A DUTCH TIGER

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Back in the 70’s, bakers in Netherlands realized that by coating bread dough with a thick paste made of rice flour, sugar, oil, and yeast, a crust would form during baking and develop cracks, giving each bread a unique pattern, akin to a tiger’s coat. Tiger Bread, also known in the US as Dutch Crumb, is a lot of fun to make and actually very easy, no wild yeast, no intense kneading. A perfect recipe to make with kids, as they will have a blast with the changes in the bread as it bakes. For my tiger rolls, I used the Vienna bread recipe made earlier during the Bread Bakers’ Apprentice Challenge. Peter Reinhart gives the option of the Dutch crumb at the end of that chapter, but not until folks at The Fresh Loaf forum raved about it I decided to re-visit it.

VIENNA BREAD WITH DUTCH CRUMB
(adapted from The Bread Bakers Apprentice)

Pate fermentee (made the day before)
140 g bread flour
2.5 g salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast and
100 g water at room temperature

Mix all ingredients, knead briefly and let it rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Place the mixture in the fridge overnight, remove from the fridge one hour before making the bread.

Dough:
185g pate fermentee (you won’t use the full amount made)
170g unbleached bread flour
7g sugar
4.5g salt
2g instant yeast (3/4 tsp)
1/2 egg, slightly beaten
7g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
85-100 ml water, lukewarm (90 – 100 F)

Dutch Crumb Paste:
1 Tbs bread flour
3/4 cup rice flour
3/4 tsp. instant yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp oil
8 tbsp water (or a little more) to make a thick paste.

Remove the pate fermentee from the refrigerator, cut it into 5-6 small pieces, cover and let it at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add the pate fermentee pieces, the beaten half egg, butter, and 85 ml of the water. Stir together with a large metal spoon, or with your hands, until the ingredients form a ball. If too dry, add the rest of the water (I did). Let it rest for 20 minutes.

Knead by folding 3 times at 20 minutes intervals. At the end of the third cycle of folding (at 1 hour fermentation), leave the dough covered, undisturbed, for another hour. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces, pre-shape them as balls. Let them rest for 15 minutes.

Make the topping layer by mixing all the ingredients for the Dutch crumb to form a thick paste. Shape each bread as rolls, being careful not to deflate the dough too much. Place them on a floured surface without touching, apply a thick coating of crumb paste on the surface using a silicone brush or your fingers. Let them rise for 60-90 minutes (they should not double in size).

Place the rolls (covered) in a 450F oven, turning the temperature down to 400F as soon as you start baking. Remove the cover after 20 minutes, and continue baking them for a total of 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Cool the rolls on a rack for one hour before eating.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made this bread twice on consecutive weekends, the first time I shaped it as a single loaf, but had some trouble to fit it in my toaster oven. This time I made small rolls and baked then in a tray of large muffins, covered with an improvised lid of heavy duty aluminum foil. This was the only way I could bake them all at the same time in my small oven. After 20 minutes baking, I removed the aluminum foil, quickly (and carefully) dumped the breads out of the muffin tin, and allowed them to continue baking sitting on the oven’s rack.

The crust is visually appealing, but what’s even better is its taste. I actually had to control myself not to peel it off leaving the naked roll behind. 😉 It is sweet and salty at the same time, crunchy, deliciously addictive.

The crumb is delicate, and the bread, thinly sliced, a perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup, a simple salad, or a slice of Iberico cheese (one of our latest addictions).

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting…

ONE YEAR AGO: Banana Bread (something I’ve been craving lately….)

3Apr2011

ROASTED CORN AND TOMATO RISOTTO

Posted in Rice and Grains, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

This excellent recipe from Fine Cooking, published in 2003, is best at the height of the Summer, with grilled fresh corn. But, one frozen product (that I am absolutely smitten with) makes it possible year-round: the roasted corn kernels from Trader Joe’s. Their subtle smokey flavor stays sharp during cooking, and the charred kernels add color and pizazz to so many dishes. I used them in this risotto, and they made it even better.

RISOTTO WITH CORN, TOMATOES, AND BASIL
(adapted from Molly Stevens)

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 cup roasted (or cooked) corn kernels
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat the broth in a pot to a simmer and keep it covered, hot.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with the oil. Pour in the wine, stir, and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute.

Ladle in about 1-1/2 cups of the hot broth, and cook, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue adding broth in 1/2-cup increments, stirring and simmering until the liquid is absorbed each time, at intervals of about 3 to 5 minutes.

While the rice is simmering, combine the tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 Tbs. of the basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the rice is starting to get tender (16-18 minutes cooking time) stir in the corn. Continue adding more stock and stirring until the rice is creamy but not mushy – 20 to 25 minutes total. Remove from the heat, fold in the Parmigiano and then the tomato-basil mixture. Top each serving with the remaining basil and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you don’t have a local Trader Joe’s, then just roast or grill your own corn. The 10 or 15 minutes on a hot grill boosts its flavor so much that it justifies the extra step. Adding the tomatoes at the very end preserves their bright flavor, and ensures a nice presentation too. Molly Stevens didn’t finish her recipe with butter, as is traditional in the dish, but even without butter the risotto was substantial and satisfying. I like to add a bit of lemon zest before plating, and serve it with some additional grated parmeggiano cheese! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Light Rye Bread

30Mar2011

THE REAL VODKA SAUCE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles by sallybr

Until recently my only experience with vodka sauce was the bottled stuff in grocery stores, so I had some serious misconceptions about it. They all tasted like regular tomato sauce, perhaps with a hint of “je ne sais quoi,” but the real McCoy, made with Russian pepper vodka, is completely different. Its tomatoes and cream play only a secondary role to its intense vodka punch. Pepper vodka used to be impossible to find in the US, leading to many improvisations and liberties that turned a great sauce into humble variations. The moment I saw this recipe in the Essential New York Time Cookbook, I had to give it a try.

PASTA WITH VODKA SAUCE
(adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)

1 pound rotini, penne or your favorite pasta shape
3.5 Tbs butter
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup canned, diced tomatoes with their juices
1/3 cup whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated parmiggiano regiano cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce by melting the butter on a skillet large enough to hold all the pasta. When the butter stops foaming, add the red pepper flakes and the vodka and simmer everything together for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cream, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (be gentle on the pepper), keep warm.

When the pasta is al dente, add it to the sauce, heat everything together for a couple of minutes, add the grated parmiggiano cheese and serve, with additional parmiggiano at the table for those who like a little more.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: No ‘je ne sais quoi’ in the background of this sauce. On the contrary, its flavor clearly states what it’s all about: the heat of the vodka echoes that of the pepper. I’m fond of spicy food, but Phil prefers it milder, so I wasn’t quite sure he’d like it as much as I did. To my surprise, he asked me to make it again two days later, to which I happily complied. 😉

My main modification was – as usual – reducing the amount of heavy cream, in this case in favor of more tomatoes. Last year I made another pasta sauce with vodka and pepper that’s also excellent, but it’s quite different in that the tomatoes are slow roasted in the oven. It’s hard to say which one was better, but this version is definitely perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

ONE YEAR AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

26Mar2011

PISTACHIO-WALNUT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

The goal: to make a sourdough bread loaded – and I mean loaded – with nuts, a crumb not as open as my usual loaves, to enjoy with an assortment of cheeses, from French Brie to Italian Gorgonzola, passing by Spain with its awesome Manchego. My starting point was a recipe from Maggie Glezer’s Artisan Baking, adapted to include whole pistachios, and small pieces of walnuts. I wanted the pistachios to be the main textural component in the bread, and the walnuts to impart mainly their flavor throughout the crumb. According to my dear husband, I hit the jackpot with this bread, he absolutely loved it. It reminded us of a bread we used to buy in a street market in Paris on Saturdays, except for the fact that the French version included a lot of sunflower seeds. Now, that’s an interesting idea for a future baking adventure… 😉

PISTACHIO-WALNUT SOURDOUGH BREAD
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

Levain (you will use only half of it):
1 Tbs firm sourdough starter
45 g warm water
75 g bread flour

Dough:
300 g bread flour
25 g rye flour
25 g whole wheat flour
228 g warm water
8 g salt
80 g walnuts, lightly toasted, in small dice
50 g whole pistachios, roasted

Make the levain by mixing all the ingredients and kneading lightly to form a smooth dough. Keep at room temperature for about 12 hours (it should at least triple in size).

Make the dough by combining the three types of flour with the water. Cover and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes. Add the salt and the levain (half of it only!) and knead a few times until it forms a shaggy mass. Add the nuts and knead briefly to incorporate them. Let it rest for 30 minutes, knead for about 10-20 seconds, and let the dough rest for another 30 minutes. Knead (or fold) a few times, and let the dough rest for 1 hour. Knead (or fold) a few times, and let it rise undisturbed for 2 hours.

Pre-shape the dough as a round ball, let it rest for 15 minutes, then shape it in its final form, placing it in a banetton or another appropriate, well floured container, with the seam side up. Cover and let it rise for 3 hours. Invert the dough on parchment paper, slash the surface, place on a baking stone on a 425 F oven, covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until dark brown and the internal temperature is at least 205 F.

Let the loaf cool over a rack before cutting.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Making this bread was a labor of love, because I shelled the pistachios myself. My finger tips had quite a workout, so next time I will buy shelled pistachios to make life a little easier, and I advise you to do the same. At any rate, this bread is a nut-lover’s paradise. The pistachios shine like little jewels, and the walnuts become almost sweet during baking. I could not be happier with it, as it turned out exactly as I hoped. Plus, it was another successful performance by our Breville toaster oven!

Who could resist having a second slice? 😉

I am submitting this post to Yeastspotting…

24Mar2011

THE ODD COUPLE

Posted in General by sallybr

Every morning when we are preparing to leave the house, the dogs get quite excited. They go out through the front door, and circle around us, being all cute and lovey-dovey, with the expectation (I suppose) that all that display of affection would make us change our minds and go back inside. However, on one recent morning we found both dogs with a completely different demeanor: they sat down, frozen as statues, in the spot farthest away from us, and simply watched as we left.

To understand such odd canine behavior we need to review events that took place a little earlier. While taking my shower, Oscar stole the left foot of one of my favorite pairs of shoes – grey Skechers’ bikers – took it to his bed and chewed it up. Once defrosted from my paralyzed state of disbelief, I went into a full ballistic-mode. Chief, although innocent of all wrong-doing, decided it was best to stay by his brother, just in case some of the uncontrollable rage would spill over.

That, my friends, is how you get a morning shot of two dogs, sitting side by side, without moving a single muscle. I bet they were barely breathing.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cottage Loaf and Yeasty Dogs