Autumn Porch Bread

Now doesn't this sound interesting!!  I found this recipe from Northwest Sourdough - I believe her blog is called Discovering Sourdough (I will have to check on that).

The idea behind the bread is that you let it rise or proof on your porch in the Autumn.  Unfortunately, we are in January and the temperatures outside are in the 20's.  PLUS I live out in the country and if I put dough outside for it to proof, our raccoons would have a field day.  So I guess we could rename this bread Winter Indoor bread or something more romantic.  I ramble on too much!!

This bread takes 3 days to make.  I know BUT it makes fantastic bread - trust me it is worth it.  I made it last weekend and it was wonderful BUT I want to try something different.  She bakes the loaves for the first 20 minutes under a roasting pan lid to steam the bread.  I want to try it the way I steam bread by placing a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven.  This is our adventure!

OK, arm your mixers and let's get started.  This is what I did last night.  You will create a BIGA (i.e., a sponge) using your favorite active sourdough starter:

BIGA Ingredients
8.5 oz. or 241 grams of vigorous starter
7.5 oz or 212 grams of water (I used room temperature)
14 oz or 396 grams bread flour
3 oz or 85 grams whole wheat flour

Mix all ingredients together in a container.  Cover with saran wrap and put on your porch (OK - since it is winter I left out on my counter) overnight for 14 hours.

This is what you should have in the morning.

In the morning, you will mix together.  You need a big mixer for this.  It really put my KitchenAid Mixer to the test (poor baby!!).  This is also very sticky dough   . , ,

All of your BIGA (approximately 2 pounds)
1 lb 12 oz or 793 grams of water (again at room temperatute)
2 lbs 5 oz 0r 1048 grams bread flour
1.2 oz or 34 grams salt.

Put the dough in a large greased or oiled container.  Cover the container with saran wrap - leave the container on your counter at room temperature.   Fold the dough 4 or 5 times over the next 5 hours.  Folding means exacting like it sounds - you fold the dough over like a piece of paper one end over another.

After 5 hours, you want to chill the dough for 2 to 3 hours before shaping.  Preshape the dough into rounds and let the dough rest on your counter for 20 minutes.

Round up the dough and place in bannetons (or round baskets).  Cover with plastic bags and let set overnight in your refrigerators.

Tomorrow, we will take the loaves out of the refrigerator one at a time at 30 minute intervals.  Let proof until ready to bake.  Be sure to slash the tops of the loaves before you bake.  I put my bread on a peel (you can find these at most baking supplies shops and I know Amazon carries them - very inexpensive!).

Bake at 450 degrees in a preheated oven with a baking stone.  For the first 20 minutes, she sprays the dough with water and covers it with a roasting pan, then she bakes it for an additional 20 to 25 minutes uncovered.  I am not going to do this (you can if you want to try it).  I am going to place a metal broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven filled with boiling water.  Total baking time is between 40 and 45 minutes.  Let cool on a rack.

And here is the bread . . .

Isn't that pretty!!  Now the hard part - waiting for it to cool!  Enjoy!!

Another view!! And boy it is good!!  This makes 3 loaves!!

Cinnamon Rolls - Another Try!

Sooner or later, I am going to get this recipe right!!  At least, you got to give me an A for effort - the search for "the perfect cinnamon roll."  It is out there - I know it is - I just have to find it.  Maybe today, maybe not.  Ok, let's be positive.  Today is the day.  It has to be today because I need it to be today.  Today is one of those Ohio's typical dreary Mondays and I am feeling down because I haven't had a phone call from my son (code name Opie) since he left "Mayberry" back in December.

Back to the recipe.  This particular recipe is one that I found about 10 years ago when I had NO clue what I was doing - only baked cookies and brownies.  Baking bread involved going to the store and buying those frozen loaves of bread that you threw in a pan and then into the oven - magically you were a bread baker.  I found the recipe this weekend, so I thought I would give it one more try since I had a better understanding of what I am doing now - HA!!  The recipe:

Giant Cinnamon Rolls


Dough:
8 to 8 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 packages yeast
3 large eggs
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled (1 cup)

Filling:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 T milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Combine 2 cups of the flour, milk, sugar and yeast in large bowl, mix well.  Add eggs and butter.  Stir in as much of the remaining flour as need to form soft dough.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Knead dough, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic - about 5 to 8 minutes.  Transfer to a large greased bowl.  Turn to coat both sides.  Cover with saran wrap and dish towel and allow to rise until double in size - about 1 hour.

2.  Punch down with fist (great if you have kids - they love doing this BUT make sure they have clean hands!!).  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 times.  Cover with towel and let rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out dough to 24 by 15 inch rectangle.

3.  For filling, combine brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in small bowl, stir well.  Spread unto dough within 1 inch of edge - it doesn't have to be perfect - as you see above.  Roll up tightly lengthwise, pinching edges together to seal.  Cut into 16 slices with serrated bread knife.  Place rolls onto two greased 13 by 9 inch baking pans.  Cover with towel; let rise until double - about 15 minutes.

4.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake until golden brown - 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  For frosting, stir together confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in small bowl.   Mix until smooth.  Drizzle frosting over rolls.

Try to let rolls cool before you eat - trust me - it's hard not to!!!

Verdict:
These turned out HUGE!!  Though, they are NOT the 'PERFECT homemade cinnamon roll, they are pretty darn close.  I was very pleased how these turned out.  The one thing that was very interesting was that the rolls baked in the aluminium pan turned out differently than the ones in the pyrex glass baking pan.  The bottom of the rolls in the aluminium pan were a dark brown while the others in the glass pan were a nice golden color - hmmmm??  SO, if you do decide to bake these rolls, definitely use a glass pyrex baking pan.  This is definitely a keeper recipe!

Critic's Review (i.e. my husband) - We have a winner!!  He loved the cinnamon rolls.  He thought these were the best rolls that I have made.  They didn't last very long so I will be making them again.  I was thinking next time, I might add raisins to the filling.

Snowy Day Treat

Well, it happen . . . Winter has come to Cincinnati.  We were hoping that we would luck out this year and Mother Nature would "somehow" forget us BUT no such luck!  Fortunately, we are only getting a dusting of snow (so far!!) but the temperature is supposed to drop in the teens tonight - chillers!!!  Perfect night to huddle under a warm blanket in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace, reading a good book while sipping on hot chocolate - doesn't that sound good!!  I am right there with you!!

Since we brought up the topic of hot chocolate (I did that on purpose - in case you didn't know!!).  I read somewhere today on the Internet the PERFECT hot chocolate treat.  And OH MY!!! is it ever GOOD!!!  White chocolate covered marshmallows with sprinkles and you put these in your hot chocolate!!  How cool (or how HOT) is that!!  They didn't include a recipe, but it really would be quite simple, actually.

Well, this is how I would make them.  First you need a bag of the big marshmallows (not the minis), a bag of the Wilton's melting chocolates - white, a jar of white sprinkles, a box of toothpicks (for sticking into the marshmallows to dip in the chocolate and then the sprinkles) and some wax paper to put the marshmallows on after you have dipped and sprinkled them.    You can melt the chocolates in the microwave - just put them in a nice size bowl and  follow the instructions on the package.  I think you put them on high for a minute, stir, heat them again for a minute, stir - repeat until you get the consistency that you want.  Spear a marshmallow with a toothpick, dip in chocolate, sprinkle with the sprinkles (doesn't that sound cute!!) and place on wax paper.  Repeat this until you get sick of looking at marshmallows.  I bet these also taste really good to eat as is!!!  Let me see - one for the hot chocolate . . . one for me!

Let us lift our mug of hot chocolate and give ole Mother Nature a toast.  Enjoy and keep warm!!

YUM! Homemade Chocolate Pudding!!

Does life get any better than this?  And it couldn't be any easier!!  If I had known how simple it was to make pudding, I would have given up on Jello pudding years ago!!  The hardest part is running to the store to get all the ingredients!!  And OMG is it ever GOOD !!!  


I got this recipe from the blog My Baking Addiction.  In her recipe, she uses semi-sweet chocolate which she says she broke up into pieces (I am assuming she is using a baking bar).  I didn't have that because I overlooked that when reading the recipe.  So I substitute Hershey's Dark Chocolate Chips which worked out perfectly fine.  Here is the recipe:

Homemade Chocolate Pudding


Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/3 cups milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
1/2 teaspoon  vanilla extract
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (see note above)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch whisking to thoroughly blend them. Add milk and whisk until the sugar/cornstarch mixture has dissolved. Next, whisk in the egg yolk and cream.

2. Place the pan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a full boil and thickens.  Caution - this thickens fairly quickly, so keep a watchful eye (i.e., don't walk away!!)

3. As soon as the mixture thickens, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

4. Add chocolate and whisk until it is completed melted and smooth.  Whew!!  By now, you want to toss that whisk out the nearest window!!  But, you have just made the best pudding known to mankind, so pat yourself on the back - well, put the whisk down first before you pat yourself on the back (might make a nasty mess on your back!!).

5. Pour pudding into individual serving dishes. Let the pudding cool slightly then cover the tops with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.


6. If desired, garnish with fresh whipped cream and chocolate curls.


If you really want to make this decadent, add 1/3 cup of Baileys Irish Cream at Step #3 - that makes the pudding OH SO GOOD!!  Of course don't add the Irish Cream if you have children - wait a minute . . . maybe that might settle them down  . . . hmmmmm  - better not!!!

Good day for baking!

Well, hello gorgeous!  Aren't these pretty!!  I just love days like this when everything goes right!  These are my Rosemary Italian Bread.  The recipe is listed back in the Archives in May, 2011.  I thought I would make these  just in case the French Bread "experiment" turned out disastrous (which we know now it didn't)!  Looks like we will be eating plenty of bread the next couple of days!!

Of course, tomorrow is another day.  I could be all thumbs and totally botched up a batch of chocolate chip cookies (try to say that fast!!). Anyway, I am going to savor my successes from today!  And, BOY, does my house smell GOOD!!

Mistake that turned out good!

Every once in a while, you get lucky and what starts out as a mistake turns out really good.  Most of the time, it usually ends up in the trash or the dogs/chickens get it.    But I must have done something to pleased the Baking Gods yesterday . . .

I bought a book shortly before Christmas called The Italian Baker.  My family loves Italian cooking (even though we come from a German background!).  So I decided to try one of the recipes.  The recipe is called Pane di Como Antico o Pane Francese (English  interpretation - French Bread!).  Upon reading the recipe, I had some doubts on the recipe.  You made a Biga (basically a sponge) the night before.  What made me question the recipe is that the author calls for half the yeast normally used in making the sponge.  The Biga recipe calls for 1/4 tsp so that means you would only be using 1/8 tsp.  Would that be enough for this recipe??  You see that is the only yeast you will be using.  Hmmmmm.    I figured the author OBVIOUSLY knew what she was talking about SINCE she wrote the book.  So I proceeded ahead.  Here is the recipe for the Biga and the bread:

BIGA:
1/8 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup plus 4 tsp water a room temperature
2 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy - about 10 minutes.  Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, a little bit a time.  Mix with a wooden spoon (not metal!!).  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest overnight.  It should look like this in the morning.

So far, so good.

BREAD RECIPE:
3/4 cup Biga (above)
1 1/2 cups water at room temperature
Scant 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups plus 1 T unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp salt.

Mix the Biga and all but 2 tablespoons of the water with the paddle attachment of your mixer.  Mix in the flours.  Dissolve the salt in the remaining water. Add to dough.   Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed until the dough is soft, moist and sticky, but obviously elastic about 4 minutes.  Finish kneading on a floured surface, sprinkling with additional flour, until smooth but still soft.

First Rise:

{This is where I got into trouble}  Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled - roughly 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.  {That didn't happen for me - in fact, nothing happened for me - no rising - the dough just sat there looking at me}.  I was so frustrated.  So I waited another hour.  Again nothing.  For some reason, I didn't throw the dough out (which is what I normally would have done).  I covered the bowl with a dish towel and set it on my kitchen table figuring I would "deal with it later."

I completely forgot about it until this morning when I came down, saw the shrouded bowl and remembered I have a dead batch of bread dough I had to dispose of.  I took off the dish towel and much to my amazement . . . the dough had grown.  What was that line from Young Frankenstein "IT'S ALIVE, IT'S ALIVE.!!"  (I know, I need to get a life!)  So I figured, what the heck, let's bake this sucker and see what happens.

So to continue where we left off yesterday . . .

Divide the dough into two halves without kneading and shape into two round loaves {not sure how you can do that without some type of kneading}.  Line a baking sheet or a peel with parchment paper and flour it generously.  Place the seam side down on the paper and "dimple" the tops with your fingertips or knuckles.  Cover the loaves until they have doubled - roughly 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Baking - 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a pan (not glass) on the bottom shelf and a baking stone on the shelf above it.  Gently remove the parchment paper.  If it sticks, wait 10 minutes into the baking, it will slide out easily.  Immediately put 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan below the baking stone, reduce the heat to 400 degrees and baking until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on racks.

Much to my surprise, it turned out pretty good!!  Quite tasty, in fact!!  As I said, sometimes you get lucky and it works out.  BUT, I do think next time I try this recipe that I will increase the yeast in the BIGA back to 1/4 teaspoon instead of a 1/8 teaspoon.  That is an awful lot of work for so little yeast!!