BBA#19 Marbled Rye Bread

 I love rye bread, come to think of it, I love all bread, if it's home baked or exceptional artisian store bought.Well back to this challenge, first I couldn't get white rye,PR says it's rye flour that has been sifted twice.I can do that,which I did, twice, and noticed the bran was close to 30+ percent of the total, maybe even 40,though I didn't weigh it at the time. After sifting ,I began the process, It is a simple direct method bread, no complicated handling or exotic ingredients, except for the white rye in my case,it is simple to follow along.The final dough feel should be supple and barely tacky,easy enough to achieve,add water or flour to get there.I did moisten my hands with water making the dark rye portion,to get a softer dough ,because it was a bit too firm as I kneaded.With the additional moisture it was right on.
  The recipe makes two or four smaller loaves, which at first thought why make soo much,do half,but as we have never cooked for just two,why go through all the process and have none left for another meal.If the recipe serves 8 we still make it,refridgerating some and freezing some, this cuts down on actually having to cook every day,even though I enjoy it, hey ,I like a day off too!
I decided to make two smaller swirled freeform loaves and 8 rolls.Some to give away some to freeze for the homemade pastrami I'll make.
 I did have to adjust the baking times for the smaller loaves, 45mim, and 25 min for the rolls.This recipe as all others in the challenge are from Peter Reinhardt's book ,the Bread Baker's Apprentice, which is needed of course to follow in the challenge, If you are interested, buy the book.I got mine at Amazon.com, at a reasonable price. the challenge is being hosted by Chris at akuindeed.com  
Let's make some bread!!

Since I couldn't get 'white rye flour' I sifted my rye twice to remove most of the bran.The bowl on left contains the sifted out bran, which I will use another time. 

:

Mixed the white rye with bread flour,yeast,salt,mollasses.Tip: oil the spoon first and the sticky mollasses will slide off easily, I know you wont have the spoon to lick ,but at least the right amount will be in the mix!

Added the 10 oz of water

Mixed till it all came together

Covered the bowl with plastic and let the dough autolyse for 20 minutes,during this time the flour hydrates and enzymes begin to break out the sugars in the flour. A tip I learned from Joanne a co BBAer,at  life and Bread

After the 20 minutes rest, hand kneaded for 6 minutes the dough was placed in an oiled bowl  covered it with plastic to rise for 90 minutes

This is the dark rye dough ,same process and ingredients as the white ,except it contains 2 tbsps of  unsweetened cocoa powder for color.

Again ,let the dough autolyse 20 minutes

Kneaded 6 minutes by hand, I did need to add a Little water to get the dough right, then placed in an oiled bowled and covered with plastic to rise for 90 minutes

As I wanted to have some rolls, I divided each dough in half ,then divided one piece into 8ths and one dark piece into 8ths.Combined them to make the rolls of about 4 oz more or less.

Shaped into rounds by rolling and pressing hard against the table surface

Flattened the rolls into 4 inch or so disks, placed onto a lightly oil sprayed parchment on a sheet pan

The other two pieces of dough I divided in half again and cut each piece into 4, which I rolled out to about 8' x 4" .Stacked the 4 layers starting with white then dark ,white ending with dark.Shaped into two loaves, sealed bottom seam and put on to a sheet pan lined with oiled sprayed parchment Covered with plastic wrap and let rise about an hour ,till almost double,brushed the loaves with an egg wash ,1 egg beaten with a tsp water .Baked the loaves 45 minutes at 350

The rolls have risen, brushed with egg wash and baked at 350 for 25 minutes

the loaves were at 200 degrees after 45 minutes at 350. sounded hollw when tapped on the bottom

Allowed to cool for two agonizing hours of smelling these delicious aromas eminating from the kitchen

finally at 10:30 pm they were cool ,cut and butter and Eat!!  The flavor was distinctly rye,with a soft tender crumb,and crisp crust,I had to keep buttering and tasting,yes I let the wife join in,we ate 2/3 of it till we were finally ready to pass judgement. THIS IS REALLY GOOD!! Can't wait to make the pastrami!!

THE ROLLS !

BBA # 18 Light Wheat Bread

This is a part  whole wheat bread ,33 percent , according to Peter Reinhardt's recipe.He claims it's simmilar to off the shelf type wheat breads, I dissagree, it's better. It's not the best bread I have ever made or eaten, but on it's own merits, still very good, afterall, it's fresh from the oven, you get to enjoy the aroma of it while baking, the fact that there are no chemical additives, etc,just flour, yeast,honey water,dry milk.
 The one exception I have with the recipe as written, is the fact that two pounds of dough ( mine was 31 oz), will not fit in a 8 1/2 x4 1/2 loaf pan, that volume requires a 9x5 pan or 2 -7x3 pans. Giving PR the benefit of the doubt, it may just be a typo.Still someone is proof reading, right? Ok, maybe.
  In all a simple to make bread,direct method, you'll have fresh bread in about 4 hours,not including cooling time. Having now made this recipe,I see oppurtunities for enhancements, such as ,sunflowers seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, soaked bulgur wheat etc, will cahnge this to a more interesting flavor and texture.
     The results are , except for the too small pan size , the recipe performed as stated, proof times,rise times and baking, mine needed 45 minutes and I did not place the loaf pan on a sheet pan.
 Here are the procedure photos:

flour, ww flour,yeast,dms(dry milk solids),salt

blended the dry ingredients, then added 10 oz water, mixed ,then added shortening,and honey

dough came together after a couple minutes



covered bowl and allowed the dough to autolyse, a tip from Joanne at life and bread, she is an accomplished home baker, here is link to her blog...

http://journeywithbaking.blogspot.com/

after the 30 min autolyse, kneaded 5 min by hook,then 3 minutes by hand,dough was at 80 degrees

placed dough on an oiled bowl to rise,covered with plasic wrap

90 minutes later it is doubled

Clearly the pan size in the recipe is incorrect, as you see the dough completely fills the 8 1/2x4 1/2 size pan.

the dough weighed 31 oz, a 9x5 loaf pan is the correct size for this amount of dough

90 minutes later it's nicely risen

fresh from the oven, the internal temp was 200 degrees,brown on top and sides, sounded hollw when tapped on the bottom. Allowed to cool for 2 hours, as stated in recipe

 Crumb shot, we enjoyed this with a buttery spread at dinner

BBA#17 LaVash Crackers

This was a simple to make dough and roll out, the thinner the better.I used half of the dough at a time to get it as thin as possible, which worked well.The toppings can be any assortment of seeds, dried herbs ,spices,ground or crushed, use what you like.Make it mild, or spicy. I prefered to bake it whole ,then break into irregular pieces. Mixed the flour,salt,yeast,honey (note: measure the oil first then use the oiled spoon for the honey,it will flow out easily),oil, water.
 Kneaded 10 minutes by hand.

put into oiled bowl to rise till double

Dough has doubled after 90 minutes, The spices i used were sesame seeds,cumin seeds,poppy seeds,black mustard seeds,smoked paprika,fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt.

How it looked from the oven

Broke into pieces by hand,they were crisp for the most part where the dough was thinnest,a bit chewy where thicker. Joanne at http://journeywithbaking.blogspot.com/, gave a great tip to crisp the crackers, by placing them in a low oven for 10 minutes or so,just check now and then,she said it works for any cracker that needs a recrisping.
 The taste was better than the ones we had purchased in those plasic trays,and since we have control over the seasonings  ,the flavors are our chocies . I went ahead and made another batch, this time doubling the recipe.but still using only half ( 1/4 in this case) to roll out as thin as I could.We really enjoyed them, the wife took some to her pottery class,she said they were gone in minutes!

Tilapia Baked in Parchment

The past weekend, our eldest daughter flew down from NY for a visit with us. It was soo great to see her, and admire the woman she has become. Striving for a healthy lifestyle, I made  a sinple low fat fish dinner  for us. Any mild fish will do, baking opposed to frying, reduces the fat and calories, wrapped in parchment and baked retains all the juices and flavors.
Picked some herbs from the garden, parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, minced some garlic, sliced some grape tomatoes, meanwhile the tilapia was brining in a solution of 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup sugar per gallon of water.I only needed a pint of brine, so reduced accordingly, added some granulated garlic, dried rosemary, and thyme, brought the mixture to a boil, rmoved from heat allowed to cool completely before adding fish filets and then placed in fridge to brine for about 1& 1/2 hours.


  Time to assemble:

Minced the herbs,rosemary,thyme,parsley chives, sliced garlic and tomatoes

place  filet on the parchment paper ,added the herbs,garlic,tomatoes and drizzeled with some olive oil

This is actually a chicken breast wrapped in parchment as an example of how it should be sealed, as i forgot to photo the fish. I baked the wrapped packages  in a glass baking dish for 20 minutes at 350

Cut off top of parchment, served with a wild rice blend, and julienned sauted veggies. ( I used my titan juliener, to do the veggies, works great ) Everyone loved the dinner

BBA#16 Kaiser Rolls

Kaiser rolls, that wonderfully crunchy crust, light airy interior, great with anything you may fill it with, spread on it or just eat plain. Turn back the clock , ( if only we could!!), I'm 8, my cousin Vinny , yeah I know, is also 8, it's Sunday, our task, when we visit Grandma and Grandpa on Sundays, is to walk to the  Italian bakery, Cuccio's, on the corner of W 1st and Ave X  in Brooklyn . Our parents gave us just the right amount of time, for 2 eight year olds, to reach the bakery just before 2pm, when the rolls would be coming out of the oven!
Of course we loved our walk to pick up those 3 dozen hot, from the oven Kaiser rolls, about four, that's what Vinny and I would eat on the way back, which always took longer, there had to be enough time to eat the 2 rolls! They were so delicious, the bakery is still there, making those rolls ,as well as breads, and Italian pastries, the aromas when you enter can only be described as heavenly sweet with the fragrance of fresh bread, the  hint  vanilla and of anise from the pastries.
 I have never had a kaiser roll as good as that since then, part, I am sure is just memory and not all fact, but I still have not had a good one since. It now seems strange to me with all the baking I do, why had I not made Kaiser rolls before? Partly due to my displeasure with some of the bread recipes from the books I was  using, guess  I thought , how good could the rolls be, still holding the rolls of my youth as the standard .
 Joining the BBA challenge with other amateur bakers at Chris' site  http://akuindeed.com/?p=3797#more-3797, has been immensely rewarding, the sharing of experiences with the recipes has helped me to be a better baker, as well as I believe the excellent book by Peter Reinhardt, The Bread Bakers Apprentice. I have learned more about baking bread from this one book than all of the other four I own. 
 My wife and I were anticipating the kaiser Roll challenge like two kids on Christmas eve.
The rolls were really good, really, really good! Did they meet the standard of the rolls of my youth...no, was I disappointed, not at all, they were delicious, though I think I under baked them a bit, and the result was a less than crisp crust, but the crumb was creamy colored, airy, and fragrant of a  slight sweetness from the malt I would think, as well as the cold ferment process of the pate ferment.
The recipe is not difficult, the instructions were easy to follow , the amount of liquid and flour will always be at odds with a recipe, the humidity of one's kitchen, the moisture in the flour are all a factor in making the dough. I follow the recipe and adjust as needed, without considering the accuracy of it, perhaps because I had always been doing that. I see that since we are in fact critiquing the recipe I need to be more aware of variances, but still , it's so easy to over hydrate at the start, and then have to add more flour, or under hydrate, the only way to be sure of the accuracy would require the same conditions and products the author used when making the bread. Here again I am back where I started, because every recipe ,no matter what I'm making has variables written into it, cook  30 minutes  OR UNTIL DONE, OK, just how long is that? that would depend ,again on the environment, the ingredients, the oven. knead until soft and pliable and tacky, well, a newbie, as we all once were, and at times I still am, would have some difficulty with that, just how pliable is pliable, experience always, repetition is the learning curve.
 I had used less than the amount of water only 4 & 1/2 oz.,and still needed to add some additional flour, perhaps the pate ferment had more moisture then I was aware of. In any event the dough came together was soft and slightly tacky. The problem I did have was with shaping, I did buy a Kaiser roll design cutter, along with other items, a couple months back, the hand method  I kinda botched, didn't make the rope long enough, and didn't want to do any others by hand, I have the cutter, use that, as i did want to try my new toy! Well it seems I over proofed the rolls, PR said to turn them over and proof  30- 45 min longer, it seemed to me that they were already proofed enough, but I still let them rise about 10 min more. I then brushed them with an egg white beaten with a tbs of water and then sprinkled on sesame seeds and one with poppy.
 Into the oven at 425, sprayed the walls and  floor with water, that's the oven of course LOL.After 10 minutes lowered the oven to 400 and rotated the pan 180 degrees. the rolls were already brown, let them bake just 6 more minutes and took them out, as I didn't want to burn them by leaving in for the full 20 minute total even though it said a total of 30 minutes, again I would think some ovens might need longer, but I know my electric oven is very efficient at holding heat. So did I under bake them, or was it the topping of egg white that caused the early browning, I'll have to make them again and bake longer to find out.Also I think I will leave out the oil and perhaps the egg also and see If I can achieve that crunchy crust of my youth.
 The resulting rolls were delicious though not with a crisp crust, eating them was a distinct pleasure as only the savoring of a new  pleasing taste can be, although the over proofing obliterated the cutter markings, but not the on the one I hand shaped! Also mine were a bit larger, 5 oz, and rose much higher than those PR pictured in the book.So it seems less proofing , just till doubled, no longer, would be the way to go.Next time I'll hand shape 3 and cut 3 as a test of the final appearance, I forgotten about the link Chris had put on his post about shaping the rolls. 
http://www.preparedpantry.com/How-to-Make-Kaiser-Rolls.htm
I looked at it ,after mine were done, and it is much simpler to follow than PR's method, although it's the same method.
Here is the process:

10 oz bread flour, 6oz lukewarm water, malt syrup 1 &1/2 tsp,1 egg beaten, 8oz pate ferment warmed on work counter 1 hour, (3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp instant yeast,1& 1/2 tbs veg oil, not shown)

Added all to mixer ,first dry then wet , 4 &1/4 oz water, mixed 1 minute, added additional flour, about 1/2 cup, to achieve a proper dough slightly sticky, which would eventually be tacky after kneading 6 min with dough hook, added sprinkles of flour as needed ( part of 1/2 cup)  when dough was soft and supple and slightly tacky, shaped into a boule and put into an oiled bowl to rise for 2 hours.

After 2 hours weighed the dough, it was 30 oz, so i made 6 ,5oz pieces

Shaped them into rounds, first a boule then rolled under a cupped hand pressing against the table to form into a ball. lightly sprayed them with oil and covered with plastic sheet to rest 10 minutes

After 10 minutes ,rolled one into a rope about 9" long

Tried to follow method to shape, should have done it again as it was not correct, but I wanted to use my new 'toy' the kaiser roll cutter.

It does look good at this point.....but

After all were shaped ,1, 5 cut with toy..placed top side down on a oiled sprayed and cornmeal dusted parchment, lightly spray oiled them, covered with plastic and let rise 45 minutes.

 Turned them over, at this time they were proofed, I should have brushed them  with an egg white beaten with 1 tbs water added toppings, 5 sesame 1 poppy, now instead of further proofing as it said in the book, but i didn't , sometimes you gotta go with what you see, but I didn't? I let them rise again, but only 10 minutes, enough is enough.

Sprinkled  sesame seeds on the last roll,

They look good except the markings were not there, due to too much proofing and the oven spring, note the 'hand' shaped one held it distinctive shape albeit improperly shaped, they smelled great!

In keeping with the meaning of Ruler or King, I made a sandwich befitting one, ( IMO,anyway) on our fresh baked kaiser roll!
 Real mayo, red lettuce, sliced tomato, grilled ,brined, skinless boneless  chicken breast, Munster cheese, crisp steamed fresh asparagus, and crisp thick sliced bacon,  ( hey, it's for the King!!LOL) 

Home Made Pickled Garlic

I love garlic! The markets in NY sold a slender jar of pickled garlic made by a Calf garlic grower, it was not cheap, and didn't hold much garlic.You can pickle just about anything, and have made pickled veggies before, therefore why not make my own! For some reason , I never got around to doing it while we lived in NY. Our niece, her husband and 3 sons live here in NC also. Frank is a garlic lover as I,if there were anything I could make for him as a gift, pickled garlic would be it!
  First  I searched online for recipes and then tweaked them to my tastes.
 Pickling requires vinegar,salt all other ingredients are flavorings. The pickled garlic can be eaten as is, sliced in salads,as a snack, sliced in sandwiches, chopped added to a spread ,wherever you want that  flavor.
  The process ( for this recipe) is similar to fresh pack pickling, and hot water bath processing.There are 'no cook' ,so to speak, recipes out there to select from, as well as other recipes just search the Internet,  I can only offer what I have done, and have been happy with the end results. If you are not a fan of slightly sweet pickles, reduce or leave out the sugar, for an acidic pickle
 This is the recipe I used: 

2 & 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 tbs pickling salt , found in the caning supply area of your market
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar ,the less sugar, the more acidic the taste
Dried herbs of choice: rosemary, excellent with garlic, Italian blend seasoning, or individual dried herbs of preference, spices such as mustard seed, whole or cracked black peppercorns,dill seeds,dried Chile peppers, hot pepper flakes. As you can see the combinations are endless and you make them to your personal tastes, herbaceous or hot and spicy, or perhaps both!
 About 1 & 1/2 lbs ( about 6 large heads)  fresh garlic cloves peeled ( Here I cheated and bought a 5lb jar of peeled garlic)
 tip: separate cloves from bulb, blanch 30 seconds in boiling water, rinse under cold water, drain, to easily remove skins.
 
Have ready a caner pot  filled 2/3 with hot simmering water, about 5-6 , 8oz canning jars,lids and bands, (If desired you may use larger sizes of jars, be sure to increase the processing time twice the size,twice as long), which were washed in hot soapy water and rinsed well ,kept in another pot of hot water till needed. A towel placed  on counter next to burner with pot of garlic, for ease of filling jars.A clean damp towel for wiping jar top and threads,a dry towel to hold the hot filled jars and a thick towel placed in a draft free place to put the processed jars of garlic

1) combine vinegar,salt,sugar,and desired herbs and spices in a stainless steel pot. You may also add more herbs/ spices to each jar  to increase the flavor and as a decorative appearance. Dried chile's can be placed in individual jars or added to vinegar mix and picked out. Bring  mixture to a boil. boil 1 minute,add garlic cloves boil 3-5 minutes
2) using funnel and a ladle fill jars with garlic to 1/2 " of top and then fill with hot brine to 1/4" of top
3) wipe rim and threads of jars with clean damp towel to remove residue of brine
4) place a lid and screw on bands finger tight, place in caner filled  2/3 with simmering water 
5) continue till all jars are filled, process in gently boiling water , covered, 10 minutes, remove place on towel in draft free area  several inches apart to cool  over night.
 6) Check for seal by pressing down on lid, if it does not go up and down it is sealed, if not,reprocess or refridgerate, remove bands clean threads and bands with a clean damp towel, leave bands off or replace loosely, store in a cool dark place.
7) let the pickled garlic age for about a month, if you can't wait, I understand completely, the longer it ages the better the flavors will blend., keep in fridge after opening

I added some hot pepper flakes to the hot jar prior to adding the garlic, be creative add any spices you enjoy.

a small sprig of fresh rosemary

filling with brine to 1/4" of top rim

using plastic tool remove any air bubbles

filled to correct height garlic 1/2"  from rim, brine 1/4" of rim, clean rim and threads with clean damp towel

add clean hot lid

screw on band finger tight only

process 10 minutes in gently boiling hot water bath, water should be 2-3 " above jar tops

after 1 month chill if desired, open enjoy!

NOTE: I noticed some of the cloves had turned a greenish blue. I researched online the cause of garlic to turn color when in contact with an acid, and found it has to do with the sulphur compounds in the galic, it does not affect the flavor or quality. check here:
 http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/bluegarlic.htm

Chicken In Stewed Tomatoes

Many years ago,more than I wish to recall, my wife Doris made this Creole chicken dish,using boneless chicken breasts and stewed tomatoes.I believe she found it in one of our cookbooks,it was a simple dish, season the breasts with a spice mixture of paprika, cayenne, marjoram, salt and pepper,saute till lightly browned, add tomatoes cover, cook.
Well , it was good,but of course we needed to adjust it to our own preferences of spice and herbs, etc.It has since evolved to a base for many other meats, like Italian sausage, pork chops or cutlets, chicken on the bone, or rolled  stuffed boneless chicken breasts.The simplicity of this dish starts with a can or two, of Del Monte Italian Style seasoned stewed tomatoes,  our preferred choice,which are already seasoned,and cooked, creating a quick tomato sauce base.
 With the addition of a large onion chopped, a couple of cloves of garlic, meat of choice and the stewed tomatoes ,you will have dinner in about an hour or so, if time is not a factor, the longer it cooks the better.
The basic steps are as follows: brown meat in a saute pan with a couple tbsps of olive oil, remove to a warm plate, discard all but 2 tbsps of oil in pan, add onions cook till soft, add minced garlic cook 1-2 minutes,but don't brown.Add meat back to pan, add the 1 - 2 cans of stewed tomatoes which have been pureed in a blender or processor .You may add any additional herbs of choice, like basil ,oregano, or spice it up with hot pepper etc, but be aware the tomatoes are already seasoned, so taste first, we usually add a tsp or so of sugar as the tomatoes  can be acidic at times.
My favorite is Italian sausage with rigatoni pasta, but we limit that, so it's usually chicken .
now that you have a basic concept, follow along as I prepare dinner:

.Brown chicken, here I used chicken thighs, bone in, skin on, which were brined ( see note below about brinning).I browned the thighs skin side down till very crisp, about  8 minutes, then cooked on the other side 8 minutes.Removed to a warm platter and then sauted onions in the oil,till soft, add minced garlic cook 1-2 minutes don't brown garlic or it will be bitter.

When the onions were soft and garlic added for a couple minutes, added 1 can of the pureed stewed tomatoes, stirred all together

Cover ,bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for a couple minutes

Add browned mostly cooked chicken to pan, cover and let simmer about 1 hour, longer is better.I started this early in the afternoon, as I was busy with other  holiday baking, it actually cooked on a low simmered  for 2 & 1/2 hours

Time to serve, on  'warmed' plates, place some chicken, add the al dente cooked rigatoni to the sauce in the pan and toss a  minute or so to coat the pasta. Then add to the plate , open the wine, toss the salad, slice the oven warmed  bread and enjoy !

Brinning is simply soaking a meat in a brine of salt ,sugar, water and if desired herbs and spices. The brinning process litteraly plumps the meat with moisture and if seasoned  adds flavor , it also denatures the protein,making it more tender.Basic brine is per gallon of water add 1/2 cup coarse salt ( or 1/4 cup table salt), 1/2 cup sugar, add any seasonings desired, think of the brine as a soup, more you add the greater the flavor. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, let cool completely before adding the meat ( chicken ,turkey, pork ) place in the fridge .
whole chicken  or bone in parts, 24 hours , boneless 1-2 hours, fillet of fish 1 hour. As you see, the smaller and boneless needs less time. after the brinning, rinse and dry before cooking, discard brine.
Of course a smaller quantity can be made using the same proportions of salt and sugar to water.