Archive | Beginner RSS feed for this section

Essential Kneads: French-style Country Bread

7 Sep

Since being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in June, life has kind of been a rollercoaster. How I feel when I wake up each day is a complete surprise. I live in a constant state of fatigue and trying to catch up with whatever joints are flaring that day. Sometimes I need a cane to walk, or can’t raise my arms overhead, or am unable to do things as simple as squatting down or bending over. Even a simple shower can be painful sometimes. It’s almost impossible to have a consistent schedule or make firm appointments. For someone who loves to move and be in the kitchen, this can be really, really difficult. I’m able to work, but the opportunities have become very limited. It feels like so much has been taken away, and my primary job has become working toward remission.

In the midst of all of this, I discovered something wonderful, something unexpected, and something I am beyond grateful to have. I’ve mentioned on this blog before that baking bread makes me feel soothed, comforted, and home. I was deeply worried that my often swollen and painful hands and fingers would keep me from this practice. Okay, sure, I could use my mixer to knead bread, but a huge part of handling bread dough and knowing when it is ready is how it feels. And you can’t do that kneading in a mixer.

One night, I made a sponge starter for a loaf of bread. When I woke up the next day, my fingers were puffy, swollen, and angry. I was heavily disappointed. Yet again, an unexpected flare had hit me. I was about to throw the sponge starter and rest of the ingredients into my mixer, and then remembered a self-massage technique my physical therapist had shown me. It basically involved rubbing down the palms and fingers to move the inflammation. I realized it was essentially the same act as kneading. So why not take 10 minutes to move my hands through soft dough and just see what happened? Worst case, I’d have to give up and let the mixer do the work.

But I was right. While it wasn’t a perfect solution, by the time I finished kneading the dough, the swelling in my hands had reduced significantly. They still ached, but I had more mobility and a better grip. My love, my home had again brought me comfort and soothed me during struggle. So in light of that, I want to share with you the bread I was making that morning (and again this week). Get your hands in there and enjoy every second of it.

French-style Country Bread

Sponge:

  • 1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90-100 degrees F)
  • 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Dough:

  • Sponge
  • 1 cup lukewarm water (100-115 degrees F)
  • ½ tsp. instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached bread flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Make the sponge by stirring all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest overnight or for as much as 16 hours.

After the resting period, stir the starter and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 1/4 cups of the flour, and the salt. The dough will look rough and messy. Let it rest for minutes and then stir again. The dough will be more cohesive.

Knead the dough for 10-12 minutes, adding the remaining ¾ cups of flour only as needed to form a smooth dough. On a humid summer day, I needed all of the flour. When I’ve made this bread in the winter I have needed less than half, so it can vary a lot.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container. I like a measured plastic container because it is easier to see the exact volume of the rise. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until almost doubled, 1-2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina.

Gently pour the risen dough out onto the counter and shape into a large ball.

Place this seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet.

Cover the loaf lightly with greased plastic wrap and allow it to rest until it becomes puffy and about 50% larger. This can take anywhere from 45-90 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees F and place a 9×13 baking pan or cast iron pan on the bottom rack. Adjust the other rack to the middle position.

Make three slashes across the top of the loaf of bread, or make a tic-tac-toe pattern. Have ready 1 cup of hot water.

Place the bread in the oven on the middle rack and pour the hot water into the pan below it. Quickly close the oven to trap the steam and then reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s a deep golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 190 degrees F. You can also test bread doneness by tapping the bottom of the loaf. It should sound hollow. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack.

Maybe a lot has been taken away (temporarily), but RA has also become my greatest teacher, helping me learn greater patience, compassion, and gratitude for the ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I have discovered strength and perseverance I didn’t know that I had in me.

Whenever I feel myself struggling—and I know that is part of this too, I will go into the kitchen, massage my hands, and find myself home again.

Ciao for now,

Neen

 

Excellent Experiments: Cinnamon Twist Bread

1 Sep

I have had the experience on a few occasions of starting a recipe assuming I had certain ingredients on hand, only to realize partway through that I was actually missing something. Yes, yes, I know this breaks the cardinal rule of “mise en place,” but we all err sometimes. There are also occasions when I know I don’t have the right things on hand and don’t care, because I’m simply going to try something and see what happens.

I found a recipe for a cinnamon twist bread ages ago. I remember that I loved the concept of it, but it called for several ingredients (and a cooking vessel, as I recall) that were either hard to find or that I didn’t want to buy because I couldn’t think of how else I would use them. I wrote off the recipe and moved on to something else. I never like it when things go to waste, so it’s always my preference to use ingredients that can be located in an average grocery store and have multiple uses. For whatever reason, I thought back to that pretty-looking loaf this morning. I decided to take what I know about bread and recreate the idea with ingredients and tools that an average home cook would have available. I was worried that it would turn out strange, but if you never try, you never know. And many times it’s worth trusting your instincts.

Cinnamon Twist Bread

Bread dough:

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 3 oz. (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
  • 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup lukewarm water (105-110 degrees F)

Filling:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

  • 1 tbsp. granulated sugar

 

To make the bread dough, combine all of the ingredients in either a stand mixer or by hand and then knead until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic.

Roll the dough into a ball, placed it in an oiled bowl, and toss to coat with oil.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes, depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen.

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly greased surface and roll it into a 24 x 10 in. rectangle.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar and then sprinkle the dough with the mixture.

Roll the dough up lengthwise into a log and pinch the seam closed. Place the seam side facing down.

Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise and leave the cut sides facing up. You may have to do a little pinching to make the ropes easier to handle. As you can see, there might be an errant rope or two. Just do your best! It won’t matter in a moment.

Cross the ropes in the middle and then twist tightly, keeping the cut sides facing up as best you can. Pinch the ends of the ropes.

Form the twisted rope into a coil and tuck the end underneath. Then transfer the bread to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover the bread with a clean towel or lightly with oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it is noticeably puffy.

While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Once the bread has risen, remove the towel or plastic wrap, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar, place it in the oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Check the bread half-way through baking. If it is browning quickly, tent the loaf with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The internal temperature of the finished loaf should be 190-200 degrees F if you have a thermometer handy.

The bread has a soft, pillowy interior with a crisp crunch on the outside from the sugar on top. It’s not too sweet either, just enough to compliment the spicy notes from the cinnamon. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea.

Sometimes you don’t need a recipe to tell you what to do. Go your own way from time to time and see what happens. Even if the experiment fails spectacularly, it’s giving you information to learn from, and that’s the only way to get good at anything: Learn, learn, learn and grow, grow, grow.

Ciao for now,

Neen

The Perfect Prize: Pan Pizza

28 Aug

It doesn’t take knowing me very long to realize that I’m kind of a nerd, a title I wear with pride. Let’s be real, I went to graduate school for library and information science, so reading and research are my jam. I’d say that a lot of this stems from having parents who read to me and who encouraged me to read from a young age.

One of the perks of being a kid who already LOVED to read was Book It!, a program that Pizza Hut has been running since 1984 to promote literacy. When I was a kid, you’d receive a badge and for every book you read, you’d get a sticker to put on it. Once it was full, you could present the completed badge at a Pizza Hut and get a free personal pan pizza. And man, was that an awesome reward in my mind. I loved those little pan pizzas. They were thick, super cheesy, and had awesome crispy edges from the cast iron pans they were baked in. I remember my cousins and I nearly emptying the shakers of parmesan cheese onto our pizzas and gleefully devouring them as we contemplated how to convince our parents to give us more quarters for the arcade machines in the front of the restaurant.

Adult-me still loves books (especially cookbooks!) and definitely still loves pizza. But I have my own beloved cast iron pan now, and my love of reading and research have most certainly led me to learn how to make that cheesy, chewy, crispy delight right in my own kitchen. And with a husband who has an extensive collection of video games, I don’t even need quarters to play games while I wait for my pizza.

Want to make one? Here’s how!

Pan Pizza

Dough:

  • 1 ¾ – 2 cups bread flour
  • ¾ cup warm (110-115 degrees F) water, divided
  • 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

Sauce:

  • One 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tsp. dried herbs (I like a mix of parsley, oregano, and basil)

Toppings:

  • 9 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Whatever you like on your pizza!

Pan:

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 8-10 in. cast iron skillet

Begin by making the pizza dough.

Combine 1 tbsp. of the flour, ¼ cup of the water, and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup water, 2 tsp. olive oil, and salt and stir to combine.

Slowly add the flour ½ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic.

Roll into a tight ball and then place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat in the oil.

Cover the bowl with a clean towel or loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm area until the dough ball doubles in size. It will take about an hour.

Pour 2 tbsp. of olive oil into the cast iron pan. Place the risen dough on top and then stretch it to the edges of the pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel or loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F.

Lightly press down on the dough in the pan to remove any large air bubbles, and then spread the sauce on top, going all the way to the edges.

Top with the cheese and any other toppings you might wish to add.

Bake the pizza for 15 minutes and then carefully remove from the oven and then cook on the stove top over high heat for 1 minute.

Just look at that cheesy goodness:

To remove the pizza from the pan, run a knife or palette knife around the edges, and then use a large palette knife, tongs, or a spatula to lever it out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

Allow the pizza to rest for 2-3 minutes before slicing.

The crust is thick and chewy with crisp edges from the olive oil and high heat, and the cheese is beautifully broiled on top and gooey underneath. It’s a little decadent and a LOT delicious.

It just goes to show that if you bury your nose in a cookbook (or many), you too can always relish the rewards of reading.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Overnight Success: Dreamy, Creamy Mascarpone Cheese

27 Aug

I have a tendency to over-buy ingredients. It’s this paranoid fear that I’m going to screw up a recipe, so I want to have enough of something on hand to restart the process if that happens. With pantry items, that’s not a problem, but with perishables it sometimes leaves me scrambling to think of what to do. When I was making candy recently, I ended up with several cups of leftover heavy cream and didn’t want it to go to waste.

Then I realized WOW, it’s been a long time since we made cheese together. Shame on me, because homemade cheese is extra fantastic and in a lot of cases does not require any sort of special equipment or ingredients. Ricotta, for example, can be made in under an hour with just milk, buttermilk, and a piece of cheesecloth. Make some lasagna with that and you might never want to go back to store-bought again.

While many cream-based cheeses require starters, mascarpone, Italy’s excellent cream cheese, requires little more than some heavy cream, powdered milk and a lemon to create. A cream cheese is a wonderful blank slate with all sorts of applications. Your time at the stove will be quick, I promise. It does have to set in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, so start this one early in the morning or the day before you want to use it.

Mascarpone Cheese

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
  • Juice from one lemon (about 3-4 tbsp.)
  • Colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth
  • Candy thermometer, probe thermometer, or instant read thermometer
  • A metal spoon

Whisk the heavy cream and milk powder together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Attach your thermometer and slowly bring the mixture to 180 degrees F, stirring regularly to prevent scorching.

Once the desired temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat and switch to using the metal spoon if you are not doing so already. Stir in half of the lemon juice.

You will not see large curds separate from the whey, rather the mixture will begin to thicken. Watch for it to coat the back of the spoon and for some specks of solids appear in the mixture.

Add the remaining lemon juice and stir to combine. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Once the mixture is firm to the touch, you are ready for the final step.

Dampen the cheesecloth and line the colander with it. Transfer the cheese to the cheesecloth-lined colander, pull the ends together, and squeeze firmly to remove the excess moisture. This will make the cheese thick and spreadable.

The mascarpone is ready to use, hooray! This recipe yields about 12 oz. of cheese.

While the most common application is tiramisu, mascarpone is great spread on toast, mixed into sauces, served with fruit, or even stirred in to finish risotto. You can also sweeten it and use it for cheesecakes, cake fillings, or as a substitute for whipped cream on top of cake or pie. So many uses you’ll probably want to make more. My favorite application is mascarpone-stuffed medjool dates with crushed pistachios, honey, and fruit. YUM.

If you aren’t going to use the cheese immediately, store it in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator and use within a week. With a few simple ingredients and some time, you’ll have enough on hand to play however you like.  Creamy, soft, and just a little bit lemony, it’s a treat you don’t want to miss.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Chairs and Fairs: Nut and Coconut Pie Bars

26 Aug

My yoga practice has changed a lot this year. One of the places I have found comfort, support, and joy is my weekly chair yoga class at Mind the Mat in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria.  The teacher and all of the students could not have been more welcoming when I joined, and I was so grateful to find a practice that allowed me to appreciate my body and mind for the first time in months.

So of course, when I had a kitchen table full of baked goods the week before the Arlington County Fair, I opted to share them with the group. After all, the judges only needed six pieces of each submission (aside from the pies, which had to be presented whole). One of the categories I entered was for bar cookies, and the ones I made were honestly the result of having some leftover odds and ends to use up after candy and pie making. Well, I must have stumbled upon something great, because not only did they win a blue ribbon(!) for the bar cookie category, my chair yoga classmates loved them and gently requested that I share the recipe here. So without further ado…

Nut and Coconut Pie Bars

Crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold

Filling:

  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup toasted chopped nuts (I used ½ pecans and ½ walnuts)
  • ½ cup toasted shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 in. baking pan with parchment paper.

Begin by making the crust. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps.

Press into the prepared baking pan evenly across the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides.

Bake for 15 minutes. I usually melt the butter for the filling as soon as the crust goes in the oven so that it is cool enough to use by the time the crust is done baking.

To make the filling, whisk the brown sugar into butter until smooth.

Add the whole egg, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla and blend well.

Stir in flour until just combined, and then fold in the coconut and nuts.

Pour the filling over the par-baked crust, spreading evenly using a spatula or small offset palette knife.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden on top.

Cool completely before cutting into squares or triangles. I like to refrigerate the pan because it is much easier to cut neat squares when they have been chilled for a few hours or even overnight.

The texture of the filling resembles pecan pie, but the coconut adds a sweet chewiness that reminds me of the topping on Samoas cookies.  The crust is buttery and crisp, like a rich, thick shortbread. All in all, these accidental delights have a lot more to offer than I initially gave them credit for, and my chair yoga classmates and the county fair judges agreed.

Change happens in a blink and life can really surprise you with strange twists. Sometimes they give you something really special, like a whole new way to practice yoga. It’s good to know that recipes can surprise too in the most unexpected and wonderful ways.

Ciao for now,

Neen

My Best Friend’s Favorite: Tea Cakes

25 Aug

If you ask people in different countries what a tea cake is, you are likely to receive surprisingly different answers. In England, it is a yeast-risen bun typically studded with dried fruit and generally served split and toasted. But if you ask for one in Scotland, you might receive a chocolate coated Italian meringue set on top of a biscuit. The Swedes’ tea cakes are lightly sweetened yeast breads often served with butter and jam or cheese, and Australia’s version is a heavy sponge cake served warm as an accompaniment to a cup of tea.

And then there are the tea cakes of the American southeast. Though the history is somewhat muddled, they are said to have originated in the rural south by slaves who used meager rations of simple ingredients to make the unpretentious pastry. These were a sort of rustic version of the delicate pastries served by affluent white women entertaining visitors. They are something of a cross between a scone and a cookie, and are thick, tender, and lightly sweet.

They are also beloved by my dear Joe. He doesn’t have the same insatiable sweet tooth that I do, so when he comes back for seconds of a baked good, I know it must be special. He especially enjoys them as a breakfast treat and has remarked on several occasions that they are his new favorite thing I make.

While the traditional tea cake is served plain, I like to finish mine with just a little bit of vanilla-almond buttercream for extra sweetness and flavor. These soft, wonderful treats are easy to make, take very few ingredients, and can be done quite quickly. That’s especially nice when you want to whip up something special for your sweetheart. So let’s get to sharing…

Tea Cakes

  • 4 oz. (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder (aluminum-free if possible)
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt

Vanilla-Almond Buttercream

  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 oz. (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp. almond extract
  • Food coloring (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, beating well between each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.

Turn the soft dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll it out to ½ in. thickness. Cut out the tea cakes in whatever shape you desire. I have used a 2 in. round cutter several times for this recipe, but I also love this 2 in. heart shaped cutter. Depending on the size cutter you use, you’ll get anywhere from 12-18 tea cakes.

Place the tea cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You don’t need to leave much space between them. They will rise up, but will not spread very much. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom.


Move the tea cakes to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the buttercream.

Place the soft butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and extracts and beat until smooth and fluffy.

If you desire, you can tint the frosting with food coloring at this point and beat it until well distributed. I really like the Americolor gel food coloring for frosting.

You can spread the frosting on the completely cooled tea cakes with a knife or pipe it on if you enjoy decorating. Of course I had to get a little fancy, these were for my very best buddy.

And that’s it! The tea cakes cool quickly, so you can have these done and ready to enjoy in about an hour. They are best enjoyed fresh, but kept in a well-sealed container at room temperature, they’ll keep for several days. Here are some other variations:

Food doesn’t have to be grand and complicated to be delightful. These treats were born out of a desire to make something special at a time when ingredients were slim. All that really matters is how much they’re enjoyed by the recipient, and the smile on Joe’s face told me everything I needed to know.

Ciao for now,

Neen

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →