Throwdown #1 Lemon Braided Bread

A few weeks back, Matt and I were discussing what sounded good to eat on a cold Sunday. After tossing out a few ideas, we ultimately decided on two variations on a tart. A little smack talking later and Matt suggested that we invite the family and have a good ol' Throwdown. You know, a Throwdown a la Bobby Flay of the Food Network? So, to make a long story short, the fam loved the idea and we decided to set up several Throwdown competitions over the course of the summer.
First up, breakfast foods. I immediately knew what dish I would bring. I had some leftover lemon curd in the fridge, so I thought I would try my hand at the Lemon Braided Bread over at the Smitten Kitchen. Deb never lets me down, so despite the fact I had never made the recipe, I went for it. The results were delicious and the presentation was exactly what I hoped for. I didn't make any changes to the dough recipe, but the lemon curd came straight from Martha. Although I have not manned up and tried other lemon curd recipes, I don't know how you could beat Martha's. It is the perfect combination of tart and sweet and it paired really nicely with the cream cheese and sweet dough.
After the votes were counted, Matt and I came out on top with a tie. We are a force to be reckoned with and the family better keep one eye open!!

I Love It When You Call Me Biga Poppa

For those of you who think you can't make delicious bread at home, you have to try this simple recipe. Don't be discouraged by the length, much of your time is spent waiting for the end result. I opted to form the dough into six sandwich size loaves, but the original recipes yields two larger loaves. Whether you do it for me, Big Poppa, or just to say you can, you will amaze yourself and your family with amazing homemade bread!

Ciabatta

Source: Epicurious
Makes 2 loaves

For biga:
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm water (105°‐115° F.)
1/3 cup room-temperature water
1 cup bread flour*

For bread:
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm milk (105°‐115° F.)
2/3 cup room-temperature water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bread flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Make biga:
In a small bowl stir together yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, room-temperature water, and flour and stir 4 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.

Make bread:
In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened and beat dough at medium speed 3 minutes. Add salt and beat 4 minutes more. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.)

Have ready a rimless baking sheet and 2 well-floured 12- by 6-inch sheets parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone or 4 to 6 unglazed "quarry" tiles (see note, above) arranged close together on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425° F.

Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone or tiles in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. With a large spatula transfer loaves to a rack to cool.

Dinner Rolls

When I found the world of cooking blogs sometime last year I was opened up to a whole new
domain filled with exciting recipes and great photographs. As I perused some of my favorites, I kept stumbling upon the name Peter Reinhart when bloggers waxed on about bread. After a little research, I decided my plan of attack was to purchase The Bread Baker's Apprentice and see for myself. That purchase has definitely been one of the best I have made in my quest for really learning about bread.
Reinhart is truly a teacher and goes to great lengths to thoroughly explain the many stages that bread goes through so the student can begin to comprehend the how's and why's behind the art. Reinhart is to bread baking what Alton Brown is to cooking...he includes the science of bread making from explaining the ingredients to informative photographs on shaping and preparing a home oven for hearth baking. Here, I am including a simple dinner roll recipe that we used to make mini sloppy joes.

White Bread: Variation One
Makes two one pound loaves, 18 dinner rolls, or 12 burger or hot dog buns

4 3/4 c. unbleached bread flour (I use King Arthur)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. powdered milk (DMS)
3 1/4 T. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 large egg, slightly beaten at room temperature
3 1/4 T. butter, margarine, or shortening, melted or at room temperature
1 1/2 c. plus 1 T.-1 3/4 c. water, at room temperature
Sesame or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)

1. Mix together the flour, salt, powdered milk, sugar, and yeast in a bowl of electric mixer. Pour in the egg, butter, and 1 1/2 plus 1 T. water and mix on low speed with paddle attachment until all flour is absorbed and dough forms a ball. If dough seems stiff and dry trickle in more water until the dough is soft and supple.
2. Mix on medium speed with dough hook attachment, adding more flour if necessary to create a dough that is soft, supple, and tacky but NOT sticky. Continue mixing for 6-8 minutes. In the electric mixer the dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but stick ever so slightly to the bottom. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 80 degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
3. Ferment at room temp for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich rolls, into 18 2 oz. pieces for dinner rolls, or 12 3 oz. pieces for burger or hot dog buns. Shape the pieces into boules for loaves or tight rounds for dinner rolls or buns. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.
5. For loaves shape and lightly oil 2 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. For rolls and buns, line two sheet pans with baking parchment. Rolls require no further shaping. For hamburger buns, gently press down on the rolls to form the desired shape. For hot dog buns, shape without tapering the ends. Transfer the rolls or buns to the sheet pans.
6. Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Proof the dough at room temp for 60-90 mins. or until it nearly doubles in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 for loaves or 400 for rolls and buns.
8. Bake the rolls or buns for approximately 15 mins., or until golden brown and register just above 180 degrees in the center. Bake loaves for 35-45 mins., rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking, if needed. The tops should be golden brown and the sides, when removed from the pan should also be golden. The internal temperature of the loaves should be close to 190 degrees and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
9. When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from pans and cool on wire rack for at least one hour before slicing or serving. Rolls should cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before serving.

Focaccia

Even with all the Christmas baking happening around here, I was in the mood to make some bread. I have become more experimental and comfortable working with yeast, so I thought I would give focaccia a try.
For years I have had a copy of Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking collecting dust on my shelf. My husband used a potato buttermilk roll recipe out of it a while back and had great success, so it was my turn!
The dough went together quickly and kneaded in the Kitchen for 6 minutes. After that, it was just a lot of waiting and making the topping. It was worth the wait. The bread turned out to be full of flavor and just the right texture. I think it would be delicious to use for BLT's, or as the book suggests, croutons for a Caesar salad.

Basic Focaccia
makes 1 large flatbread

2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 3/4 c. warm water (105-110 degrees)
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
5 cups all purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. coarse sea salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, 1/2 c. of olive oil, the flour, and the the fine sea salt. Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough hook, and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes. Add up to 1/2 c. flour while kneading to prevent the dough from sticking. Remove dough from the bowl.
Form the dough into a ball, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1-1 1/2 hours. For a more flavorful bread, make the dough up to this point, punch it down, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Let the dough come to room temp before shaping.
Pour the remaining 1/4 c. of oil evenly in half-sheet pan. Turn the dough out into the pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan. If it is too elastic to spread without springing back, let it rest for five minutes. Cover the pan loosely with a dry kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Dimple the dough by pressing your fingertips all the way into it at 1-inch intervals over the entire surface. Sprinkle it with the coarse salt, if desired.
Bake the focaccia until golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool in pan. Cut it into squares and serve warm or at room temperature. Store tightly wrapped in aluminum foil at room temp for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 2 weeks. Reheat at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Topping:
I caramelized a sweet onion in butter and sugar and then added some finely chopped rosemary and garlic and sauteed for a couple minutes. Spread the mixture over the dough before dimpling and sprinkle with salt.

*Note: I only kneaded for 6 minutes, and did not need to add additional flour to prevent dough from sticking. Also, next time I make this, I may move it up one rack as the bottom of the dough seemed to get a little done for my liking.

Mr. Whiskers Bread

When I was teaching Kindergarten, I couldn't imagine a late November passing me by without reading Cranberry Thanksgiving to my students. If you have never had the chance to enjoy the Cranberry series by Wende and Harry Devlin, you should really check it out and share it with any little ones in your life. Not only do the stories have a nice lesson, there is always some type of cranberry recipe in the back that happens to be really delicious. The one I will share today is a slight adaptation to the one in Cranberry Thanksgiving and is a nice addition to a brunch or dinner any time of the year. The dough goes together quickly and is a great use for those fresh cranberries hanging around the local stores. The bread fills the house with an amazing scent and freezes well, so you can plan ahead for all of your holiday gatherings.

Mr. Whiskers Cranberry Bread

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. orange zest
3/4 c. orange juice
2 T. oil
1 egg
1 c. chopped cranberries (use the Cuisinart...you'll thank me later)

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together dry ingredients. Add the orange juice and oil and mix until combined. Add the egg and beat until combined. Stir in cranberries and pour batter into well greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Burgers and Buns

I am always mesmerized with the beautiful food and photos over at the Smitten Kitchen, and when I saw the light brioche burger buns the other day, I knew I had to give them a go. The recipe was easy and really made the burger more special. I previously mentioned how tasty goat cheese and caramelized onions are on a burger, and today was no exception. We also threw on some mixed greens straight from the garden and a nice slice of tomato to top it off. Although it is so easy and convenient to simply pick up a package of buns at your local grocery store, I really think for the little bit of hands on time, it is beyond worth it to make your own. Needless to say, these are definitely part of the repertoire from here on out!

Jim Lahey=Genius!

So maybe I am about three years behind the times, but I just found a really exciting way to make bread. I mean bread that you might actually buy in a store and now you can master it at home! Take note Timm, this post is for you.
The bread I speak of is the brainchild of famed NYC baker Jim Lahey. A few years back Mark Bittman (of NY Times fame) did his weekly Minimalist column with said baker, and the movement began. If you google no-knead bread recipe, you can peruse the internet for hours looking at variations and reviews of this recipe. I suggest you head on over to You Tube (like you don't want to look at silly animal videos, anyway!) and watch the video of Lahey and Bittman making the bread. I use the word making loosely, since there isn't much making involved. It is more like waiting...lots of waiting.
I am so excited about the results and only have a couple of things to add in case you decide to bake your own. First, I would definately add a little more salt. Not a lot, but I think some would surely add a little more flavor. Second, if you don't have a dutch oven, it is OK! You don't need to run out and buy one, because if you have a covered casserole-type pot you will be fine. I used a smashing red Emile Henry number my cha and bro got me a few years back and was really happy with the results. So happy, I am going to start a second loaf tonight.
Since I had this wonderful, crusty bread, I thought it the perfect time to try a recipe I found in the April issue of Southern Living magazine. The cover is devoted to rubbing it in that strawberries are in season as we speak, but hey I have some chives peeking up through the snow-so there! At any rate, the Strawberry Turkey Brie Panini featured on page 126 caught my attention. Instead of buying a jar of red pepper jelly, I simply used some leftover Rhubarb Sauce from last night's meal and since we don't have a panini press, we threw them on the George Foreman. A few minutes later, dinner was served!

Fear Not!!

*Former Nemesis*

Although I have done lots of cooking and baking over the years, I have always had a fear of yeast. My good friend Clay Bertrand scoffs at this notion and has encouraged me to suck it up and try, so here's to you Clay!
After a little searching, I found a recipe that seemed to be fool-proof and since I was planning on making BLT's, this was as good a time as any to give it a whirl. The dough came together nicely and as promised it was a rather quick process, aside from the rising time. We were so happy with the taste that I am sure we will be making this again and again. It was slightly sweet and I believe it will make a fine piece of toast come morning. So, the morale of this story is: stop being a sucker and make some bread!