THE CHIGNON

Posted in Breads by sallybr

No, my blog is not turning into a hairdressing site. Not that I don’t appreciate a well-made chignon, but I’ve never had the skill to do anything remotely fancy to my hair. Now, if we’re talking flour and yeast, I’m game.

THE CHIGNON
(adapted from Craftsy.com)

makes one loaf

270 g bread flour
30 g spelt flour
195 g water at room temperature
1.5 g instant yeast
6 g fine sea salt

Mix all the ingredients on low-speed in a mixer fitted with a dough hook for 4 minutes. Make sure no big clumps of flour are sticking on the sides, scrape the bowl if needed.

Increase speed to medium and mix for about 6 more minutes. Dough should be very smooth and elastic at this point. Take the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl lightly sprayed with oil. Leave the dough at ambient temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate the dough overnight. After two hours, punch the dough slightly down, cover it and let it stay in the fridge until next morning.

Remove the dough and allow it to sit at ambient temperature for 20 minutes.

Shape as desired. If doing the chignon, right after shaping coat the surface with flour, then allow it to proof for 90 minutes, covered with a cloth.

Bake at 470 F (245 C) in an oven with initial steam for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on a rack.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This bread shaping was part of the Craftsy class taught by Mr. Ciril Hitz , which I recommended in the past. His instructions are very clear and easy to follow, so don’t hesitate to get the lesson online for all the details and advice. The only tricky part of this shaping is rolling the little ropes without breaking their connection to the main dough. The dough has a natural tendency to resist shaping, so work slowly, do a little stretching one rope at a time, going around the bread. Once they get long enough to roll as a chignon, you are good to go. Immediately dust the whole shaped bread with flour, so that as the dough rises for the final 90 minutes, it exposes regions without the flour coating. That will ensure a nice double tone to the baked bread.

When I made this bread, I made the full batch as included in Craftsy class. Then I realized that Ciril shaped two loaves instead of one. So I divided the dough in two and did a simpler shaping with the second half. The recipe I included here, is for ONE chignon only.

Whenever I make one of the breads from Ciril’s class, I tell myself to try a higher hydration formula next time. And of course, I keep forgetting to do so. This recipe is at 65% hydration, I would like to go to 68-70% and see what effect it does on shaping and crumb. Note to self: try that. For real, not just in your imagination… (sigh).

ONE YEAR AGO: Rack of Lamb Sous-Vide with Couscous Salad

TWO YEARS AGO: Focaccia with Grapes, Roquefort and Truffled Honey

THREE YEARS AGO: Moroccan Carrot Dip over Cucumber Slices

FOUR YEARS AGO: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

FIVE YEARS AGO: Cilantro-Jalapeno “Hummus”

SIX YEARS AGO: A Moving Odyssey

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Hoegaarden Beer Bread

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Ancho-Chile Marinade: Pleased to Meat you!

NINE YEARS AGO: Shrimp Moqueca

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8Jul2018

A DREAM THAT DID NOT COME TRUE

Posted in General by sallybr

Do you remember the Great British Baking Show? I watched every season. It quickly became my favorite cooking show because contrary to other productions, the overall atmosphere is friendly, and the judges, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood work together flawlessly to evaluate the contestants, bringing a perfect balance of criticism and praise. The show was so successful that an American version popped up a few years ago (2015), using a very similar format. Season 3 got canceled after just a few episodes but a new season is coming up probably later this year.

(Word cloud, courtesy of my dear friend Denise – do I have cool friends or what?)

I am not allowed to share any specific details. All I can say is that I got very close from being a contestant in this upcoming Great American Baking Show. I passed all hurdles, except the last one. It was a stressful process, with quite a bit of anxiety but also a ton of excitement. Probably the most amazing experience I’ve been through. For a while I was living in a kind of a daze, not quite sure it was all really happening.

I confess that I day-dreamed a lot about meeting Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry (if they would be the hosts), and ‘the tent.” I confess I day-dreamed about getting a handshake on Bread Week (hey, dreams are free, and sometimes wild). I confess that no matter how much I try to tell myself it was a long shot, that the competition was fierce and the contestants I met were better than me, I am disappointed and sad for not being chosen.

I guess what makes me most disappointed is that I feel I did not do my best on some levels. That is what bothers me. And I will have to find ways to deal with it. But it’s all water under the bridge. Life goes on, and my plan is to continue trying to improve my baking skills. I have a long list of things I want to learn and a long list of skills I want to get better at. It would have been so nice to be on the show, but unfortunately, not every dream in life comes true.

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6Jul2018

BRIGADEIROS FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY

Posted in Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Brazil meets USA, big time! A traditional Brazilian delicacy dresses up in American colors for one of the biggest holidays celebrated here, Independence Day. We were invited for dinner and fireworks over at a friend’s home, and on a last-minute move, I prepared these babies to take with us. They are a departure of the classic Brazilian brigadeiros, made with cocoa powder. In this case, I flavored them with a touch of coconut extract, but probably should have added more than I did, the flavor was barely noticeable.

PATRIOTIC BRIGADEIROS
(from Easy and Delish)

2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract)
food coloring (Red and Blue)
red/white/blue sprinkles (optional)
white chocolate ganache to drizzle (optional)

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you’ve never made traditional brigadeiros, or worse yet – have not even heard about them, please read my old blog post to fix this major gap in your culinary knowledge. It’s important. It was really fun to make these, I advise you to use two cans of condensed milk, so that you have enough to play with. With this amount, I made 26 brigadeiros. They are rich and sweet, so one or two is all you’ll need. But they bring me so many nice memories of my home country, I usually have a bit of a hard time stopping at two. So I accept my weakness, and move on. And jog on. Weight lift on. Kickbox on… you get the picture… damage control.

You can definitely use different colors to celebrate your favorite team, your school, your mood. Halloween Black and Orange brigadeiros might be the rage this year (wink, wink).

ONE YEAR AGO: Kaleidoscopic Macarons

TWO YEARS AGO: Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2015

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sous-vide Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Butter

FIVE YEARS AGO: Roasted Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

SIX YEARS AGO: Amazing Ribs for the 4th of July!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Baby Back Ribs on the 4th of July

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Blueberry Muffins

NINE YEARS AGO: A Pie for your 4th of July

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1Jul2018

IN MY KITCHEN: JULY 2018

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

I am a creature of habit. Every three months I invite you for a virtual tour of our kitchen, and that time has arrived. In My Kitchen is a fun tradition started by Celia and now hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Stop by their virtual spots to say hello…

I like to start by sharing the gifts that found their way into our kitchen….

From Somnath and Aritri, a gift brought by her Dad all the way from India…

This is Chanachur… a mixture of peanuts with some incredibly tasty and spicy (but not too hot) fried little thingies made from lentils and chickpea flour. You can read all about it here. Apparently this is very popular in Bengali region. The batch they offered us is considered the very best, sold in one spot only, people form lines to get it. Yeah, lucky me. It is addictive. We usually put just a small bowl with it and keep the rest away. They gave us a lot! Now, you know what I did, and I hope they won’t hold it against me? I processed a bit of it in the food processor and used together with bread crumbs for eggplant parmigiana. Oh, my….

From our departmental colleague Dr. P….

Amazing mangoes! He knows an importer in Kansas City, these beauties arrived from India and were at the peak of their juiciness… The smell! Brazil has delicious mangoes, but I must say these are hard to beat. Some of their flesh went straight into macaron filling, remember my recent post?

From my beloved hubby…

Can I call it a gift? Well, he makes me coffee every single morning, and sometimes a second one at lunchtime (weekends only, I am a creature of habit as I told you). He is my favorite barista. The cappuccino he makes beats any other made in the world! It is a daily gift that I cannot be without.

In our kitchen….

A foamer thingie, which I learned about last year in Kelly’s blog. She raved about it, but only recently I caved and got one. It works wonders, making a super creamy foam in a minute. According to Kelly, it also works on cold milk, and you can also foam liquids like coconut milk for a change. Imagine the possibilities!

In our kitchen…

Special tea blends that are perfect for the summer months. Cucumber-mint, super refreshing, and Hibiscus-Lemongrass, a beautiful color and very exotic taste. Love them both, either straight, or diluted with carbonated water with a glass cube or two.

In our kitchen….

As you know, I’ve been baking a lot lately, so I decided to invest in a real good white chocolate and ordered this bag before the weather got so hot that shipping would be problematic. It is absolutely delicious! The only problem is not grabbing a handful or three every time I bake with it. I adore white chocolate… it is truly one of my weaknesses.

In our kitchen…

Great fruit from one of the markets in town. Strawberries are in fact from California. We eat local here. Everything comes from Planet Earth. Absolutely everything (wink, wink).

In our kitchen…

Haven’t tried these yet, but found them at Hobby Lobby and well, they jumped into my shopping cart. I tried to negotiate with them, “please, leave me leave me”, but they refused. I now must absolutely learn how to temper chocolate so I can play with my new toys. I imagine the learning curve to be a bit steep. But that’s part of the fun.

In our kitchen…

Also from Hobby Lobby. Can you resist these little packages? They are so adorable, each has just a small amount of sprinkles which will be perfect for certain French cookies called macarons. In case you suffer from Macaron-Obsession. Like some people.

In our kitchen…

A knife sharpener recommended by America’s Test Kitchen. We are divided in our opinion about this gadget. I really like it. Phil won’t use it. He always grabs that sharpening file that comes with knife sets, ours is probably over 10 years old, but he loves it. Oh, well.

In our kitchen…

A few special piping tips. Large star tip, great for meringues, the one with the cut on the side is a St. Honoré tip, perfect for that beautiful cake, but also great in topping pies with swiss meringue, for instance. The two medium-sized can be used to pipe leaves and also some exotic flowers. I am not even close to attempting those yet.The larger one in the center is perfect to add buttercream to cakes, as it covers a nice surface quickly. You can then work the offset spatula to make things perfect. Or almost. I am a beginner. Enthusiastic, but beginner regardless.

In our kitchen…

A 6-inch metal sifter. This thing is money. It is the perfect size for any job, and the mesh is fine enough that you can use to sprinkle a light coating of flour on breads, for instance. I am totally in love with it.

In our kitchen…

Liquid glucose. This is a very special ingredient used in concoctions like the famous mirror glaze. I won’t lie to you, it is a pain in the butt to measure, it is the messiest ingredient in the known universe, but sometimes you need to go through clouds to see the light. Like in a mirror. Mirror glaze. See what I did? (I am easily amused).

In our kitchen…

An assortment of stencils that come in handy to decorate certain cookies. But of course, they can be used on all sorts of productions, from cakes to… breads! Why not, right?

In our kitchen…

These are too cool for words! A set of small but powerful magnets. You can use them to firm your stencil in place, and then all you have to do is slide the cookie underneath to use the air-brush, or a regular brush. Very cute idea, amazing what people come up with.

In our kitchen…

A not so successful attempt at artistic bread slashing. This was a sourdough bread made with a small amount of sprouted wheat flour. It definitely had a mind of its own as far as slashing goes… Still tasted great, so we were fine with it.

In our kitchen…

A set of Ateco round cookie cutters, in all sizes you might need. Love them… And they don’t work only for cookies either (stay tuned).

In our kitchen…

Thanks to the labor of love of my beloved husband, our grill is totally refurbished. He put new burners and burner covers, new grill grates, new gas tubing. All that while wearing a sling on his right arm due to shoulder injury. Awesome is his middle name…

BUT, BUT, WAIT!

What’s this incessant noise I hear? Seems like whining, moaning, mixed with… yes, barking… quite a bit of barking, actually. Pups are impatient. Say that I’ve been wasting the time of my readers for too long. Fine. Let them bark their piece.

Buck and Bogey firmly believe that a big nose is a must. Big noses sniff better, inspect the food bowl better, and are easier for Mom and Dad to hold and admire.

Oscar, however… is not buying it.

Truth is, we love them equally, no matter the size of their sniffers.
Each got their own chance to shine and be immortalized in our kitchen wall.

Handsome and I know it…

Cute, and I know it…

Here they are, The Magnificent Trio!
(artwork from iCanvas.com)

Unfortunately, they are not always on the top of their game. Mom and Dad were excited about Movie Night, but The Magnificent Trio was not particularly interested in the plot. They demand a different genre next time. Featuring some squirrels, and perhaps a mailman chase with a real happy ending.

Bogey works on his paranormal activities…

That does not seem to work very well, so he often gives up and takes a nap instead.

Which clearly gives him the needed energy to destroy what was sold as a “super-long-lasting ball for the strongest doggie in your loving home.” Yeah, right.

But even the cutest pups in the world have some Karma going their way….

Bath? Did anyone say bath? What for? I smell awesome! I worked so hard to develop my unique fragrance… and now this!

That does it. I am not having anything to do with ANY of you.
You can all TALK TO THE TAIL!
(special thanks to Dorothy from Shockingly Delicious for the “talk to the tail” caption).

You think THAT’s Karma?

I need a doggie lawyer! Please send help!

Osky definitely seeks revenge by rubbing his freshly shaved body into Mom’s precious yoga mat…

Never a dull moment, folks…

Oscar insists he is not interested in bananas, even if he sees his brothers going crazy for a little piece. I am not a monkey. So do not expect me EVER to eat this fruit. And please, remove it from my resting area. The sooner, the better.