Sourdough Starter

I have serious love for the website Serious Eats, but I don't visit it very often. The main reason is because my husband has requested that I not, because every time I do, I get ambitious, and he sometimes grows weary of my kitchen experiments (and the accompanying messes).

Take the Sourdough Starter-Along that started on my birthday last year. I really wanted to do it, but given that I was 9 months pregnant and it was the holiday season, I decided to wait until later. I stumbled upon it again a couple of weeks ago and decided that right when I was going to start back to work was obviously the perfect time to get a starter going. Of course.

So I started at day one, with my clean jar, kitchen scale, flour, water, and spoon. I measured carefully, stirred it together, covered the jar, and waited. Two days later I started seeing bubbles!

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's pretty exciting (to me at least) that just flour and water and some magical little beasties (bacteria and yeast from the flour, water, and air) can come together, and with minimal effort and just over a week, be strong enough to make a loaf of bread rise!

Here's where I admit to being a horrible food blogger and not taking a picture of the bread I made. It was a nice looking loaf, but it also smelled delicious and came out of the oven while I was in the middle of making dinner, and then by the time that was over we were all starving and so, well, it disappeared before I could take a picture. The result was just slightly sour (I didn't leave my dough rising long enough for it to really develop that sour flavor), but I ended up with a nice, light loaf of bread.

Since you have to feed your starter every day, I had enough again on Sunday night to start some pizza dough for the pizza we'll eat tomorrow. And I had enough this morning to make more dough should I want to, but alas, I was out of time, so I put it in the refrigerator to sleep for a few days, until I have time to bake again.

With all the craziness in my life right now, it probably was not the best time for me to start this, but I have to admit, it's kind of fun to have this little project that doesn't take much active time but that also yields some pretty fun and tasty results.

(Even if you don't make the starter, it's pretty fun to read the Starter Along posts. I used the bread and pizza dough recipes from that series for my first starter experiments, but I can't wait to branch out!)

Weekend Baking 11.5.10

When it gets to be this time of year, my desire to bake grows increasingly strong. Probably because it makes the house warmer and deliciously scented, but also because of the holidays. There are several things I'd like to bake this weekend, but I'm going to have to pick one or two because it's not possible for us to eat all of the food we currently have in the house. I'm going to have to split this list up over several weeks, but that's okay. Something to look forward to, right?

On my list are:

• Homemade bagels
• These homemade Twix bars that seem mentioned to be on every site I read and on Twitter lately.
• Banana Bread
• Cinnamon Chai Cream Pie
• My mom's corn bread if she ever gives up the recipe. It's to die for.
• These very in-season Pumpkin Maple Rolls
• Or a pumpkin scone of some sort
• Or of course, these Pumpkin Spice Donut Muffins (something pumpkin is definitely happening this weekend)

Are you baking this weekend? What are you making? What else is on your list?

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

My deep love affair with the Artisan Bread in 5 Brioche recipe continues unabated. This stuff is magical! Not only does it make a fine loaf of bread just the way it is (and even better grilled and topped with a delicious egg salad), you can use it to make fantastic cinnamon rolls, hot dog buns, and this heavenly cinnamon swirl bread:

The really best part of all of this is how absolutely easy it is. Really! Even with 60 hour work weeks, trying to enjoy this pregnancy, redecorating our upstairs, and having to take a certain someone to the potty every thirty minutes or so, I can still mix up a batch of this dough and turn it into something spectacular.

Due to above mentioned 60 hour work weeks, I'm going to just link you to the recipe today. I made it exactly as written and it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to use it to make french toast as described on the linked page.  My husband is bound to get jealous of how much I love this recipe (or at least gain a pound or five). This weekend I'm thinking I'm going to use it to make some Monkey Bread. Or maybe tomorrow. It just sounds so fantastic!

Seriously the Best Cinnamon Rolls I've Ever Eaten

I will admit to, at times, being prone to hyperbole. This is not one of those times. This morning I made the best cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten in my entire life.

It didn't take much (active) time either, which makes it even more awesome. The only problem were that I wanted more than one, but two was a bit too much. Such a problem to have, right? The fact that the entire family passed out in a sugar coma soon afterwards was also not too big of a problem. There's not much better than a family nap on a Saturday morning.

Finally, one last "problem": I used the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day brioche recipe, which means that if you follow this exactly, you'll have 3/4 of the dough left to use in this or other recipes. But, you can 1/4 the dough recipe if you'd prefer. It's all up to you. It's all so delicious, though, that I would recommend the full recipe. (And it's MUCH easier than the brioche recipe I tried the last time with similarly delicious results.)

Now, without further ado - the recipe!

Mrs. Ca's Fabulous Cinnamon Rolls


1 1/2 pounds ABin5 Brioche Dough
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, but you could go either way)
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to about 1/8 inch thick (mine made a rectangle about 10x13 inches). Spread 1/2 of the softened butter over the dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle generously over the dough (you will have extra). Roll up into a log from the long side. If your dough is fairly soft, refrigerate for 20 minutes before slicing.

In a cake pan (mine is 9 inches), spread the rest of the softened butter. Sprinkle with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Slice your dough roll into 8 equal pieces, and place cut side up in the pan. (I placed 7 around the sides and one in the middle.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 40 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When done rising, bake for 40 minutes.

While rolls are baking, put cream cheese and milk in a small, microwavable bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds to soften the cream cheese. Remove from microwave and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar. Set aside until ready to serve rolls.

Place desired amount of rolls on each plate and top with cream cheese glaze. Eat, then groan in pleasure. (And probably take a family walk instead of a family nap because these are definitely far (FAR) from light in fat and calories.)

Sixty Minute Rolls

For as long as I can remember, for every special occasion (and often for everyday meals) my mom has made these rolls. The rolls are so easy to make that even the most yeast-phobic bakers can easily master this recipe. They're light, slightly sweet, and in my opinion, best when steaming hot and slathered with butter. And sometimes honey.

As a bonus, you can roll out the dough, top it with softened butte,r sugar, and cinnamon, then roll up, slice, and bake as directed for delicious quick cinnamon rolls. See? I told you these were awesome!

Sixty Minute Rolls


(Can be halved)

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 c. unsifted, all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages dry yeast
1 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. butter

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 1 1/2 c. flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved dry yeast.

Combine milk, water, and butter in a sauce pan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120 - 130 degrees F). (This step can be done in the microwave.) Butter does not need to melt. Gradually add this mixture to the flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 c. flour, beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about five minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; place bowl in a pan of water at about 98 degrees F. Let rise 15 minutes.

Turn dough out onto floured board. Divide into half and shape; place into lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, 14 minutes.

Bake at 425 degrees F for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top and baked through.

Some delicious things I've made that I forgot to write about

Sometimes, like now, when I'm writing dozens of pages a day at work, I just don't really feel like putting together a long, cohesive post. And, even though I haven't blogged here much lately, that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I have! Promise!

Here are some things I made that were pretty darn good:

Tomato sauce with onion and butter

This was amazingly simple and I'm keeping a can of whole tomatoes in my pantry at all times from now on so that I can make it whenever I want. It doesn't have many ingredients, but it's fine just the way it is.

The Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust

We made a couple of delicious pizzas using this crust (each batch makes enough for two pizzas). I couldn't get it to slide nicely onto my pizza stone the first time (see pizza that ended up as a calzone) so now I assemble it on parchment paper and cook it on the stone on the paper. If you want a crispy bottom crust, slide the paper out from underneath for the last few minutes of baking. So easy and good!

My favorite of the pizzas we made used the leftover tomato sauce from the recipe above (it was hard to save some, but I managed to work up the willpower to not eat it all), mozzarella and cheddar, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and chicken apple sausage. SO GOOD! (And now I'm ready for lunch at 9 in the morning.)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day - Master Recipe

I finally mixed up my first batch of dough yesterday and I have to say that the result was amazing! Another really simple recipe that has an amazing result - a nice crusty white loaf with a beautiful airy interior. Aaron sang the praises all evening and had to stop himself from eating the entire (fairly decent sized) loaf in one sitting. I told him it would be fine, since I still have the dough for three more loaves in the refrigerator, and it takes no time at all to whip up another one.

Here's how simple it really was - I started mixing up the dough at about 7:00 am yesterday and was finished mixing (using my stand mixer) about five minutes later. I used cold water so that it would take longer for it to rise, because I wanted to leave it out for the initial rise and come back to throw it in the refrigerator on my lunch break. I made it home at about 11:45 am, and it had risen beautifully. I took out a one-pound portion of the dough (can I mention here how much I love my kitchen scale? LOVE!) at 5:00 and we had fresh bread by dinner at 6:30. There really wasn't much work to get it to the table - seriously about 5 minutes of hands on time. This really is just great!

Golden Brioche

I have been on a bread making kick lately; partially inspired by the goal I stated a while ago on my to cook/bake list, and partially because I'm trying to minimize the amount of processed foods that come into my house. My transformation to crunchy hippie is nearly complete!

Anyway, this delicious, buttery brioche was made for the purpose of trying to recreate a sandwich I had in Chicago that knocked my socks off. I started it on Saturday afternoon at around 3 and it finished baking about 24 hours later, and if that's not a lot of freaking effort for a sandwich that took me about 2 minutes to eat, I don't know how to make more of an effort.

It was also totally worth it.

I was a little nervous it wouldn't turn out. I mean, look at these:

They were supposed to rise to fill the pan within two hours. That didn't really happen, particularly not with the pan on the bottom. I'd say they probably doubled in size, but that still wasn't nearly large enough. Since I didn't need three loaves of brioche (I didn't really need two either, but this was the best looking recipe I could find) I made the other third of the dough into bubble-top brioche rolls. These, at least, looked a little more promising in the pan:

(A note about the pan: it's as old as I am (if not older) and I inherited it from my mom when I moved into my first apartment. It's so well seasoned you barely have to grease it, and I love the size.

Anyway, the rolls turned out wonderfully, so I had a little more hope for the bread after that.

The loafs were totally different sizes; the small one never really rose, while the larger one took off once in the oven. They both taste even better than the rolls, though, so I don't care that they didn't rise like I expected. I would declare this recipe completely worth the three sticks (!)  of butter it contains.

(And here's a sneak peek at the reason I made the bread in the first place.)

Golden Brioche

Adapted from Epicurious

1/3 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)

1/3 c. warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)

2 envelopes dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp from a larger container)

3 3/4 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, each stick cut into 4 pieces, room temperature (This last part is very important)

1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)

Place 1/3 c. warm water, warm milk, and yeast in a bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves (this took about 2 minutes). Fit mixer with dough hook. Add flour and salt to bowl; mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 10 seconds. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat in 3 eggs on low speed, then add sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next (dough will be soft and batter-like). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 7 minutes.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Lift up dough around edges and allow dough to fall and deflate in bowl. Cover bowl with plastic and chill until dough stops rising, lifting up dough around edges and allowing dough to fall and deflate in bowl every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cover bowl with plastic; chill dough overnight.

Butter and flour 3 normal-sized bread pans (my two were different sizes, and I only have two, so that's also why I made the rolls). Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. For each loaf, cut one of the pieces into four equal pieces. Roll each into a short log, about the width of your loaf pan. Arrange logs crosswise in bottom of each prepared loaf pan. Cover pans with waxed paper. Let loaves rise at room temperature until dough almost fills pans, about 2 hours. (I let mine rise 3 hours and it had not almost filled pans, but it was time to bake them so we could have dinner at a normal time.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Gently brush top of loaves with egg glaze. Bake until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn loaves out onto racks; cool at least 1 hour.

(For the rolls, cut the piece into 6 equal pieces and each of those pieces into 3 pieces, which you then roll into balls, placing 3 balls in each cup. Allow to rise for about an hour or two, until the dough has risen above the rim of the pan by about 1/2 to 1 inch. Glaze with egg mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack.)

If you'd like to freeze a loaf, cool completely then wrap each loaf in foil; place in resealable plastic bags and freeze up to one month. Rewarm thawed loaves wrapped in foil in 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, if desired.