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.