Tuesday, January 6, 2009

No-Knead Bread

I found this recipe on my all-time favorite food & cooking blog: The Amateur Gourmet, Adam Roberts. Apparently this no-knead bread technique has been around for a while, but I'd never heard of it because if I had, I'd have been making it every week since.

The first time I made this was just before going to Richmond for Christmas. It literally came out of the oven and was the last thing packed in the car; I almost didn't want to leave and let the aroma of baking bread be enjoyed by only the kittens, but the whole ride down was like sitting in a bakery. I've made it twice since then, trying both variations of using bread flour vs. AP flour, and flour vs. cornmeal as a coating. I have found the best combination for the softest bread and crust that's not too hard. Either bread or AP flour will work fine, but I liked the AP flour the best. Cornmeal is much better than flour for the coating, and I do suggest buying some for this rather than using flour because the crust comes out much nicer. (Ladies at the dinner swap yesterday - you got the loaf with the bread flour and flour coating. The winning combo came out of the oven later last night.) Also the first time I made it (and took the pics) I followed the timing exactly, but yesterday when I made two, I slacked and did not follow it precisely, and I didn't get the same rise and texture inside. I did hold the rising process at step 5, as I noted below, and I don't think that caused a problem at all.

I insist you make this, I really do. You just can't not. It's so easy!! Plan to make it for sure if we get a snow day, and I stress PLAN because you do have to start a day ahead. I scribbled down the recipe from Adam Roberts's blog on an envelope, but I now have it easily memorized because there's not much to it. It looks like a lot of steps but I broke it down that way to make it easiest to follow. This is the most bang for your buck type of recipe I've ever made - meaning so few ingredients, effort, and working time on your part for such a great end product. I'll even put in a nice little time-line for you.

Of course you can just click on Adam Roberts's blog for the recipe, which is hilarious and has great photos, but here's my spin:

No-Knead Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups of AP flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups plus 2 tablespoons water (1 5/8ths cups)
Cornmeal (1/2 cup or so)

Directions:
1. [4:00pm day one] Place flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and stir.

2. Add the water and mix in. Cover with plastic wrap.

3. Let rise for 12-18 hours (18 is better).
4. [10:00am day two] Flour your counter and plop the dough down on it. Fold the dough over onto it's self a couple of times. Place it back in the bowl and cover with the plastic wrap again.
5. Let rest for 15 minutes. (For one of my loaves yesterday, at this point I refrigerated it because I needed a few extra hours before baking, and that did work out nicely.)

6. [10:15am] Lay a clean kitchen towel down on the counter, and coat it with cornmeal.

7. Plop the dough onto the cornmeal in one big ball, then sprinkle more cornmeal over the top. Cover with another kitchen towel.

8. Let sit for 1.5 hours until the next step (the dough will sit like this for a total of 2 hours).
9. [11:45am] Place a 6-8 quart enamel coated cast iron pot, and it's lid, in the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Let it heat up for 30 minutes.

10. [12:15pm] Remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid (KEEP THE POTHOLDER ON THE LID AFTER YOU REMOVE IT OR YOU WILL FORGET THAT IT'S HOT AND YOU WILL BURN YOURSELF). (OK that note was mainly for myself because you are smarter than me, but it is a good tip.)

11. Plop the dough into the pan, trying to let the bottom be flat and any folds or creases in the dough to be on top.
12. Put the lid back on and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
13. [12:45pm] Remove the lid and bake for another 15-30 minutes until it looks nice and brown.
14. [1:00 or 1:15pm] Let cool, at least for a few minutes, before you slice it.OK, now is the fun part. This isn't the type of bread I like to slice and eat plain because the crust is so crusty, unless it's still warm and you have butter on it. Here are some ideas:

Toast, then slap on some butter and jam (or Sue Ann's homemade blackberry preserves like I had this morning, way yum).

Grill or toast, then rub with a cut piece of garlic. Drizzle on extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper.

Or grill or toast and top with bruscetta. (Accd to my Amateur Gourmet: That's 5 plum tomatoes cut in half and cored and seeded (I used a soup spoon), cut into 1/4-inch cubes, and tossed with 3 cloves of chopped garlic (I like it garlicky), a bunch of basil leaves chiffonaded and then a splash of red wine vinegar, a heavier dose of olive oil (but not too much), salt and pepper. It's that easy and it'll knock your socks off. As my great-grandmother Helen would say: "It's the cat's pajamas and the snake's hips.")

Or, for garlic bread: make a mixture of softened butter, lotsa garlic (either fresh minced or garlic powder is good here too), parsley (fresh or dried, or dried Italian herb mix), salt and black pepper. Smear this on thick cut bread and toast or broil on a baking sheet.

For REAL garlic bread, shmear toasted bread with roasted garlic and olive oil.

Next time I make this bread, I'm going to add some roasted garlic cloves and maybe fresh thyme or chives, or some other herb, to the dough and bake it in. I think the smell of that baking would delay a road trip...

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Mediterranean Pasta in Minutes

Over the holidays, I took a semi-cookcation and didn't do much cooking at all. I had made so many cookies, as you know... so I was ready for the break and more than willing to let my momma feed me! OOhhh baby you should have been there for her shrimp and grits too man, WOW.

But back at home I've been messing up my kitchen every day as usual. I became a huge fan of kalamata olives recently, and wanted to use them in a recipe, so I started searching and found the perfect one. This dish has many of my very favorite things: pasta, feta, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, cream, chicken, and oregano! All these things would make my "top 25 favorite foods" list for sure (hey maybe I should write that list...). Plus I'm likely to have most of these things already at home, which is always nice.

I found this recipe on foodtv.com, and it's been up for a few years and has hundreds of reviews and 5 stars. Also a good sign. I rely the reviews for tips, such as to reduce the amount of pasta and/or up the cream to make a nice sauce. I did both and found it to be necessary, as there is no sauce in your bowl because it's all soaked up by the pasta and chicken. These are strong flavors, so if I made this for company I'd probably leave out the chicken and serve it as a warm pasta side dish.

I didn't use the basil, which is yet another very strong flavor, but I think it would be good if you have it on hand. Rather than wasting the olive oil that the sun-dried tomatoes are packed it, I put some of it in at the end and it really made it good. Oh, and the jar of sun-dried tomatoes we got was 7oz, rather than 8 1/2, which of course is just fine (esp because they're not cheap). I also modified the recipe to use a block of feta and chop it into large chunks instead of pre-crumbled feta. I love getting a nice bite of it, but not having a little in every bite, sort of like it's cool to have the whole olives.
Mediterranean Pasta in Minutes
adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced diagonally (omit to use as a side dish)
  • 1 (8 1/2-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (reserve oil)
  • 2 tablespoons (at least!) garlic, minced
  • 3/4 to 1 pound fresh angel hair pasta
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil (optional)
  • 1 (8 1/2-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, quartered and drained (1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (1/4 pound)
  • 6 ounce block feta cheese, diced
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink -- about 3 minutes each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. In the meantime, add the fresh pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.

Now add the basil, artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese to the skillet. Saute 1 minute then stir in the cream. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl; add the chicken saute to the pasta and toss (or add the pasta to the skillet to combine). Season with oregano, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of the sun-dried tomato oil before serving.

This is just before adding the cream.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who ordered cookies from me this holiday season! I had a blast in the kitchen doing what I love most. While I did get overwhelmed being up to my ears in cookies at times, it was fun!

I had 16 orders, which was probably the maximum that I could have handled in the time I gave myself. I had a few special orders, which I happily welcomed (gingerbread cookies and hot buttered rum mix). Thanks!

Throughout the year I'd be happy to continue to sell cookies and other baked items upon request. I'll probably post a special sale for Valentine's Day next.

Happy eating in 2009!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Cookie sale

Thank you to all of those that have ordered my cookies! I hope you enjoy them!

Baked cookies are unfortunately not for sale anymore because my oven door broke this evening! My kitchen faucet broke last week (though I could still turn on the water from below the sink, and it's now been replaced) and now the oven goes!! I've been needing to get my kitchen remodeled anyway, so these problems are really kick-starting the project. Although, I did NOT plan on buying new appliances!

(Knocking on wood) My refrigerator and freezer still work, so I can still produce frozen cookie dough. Please place your order by 4:00pm on Monday, December 15th. The earlier the better, please, so I can plan for the ingredients and time in the kitchen. Luckily most of my orders have been for frozen dough, so that's what is most popular anyway.

To show you the quantities of some varieties, this is a full batch of Rosemary Butter Cookies:
Full batch of Cream Cheese Walnut:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (plus 4 that are still cooling on the rack):

Monday, December 8, 2008

CHRISTMAS COOKIES FOR SALE

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Walnuts or Pecans, optional (about 35 cookies)
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (about 35 cookies)
Rosemary Butter Cookies (about 50 cookies)
Cream Cheese Walnut Cookies (about 40 cookies)

1 batch for $18.00
1 batch frozen dough for $15.00


10% off each additional batch purchased (rounded) (ie. 2 batches=$34.00; 2 frozen=$28; 1 batch and 1 frozen=$31)

The frozen dough will be balls or slices of dough ready to be placed on a baking sheet and popped in the oven.

I can't guarantee the exact number of cookies your batch will make, but I will give you the entire batch. The amounts above are what the original recipes indicate.

I can make deliveries in the Loudoun County area this weekend, December 13 & 14, and Wednesday, December 17. That is the latest date before Christmas that I'll be able to deliver.

Please comment or email me (jamiehak@gmail.com) to place your order!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

You KNOW you want to bite into this bread right now! I had to slice it while it was still warm; I couldn't take it any longer. Although I just read in my Cooks Illustrated cookbook that technically bread is not finished baking until it's cooled. Hmm. Sometimes a loaf's gotta take one for the team I guess.

The texture of the bread part is dense but not too heavy, and overall the loaf is breadlike rather than cinnamon-roll like; it's actually not very sweet. It would make a mean French toast and in fact if there's any left in a few days it just might! The cinnamon I use, Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon, is particularly strong and spicy, like Big Red gum. Ceylon cinnamon would be very good in this recipe since it is more mellow, and of course the regular cinnamon from the grocery store has the most traditional flavor that everyone loves.

There are a few reasons why I decided to make this bread. First, I wanted to make a treat for our good friends the Decker/Dawson family (and all the cookies and pies in the house are just not good enough, it's gotta be FOR them). Second, I promised myself that I'd try my hand at more yeast doughs since I have the big jar of yeast. And lastly, because I was flipping through one of my favorite huge baking cookbooks and this was on the page I landed on.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
recipe from Baking Illustrated; also found online here
.

Makes 1 loaf.

If you like, the dough can be made one day, refrigerated overnight, then shaped, proofed, and baked the next day. This recipe also doubles easily.

Ingredients
Enriched Bread Dough:
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons
table salt
3 1/4 - 3 3/4 cups
unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
5 teaspoons
ground cinnamon
Milk for brushing

Glaze:
1 large egg
2 teaspoons milk


Instructions
1. For the dough: Heat milk and butter in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm (about 110 degrees).

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over warm water in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle. Beat in sugar and eggs and mix at low speed to blend. Add salt, lukewarm milk mixture, 2 cups of flour; mix at medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Switch to dough hook attachment. Add 1 1/4 cups flour, and knead at medium-low speed, adding additional flour sparingly if dough sticks to sides of bowl, until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn dough onto work surface. Squeeze dough with a clean dry hand. If dough is sticky, knead in up to 1/2 additional cup flour to form a smooth, soft, elastic dough. Transfer dough to a very lightly oiled large plastic container or bowl. Cover top of container with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Ideal rising temperature is 75 degrees.) After rise, punch down center of dough once (can be refrigerated, covered, up to 18 hours). Making sure not to fold or misshape dough, turn it onto unfloured work surface; let dough rest, to relax, about 10 minutes.

4. Grease sides and bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

5. Press dough neatly into an evenly shaped 6-by-8-inch rectangle. With short side of dough facing you, roll dough with rolling pin into evenly shaped 8-by-18-inch rectangle (flour counter lightly if dough sticks). After rolling out dough, brush liberally with milk. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border on far end. Roll up dough, pinching gently with fingertips. To keep loaf from stretching beyond 9 inches, use hands to occasionally push ends in as dough is rolled. Use fingertips to pinch the dough ends together very tightly to form a secure seam. With seam side facing up, push in center of ends. Firmly pinch outside dough edges together to seal.

6. Place loaf, seam side down, into prepared pan; press lightly to flatten. Cover top of pan loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to proof. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above top of pan, about 1 1/2 hours, or about 1 hour longer if dough has been refrigerated. As dough nears top of pan, adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Gently brush loaf top with egg mixture; bake until loaf is golden brown and instant-read thermometer pushed through top side into center of loaf registers 185 to 190 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool on its side on wire rack until room temperature, at least 45 minutes. (Can be double-wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for four days or frozen up to three months.)

For mixing by hand: Beginning with step 2, sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl. Follow instructions in step 2, using hand mixer or wooden spoon, thoroughly blending ingredients with 2 cups flour. Using wooden spoon, mix in 1 1/4 cups flour. Knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic, 12 to15 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary. Transfer dough to lightly oiled container and follow rising instructions.

I doubled the recipe, and here's all the dough in step #3 after being punched down:Here's step #5:These are the loaves just before going in the oven. I have one silicon loaf pan and one non-stick one. I prefer.... neither. But as you'll see, the non-stick made a perfect loaf (for the first time in it's life! It usually burns things), and the silicon one doesn't hold it's own shape very well so the bread swells and billows out, which isn't preferable in this recipe because we're trying to keep the cinnamon-sugar filling rolled up and the edges pinched and sealed together. I was a proud baker when I pulled this out of the oven! I've never made anything that looked like that before:Here are the loaves cooling on their sides. They started out with the exact same weight of dough, and you can see how the silicon pan allowed the dough to spread out.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Thanksgiving

Sorry I've been so neglectful of my blogs! I have not been spending much time on the computer in the last few weeks, but I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

My family spends every Thansgiving together at a cabin at Algonkian Park, which is within walking distance from my condo. I have a full house, and all the out of towners stay in the four bedrooms at the cabin. It's nice that it's no one's home base, and everyone pitches in with the food for four days, including the BIG meal. We've got it down to a science! We do send around a long email list of who's bringing what, but by the 8th or 9th year it's pretty much in stone. Here's a peek into our list:

ANYTIME SNACKS
Chex Mix - Jamie
Cookies - Jamie
Artichoke Dip - Carroll
Fruit - Henry & Lauren
Pimento Cheese - Hank

WEDNESDAY DINNER
Taco Soup - Patti
Corn Bread - Jamie
Jessi's Chocolate Cake - Jessi

THURSDAY BREAKFAST
Breakfast Before - Jessi
French Toast Casserole - Carroll

THANKSGIVING MEAL
Turkey + Turkey Breast - Patti
Gravy - Patti
Broccoli Bake - Patti
Stove Top - Patti
Rolls - Patti
Potatoes - Carroll
Sweet Potatoes - Jessi
Creamed Spinach - Jamie
Mac & Cheese - Jessi&Jamie
Henry's Cranberries - Legard
Canned Cranberry Sauce - Carroll
Legard salad - Legard
Pumpkin Pie - Jamie
Chess Pie - Hank
Pecan Pie - Jamie

FRIDAY BREAKFAST
Buttermilk Biscuits - Jamie
Apple Butter & Pumpkin Butter - Andy

FRIDAY DAY
Turkey & Dumplings - Patti
Leftover King - Erol

FRIDAY DINNER
If we need dinner Friday, we can all pitch in to make a spaghetti and meatball dinner?

SATURDAY BREAKFAST
Fried egg sandwiches - Patti

BEVERAGES
Coffee -
2% Milk -
Half & Half -
Apple cider and/or mulled cider - Hank
Beer - Erol & RT
Wine - Joel
Punch - Jessi&Jamie

NON-FOOD OTHER
Table cloths - Patti
Paper plates - Legard
Turkey time paper plates - Legard
Napkins - Legard
Paper towels - Jamie
Dish washing soap/sponge/gloves - Jamie
Hand soap for bathrooms - Jamie
General merriment - Andrew
Next year we probably won't even need a list. The only thing that changes is who's making Wednesday dinner and the breakfasts, for which we usually don't stick to the list anyway!
I just love Thanksgiving time. The food, the family, the games, the predictability, the everything. My recipes will be listed soon, and some pictures too, but I wanted to let you know that I'm still here in my messy kitchen!