Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day - Review and Master Recipe

Wait! Before I delve into a long love story about the bread above, I just want to say that I couldn't muster up the energy to make another batch of blueberry muffins. I tried. I bought the blueberries and everything....they went moldy. Let's just say, we were blueberry muffined out and nothing, not even the allure of content for this here blog, could make me bake more. Besides, Round 2 totally won and I declare them the undefeated champion until I feel like making blueberry muffins again. Or, blueberry anything. Don't worry...it'll happen soon.


Now, what you've come here to hear about... The bread. The wonderous, crackly bounty of your fantasies. My fantasies include a river of nutella and a visit from Legends of the Fall era Brad Pitt. Who's with me? Oh, yes. The bread...


In the time it took me to ramble on and the time it took you to seriously consider going to do the dishes, you could have been well on your way to artisan bread thanks to the science and craft of Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois and their book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I swear, I've been carrying around this thing like a bible.






I've craved the crackle ever since our first trip across the pond and haven't been able to satisfy my urges to slather butter and aged cheese on a worthy recipient. France has us whooped in the baking department and I just can't handle grocery store bread anymore. Except, I've been forced to do so...either that or shell out 6-8 bucks for a good quality boule which also requires a drive to the city. NO MORE, I SAY.

I made two loaves in two days and it's all because this one genuis idea... you can store high moisture dough in the fridge for over a week. Yes, you can.

I read the master recipe on Ivory Hut and gave it a go only to realize I needed to financially support the wonderment and buy the whole book. The end product is not much different in taste than my previous bread making attempt but it's all about the texture and aging. I find this method to give me crisper crust, chewier crumb, and more depth in flavor as the week progresses. I will now share the master recipe with you in the hopes that you can discover a life filled with baked goodness ( and, go get some nutella, too...oh, and buy the book. You'll love it.)

The Master Recipe ( Makes four 1 lb. loaves--- we did halfsies)

3 cups lukewarm water
1.5 Tbsp. granulated yeast ( or two packets of instant yeast)
1. 5 Tbsp. kosher salt
6.5 cups unsifted, unbleaches all purpose white flour measured by scooping with minimal pressure and sweeping off level ( I don't know why this is specified in every recipe in this book but I went with it and it worked fine- normally I spoon in and then sweep.)

Cornmeal for dusting

Special equipment: Pizza stone or other baking stone ( not totally necessary but important for the crackle.) Large 5 qt. lidded container.

1. Warm water slightly to about body temperature and add yeast and salt. You can add make this in a large mixing bowl or a lidded 5 quart container ( that way, you only dirty one thing because you're gonna store this stuff in the container. Or, you can start all this off in a 14 cup food processor or stand mixer.

2. Mix in flour until uniformly moist. Either do this by hand, with spoon, or in a 14 cup food processor or stand mixer, both fitted with a dough hook.


3. That's it. Once uniformly mixed, let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours. After 2 hours, you can make it or refrigerate the dough.

4. Once you're ready to bake, liberally sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel ( not the stone) or cutting board or counter top. This is where you're going to set your loaf to rise and you don't want it to stick.

5. Sprinkle the surface of your dough with flour and pull off a grapefruit size hunk ( that's about 1 lb.) Quickly form it into a ball by the "gluten cloak" method-- this means, stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom, rotating the ball a quarter turn until all sides are tucked under. Resist the urge to knead- this whole process should take 30-60 seconds. Set the seam side down on the corn meal and let it rest for 40 minutes.

6. 20 minutes into the rest period, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and make sure you have an empty broiler tray in there and the stone on the middle rack.

7. When the dough has rested for 40 minutes, dust it with flour ( dusted a bit too much) and score with a serrated knife into a pattern (tic tac toe, stripes, x marks the stop, etc.) and then carefully place your ball on the stone and return to the oven. Quickly dump about 1 cup of tap water into the broiling tray and shut the door real fast to trap the steam. THIS IS THE KEY TO THE MAGIC.

8. Bake for 30 minutes. Try to let it cool completely before you break in. Oh, when it first comes out, listen to it sing. Oh, the merriment. Confused about the 5 minutes part? Well, the whole process takes about 5 minutes of actual interaction with the stuff...maybe 15 minutes tops once you've cleaned everything up. I say, that's pretty good since I could be doing plenty of other stuff in between and still have hot bread in record time per day. And, it's yum.

Blueberry Muffins: Round 2

There was no melty blueberry goodness in round 1. There was no inviting perspiration in round 1. This muffin brought it.

Aptly titled, the "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" are a serious front runner in my quest to find the best blueberry muffin recipe, ever. I think I may have to limit myself to three challengers ( and, I might pick a wimp for the third try so this one can win.) These were so moist, dense, and delicious... no residue but I'm starting to think that might be a good thing.

Something of note: the batter was like glue, keeping the berries from sinking to the bottom which I didn't even know I cared about until I realized I fully appreciated the even distribution. So, I checked back to round 1 muffins... there's no comparison.

(Oh, sorry about round 1, Trisha Yearwood. For what it's worth, I really liked your baked beans recipe and I sang "She's in love with the boy" for about three years straight....)

I found this recipe thanks to the fine community of Allrecipes.com I really like that there's a strong following at allrecipes.com providing invaluable information on how the recipes turn out, along with modification suggestions. I followed some advice and cut down the quantity of the crumb topping and did a 1/2 c. brown sugar + 1/4 c. white sugar mix ( instead of the 3/4 c. white sugar called for...this is because I ran out of white sugar.)


Crumb topping? Yes, that's right... and all was right with the world.











I'm not kidding. These are scary good. Seriously, look at this face I found in my evenly distributed berries...

Scary Good Blueberry Muffins

Source: Adapted from "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" by Colleen on Allrecipes.com
Yield- 7 big muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• one large egg, beaten
• approximately 1/3 cup milk ( you'll see why the approximation)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

For the topping:

• 1/8 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup unsalted butter, cubed ( 1/4 stick)
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with muffin liners.

2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

3. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and egg in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add milk until the total volume of all wet ingredients is 1 cup. Add wet ingredients to flour/sugar mix, gently stirring until dry ingredients are just blended.

4. Fold in blueberries then spoon into muffin tin.

5. To make crumb topping, cut the sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon together in a small bowl with a fork until a coarse meal forms.

6. Top muffins with crumb mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes then lower temperature to 350 and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. ( The temperature change makes the outside crumb crust a bit crispy while preventing burning...I'm getting the hang of this.)

Blueberry Muffins- Round 1

I dig a good blueberry muffin... the ones that are super moist, chewy, and leave a little residue in your mouth for hours after you eat them. The tops are sometimes sticky, too. Yeah, those ones.


As I sit here on this bitter cold Sunday (the first day I've had to actually sit and chill since the year started) I found myself craving the above. With a pint of blueberries in the fridge, WHY THE HECK NOT? Exactly. I mean, nevermind the fact that I gained 10 pounds over the last month eating every cookie and confection in sight. Oh, and nevermind that every gadget I have is on the fritz and not configured properly. You know how they say never make three major life changes in one year? Well, I think that should include technological devices...trust me, switching a computer, a cell phone, and cable service in the same week is bad news for post-holiday destress.

Anyway, about the muffins.

These Blueberry muffins were made with Trisha Yearwood's recipe in "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen." They're good but not what I was after... remember the residue of which I spoke? Not happening here. However, you might find these up your alley if your style of muffin is light, moist, and more breadlike. I consider these a success either way since I didn't burn them.

Nevertheless, the quest for my dream blueberry muffin is now on.

Blueberry Muffins

Source: Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Yeild: 16-18 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 and place liners in your muffin tin.

2. Sift dry ingredients together in a medium size mixing bowl . Make a well in the center and add butter, milk , eggs, and vanilla, stirring just enough to moisten the flour. Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Spoon batter into the lined muffin tin. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

OH, hey! If you have a blueberry muffin recipe you think I'll like, hook me up! Thanks.

How to Make Butter

I knew I'd abandoned the Spork but I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw my last post was back in October. OCTOBER! Have I not cooked nearly every night since then? Have no recipes been new? Do I have no travel adventures to share? The answer is "No" ( at least I think it is...I get confused with all those double negatives.) What I'm trying to say is, sorry, dudes. I've missed you. Can we still be friends?

You'll be happy to know that I've been baking more since we last met... not that I've been successful or anything ( pssst...if you're making bread this holiday season be sure to remember the baking powder. Especially if said bread is intended as a hostess gift...) Oh, and I've gained five pounds...that might actually coincide with the wee bit of knowledge I shall impart to you today.

Ready for it?

Okay. Prepare yourself to be hailed as chef extraordinaire when you bust out this culinary skill.

Yes, friends, I'm talking about making the butter. Just imagine yourself at your next holiday potluck...

Relative: "Mmmm, I just love Grandma's mashed potatoes. Oh, what did you make this year?"

You: "Me??? Why, I made a little something called THE BUTTER!"

Just don't tell anyone how easy it was and you'll totally be in the clear from helping with the dishes. Here's what you do:

Photo Credit: GwenElliott on Flickr ( Can you believe I didn't snap my own pic?) Thanks, GwenElliott-- beautiful shot.

Butter

Yields a 1/2 cupish

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream ( the fresher and colder, the better)

1/2 to 1 tsp of kosher salt ( it all depends on how salty you like your butter.)

Special equipment: Food Processor and Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

1. Add cream and salt to food processor fitted with blade.

2. Constantly pulse the heck out of it. Seriously, first it will look like whipped cream followed by supremely thick whipped cream. It will trick you for a little while and you might give up on it, but don't. Keep it going. All the sudden, the thick cream will slosh and clumps of curds will separate from the liquid. I'm told the liquid is buttermilk but I really don't know. I'm concerned about butter here, people.


3. Discard the liquid and strain the curds through the cheesecloth or mesh strainer, pushing or squeezing out all liquid. Place in a ramekin or small bowl.

At this point, you could fold in seasonings or herbs or whatever strikes your fancy. I like it plain in all it's creamy goodness. Served immediately if a whipped texture is desired or form and chill.

Pretty easy, huh? You won't even break a sweat and you'll reap all the benefits of hours spent churning away. It kinda makes you feel like you should exercise to make up the difference. But, then again, why do that when you can consume mass quantities of homemade butter? The world makes sense again.

Pumpkin Pie Balls

I decided to make cake balls again to take to our annual family hayride a couple weeks ago. Call me crazy because apparently I forgot how time consuming they can become. Call me awesome because I stumbled upon an even better recipe than my last attempt. I was looking for something thoroughly fall/hayride appropriate and Bridget at Bake at 350 totally came through for me. She calls these delicious autumn wonders "Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls" but I found that when adapted a tad, they can come out with the consistency of pumpkin pie. Okay, okay, "adapted" means I accidentally used a whole can of pumpkin instead of 1 cup and my cake fell because it was super thick and dense. Guess what? It turned out great. Since it was so moist, I added a 1/2 a can of cream cheese versus the standard full can and the sweetness and texture was spot on.

Here's my adapted recipe for Pumpkin Pie Balls
(Makes about 4-5 dozen balls)

1 box French Vanilla cake mix

1 full can of pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie blend- just straight up canned pumpkin)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

***********************************

1/2 can cream cheese frosting

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chocolate candy melts or almond bark

***********************************

Nuts, sprinkles, grated coconut, or reserved almond bark for decorating ( optional)

1. Beat all top section ingredients until blended and bake according to package instructions in a 13x9 pan. Cake should rise and toothpick should come out clean from center. However, since the cake is extra dense, it will fall when removed from the oven.

2. Allow cake to cool enough to handle. Crumble and smoosh the cake together- it will be pretty mushy. Add 1/2 can of cream cheese frosting and blend well. NOTE: I don't know why but I really prefer Duncan Hines cream cheese to Pilsbury. The Pilsbury one tastes like plastic cotton candy. Is that just me?

3. Shape into bite size balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet ( you'll probably need a few.) Chill in the fridge for at least an hour. You want these to be pretty cold.

4. Melt almond bark or chocolate melts however you like but not over a direct flame. 10-15 second intervals in the microwave works well. Or, you can put a mixing bowl in a a stock pot to steam water in order to melt them. I'm pretty sure there's an actual piece of equipment for this but why buy one more thing?

I bought lousy bark from the convenience store because I thought I had some but I didn't and I didn't want to drive all the way to the Wal-Mart and get suckered into buying forty more things. Lousy bark or overheated bark may require the addition of shortening to loosen things up a bit. Add in small spoonfuls if needed until it is a smooth consistency that will easily coat your pie balls.

5. Remove balls from the fridge and individually dunk into the almond bark using a fork to remove from the bowl and a spoon to toss chocolate over the top. The use of a toothpick is very handy for replacing the ball back on the parchment paper. You can see a great example of this technique in action courtesy of P-dub here.

6. If decorating with loose bits like nuts or sprinkles, top while the chocolate is still tacky. If decorating with piped almond bark, wait until the chocolate coating is fully set.

I prefer these chilled but I also hate warm pie so, there ya go. I'd use your pie preferences as a guide here because, they aren't cake-like in texture at all. One last piece of advice...if you want any of these for yourself, hide them. I only got one.

How to Grate Fresh Coconut

It's been a month since my last post and really even longer since I've been inspired to get creative in the kitchen. I tried so very hard to push myself to make something new but I just kept falling back to the comforts ( we had a lot of chicken potato burritos...)

So, it took our latest themed dinner party to break me out of my shell.

Ahhh, Indian Food night. I'd been looking forward to this theme for forever. I selected an amazing recipe for Southern Spiced Lahori Chicken Curry from Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness and I'd already sent Aubrey to the city to get all the unique ingredients. I was all ready to go except I forgot to get unsweeted grated coconut. No prob, they always have that junk at the Wal-Mart, so off I went.

I was wrong. There was no grated coconut to be found other than the severely sweetened version of which I despise. Oh, but wait... could they? Do they? YES, they do have real, actual, whole coconuts. Leave it to my Wal-Mart to finally come through with an off the wall item. I had no other choice.

I bought the little dude.

Now, I realize this isn't exactly a seasonal post. People are usually thinking about coconuts when it's a little bit warmer outside. As for me, it's the middle of fall and I need me some coconut. I put on some N'Sync to psych myself up and set out trying to figure out how to conquer the coconut. Fortunately, Indian Home Cooking has some suggestions as to how to crack into these babies.

Step one: They say to get a screwdriver or a sharpening steel to poke into the "eyes" in order to drain the coconut juice. HA! I say...

Step two: Pour out the juice or save to make a "lovely, sweet and very refreshing drink."

Psssh. I only had six hours until showtime.

Step three: "Bake the coconut in a 350 degree F oven to make the white flesh pull away from the brown husk." Sure, how long? Wait...it doesn't say!!! I went with 25 minutes.

Step four: Wrap the coconut in a towl and bang on it with a hammer to split it open...can do.

Look at that! It smelled deliciously toasty and I felt like such a success. Except, now's probably a good time to tell you that there was actually a second coconut partaking in this process. Just incase I screwed up on the time I left the second one in for about 35 minutes. This is what happened:

Oh, and that delicious toasty smell? Replace that with roasted windex and you've got an idea of how foul this was. I'm not quite sure if it was rotten to begin with or if the ten extra minutes did it in. Either way, 25 minutes worked great so I'd rather not try 35 again. Into the trash this went. Now, onward!

Step five: Use a flathead screw driver to separate the white flesh from the hard shell. (Not as easy as it sounds but doable... have no fear if it breaks away in small pieces. Oh, and it takes some force.)

Step six: Use a vegetable peeler to peel off the thin layer of brown skin.

Step seven: Grate on a grater or in a food processor--- ( use the processor- you've earned a break by now.)

And, that's pretty much it. It was actually much easier than I expected...not that I want to do this everyday or anything. One coconut yeilds a sandwich baggy full of freshly grated coconut. I only needed 1/2 cup so I froze the rest. In the end, the N'Sync tunage seemed much more appropriate for the task at hand...it just tried to seem tough.

She's ALIVE!!!!

Apparently, I'm not destined to blog this month. But, hey, my whole point in writing this here blog is to allow myself to unabashedly lust for travel and food from around the world. Since I've actually been doing some of that stuff lately, I haven't had time to pine for it. I'm in it!

Needless to say, I haven't been cooking much for the last few weeks either and it doesn't look like that trend is gonna end anytime soon. Miami Little Theatre's "The Sound of Music" begins at the Coleman Theater tomorrow night and I bear the title of "dresser" this time. That is, I get to help 7 kids through 9 costume changes one of which happens in less than a minute flat. But that's beside the point! The point is as soon as I get a break, I'm back baby. Then you'll get to hear all about what I've been up to, how Aubrey caught the biggest fish ever, how I'm the worst barterer in history and how my bud Tasha did a town OTHER THAN Tulsa...

Eating in Santa Fe Pt. 1: The Santa Fe Farmer's Market

Sorry again for the hiatus. I'm sorta lousy at blogging and traveling at the same time. Great quality to have for a travel blog, I'm sure. Also, sometimes, I get too hungry to photograph and document my food adventures which makes content a bit of a challenge.... that's another story though that involves the fact that I have no flash and tend to cook at night. Gah!

Anyway, point is, we've been hittin' the road pretty hard these days. Last weekend, we went to Santa Fe for a fishing/shopping getaway with pals Kevin and Sindy. Last time I was in Santa Fe, Aubrey got food poisoning. This time, he got sick in advance. I'm not quite sure what it is with him and traveling west on I-40. Something deep within him rebels. Either way, he doped up and recovered nicely which made for a pretty fab trip.

Now, onto the delciousness...

I know, I know- how can I write that Aubrey contracted food poisoning last time and recommend great eats in the same post, right? It's real easy. I'll start with what NOT to eat...and that would be McDonald's New Mexican inspired Green Chile Double Cheeseburger. Just don't do it.

Instead, get the real deal. Santa Fe is known for it's roast hatch green chile and you can get a pretty good whiff of it throughout downtown where roasters are turning their roasting aparatuses like mad men. I have no idea what these spinner things are called ( roasters perhaps?)...I just know they work.

Sindy and I got our chile in the form of fresh baked Green Chile bread from the Intergalactic Bread Company. They're featured in the current issue of Edible Santa Fe and known for their free form loaves made with locally grown ingredients. Oh, and, you can only get it if you travel to New Mexico- they only sell it at farmers markets in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Taos. So, since we were there and all...we got some. Of course.

But we didn't stop there.

The Santa Fe Farmer's Market is sprawling with vendors boasting goods of all varieties and colors. For instance, I learned that there are at least seven different types of eggplants and probably more...

Likewise, I've never seen so many different types of tomatoes in my life.



That's B & B Farms of La Mesilla, New Mexico ( thanks for the hand modeling) and they had some pretty amazing cherry tomatoes that we snatched up. They also had the BEST blackberries I've ever had in my life. I sampled one and they said, "I bet you'll have to buy some" and they were right. I bought some, promptly ate them, and snuck back for a few more "free" samples-yeah, they're pretty much crackberries.

With bread and tomatoes, all we needed was a little cheese (aged cheddar made with goat's milk, to be exact) and we had ourselves a fine lap lunch. We walked around for a while to find the perfect bench on which to sit and enjoy it. I think we made a great selection.

Entertainment in St. Louis- Herbaria Soaps (WINNER UPDATED)

Okay, so soap making may not be the first thing that comes to mind for entertainment in St. Louis. Afterall, there are plenty of pro-sports teams, cool jazz joints, and other rambunctious activties. Nevertheless, I highly recommend you check out Herbaria, a little soap company on The Hill where scents of lavender and peppermint win the sensory battle of a ten foot section of the charming streets, leaving you clammering to get into the door for a better whiff. And, whiff you may...

There are plenty of sniffs to go 'round like those of Lycopene Tomato, Indonesian Safflower, and Patchouli Hemp ( to name a few.) You can even pick up some incredible handmade soap dishes to hold it all in.

The cool thing is, they give tours of how everything is made and are completely welcoming.

I love that every product is made independently and free of chemicals- we're talking pure vegetable goodness here. I also love that Herbaria granted me my first "paid" photography gig- trade photos for their website for free soap and THAT, friends, is a gift I'm passing along to you.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what recipe you'd like me try and make next and you're entered to win a bar of Avocado Lemon soap!

"What? You're giving away a bar of soap??" This isn't just any soap, people. Husby will attest to the quality and let me just say, he doesn't give a flip about soap...usually. The Herbaria Licorice Bar has him won over for good. I really wish I liked black licorice because it makes the entire bathroom smell like it. That's some good soap.

They were slicing up freshly made Avocado Lemon bars while we were there so this is your chance to get a piece of it.

Winner will be randomly drawn using random.org and announced on Thursday morning ( 8.27.09) I'll accept entries until the very moment I get up on Thursday morning ( around 7:00ish, give or take a snooze.)

Now go come up with something good for me to make!

UPDATE: April!- You are the lucky winner of a bar of Avocado Lemon Soap! Random.org had the harrowing job of randomly picking 1-4 entries and you got it. Congrats. Now, go take a shower.

Eating in St. Louis- Guido's Pizza and Tapas

When we weren't risking rash and arrest in St. Louis last weekend, we went on a normal bike ride through one of my favorite neighborhoods of St. Louis known as The Hill District. The Hill is a predominantly Italian community populating roughly 50 square blocks south of downtown where Italian immigrants began to settle as early as the mid-1800s.

I love the character of the streets from the green bricked buildings and uniquely painted doors to the prideful fire hydrants and people walking around with bread. And, oh yeah... that's pizza you're smelling in the air...

Never come to The Hill on a full stomach. I mean, that's just crazyness. In fact, you might want to skip breakfast to make some more room for the tasty deliciousness to be had all around. We decided to try out Guido's Pizza and Tapas as it's rated one of St. Louis Magazine's Best 35 restaurants. Oh, and because it's perfect for the person who can't make up their mind ( like, me, for instance.)

The menu is extensive and decidedly diverse, ranging from albondigas to calamari, homemade lasagna to mediterranean mussels. Though I'm sure the tapas are great, you don't go to a mexican place to order a cheeseburger and you don't go to The Hill to eat anything other than Italian. That's as far as my decision making got us, though.

We started with drinks and a salad to share with the house vinagrette and provel cheese while we studied our options. Mmmmm....

Ultimately, when I was about to order a cheese pizza and some lasagna, we saw this massive plate of pasta go by and had to have it to share.

The tortellini was filled with a blend of veal and pork served in a buttery cream sauce and topped with peas, pruscutto, and freshly grated parmesean. You know how sometimes Italian restaurants shoot for rich and just end up salty? This was spot on rich. We were in Italian heaven. And, don't be fooled by all the sharing... we left fully stuffed and satisfied with food left on the plate all for under $25.00. Seriously, it's worth a trip to St. Louis just for this.