Finally - Sourdough Bread

Is there anything better than the smell of fresh baked bread? Specifically, freshly baked sourdough bread? No. I think not. This is one of those smells that immediately transports me to my childhood. Actually, it transports me to Buzz's Crabs in Redding, California. I'd go there often with my Mother when she picked up fresh seafood. In addition to the many tanks of live crabs they had fresh sourdough bread, which they took out of the oven a couple times a day. Crusty on the outside, steaming hot and soft on the inside. We'd grab a loaf and tear off chunks of it to snack on the drive home. The smell was always too much to even consider resisting. It's a wonder there was ever any left over for dinner. I loved that ritual, and that's still how I prefer to eat my bread. Torn off in chunks from the freshly baked loaf.

Bread is always best right out of the oven, and I'm still not over the giddy feeling of actually baking it myself, without the aid of a bread maker. My dutch oven has been working overtime for this project. It was finally time to put my sourdough starter to use. It had been brewing for five days and it definitely smelled like sourdough, but the baking was the true test. While the entire process took several days to complete, the results were worth it, and if I keep feeding the sourdough starter, it will keep for weeks. More bread for everyone!

Sourdough Bread
adapted from King Arthur's Flour recipe
makes 1 loaf

1/2 cup sourdough starter
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)

Combine the starter, water and half of the flour. Beat together until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temp for about 4 hours. Then refrigerate overnight for about 12 hours. When the dough is ready, combine the rest of the flour and the other ingredients and knead together to form a smooth dough. Put the dough in a lightly oiled dutch oven or loaf pan and allow the dough to rise once more until it's smoothed out in texture and risen a bit, about 2-4 hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425. Spray the loaves with lukewarm water and make two deep horizontal slashes with a serrated bread knife in the top of the loaf. Bake the bread 25-30 minutes until it's a deep golden brown. Remove and let cool on a rack.

Procrastination - Sourdough Starter

Someone needs to learn their lines. That someone would be me. I have the general shape of things...but a word, a phrase here and there...I tend to stray a bit. And by the combination of bold and italics in my Stage Manager's line notes, I can tell patience is wearing a bit thin.

So. More time devoted to lines, less to procrastination baking. At least for now. Dinner last night was a repeat of spaghetti with braised kale, and tomorrow will be frozen pasta sauce. Leftovers and freezer central at this house. Not much to bring you.

Except a recipe for sourdough starter.

Bread is all well and good, but it's especially well and good when it's sourdough. I do live in the Bay Area after all.

This takes five days. Patience is necessary. Procrastination is acceptable here. I'll edit this post with pictures as things progress and let you know how it all turns out.

Sourdough Starter
recipe from thekitchn
Makes roughly 1 quart (4 cups/32 ounces) of starter

Day 1

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (4 ounces)
1/2 cup of filtered or spring water (4 ounces)
a large container (at least 2-3 quarts) with a lid (glass or plastic, avoid metal)

Combine the flour and water in the container until all the flour has been absorbed and there are no more dry particles. It will look like a sticky, thick dough. Scrape down the sides and cover. Put the container somewhere with a consistent room temperature (like the top of the refrigerator) and let sit for 24 hours.

Note: If you'd like a little extra insurance, you can throw in a pinch of commercial yeast to get things started. While not technically 'authentic,' this does help get things moving along.

Day 2

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (4 ounces)
1/2 cup of water (4 ounces)

Your starter should be fairly thick and soupy. You may see a few small bubbles here and there. This is good! The bubbles mean that wild yeast from the air and the flour itself have started making themselves at home in your starter. They will eat the sugars in the the flour and release carbon dioxide (the bubbles) and alcohol. They will also increase the acidity of the mixture, preventing other 'bad' microbes from growing.

Add the fresh water and flour. Stir vigorously to combine everything and incorporate more oxygen into the mixture. Scrape down the sides, cover, and let it sit for 24 hours.

Day 3

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (4 ounces)
1/2 cup of filtered or spring water (4 ounces)

By day three, your starter should be getting nice and bubbly, be the consistency of pancake batter, and have roughly doubled in size. If you taste a little, the mixture should make your mouth pucker with sour and vinegar flavors. It will also smell musty and fermented, a bit like grain alcohol.

Day 4

Repeat day 3.

Day 5

By day 5 (or even day 4) your starter will be ripe and ready to use. The surface will look frothy and fermented, and if you've been using a clear container, you can see an intricate network of bubbles when you hold it up. It will smell and taste very pungent and tangy like, well, concentrated sourdough!

At this point, your sourdough is ready to be used, or you can cover and store it in the fridge for up to one week. After a week, you'll need to refresh the starter by taking out a cup or so of starter (to use or discard) and then "feeding" it with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of filtered water. Likewise, after using some of your starter in a recipe, you can replenish what's left with equal parts flour and water.

Starter will keep indefinitely as long as you feed it every week or so. Treat it like a household plant that needs to be watered and fertilized regularly. It's very hardy and will even perk back up with a few daily feedings if you've neglected it too long. If a clear liquid forms on the top, just stir it in (this is actually alcohol from the wild yeast). The only time you should throw away the starter completely is if that liquid has a pinkish hue, which indicates that the starter has spoiled.

The Bet - Pale Ale Bread

I lost a bet and ended up at Benihana's at 6pm on a Saturday. In case you're wondering, Benihana's is basically a Chuck e Cheese at that hour.

I had never been before. Lauren summed it up perfectly, "Benihana. Always a salty and interesting experience."

I think our chef was a bit of a hack. Or maybe he was in training. Whatever it was, he failed to catch all the shrimp tails he knifed and tossed in his hat. One tail actually flew over his shoulder and into the bowl of an unsuspecting diner at the table behind us. We clapped obligingly.

So. Now I know. The mystery of Benihana's is no more for me. Would I go back? Sure. If I had several six year old's in tow that is. Although I must admit, I am as impressed as any six year old by truly good knife skills. And grilled shrimp of course.

Rehearsal this afternoon was unexpectedly rescheduled for a later time, which gave me a few hours to work up some bread dough. Weekends are perfect for a newly found bread-making obsession. Make the dough in the morning, let it rise all day, and come dinner time you have fresh bread right out of the oven. Couldn't be easier.

I thought the original recipe could use some tweaking. I couldn't find the exact one I wanted, but I knew I wanted to try one with beer (specifically, pale ale) and vinegar. The final product is good, with a more complex flavor than the basic no knead version. It doesn't have the tang of sourdough, but if you're looking for something similar to french bread, this is pretty dang close.



Pale Ale Bread
adapted from Mark Bittman and several other sources

3 cups bread flour
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup pale ale beer
1 tbsp white vinegar

Mix flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl. Add the water, beer and vinegar, stir until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at room temperature for 4 hours.

Once the dough has risen, lay it out on a lightly oiled piece of parchment paper. Turn it over into itself once or twice. Heat the oven to 500 with a dutch oven inside for 30 minutes, keeping the lid on the dutch oven. Remove dutch oven and carefully place the dough inside with the parchment paper. Turn the oven down to 425, and place the dutch oven back inside the oven with the lid on top. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid, then remove the lid for another 30 minutes.

Remove bread and cool on a rack.

No Fear - No Knead Bread

As long as I can remember I have had (what I admit to be) a completely unreasonable fear of yeast. I have avoided recipes that called for yeast like the plague. I can't really explain this fear, I know not from whence it came, but this past Monday night, at exactly 6pm, I finally conquered my fear of yeast.

I BAKED MY VERY FIRST LOAF OF BREAD!!!

!

!!!!!!

I mean just look at it. Is that gorgeous or what? It rose out of my oven like a phoenix out of the ashes, like Athena sprung from the head of Zeus! It was pure magic people! Baking bread is like some kind of wizardly alchemy!!! I can't believe I've never done it till now! It came with a shattering crust and a delightfully tender and chewy crumb. It looked like a sourdough loaf, but tasted more like country bread. I can't even tell you how anxious I am to move on to sourdough, as soon as I get my starter. I'm new to this bread thing, but now I'm all gung-ho about it. Soft pretzels? On the list, cinnamon rolls? Oh baby, yes! Swedish Cardamom Bread? Abso-freakin-lutely. All will hopefully be making appearances on my counter soon. If only I can find the time.

Because here's the thing about bread-making. It takes a bit of time. It's not so much about the effort, there's really very little of that. What you'll need is a whole lot of patience. I started with Mark Bittman's recipe for quick No Knead Bread. Several sources had pointed me in that direction for it's short time requirement and it's relative ease. I couldn't have been happier with it. Such a painless process to get started with! I can't wait to try something more involved.

Seriously. You'll be so proud of yourself when you take this out of the oven. I've literally been showing off my sandwich slices to friends and co-workers, "See? See this? It may look like a loaf from the store, but it's not! I made this!"

I'm embarrassing myself.

I realize others might not share my fear of yeast (just one of many phobia's including flying and snakes (you can imagine how terrified I was when Snakes on a Plane came out)) and I'm happy to be able to strike this one off the list! But anyway, it's a great starter recipe if you're looking to make some bread and don't own a breadmaker. My handy 3.5 quart Le Creuset was the perfect fit for this recipe.

Bread!!!

No Knead Bread
Mark Bittman - NY Times

3 cups bread flour
1 packet ( 1/4 ounce) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 & 1/2 cups water
Oil as needed.

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and set aside for at least 4 hours in a warm dry place, around 70 degrees. If it's not warm enough the dough will take longer to rise.

Once your dough has risen, llightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it rest 30 minutes more.

Once the dough has been covered and set aside, immediately heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a 3.5 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When the dough has rested for 30 minutes, remove the hot pot from the oven and place the dough inside. Shake the pot once or twice to let the dough settle at the bottom, it will settle even more as it bakes.

Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Arugula, Prosciutto and Black Garlic Pizza

I have many favorite restaurants. I'd be hard-pressed to choose if you asked me to pick just one, but more often than not, if I'm eating out (and if I can afford it) I can be found at my favorite Oakland spot, Pizzaiolo. There has never been a single item on the menu that I have not basically drooled over. I look at everything and think, WANT! So difficult to choose! It is a Sophie's Choice of menu's. From the appetizers, to the salads to the second course, the pizzas and desserts....and did I mention the cocktails? The impeccable wine list? The comfortable yet stunning atmosphere, and the fantastic Heath dishware? Oh! And the outdoor patio where they show movies during the summer, and the bocce ball court! Oh my.

What to do when you can't afford a dinner out at Pizzaiolo? You try your best to recreate your favorite at home (without the aid of the brick oven). My favorite? The Arugula and Speck pizza. Blistered and steaming, right out of the oven. Mmmmm....it's to die for.

I trotted home from Trader Joe's armed with a few choice ingredients. Arugula, Proscuitto (couldn't find speck, but it's basically a thinly sliced ham) pizza dough, some gorgeous Dirty Girl dry farmed tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and a red onion. Also, it was the perfect chance to use the black garlic Beth had sent me as a gift. Black garlic can be used just like regular garlic. I simply thinly sliced it and made it one of the toppings.

I rolled the pizza dough (too lazy to make it myself, thanks TJ's!) out with a tiny bit of flour, let it rest for a bit. Rolled it flat and spread some olive oil, herbs and garlic on top. I cooked it at 450 for about 10 minutes, and then took it out to add some toppings. 10 minutes more in the oven and it was set. I took it out, topped it with arugula and devoured it. Almost as good as Pizzaiolo....well, ok, not quite. But as close as it's going to come in my little studio.



Arugula, Prosciutto and Black Garlic Pizza

1 bag Trader Joe's Pizza Dough (or be ambitious and make your own!)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp dry basil
1/4 tsp dry oregano
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Kosher Salt

2 cloves black garlic, thinly sliced
Prosciutto
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups arugula for topping


Preheat the oven to 450. Remove the pizza dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll out with a bit of flour. Spread the olive oil, herbs, garlic, salt and red onion on top of the pizza dough. Place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and top with black garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella and prosciutto. Put back into the oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is just beginning to brown.

Once the pizza is done, finish by topping with the arugula.

Pizza topping preference depends on the person, so add or delete according to taste. This is a particularly good combo though...especially with the black garlic, so unexpected!

Pizza and Beer - Goat Cheese Pizza with Spring Vegetables & Pine Nuts

Somehow another bunch of asparagus mysteriously appeared in my refrigerator. I really don't know how it happened. It must secretly multiply in the early morning hours. No sooner do I roast an entire bunch, than another is patiently waiting to be devoured. Ahh, the trials and tribulations of spring. It really is very difficult, isn't it?

I knew just what to do with this batch. After slaving away at the gym for hours (well, maybe ONE hour) all I wanted was pizza and beer. But lest all that hard work on the treadmill should go to waist, (ha! see what I did there?) it should be healthy pizza and beer (well, maybe not the beer). What to do? Never fear. This pizza recipe is so mouthwateringly delicious, and piled high with good things like asparagus, arugula and TWO kinds of cheese. It's so healthy you could even have two beers if you like! It's a pizza without a red sauce, but you won't miss it at all. This never lasts in my house for long. I recommend a good pale ale to go with it. Lagunitas IPA is a favorite around here.

Goat Cheese Pizza with Spring Vegetables and Pine Nuts

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 bag arugula (if it's straight from the bin fill the whole bag, it's surprising how much it actually cooks down, and you need a lot)
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup shredded basil
raw pizza dough (I love the whole wheat version in the deli section at Trader Joe's, but all kinds can be substituted here)
1/4 cup asagio cheese (Parmesan can be substituted)
1/4 cup soft goat cheese
3 tbsp pine nuts
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 500. Roll out your pizza dough to something a tad larger than a dinner plate, you'd like it to be fairly thin so that it cooks quickly and evenly. Flour will help with the stickiness. Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet or pizza stone for five minutes to set. Set aside. Coat a saute pan with olive oil and put over high heat. Cut the asparagus into one inch spears and add to the pan with the bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute till slightly tender. Don't worry if it browns a little. Remove from pan and set aside. Add a bit more olive oil and add the arugula in batches, until is is cooked down. Once all the arugula is wilted, cover the rolled out dough with a thick layer of the arugula, using all of it. This substitutes as sauce quite nicely. Next, pile on the asparagus and peppers, and then sprinkle the asagio cheese over that. Follow with the goat cheese and pine nuts. Bake for 12-15 minutes, checking so that the nuts don't burn. Remove and top with the basil. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!