation time: Start to finish is 3 days including a sour starter

 INGREDIENTS:

  • Sour Starter—
    • 1 cup warm potato water*
    • 1 cup light rye flour—see footnote
    • 1 Tbsp. yeast, dry active or 1 fresh yeast cake
    • Stir to blend well, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 3 days at room temperature 65-70o F

* Potato water—Peel and quarter 2 pounds of regular potatoes, cover with water and season with salt. Cook like you would for boiled or mashed potatoes, drain—saving the water the potatoes were cooked in. This is potato water, it gives bread a moist and compact texture. Save or eat the potatoes as you like.

  • Dough for the bread—
    • 2 cups warm water, about 120o
    • 1 Tbsp. sugar
    • 1 Tbsp. yeast
    • Add—starter from above
    • 2 cups light rye flour
    • 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
    • 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
    • 4 ¾ cups first clear flour—see footnote
  • Glaze—1 cup water
    • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water—no lumps

 METHOD:

  1. In a mixer or by hand combine 2 cups warm water with sugar and yeast, mix and let sit for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the sour starter and the remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes with a dough hook, then increase to medium speed and mix 6 minutes longer, be sure all the flour is absorbed into the dough by raising and lowering the bowl from time to time.
  3. Remove from the machine and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 2 hours @ 70o or until doubled in size.
  4. Portion into 3 – 1½ pound pieces of dough and shape into oblong loaves, place on baking pans that have been sprinkled with semolina flour or fine cornmeal. Cover with a damp but not wet cloth and let rise for 40 minutes at @ 75-80o (on top of the stove is fine).
  5. Carefully remove the damp cloth, then slash the dough 3 times across the top with a very sharp knife or razor blade about ¾ of an inch deep. Immediately place in a pre-heated 375o oven, and place a pan of boiling water on the oven’s bottom. Remove the pan after 10 minutes, this will create steam and help with crust development. Continue to bake for 30 minutes or until center is 180 degrees F.
  6. For the glaze: boil 1 cup of water, mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water, then combine with boiled water and stir continually until thickened. Cover with plastic wrap.
  7. Remove the bread and with a pastry brush, brush with the cooked cornstarch. A small amount of this glaze is enough, it’s used to create a shiny surface. Cool the bread on wire racks for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Footnote:

White Rye Flour is milled from whole rye berries which has the bran and germ removed and is unbleached. Medium rye is the next grade with is darker in color and if it were to be used in this bread it would make a darker loaf but not as dark as pumpernickel.

First Clear Flour is milled from spring wheat and has a very high gluten and protein content which gives this rye its chewiness.

Retirement is Loafing… NOT!

Posted on by
Reply

I admit it. I have a bread machine. I was consistently underwhelmed by the results from Whitebread1this device. Currently, it is in storage in the garage. I also have a KitchenAide mixer with a dough hook and am very pleased with the consistently good results from this device. It both mixes the ingredients and does 90% of the kneading. It would probably do all the kneading but there is something satisfying about having your hand on, and in the dough, feeling it develop the gluten into a soft, resilient ball.

Here is a tip: if, while using your stand mixer to IMG_0029knead bread, it walks across the table, put a silicone baking liner under the mixer. I buy a Cooks Essentials 24″ x 72″ roll every year or so.

After a long search (and many test bakes) for a “go to” white sandwich bread recipe I found one on, of all places, the back of a bag of  Gold Medal flour, duh! I have changed the Method a little, but held pretty close to the Ingredients. I did try substituting butter for the shortening, no big difference, but don’t leave it out. I tried both bread and AP flour, and prefer bread. (I am making bread… why would I not use bread flour?)

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 to 7 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour* or Better for Bread® bread flour
  • 3 Tbl sugar
  • 1 Tbl salt
  • 2 Tbl shortening – NOTE: 1 Tbl shortening weighs 13g, easier to weigh than spoon
  • 4 1/2 tsp quick active dry yeast (2 packages regular)
  • 2 ¼ cups very warm water (120° to 130°F)
  • 2 Tbl butter or margarine, melted, if desired

METHOD

  1. In large bowl, with the dough hook, stir 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast until well mixed. Add warm water. Beat  on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle, not very sticky.
  2. Increase the speed to medium, KitchenAide (4 or 5) and knead for 7 minutes.
  3. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and springy.
  4. Spray large bowl (I use a dough rising bucket with snap on top) with canola, or other sprayable oil. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap (if using the bucket, spray the lid also) and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. (I use the proofing setting on my oven. This is a little higher temperature than recommended but the results justify the process.) Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
  5. Spray the bottoms and sides of two 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
  6. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough in half. (I find I end up with two 750g dough. Gently flatten each half with shaping into a 18×9-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. (I used to use a rolling pin, but I prefer the texture by treating the dough more gently and not deflating too much.) Roll dough up, beginning at 9-inch side. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal and form a tight seal. Pinch each end of roll to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Here is another point of option. You can either brush loaves lightly with butter a this point, or for a crustier crust, don’t. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 35 to 50 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
  7. Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°F.
  8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. For the crusty crust, add a baking pan below the bread and pour a cup of water into the hot pan when you put the bread in to bake. Remove the pan and water after 10 minutes and let the bread continue to bake.
  9. Remove from pans to wire rack. For a softer, but still chewy crust brush loaves with butter, otherwise leave them dry; cool.

 

Sir Lawrence Olive Bread Sticks

Posted on by
2

I love olives. I love olives stuffed with pimentos, or not. I love green olives, I love black olives. I am the only one in our house who does love olives, so…. When the spouse is away, the baker can play. Several years ago when Fran was away I would treat myself to a dish of grilled turkey sausage over a bed of black beans and white rice and finished with a monolayer of sliced jalapenos.  Mmmmmm… But I digress, I was talking about olives.

Paul Hollywood made olive bread sticks on a GBBO Masterclass month. You may know, I love olives and you may also have caught the hint with Fran away I can make a variety of foods I prefer not to make. I made olive bread sticks today.

I used Paul’s recipe and technique, and it worked spot on, first time. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with about 18 bread sticks about an olive wide and 12” long. As an experiment, I added and egg wash to 4 and coated the tops of 4 with butter. It was not needed. It didn’t offer much. I wonder how they would be with turkey sausage and jalapenos?

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg/2lb 2oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 20g/¾oz salt
  • 20g/¾oz instant yeast
  • 800ml/1½ pints tepid water
  • 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
  • 1 x 1kg/2lb 2oz jar pitted green olives in brine, drained
  • fine semolina, for dusting (optional)

METHODmixing-dough-with-olives

  1. Oil two 2-3 liter/3½-5¼ pints square plastic container. (One for half recipe.)
  2. Put the flour into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add three-quarters of the water and begin mixing on a slow speed. As the dough starts to come together, gradually add the remaining water.dough-with-olives-incorporated
  3. Mix for a further 5-8 minutes on a medium speed. The dough should now be wet and stretch easily when pulled. Add the olive oil and mix for a further two minutes. Add the olives and mix until well-distributed.
  4. Put the dough into the oiled containers and leave until they have at least tripled in size – for approximately an hour.mixed-dough-before-rise
  5. Line four baking trays with baking parchment or silicone paper and preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas
  6. Dust the work surface heavily with flour – add some semolina too, if you have some. Carefully tip the dough onto the surface. It will be very loose and flowing – but don’t worry. Rather than knocking it back, handle it gently so that you keep as much air in the dough as olive-loaf-risen-1possible.
  7. Dust the top of the dough with flour and then stretch it out gently to a rough rectangle. Starting at one long edge, cut the dough into approximately 36 strips. Stretch each piece out until 20-25cm/8-10in long. Place six strips onto each of the prepared baking trays, spacing them apart.dough-cut-straightened-and-baking
  8. Bake the dough sticks for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.olive-loaf-completed-1

Independent Pizzeria – Seattle WA

Posted on by
Reply

You may have read in other posts in this blog that I joined ChefSteps, a food and technology company based in Seattle. Through their app, they provide recipes, techniques and tutorials on a wide range of food to help people “cook smarter.”

I have had outstanding success with a number of their recipes and techniques but The diced-tomatosIndependent Pizzeria‘s crust may be “pizza de resistance” thus far. ChefSteps posted a tutorial with Joe Heffernan showing how to make his amazing crust. While visiting Neil and Maureen in Seattle earlier this month we went to Independent Pizzeria for dinner, 2-half-pizza-doughssampled his pizza (and fresh bread, warm honey and chevre cheese appetizer) and met Joe. For the “right” way to make this pizza dough refer to the tutorial. This post documents what I did, and proves it is possible to make this dough by a home, amateur baker. It is undoubtedly the best pizza dough I ever made. 2-uncooked-pizzas

I made the full recipe, used 1/3 and froze the other two balls, wrapped in heavy Darnel polycarbonate wrap after removing from the fridge the next day. There was enough sauce for two of the full sized pies. We like lots of sauce.

img_0022

Independent Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS

 

METHOD

 

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix bread flour and salt thoroughly.
  2. Combine water and yeast
    1. Using a thermometer, adjust sink tap until it reaches a temperature of 65 °F / 18 °C. Add water to a new bowl.
    2. Add cake yeast and gently stir to combine.
  3. Make a well in the center of the flour.
  4. Pour in the water and yeast.
  5. Using a wooden spoon, mix ingredients together until you have a shaggy, rugged mass of dough.
  6. In a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook, mix dough on medium speed for about seven and a half minutes, or until the dough has formed a uniform mass and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.
  7. Dust your work surface with flour.
  8. Turn dough onto the work surface and shape into a ball.
  9. Ferment dough for 5–8 hours in a covered container.
    1. NOTE: Make sure that the temperature of the room is conducive to fermentation. It should be around 65 °F / 18 °C in there.
    2. Using a scale, divide the dough into 230 g portions. Shape each portion into a ball.
      1. Pour a dollop of olive oil into the palm of your hand, and lightly roll each ball on the countertop to cover with oil. This helps the dough retain moisture as it rests in the next step.
    3. Transfer dough to the fridge and chill, uncovered, for 10–30 minutes.
    4. Cover with an airtight lid and let rest overnight in the fridge. This is the point you can freeze some of the portions for later use. Wrap each portion in heavy plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to use, remove from the freezer and let come to room temperature, then continue as below.
    5. Proof in warm room until dough is relaxed and ready to stretch, about 20 minutes.
    6. Stretch and shape
      1. Each pie should be about 36–40 cm (14–15 in) across.

Sweet and Salty Pizza Sauce

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
  • 2 tablespoons (4 large leaves) fresh basil, coarsely chopped

METHOD

  1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over a medium heat until hot.
  2. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring and mashing tomatoes with potato masher until crushed.
  4. Stir in basil.
  5. Place in small bowl; cool to room temperature This sauce may be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated or up to 2 months ahead and frozen.

 

Biscuits – Revisited

Posted on by
Reply

I made buttermilk biscuits again this morning and added a few pictures to this old post. For second breakfast I tried one with just butter to QC check the biscuit flavor and one with home made blackberry jam, just because I could.

Biscuits, a.k.a. “breakfast” are delicious and are best with a dab biscuit_0002of butter, or butter and jam, or just jam, or with bacon and eggs, or… You get the idea.

Wikipedia defines: “A biscuit in the United States and parts of Canada, and widely used in popular American English, is a small baked good with a firm browned crust and a soft interior. They are made with baking biscuit_0003powder or baking soda as a chemical leavening agent rather than yeast. They are similar to British scones or the bannock from the Shetland Isles.”

Biscuits, soda breads, and cornbread, among others, are often referred to collectively as “quick breads,” to indicate that they do not need time to rise before baking.

 INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Using fingertips, rub 3/4 cup chilled butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir until evenly moistened.
  3. Using 1/4 cup dough for each biscuit, drop biscuits onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
  4. Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

Best Sandwich Since Sliced Bread

Posted on by
1

Yesterday we bought some sliced turkey for a nice sandwich today. This morning I realized I didn’t really want turkey on white, so as there was some whole wheat flour left over I decided to make a loaf of bread before we went to vote at 9am. Paul Hollywood’s simple recipe uses only one bowl (the stand mixer bowl) and it extremely easy.
whole-wheat-breadfile-nov-08-12-45-25-pm
As I started to build the sandwich Fran asked for sliced tomato on it too. It was then I realized I also had some romaine lettuce ready to be harvested from out winter garden, so I went out and selected some from several of the plants. Ultimately, we ended up home made bread, home grown lettuce and store bought tomatoes and turkey. Not bad for Election Day 2016.

 

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup white bread flour
  • scant 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sale
  • 1 oz yeast
  • 1/2 stick butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

  1. Mix flours, salt, yeast and butter in the stand mixer bowl
  2. Slowly add the water, mixing on slow with the dough hook
  3. Once the ingredients are mixed knead with the dough hook for about 7 minutes
  4. If after 7 min the dough is still sticky add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and no longer sticky.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel and put in a warn, draft free place, like the microwave. It was a little cool this morning so I heated a mug of water to boiling and left it in, with the microwave off, for the one hour rest.
  6. As we were making sandwiches I form the dough into a loaf shape instead of the typical round loaf that Paul prefers.
  7. Preheat the over to 450 F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Cut a slash down the middle of the loaf and dust the top with flour.
  9. Bake 30-45 min until brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom
  10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Soft, Chewy Pretzels

Posted on by
2

After about 4 months I may finally be getting the hang of retirement. The winter veggie garden is in and growing, little todo projects are either underway or completed. I drew the plans for a new display shelf and front entry way table, I just need to pick up the wood to start construction.  I am now pretty familiar with our new kitchen so am comfortable baking a few things, both tried and true and new and exciting.

Early this morning I made the cheesy soda bread which turned out very well. I was invited to watch the 49ers play tomorrow at a neighbors and wanted to bring something along for a nosh that will go well with a nice stout. Let me be clear, the 49ers are not playing at my neighbors, I am going to my neighbors to watch the 49ers on TV. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there is a batch of London Porter fermenting nicely too. After lunch I decided to do a practice  batch of pretzels. You may know I do practice everythings if what I bake is to be made public. I actually made 4 cakes for Grace’s baptism cake. Anyway,  I saw a YouTube video on how to make pretzels (not to different from bagels) plus I have two other recipes so decided to merge the three and see what happens.

Final Pretzels cooling
Final Pretzel Closeup
Final Pretzels

The following directions are adapted from a recipe by Diane Kometa and some techniques from Emma Christensen of the Kitchn.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup regular milk (not fat-free milk)
  • 4 ½ tsp. white sugar – regular table sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 package active dry yeast – ¼ ounce or 2 ¼ teaspoons
  • 5 ½ cups flour – poured & leveled – not scooped flour!
  • 3 ½ Tbs. unsalted butter, melted – cooled slightly
  • Vegetable oil
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 Tbs. light malt powder
  • 4 Tbs. baked baking soda
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 Tbs. water
  • Kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Heat the water in the microwave for 20-30 sec to achieve a temperature of about 120-130 deg then combine with the cold milk in a large measuring cup for a resulting solution temperature of 110 to 115 degrees F. Add the sugar and salt to the warmed water and milk and stir to combine. Sprinkle in the yeast and mix with a fork. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
  2. Pour the foamy mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the melted, cooled, unsalted butter and flour. (I add the flour a cup at a time to be sure it mixes well.) Mix on low speed for until combined and no dry flour remains in the bowl. Scrape the bowl as needed. Continue to mix for about another 7 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth. Scrape the dough from the hook if it comes up to far. Note: The dough may begin to pull away from the bowl after only 2 minutes, but may look a bit pulled or shaggy and still be sticky. It is not done kneading until it is smooth to the touch and no longer sticky.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Wipe out the bowl, if necessary and grease it with 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Place the dough ball back into the bowl and turn over a couple of times to coat thoroughly with the oil. Cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm area , free from drafts or cool air (a microwave, turned off is a good location), for about 1 hour, until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
  4. When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and position the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large (15″ x 20″) baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with Bakers Joy. Set aside. Note: You may need 2 baking sheets to avoid crowding the pretzels. If only one small, puny sheet is available, make one batch of pretzels and keep the remaining dough covered, so it does not become dry. Between batches, allow the baking sheet to cool, before filling with remaining pretzels.
  5. In a large, wide pot (6-8 quarts) add 8 cups of water, baked baking soda and malt powder. Stir to combine and bring to a full boil. Place a plate lined with paper towels nearby, as well as the kitchen spider or slotted spoon.
  6. In the meantime, dampen a kitchen towel with water and set aside. Lightly grease a clean work surface with some vegetable oil (spraying with Bakers Joy worked well too). Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on the work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Cover the pieces that you’re not rolling with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, so they don’t become dry. Using the palms of your hands, roll each piece of dough to a 24-30 inch long rope and then shape into a “U”. Grab the ends of the rope and cross them over each other once or twice and then bring the ends down to the bottom of the ‘U” and press them down to seal, forming the shape of a pretzel. Place the pretzels onto the greased parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out, while you continue to roll the remaining dough. You can also cut some of them into 1 ½” logs to make nuggets
  7. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water (egg wash). Set aside.
  8. One at a time, lower each pretzel into the boiling water mixture for about 30 seconds. I push them down underwater a few times to assure the top is treated as well. The pretzels will puff up while boiling. Using a kitchen spider or slotted spoon, carefully remove the pretzel from the water, blot slightly on paper towels and then place back onto the parchment lined greased or sprayed baking sheet a few inches apart.
  9. Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of each pretzel with the egg wash and then sprinkle with coarse salt.

Place the pretzel filled baking sheet on the upper oven rack and bake for about 7 minutes. Open the oven and quickly rotate the baking sheet so that the pretzels that were facing the front are now facing the rear of the oven. It may seem like a pain, but it’s quick and easy and will ensure even baking. Continue to bake for another 7 minutes or until pretzels are dark golden brown. Remove sheet from oven and place pretzels on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Outrageously good if served warm. Mildly spectacular if served later.

Cheesy Soda Bread

Posted on by
1

Fran and I watch a lot (meaning every episode) of The Great British Bake Off on BBC. I made a few recipes from the show, and learned many more tips and techniques, especially from the master class episodes.

This morning I made Paul Hollywood’s Wholemeal (whole wheat in the USA) Soda Bread, but with cheddar cheese. It only takes 15 minutes to make the dough and 45 min to bake. Don’t be afraid to bake the full 40 minutes. I found less leaves the center a little underbaked. Like Paul, I mixed everything with my right hand thereby requiring only one bowl to clean. I kept my left hand clean to measure and move stuff as needed.

The end result was a crunchy crusted, chewy, cheesy moist bread.  (How is that for alliteration Mr. Buley?)

Ingredients

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the two types of flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

  3. Add the buttermilk and mix until a sticky dough forms.

  4. Add and mix the cheese into the dough

  5. Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.

  6. Gently roll and fold the dough a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Do not knead.

  7. Shape the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball gently with your hand. Score the dough with a deep cross dividing it into quarters. Cut the dough all the way through then push back together. Dust the bread with flour. ( I actually used corn meal.)

  8. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 40 minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6. The loaf should be golden-brown.

  9. Leave to cool on a wire rack. This is best eaten on the day of baking.

Chefsteps Bagels

Posted on by
Reply

An obscure passage in Genesis states “And God said: let there be bagels, and there were. And it was good.” I found and joined the website Chefsteps.com this weekend. One of their detailed recipes describes how to make homemade bagels. Go to their website and search for bagels for the procedure. While making bagels at home is a relatively long process much of it is waiting for the dough to rise, or cool or knead in the mixer. I estimate it required 1-2 hours of actual man (person) time to make them. It required about 20 total hours with all the resting, rising and cooling, most of it being overnight.

I had to make one substitution and one modification to the published recipe. I did not have malt syrup to add to the boiling water. Instead I used molasses. I could have used honey, but the comments said this produces more of a “Montreal” bagel. The molasses was spot on. Also, to increase the pH of the water I used baked baking soda.  Baking baking soda (I could have worded this differently, but this was more fun to write) drives out water and carbon dioxide, reducing the positive charge, thereby making the baking soda more alkali and more similar to lye. This enhances the maillard reaction which provides the crunchy, slightly blistered brown bagel surface.