Recipe: Brioche

Posted on | March 4, 2010 | 9 Comments

After making brioche I gave myself a pat on the back. If I can make brioche I can do anything, right? Probably not anything but conquering a recipe that is known for a high failure rate is a huge ego boost. I kept saying to my boyfriend, “I made this. Amazing, right?” Hopefully the rush I feel from conquering brioche will extend to other parts of my life like getting my butt back to yoga.

The brioche “tastes like heaven” according to my boyfriend. It’s insanely buttery, silky, crusty good. Pretty close to perfection in a breakfast treat. The recipe I used called for three sticks of butter which makes it pretty rich. I’ve had a belly ache after every piece, which really hasn’t stopped me from eating more, but I thought I should put it out there as a warning.

The recipe I used is from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home To Yours. The cinnamon swirl bread I made a few weeks ago is from the same book. If you don’t know Dorie she writes a great blog, has written countless cookbooks, and also writes a column for Bon Appetit. Instead of me typing out the entire recipe I am going to send you to over to a piece Dorie did for Bon Appetit called, Brioche Made Easy. The recipe is slightly different then version featured in her book but I am sure it’s a winner too. The article includes great tips and a recipe. Above and below photos from my brioche that I choose to make into a loaf. So delicious. Enjoy!

p.s. I turned the other half of the dough into Honey Pecan Sticky Buns for Friday morning breakfast. See photos below.

brioche dough turned into honey pecan sticky buns

Category: recipes

Recipe: No-Knead Bread

Posted on | March 1, 2010 | 15 Comments

This is my third attempt at making homemade bread. I came across this No-Knead recipe in the New York Times over the weekend. It’s delicious and tastes like it came from a fancy bakery. The recipe required a little forethought. I started yesterday around 1pm—total time about 22 hours. Hands on time is minimal so don’t fret the advance planning. I can’t wait to have it with my bean soup I have simmering on the stove for dinner.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery via The New York Times.

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour (I used flour), wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees (I baked it 500 degrees). Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, ceramic, I used my dutch oven) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Category: recipes

Recipe: Maple Oatmeal Bread

Posted on | February 4, 2010 | 14 Comments

Inspired by my trip to Vermont over the weekend I made Maple Oatmeal Bread. It was pretty yum, better toasted. It’s just not what I imagined. I keep remembering this bread from my childhood from a bakery in North Conway, New Hampshire. The loaf I made tastes like it’s missing something. It needs to have more taste layers and be less dense? Does that make sense? I baked the loaves in two different types of pans. On the left I used King Arthur’s steel and aluminum loaf pan (picked up in VT) and on the right Emile Henry ’s Ceramic Loaf pan. The rise was better in the King Arthur pan. Wonder why? (read answer in comments) I did everything the same way. Let me know if you’ve come across a Oatmeal Bread recipe you love or have any bread tips. Recipe below.

Recipe adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon oil
5 cups bread or all-purpose flour

2 medium 8″x4″ loaf pans, greased

In a large bowl pour the boiling water over the oatmeal and set aside for an hour.

Sprinkle the yeast over the cooled oatmeal and stir to mix. Add the maple syrup, salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour into the oatmeal. It will have the consistency of a heavy batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for an hour.

Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a dough that can be lifted from the bowl and placed on surface or into a mixer with hook attachment. Knead by hand or using dough hook for 10 minutes. The dough should be clean the bowl in the final stages of kneading.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape it into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise another 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees at least 15 minutes. This is a fairly slow oven, so allow 40 – 50 minutes for the bead to bake to a light golden loaf. Remove the bread from the oven and turn the loaves from the pans. Place the loaves on a metal rack to cool before serving.

Category: recipes

Recipe: Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Posted on | January 21, 2010 | 17 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to tackle bread making. I’ve been researching beginner baking books and ordered a few that should come this weekend. Last night, I had a serious case of cabin fever and was dreaming up plains of being becoming a master bread maker. I was flipping through Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and spotted a Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe. I’ve made quite a number of the recipes from the book with great success so I decided to give the bread a shot. Baking bread is a long process. But I realized the process is just a series of steps that don’t involve a lot of hands on time. If you plan ahead making homemade bread can be quite easy. I sound like an expert after only making one loaf. I’m sure my tune will change once I get to baguettes and croissants.

Below the recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours. So yummy, warm, sweet, and heavenly. The base is similar to brioche. I choose to include the optional ingredients. The orange zest brings some brightness to the bread that I really enjoy. Have fun!

For The Bread
1 packet active dry yeast
¼ cup sugar, plus a pinch
1 ¼ cups just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Grated zest of ½ orange (optional)
Pinch of grated nutmeg
3 ¾ to 4 cups all-purpose flour

To Make The Bread: Put the yeast in a small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar and stir in ¼ cup of the warm milk. Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir—the yeast may not have dissolved completely and it may not have bubbled, but it should be soft.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 cup milk, butter and the remaining ¼ cup sugar and mix on low speed for a minute or two. Add the salt, egg, and vanilla, if you are using it, as well as the zest and nutmeg, if your using them, and mix for a minute. In all likelihood, the mixture will look unpleasantly curdly (it will look worse when you add the yeast). Add the yeast mixture and beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute more.

Turn the mixer off and add 2 ¾ cups of the flour. Mix on low speed just until you work the flour into the liquids—you’ll have a sticky mix. If you’ve got a dough hook, switch to it now. Add another 1 cup of flour, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the dough for a couple of minutes. If the dough does not come together and almost clean the sides of the bowl, add up to ¼ cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the mixer at medium and knead the dough for about 3 minutes, or until it is smooth and has a lovely buttery sheen. The dough will be very soft, much to soft to knead by hand.

Butter a larger bowl, turn the dough into the bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes or firm enough to be rolled easily. (At this point, you can instead refrigerate the dough overnight it that is more convenient.)

For The Swirl
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons grounded cinnamon
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to a spreadable consistency

To Make The Swirl And Shape The Loaf: Butter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa, if your using it. Check that the raisins are nice and moist; if they are not, steam them for a minute, then dry them well.

Put the dough on a large work surface lightly dusted with flour, lightly dust the top of the dough and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.

Gently smear 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the dough—this is the most easily done with your fingers. Sprinkle over the sugar mixture and scatter over the raisins. Starting from the short side of the dough, roll the dough up jellyroll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snugly. Fit the dough into the buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck the ends under the loaf.

Cover the pan loosely with the wax paper and set in a warm place; let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edge of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Getting Ready To Bake: When the dough has almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Melt the remaining butter, and brush the top of the loaf with the butter. Put the pan on the baking sheet and bake bread for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold. Invert the bread and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Category: recipes

Recipe: Homemade Baked Beans

Posted on | January 19, 2010 | 12 Comments

Everything in Bean Pot and Ready To Go In Oven

It’s been snowing here off and on for two days. Monday afternoon I made up a big pot of homemade Vermont Baked Beans from my new book, The New England Yankee Cookbook. At first the whole idea of making beans on a snowy winter day seemed quite idealitic.

The process to make homemade beans is a long one. You have to soak the beans overnight and then bake them in the oven for 3-4 hours. Traditionally, you bake your beans in a ceramic bean pot. I got my bean pot from my mom. Newer versions can be found online. Scour antique shops in New England for the real thing. After an afternoon of tending to my beans I was anticipating the most glorious bean flavor ever. I served them in bowls over warmed brown bread. Greg wasn’t nearly excited about my bean feast. He thought it was bit strange that we would be eating just beans and bread for dinner. I consoled him, “If they are bad we can get takeout.”

My first reaction, “Wow they taste just like B&M canned beans.” Smoky, maple syrupy, and tangy. B&M based in Portland, Maine prides themselves on cooking their beans the New England way—using bean pots, salt pork and baked them in brick ovens. I’m not one to recommend canned products but in this scenario canned baked beans are just as good and a lot less work. B&M has really mastered the art of making homemade beans in a can. Next time, I probably just buy a can and focus my time on making a more substantial dinner like ribs rather then tending beans. Below the recipe adapted from The New England Yankee Cookbook.

Baked Beans With Vermont Maple Syrup

1 quart pea beans
1/2 pound fat salt pork
1 onion
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
boiling water

Soak beans overnight. In the morning drain and rinse beans. Put a chopped onion in the bottom of bean pot; add beans. Mix syrup, mustard and salt and sprinkle over beans. Put pork down into beans so only the rind shows. I used diced canadian bacon in place of fat salt pork. Pour boiling water to cover.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 3-4 hours, adding water to cover. Beans will cook down to a thick sauce.

Category: cooking, recipes

Recipe: Fennel-Steamed Mussels Provencal

Posted on | January 11, 2010 | 13 Comments

On Sunday night, I made Greg’s favorite, mussels. I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of mussels but I love mopping of the juices of the stew with a fresh baguette or some linguine. I picked up a few pounds from Maine on sale at Whole Foods for $4.99. I’ve been dying to try them using fennel steamed with Pernod—a french absinthe flavored with star anise and other herbs. The fennel made the whole kitchen smell of black licorice. On a cold winter night mussels are a wonderful and inexpensive feast. Cheers!

p.s. I had leftover tomatoes so I made a similar sauce tonight. Used onions instead of fennel, fennel seed, smashed garlic, pernod, tarragon, and added olives. Seared chicken breasts on the bone in my cast iron pan and then added the ingredients for the sauce into the pan and finished in the oven. Perfect tonight for dinner (monday night). Greg loved it.

Fennel-Steamed Mussels Provencal
15 minutes (depending on cleaning time)
4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 fennel bulb (about 1 pound), trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1/2 cup Pernod or Ricard (or 4 star anise)
1 cup chopped tomatoes, if desired (canned are fine, drained first)
1 sprig tarragon, if desired
At least 4 pounds large mussels, well washed

Preparation:

1. Place the oil in a large pot and turn the heat to medium; 1 minute later, add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, and tomatoes and tarragon if you’re using them. Bring to a boil, cook for about 1 minute. Add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.

2. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.

Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman, nytimes.com.

Category: recipes

Krackle & Peppermint Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Posted on | December 22, 2009 | 4 Comments

I had a Christmas cookies craving last night. I made Krackle Cookies and Peppermint Chocolate Pinwheels. I’ve made the krackle cookies since I was a kid. The pinwheels were from a recipe I spotted on Alton Brown’s Good Eats show. The pinwheels are a sugar base with chocolate and peppermint added to 1/2 the dough and then rolled together. Greg thought they were ok. Sugar cookies aren’t are favorites.

This morning they sure are tasty with a cup of coffee. A few shots of the cookies above and below. I actually tried a new version of a krackle cookie with espresso: marthastewart.com (she calls them snowcaps). The recipe for the chocolate pinwheel cookies can be found on foodnetwork.com. Watch The Cookie Clause video to learn all about sugar cookies from Alton and different variations that can be made with the dough.