Container Gardening

Now what has this got to do with baking, you ask??  Alot, I answer!   About the only thing that is doing really well in my gardens this year seems to be my herbs.  And it is so nice to be able to scurry out to my gardens (you don't walk out there in this heat - you scurry really fast!) and be able to pick a bunch of fresh herbs to be used in whatever you are cooking or baking.  The great thing about growing herbs and vegetables is that you don't have to live on a huge farm to do this.  Almost all of these can be grown in containers (or pots) - so those of you living in apartments or with small yards - have no fear - you, too, can enjoy the fruits of your own labor!!

I found this wonderful book at the library and, eventually, went out and bought my own copy.  It is called The Boutiful Container written by McGee and Stuckey.  Everything you ever wanted to know about container gardening and it also has some great recipes, too.  And, no, I do not get any kick backs for endorsing this book - don't know the ladies that wrote it - just think it is a neat book.

Anyway, what made me think about gardening, etc.  I recently read an article about a pizza restaurant I believe that is located in New York somewhere that had a really great idea.  Right next to the restaurant, the owner is growing a garden loaded with all sorts of tomatoes, onions, every type of pepper imaginable, etc.  When someone wants to order a pizza, they go out to the garden and pick what they want on the pizza, what a great idea is that!!  Talk about using local products!  How much more local can that be!  Of course, that would only work during the warm months.  What a neat idea, though!

Back to the container gardening . . . can you imagine using fresh herbs in your baking and cooking?  You would be surprised at the difference!  Give it try - start out with one of your favorite herbs like basil or oregano and maybe a pepper plant and see how that works out.  If you can't find anything in the stores, you can always order seeds on-line.

Have fun and enjoy your new gardening adaventure (oh my, do I see a new blog??)

A New Adventure - Amish Friendship Bread or Herman Starter

I am sure at one time in your life a friend or acquaintance has given you a baggie filled with a nondistinquishable substance in it with a piece of paper attached and told you this is used to make Amish Friendship Bread (sort of a bread chain letter).  You are supposed to do nothing for 4 days except squish the baggie, feed on day 5 and continue squishing the baggie until day 10.  Then you follow the recipe attached and you make Amish Friendship Bread.  And you have enough extra dough to give to your friends so they, too, can squish and make Amish Friendship Bread.  Sound familiar?  Little did you know that what you were really doing is making sourdough bread - SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!  What that dough is really known as is Herman Starter.

Just in case you never did receive such a baggie, here is the recipe to create the "Amish Friendship Bread" starter or Herman starter.  In this recipe they use a plastic container, you can use a baggie if you prefer.  Also, you use a wooden spoon, do not use metal!!!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter (aka Herman Starter)

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes.
In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon. (or squish baggie)
Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk.
Days 6 thru 9; stir only. (again you can squish baggie)

Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk.
Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe.
Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with Day 2).


Here is the basic recipe that comes along with the Amish Friendship Bread starter:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour

NOTE:  I always sprinkle the tops of the loaves with cinnamon sugar - adds a lot to the bread! 

This bread is wonderful for breakfast!!

I thought it would be interesting to explore the Herman Starter a bit and look at what you can do with it besides the Amish Friendship bread.

So if you are going to follow along on this adventure.  Today is Day 1 - we will combine the packet of yeast with the 1/4 cup of warm water (let that sit for about 10 minutes).  Mix the dry ingredients (one cup each  sugar and the flour).  After 10 minutes, you will slowly add the milk and the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.  Cover them or close the baggie - keep at room temperature.  Days 2 through 4 you will stir or squeeze the baggie.

Have fun!

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

 If you love oatmeal raisin cookies, you will definitely love these muffins!  This is another recipe from the famous Internet file.  I am sure everyone has such a file - you know you see a recipe that looks good on the Internet, so you print it off with the intention of someday making it, so you put the printed copy in a folder and the folder gets bigger and bigger month by month.  Miraclously you actually do try some of the recipes!  Some turn out really good and, well, some not so good.  Oh well.  I digress . . .

This is definitely a crowd pleaser!!  Here's the recipe . . .

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats (I used Quaker Brand Oatmeal)
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tbsp melted butter (I always use unsalted butter)
¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup golden raisins (you can use regular raisin if you don't have the golden ones)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together. Set aside.

2. Combine oats and buttermilk; let stand for 30 minutes.

3.Stir in eggs. Add brown sugar, butter, and flour mixture. Stir until just combine. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in raisins.

4.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.

5.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes about 12.muffins.

These are so good, especially warm from the oven with butter - YUM!!  Enjoy!

Eating and buying local

In my "real" life, I am a goat farmer and I spend my weekends selling at farmer's markets.  My closest friends are farmers.  The great thing about working at farmer's markets is that I have access to really great produce and products.  I really miss that during the winter.

Back in 2005,  Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon began a one-year experiment in local eating which started the whole "locavore" movement.  Not that I really buy into all these "fad" movements, but this one I think is worth following.  If you are not familiar with the locavore or 100 mile diet - basically it means you should only buy and eat food that is grown or raised in a 100 mile radius of where you live.  The advantages of this diet is that you not only support the people raising and growing your food, but you know exactly how your food is being grown (and most farmers welcome the opportunity to show off their farms).

In my case with working at the farmer's market, I know all the farmers and there are certain farmers that I will always buy from and some I won't.  It concerns me lately that there has been so many product recalls in the grocery stores because of tainted products - last year the egg scare (thank you, that did wonders for my egg sales!), the problems with e-coli and packaged spinach and the list goes on and on.  BUT you don't hear that happening with any of the local small farmers.  Gee, I wonder why?  It is because the local guy ALSO feeds his produce to his family.  So do you think he is going to do anything to harm his family?

I will get off my soapbox now.  I know this had absolutely nothing to do with baking, but I did want to put in a plug for our local farmers who are working so hard to bring the best products to your table.  If you get a chance, go to your local farmer's market, get to know the farmers and buy their products.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

You should smell my house when these are baking!  Oh my does it smell good here!!  What a perfect combination - apples and cinnamon - life is good!  The perfect comfort food (of course, next to chocolate!).

I am going to make these today.  You will need baking apples.  Ok, what are baking apples?  Aren't all apples created equal?  No, some apples just aren't made for baking - they get mushy and just don't hold up to the heat.  Most people will use Granny Smiths, but for a nice blend of flavors, add a mixture of apples.  Some examples of  baking apples are Jonathans, Jonagold, Fugi, Braeburns, Pink Lady, Pippin and Rome Beauty. 

The recipe . . .

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup finely chopped peeled and cored apples
3 t cinnamon, divided
3/4 c + 2 T brown sugar, divided
3 T butter (I always use unsalted)
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t ground cloves, divided
1 egg
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 c evaporated milk

Directions

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Mix apples, 1 t cinnamon, 2 T brown sugar and butter in small sauce pan.
Heat until butter melts, then cover and steam on low heat for 2 minutes.
Sift together flour, baking powder, 1/4 t ground cloves and 1 t cinnamon.
Stir 1/2 c brown sugar into flour mixture
Beat egg, oil and evaporated milk until well blended.
Add to flour mixture and mix until moist - you don't want to mix these too much.  For a really good muffin, DO NOT OVERMIX!!  It will make it tough!
Fold in apples
Fill greased muffin tins (or tins with cupcake liners) 3/4 full.
Combine remaining 1/4 c brown sugar, 1 t cinnamon, 1/4 t ground cloves.  Sprinkle over tops of muffins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

These are so good that it is hard to wait for them to cool down!  Enjoy!

In search of the perfect pizza!

I just realized that I haven't written in over two months.  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  My market season began with a vengenance and I haven't had much time to do any "experimental" baking.  Hopefully, that will change and I can find some time to squeeze in an hour or two of baking.

The sad news is that our local grocery store is closing.  It is one of the smaller chains.  I am going to miss that store.  I ordered a lot of my flour and other ingredients from them.  Many of the store personnel know me by name.  It was always pleasant to walk in and have someone yell "Hey Diane! How's Bob doing?"  They also make pretty good pizza.  The only other pizza available in town is Snappy's.  Now I am not knocking all Snappy's.  I am sure they are an excellent franchise.  The one in our town makes lousy pizza - sorry guys, but it is true.  The crust tastes like cardboard!!  Even our dogs won't eat it!!

So now it looks like it is up to me if we want pizza!  Of course, we could always buy frozen.  Those are always good if you are really desperate!  But, there is nothing like a freshly made pizza.  Peter Reinhardt, a famous breadmaker, wrote a book called American Pie - it is all about his search for the perfect pizza.  Has a bunch of interesting recipes.  Check it out at the local library - good book!!   I borrow it all the time.  Maybe one of these days, I will actually buy a copy!

Anyway, my search for the perfect pizza starts with a recipe from my good old buddy, Old Camp Cook.  He sent me this recipe for homemade pizza dough several years ago.  It is an easy recipe to make.  I've also seen a recipe for a sourdough pizza dough - will definitely have to check that one out!

For a variation, you can add chopped oregano or minced garlic to the dough.

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
3.5 cups flour
1 cup warm water (between 95 and 115 degrees F)
2 Tablespoons yeast.
2 Tablespoons honey
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.  Pour warm water into a bowl. The water should be very warm, but comfortable. Too hot and it will kill the yeast. Add the honey and the salt. Mix on low until well blended. Add the yeast and mix some more.

2.  Let this rest for about 5 minutes.

3.  Add 1 (one) cup of flour and the olive oil and mix until well blended. Add the rest of the flour and mix well.

4.  The dough should turn into a ball. If the dough does not ball up because it’s too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Adding flour and water as needed to get the right consistency will assure you a perfect dough. Just remember to do it in small amounts.

5.  Once the dough is balled up. Place the ball on a floured board and knead for about a minute. This builds the gluten which helps the dough rise and become fluffy when cooked. Place the dough in a plastic grocer bag or a cover bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise. (I spray the inside of a gallon Ziploc bag with Pam and put the dough in the bag to rise.)

6.  After about 45 minutes, the dough should have about doubled in size. Punch it down. Let it rise for another hour or so. The dough is now ready to be used.

7.  Form the dough into a flat ball about six to eight inches wide. Using both hands, on on top of the other, press from the center outwards to start stretching it out, turning the dough a bit on each push. You can also pick up the dough and squeeze the edges of it while turning it like a steering wheel. This allows the weight of the dough to stretch it.

8. Once the dough is about ½ inch thick all the way around, use a rolling pin to flatten it out to about ¼ inch thick. I also sometimes just put the dough on the pizza sheet and push/pull it out to the right size without using the rolling pin.   Use a fork to puncture holes all over the dough. This helps keep the dough from “blooming” and also makes little pits for olive oil which I lightly spread all over the dough.

9.  Transfer the dough to a pizza peel sprinkled with corn meal or place on a lightly greased cookie or pizza pan.

10/  Top with sauce, cheese and/or toppings and bake in a 400 F. oven until the crust is light brown. Keep the sauce and toppings back from the edges about a half an inch and you will get a bit of a puffy edge crust.

11.  I use minimal sauce and toppings since I love the flavor of this dough. Bake usually between 4 and 7 minutes. I watch the edges of the crust carefully.