Oh, honey! Honey Wheat Bread

Honey Wheat Loaf

 
A couple of weekends ago, B made two loaves of honey wheat bread.  It was so delicious that I can't even remember the meals we had it with because they surely paled in comparison.  Truth be told, I think between the three of us, we nibbled & sliced our way through a whole loaf before dinner.  M has gotten so spoiled with B's baked goodness that she often snubs store-bought loaves.  Daddy's bread is on her regular list of demands, right up there with chuice, meelk, crackah and raizzzinzz. 

Sliced Honey Wheat Bread

Both the crust and crumb came out beautifully, don't you think?

Here's his recipe:

Starter:

1cup white flour
3/4cup water
1 tbsp sugar
instant yeast

(2hrs)

Add to make dough:

1cup wheat flour, 1 cup white flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp salt
3/4 cup water

First proof: 2hrs

Second proof: 2hrs


Shape, score and bake: @375 for 5min, @350 for 35min

Garlic Nots

Tonight's experiment was little garlic bites.  B was not pleased with the outcome but I have to disagree, seeing as I'm up to about my 10th helping. M & I got back from a walk in the cool, overcast weather with the leaves dropping on our heads & the house smelled amazing - just like fall. Along with these bites, B made baked cinnamon and clove apples and acorn squash stuffed with ground sausage, rice & carrots (and some other deliciousness).

I'll share the stuffed acorn squash recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, since B says the garlic bites are not share-worthy.

Here's where the knots went not:  The taste was wonderful, but they were a little crackery on the outside. That just means I have to get in my fill tonight, as they'll probably taste pretty dry tomorrow. He says he should've cooked for a much shorter time at a higher heat, for a softer crust. He started at 400 & went down to 350 too quickly.

Thank you to BN for getting me back on the bread blogging bus. It's been many months and breads since I've shared. Check out her awesome blog here:  http://myfakefoodblog.com/

Pastry cutter

Brushing on olive oil + garlic

Acorn squash with garlic bites

Braided Pepper Biscuits

braided pepper biscuits

Today B made braided pepper biscuits from an Italian-inspired recipe in one of his bread books.  They didn't make it on my must-have list, but it was fun to try a different taste.  Without meaning to, we had them exactly as the bread book suggests, right before lunch.  They're crunchy, more like an English biscuit, and very, very peppery - kind of like the top fell off the pepper shaker.  I might go a little easier on the pepper next time.

French Baguettes

Baguettes

Tonight B made french baguettes with jambalaya.  Perfect comfort food for a cool, drizzly night and a disappointing Tarheel basketball loss.

B spent four years in Louisiana and picked up a love of Cajun cooking while he was down there.  He also uses Tony Chacere's like some people use salt.  It's like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, except that instead of Windex, it's Tony Chacere's - works on everything.  Not that I'm complaining because I get to enjoy amazing jambalaya like this:

The baguettes came out wonderful.  The smoky smell of the jambalaya mixed with the sweet, warm smell of the bread while it was cooking, and the kitchen smelled amazing.  There's nothing better than warm bread, right out of the oven.  It was soft and perfectly golden brown on the outside.  And B added fennel to the jambalaya which gave it a robust flavor, adding heaviness to the heat of the other spice. 

B said he found a Julia Child tip that helped him perfect his baguette recipe.  The tip is to let it rest for five minutes after the initial mixing.  That way you can assess whether or not it needs more flour or water, or if it's ready to go.

Here's B's Baguette Recipe

Dry Ingredients:

3.5 cups flour (King Arthur's AP)
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 T. white sugar
1.5 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. garlic

Wet Ingredients:
1 egg and
1 T. melted butter in
1.25 cups lukewarm water

Extra (glaze):
2 T. butter to be melted later with
Pinch of kosher salt

Mix dry ingredients, then mix in wet.

Let rest for five minutes.  (assess whether more flour/water is needed - thanks, Julia)

Knead to soft dough.

Let rise for 1 hour in covered bowl.

Gently knead a few times.

Let rise for 1 more hour in covered bowl

Gently knead a few times.

Let rise for 1 more hour in covered bowl (3 hrs. total rise).

Gently knead, then shape into 3 baguettes. Dust baking sheet with
cornflour, place loaves on sheet. Start preheating oven to 425F.

Let rise 30min. Brush top with 1 T melted butter and pinch of kosher salt.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and

Brush top with 1 T melted butter and pinch of kosher salt.

Bake an additional 20-30 minutes at 325 until loaves sound hollow to a
knuckle-rap.

Enjoy!

Biscuits and In-Laws

B's biscuits have officially turned from experiment into sure thing.  This morning B's parents were in town and it was perfect weather for eating on the back porch.  It was an ideal springtime breakfast complete with biscuits, grits, french omelettes, orange juice, coffee and fruit.

Dogwood in bloom

 

Biscuit fan

 Recipe:

Here's the recipe B uses for the biscuits

Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola Rolls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Mushroom Gorgonzola Rolls

Last night, B made what might've been his best rolls, yet.  He'd left the recipe out on the counter for several days building up the anticipation.  They were rolls filled with wild mushrooms and what was supposed to be camembert cheese.  Sadly, the Teeter knew nothing of camembert so B improvised with some leftover gorgonzola.  They look like everyday dinner rolls, but they're incredibly filling, and have a wonderfully complex taste.  Two could be a whole meal!  I can see how something milder like camembert or brie would be good, but the wild mushroom gorgonzola combo made for an interesting taste that paired well with lasagna.  M even downed one in between throwing peas and carrots on the floor. 

B trying to size the rolls

Delicious inside

Here's the recipe.  Adapted from The New Bread Book


Ingredients

1 3/5 cups King Arthur white flour
 2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sea salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water
4 1/2 oz wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese


Directions

Mix all dry ingredients with the butter and water in mixer until combined
Knead on roll pat or lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth
Put in slightly oiled bowl and cover with damp dish towel
Let rise for one hour, until doubled in size
Punch down dough and knead for 2 - 3 minutes
Divide into about 16 rolls
Use rolling pin to roll out each roll slightly and place 1 tsp mushrooms with 1tbsp gorgonzola
Wrap dough around filling and place the seam-side down to bake on greased baking sheet
Leave to proof for about 25 minutes, until about double in size
Preheat oven to 425
Bake for 10 minutes at 425, cut to 400 and bake for another 20 minutes (until golden grown)

Cool and enjoy! 
 

Outback Bread

Rye and Molasses "Outback" Bread

Outback Bread

 

Last night's bread was a repeat experiment with a little tweaking.  B made the bread from Outback Steakhouse (the thing people eat while they keep an eye out for their Bloomin' Onion).  It's a rye and molasses loaf.  He made it several years ago but wanted to test it again with overnight proofing: his new favorite thing.  We enjoyed it with a wonderful roast that B had cooking all day, making the house smell amazing.  It was St. Patty's day, and the whole meal was close enough to Irish stew with soda bread, that I'm going to say it counts as Irish.  We enjoyed it along with a little red wine while we watched VCU put up a good fight against Indiana in the NCAA tournament.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roast with rye

Here are some notes:  First, as you can see in the pictures, the bottom stuck to the pan and fell off.  B used olive oil to grease the pan and says he should've used something more like butter or shortening.  Of course, stuff like that never messes with the taste.  He also says he would've steamed the bread while cooking (put a pan of water on the lower rack while cooking in the oven).  That's because the crust was a little harder than what you get at Outback.  He also would've added honey and lessened the molasses, skewing to honey for a sweeter taste.  I liked the molasses, though.  Recipe below.

He adapted from this "Chef Pablo" recipe.  (recipe below includes tweaks mentioned above)

Ingredients

• 2 packages instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups rye flour
• 2 1/2 -3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
• Butter to grease pan
• cornmeal to sprinkle on pan and on top

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix yeast with dry ingredients.
3. In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients with warm water, molasses, honey, salt, olive oil and rye flour.
4. Mix this until smooth.
5. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then let it rise overnight in a greased bowl, covering with a towel.
6. Punch the dough down and shape into 2 large round loaves
7. Place the loaves a few inches apart on a buttered and cornmeal-dusted loaf pan. Sprinkle a bit of the cornmeal over the top of the loaves as well.
8. Let shaped loaves rise about an hour (should double in size).
9. Place pan of water underneath in oven to steam while cooking.
10. Bake loaves at 375 for about 35-40 minutes or until the crust makes hollow sound when tapped.

 Enjoy!  Happy baking.

Picadillo Pockets in Homemade Baguettes

A long time ago, when B was first getting into bread making, I came home one Wednesday to the announcement that Wednesdays were "bread days."  Wednesdays became my favorite day of the week (well, after Friday, Saturday and Sunday).  Now B does most of his bread making on the weekends, but today was a revisit of that lovely tradition.

B went for Cuban-inspired picadillo pockets in homemade baguettes.  The recipe for the filling was from Food Network.  It was a delicious blend of ground beef, cinnamon, raisins, tomatoes, olives and other yumminess.  The recipe called for frozen pizza dough, but B, of course made his own.  All in all, it's a grown-up and way-better-tasting Hot Pocket, with no worry of mouth burns.

 

For the bread, B followed a traditional baguette recipe, but left it overnight in the fridge to proof (his new secret to amazingly fluffy bread). It made for a delicious meal and enough for tomorrow night, too. 

Baguette "Pocket" Recipe

3 3/4 cups of flour
1 2/3 cups of water
1/4 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt


Mix ingredients in mixer
Knead by hand for around 10 minutes
Fold every 20 minutes for next hour
Refrigerate overnight (about 24 hours)
Roll out, leave for an hour, then fill two pockets with ingredients and shape an additional loaf
Makes 2 pockets and one more traditional baguette loaf
Bake pockets at 425 for around 15 minutes, then bake baguette for 20 minutes

Double bread day

Biscuits and Rye Pitas

Biscuits

Today we enjoyed not one, but two, of B's bread creations, and I've finally come out of my bread coma enough to talk about them.  First we had BN over for a little Sunday brunch and had to add the Tupelo Honey biscuits into the mix.  BN brought mimosa fixings and a delicious pineapple and berry mix, and B also fixed french omelets, groats and grits.  I set the table and fixed the coffee, so as not to be a total loafer.  Thankfully neither BN or B seem to mind my culinary shortcomings.  The food and the company was so delightful that we sat there for a couple of hours until I'd enjoyed two big biscuits and most of my wonderfully over-sized mimosa (who said huge red wine glasses aren't for mimosas?!).  Back to the bread, though, B shaped the biscuits a little rounder this time - last time they were almost english-muffin shaped, and I think I like the english-muffin shaped ones a little bit more, but it feels like blasphemy to say such a thing because amazing biscuits are amazing biscuits.

The brunch spread

Somehow by this evening we were ready and able to eat again.  B had left a rye dough in the fridge overnight and made rye pitas to go with a vegetable gumbo.  He was happy to find that leaving the dough overnight really increases the thickness and sponginess of the pita bread.  They still popped in the middle, but were almost like a roll inside.  It was delicious, again, pairing the rye with goat cheese.  Recipe for rye pitas is below.

Pitas, pre-oven

Rye Pitas

Rye Pita with Vegetable Gumbo

   

Here's B's recipe for Rye Pitas

Ingredients:
2 cups white flour mixed with 1 cup of rye
1 3/4 cup water
1.5 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons standard yeast

Directions:
Mix ingredients into dough using mixer
Let it rise and punch down
Proof 24 hours in refrigerator
Preheat oven to 500-degrees
Shape into 8 pitas (about 4 inches), rolling into shape with rolling pin
Pop into oven at high heat (500-degrees) 4:30 minutes each (B uses a flipped over cookie sheet to cook)
Remove and let cool

Goat Cheese Potato Rolls

Goad Cheese Potato Rolls

Last night's experiment created these lovely little rolls that would be good with a soup, or really any dinner.  Because B. baked while I was out for a rare girls' night, I had one as a late-night snack (um, okay, two). 

As far as rolls go these were really tasty (but they can't compete with last week's biscuits or some other cheese breads we've tried recently).  Because they have a lot of flour and not much salt, it makes them taste mild and hearty, like a bagel. That's why they would be really good with soup or something light.  B. says if he makes them again, he'll add more salt.  There was just a hint of the goat cheese in the taste.

Today, he's going to use the leftover dough to make pitas.  Yay!

Here's the recipe:

Goat Cheese Potato Rolls

1 lb red potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
5 oz whole milk
3.5 oz goat cheese
5 cups white bread flour
1 T sea salt (that's B's suggested amount, bumped up from the recipe he followed)
1 oz fresh yeast
15 oz water, body temp.

(same dough, but proofed overnight, punched down, and ready for pita making)

Mash the boiled potatoes with whole milk and goat cheese.  Sift flour into bowl with salt and make a well in the center.  Dissolve yeast in 2 T of water and add to well in the flour.  Add potato mixture and slowly mix in remaining water until you have a soft dough.

Place dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for about 15 minutes (until dough is smooth and elastic).  Let it rise in a slightly oiled bowl, covering with damp dish towel until x 2 in size.

Preheat oven to 425.

Punch down dough and knead again for 2 - 3 minutes.  Shape into 30 small, round rolls.  Place them on baking sheet and dust with flour.  Cover and let proof for about 20 minutes.

Bake rolls for 10 minutes at 425, and then turn oven down to 375 and bake for 15 additional minutes.  Rolls should come out golden and sound hollow when thumped.  Cool and enjoy with soup or other light entree.

OMB! Tupelo Honey Biscuits, Fresh out of MY Oven

Oh my biscuit goodness!  Last weekend, we went to Asheville and hit our (and, okay, everybody's) favorite Asheville restaurant, Tupelo Honey Cafe.  As always, the biscuits that they serve before the meal were melt-in-your-mouth amazing. I dare anyone to say anything disparaging about the South with a mouthful of these biscuits!

Last Christmas, I'd bought B the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook. (Definitely one of those semi-selfish gifts.) Case in point: Inspired by our recent visit, last night he looked up the recipe for the biscuits and about an hour later, the most amazing biscuits were coming out of our very own oven. I always gush over B's final product, because it's always gush-worthy, but these biscuits were absolutely amazing.  Maybe it's just because I was enjoying them on my own couch in my pajamas with a big spoonful of apple butter, but these were even better than in the restaurant.  In fact, they were definitely in my top two biscuit experiences of all time.  And that's saying a lot, because S.H.'s moms homemade biscuits with honey still stick in my mind from 1991! Since eating those biscuits, every biscuit experience in my life has fallen short until this one.  If I could put those biscuits side by side for comparison, I would gladly do it.

The biscuits were equal parts moist and crumbly, with the perfect amount of saltiness.  I had one as an appetizer and ended up only having half of my dinner so I could have another one.  Even though our oven turned them just a tad brown, it didn't mess with the taste.

Dear friends, I'm holding promise of these biscuits out as a carrot to come visit!

B. says one of the secrets is the frozen butter.  Also, the recipe called for 1.5 t salt, but only told what do do with the half teaspoon.  He didn't put the rest in, and (obviously) I didn't miss it.

Poolish Experiment #1

Poolish Loaf

B decided to do a weekend experiment with a poolish ciabatta, an Italian rustic loaf. Although it didn't turn out the way he wanted, I see more poolish bread in our future.

He started the "sponge" on Friday, but the recipe he'd been following was off (a mix-up in metric to imperial conversions), and it didn't rise properly.  He fixed it by readjusting the water and we (sigh) waited another 12 hours for it to rise.

Waiting, waiting

By Sunday evening, it was ready to go in the oven.

It came out late Sunday night, after I'd gone to bed. But the promise of poolish bread for breakfast helped me get out of bed at an ungodly hour for my 7am flight. I was a little disappointed when I saw it sitting on the counter. It was certainly "rustic," but our oven (which loves to char things), had done what it does best. However when I sliced it, I was pleasantly surprised.  It looked delicious on the inside.

Unfortunately, with the picture snapping for the blog and my lack of coffee, I forgot to actually take a slice with me.  That might've been for the best, though.  Even though it looked nice on the inside, it's not B's typical type of bread (where, all you need is a knife and a little privacy, and you could theoretically and easily slice and eat your way through the whole thing in one sitting). This bread wasn't much on its own, but when paired with a little salt and olive oil, wow! (Which is exactly how I enjoyed it when I got home on Tuesday.)

A little black on the outside

Perfect on the inside

I'm eagerly awaiting poolish experiment #2.

Pita Picked a Pat of...Goat Cheese

Second during the week of rye, B took on a rye pita.  He's become a master pita chef, in general. They're so fun to watch pop in the oven and he cooks them so they stay all puffy.  We usually have them for appetizers with hummus.  But this time, B decided to add in rye flower to his regular white flower and substitute honey for the sugar. We weren't sure how they would taste, but (thankfully) we happened to have some goat cheese in the fridge.  Talk about amazing-tasting serendipity! I'm pretty sure that rye pita and goat cheese were made for each other. The slight bitterness of the rye with the smooth bite of the goat cheese is amazing.  And the pocket holds it perfectly and warms and softens it just slightly when just out of the oven.  I'm in love with that pairing.

Rye Pitas Proofing

Rye Pitas Popping

Out of the Oven

Rye Pita with Goat Cheese

Rye's Alright

Thanks to B's January rye streak, I'm a rye convert.  Asking me "white, wheat or rye?" at a sandwich place, you might've well have said "white, wheat or Katy Perry?" I could try to wrap my head around the fact that other people liked it, but I just couldn't understand why.  But B's rye's - amazing!

First he did a pumpernickel.  I never knew it was made with coffee and molasses.  Maybe knowing that finally made the taste make sense.  BN brought over some homemade salmon dip and we paired them together, and wow. Have I mentioned that I'm lucky to be surrounded by such amazing cooks?  We've also served it for breakfast, thinly sliced and toasted with butter in the oven, and then topped with local apple butter. Pumpernickel for breakfast - who knew? 

Pumpernickel with BN's Salmon Dip

Here's his recipe:
3 Tbsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, body temp
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled to body temp
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp softened butter
4 1/2 cups unsifted unbleached white flour
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
2 cups rye flour (plus extra rye flour for kneading in)
4 tsp salt
Cornmeal
Glaze: 1 Tbsp melted butter mixed with 2 Tbsp

Pour coffee and water into large bowl and sprinkle over yeast.  Stir and leave for 5 minutes.  Then stir in honey, molasses and softened butter.
In another bowl, blend 3 flours and salt.  Slowly add flour blend to other bowl, stirring until dough comes away from sides.  Add more rye flour until it comes away from sides.
Lightly flour board with rye flour.  Knead dough until smooth (5 - 7 min.), adding more rye flour to make firm.
Place dough in greased bowl and turn over so greased side is up.  cover with towel and let it rise until double in bulk (about 2 hours).
Punch dough down.  Divide in half and form into balls.  Place each ball, smooth side up, on greased baking sheet (make sure it has been dusted with cornmeal).  Cover with towel and let it rise for an additional hour, until it doubles in bulk.
Preheat oven to 450.
Brush with melted butter before putting in oven. 
Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.  Lower heat to 350 and continue to bake for another 50 minutes.

Foccacia, Four Ways

Around the new year, B got on a foccacia kick.  It proved very versatile, which was nice because I hate nothing more than when we're not able to finish all the bread.  It made a nice little side with dinner, an amazing sandwich bread to stuff with holiday leftovers, great small squares served as an appetizer or snack (or, okay, a second dessert).  We served it on New Year's for our annual food & moviethon with B.N.  and it was a big hit.
So far, B's stuck with onion foccacia, which gives a nice little kick to an otherwise mild bread.

New Year's Onion Foccacia

January weekend onion foccacia

Thankful for Challah

B. made challah for our big Thanksgiving feast at his parents' house.  We're not Jewish and it was the first challah I'd ever had, which is a shame.  Not only did it look beautiful, like a wreath, it was fun for people to tear off their little portions - very communal and Thanksgivingy.   It had a great crust on the outside and was soft on the inside.  You can also adapt plenty of songs to go with it like, "I need $50 to make you challah," although I'm sure it would taste just as good without. 

This is the recipe he followed. He doesn't recall making any adjustments.

(from allrecipes)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/challah-i/

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in bulk.
2. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide in half and knead each half for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Divide each half into thirds and roll into long snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving braid into a circle, pinch ends together. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.