Whole wheat cinnamon rolls ~

Best warm from the oven ~

Shared and linked with the wonderful Wild Yeast blog.  :)

Whole wheat cinnamon rolls ~

“These is the best sweet I’ve had all year!“, exclaimed my auburn haired girl after eating part of her cinnamon roll.  Note the date, people.  Then I reminded her of what I made the other day -- homemade puff pastry with a baked half pear with streusel, almonds and caramel sauce.  “Oh!!  The top two sweets I’ve had all year.“  “Annie?  Better than the pretzel-butterscotch-chocolate-walnut cookies??  Blank stare.  “You make us too much stuff in a year!  We’re spoiled!“  Laughter from us both.  I have so much fun with my kids.  “Better than the cocoa-nut brownies I made the other day?“  “Yes, they were better than those.  I don’t care for coconut.“  I have baked a few new things this year already.   I’m restless.  I‘m not baking for a living anymore.  I’m restless.  I‘m working on calming that restless nature.  Ooops.  Not a diary, not an emotional blog, just a place for my kidlets to find my recipes.  Moving on.

Not often, but sometimes - I get precedence without much (any) input from others before I get to that decision.  Between three children in this home, I teach sharing and taking turns, we‘re a unit.  Every once in a while I am screaming inside that I am tired of sharing.  Call it a quiet hissy fit, a rarity, ungrounded and yes, immature.  How did it show up this time?  I want raisins in my cinnamon rolls, darnit!!  I’m grateful that my internal hissy fits look so small….and that my selfishness does not hurt anyone I love - whether they find out or not.  *ahhh*

Raisins.  First whole wheat.  I could be doing a run around myself and my whole wheat or whole grain eating style by making whole wheat cinnamon rolls.  Afterall, I hardly need cinnamon rolls despite their starch content.  It felt odd to sprinkle sugar over the butter schmear that sat atop whole wheat yeast dough.  I’ll indulge in one with far less craving for a second helping after eating a warm sweet roll because of the whole wheat.  The children -- by far would prefer white flour - it does taste better - but they will be so happy anywhoo ~ it’s how they appreciate the unexpected and how they love me.  Lucky me.  Lucky me ~ even when I looked at their plates after they had eaten their cinnamon rolls…leaving behind *all* the raisins they picked out.  Kids are a blast!

Snowy day cinnamon rolls ~

4 ½ tsp. yeast
Pinch sugar
½ c. warm water - 105-115 degrees
3 eggs
1/3 c. honey
½ c. melted butter
14 oz. can evaporated milk
1 ½ tsp. salt

8 T. butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ - 1 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
1+ c. raisins, your choice for the amount
½ - 1 c. finely chopped nuts

2 T. butter

• Proof yeast in water and pinch of sugar.  Let sit 5-10 minutes. 
• Add eggs, honey, butter, milk, salt, mix thoroughly.
• Add four cups of flour, mix well.  Let rest 10-15 minutes.
• Add the remaining cup of flour, mix.  This dough is rather sticky, resist the urge to add more flour.   This might be easier to knead via a dough hook rather than by hand as by hand it will be sticky…and as mentioned…resist the urge to add more flour. Knead until cohesive.  Let rest 15 minutes.  Knead again for five minutes.Transfer to an oiled bowl and let rise until double.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove from bowl to a floured surface.  (Here I used white flour on the board for rolling.)  Roll out to approximately 24x15.  Schmear 2 T. of the butter in a 9x13 pan.  If the remaining 6 T. is not soft enough to spread, melt it to warm.
• Mix sugars, spices. Brush or spread out the butter over the dough.  Sprinkle with all but ½ c. of the sugar mixture.  Sprinkle on the raisins and nuts.  
• Roll up on the long side.  Cut into 12 pieces, they will be approximately 2” high before rising.
• Place in the pan and let rise until almost double.  This took a while on a cold wintery day, plus it’s whole wheat despite the larger amount of yeast - almost an hour and a half.  Start checking at an hour.
• Melt the 2 T. butter, brush the tops of the raised rolls with the melted butter.  Sprinkle on the remaining ½ c. sugar mixture.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes.  Doneness is up to you.  Take a temp if you like - at least 200 and up to 220 degrees.  Or take a toothpick to a center to test that it’s clean upon removal.
• No glaze ~ how nice is that?  Nice, I think.

These are not too sweet compared to a regular cinnamon roll, that I do believe is due to the whole wheat flour.  Annie said that was the reason she liked them…because they aren’t too sweet.  I’ll make these again someday.  To me that says enough.

A rather bland and ill-defined photo

Whole wheat breakfast bread ~

Bread link ~ yeast item ~ lovely bready-yeasty sharing found at the Wild Yeast blog.   

(It's challenging to find time to blog a post when I don't have internet at home any longer.  What a concept for me, no net access at my fingertips.  That's why I'm here even less often.)

I want to stop the feeling I have to apologize for this bread.  It’s all made up in my head too, the thought that it’s not what it should be.   In reality, in the truth, we really like the taste and texture of this bread.  My problem (again - totally made up and off center) is with the appearance.  When I make a bread in a loaf pan I want that pretty high risen result, preferably with a little lip.  Well, not on this bread.  Not even with multiplying the recipe at 1.5 of the original recipe as I did with these two loaves.  This is a dense bread and it is not going to get any higher without change and therefore lighter and there I am back to the fact that we like the texture and we really like the taste.  I take a while to come to peace with some things life throws at me, even in the form of bread.

This is a very moist, slightly sweet whole wheat bread.  We toast this in the mornings, Nic uses excessive jam, the girls will ask for butter if they think I’ll let them, if not - more jam.  Me, I prefer dry toast, no butter, no jam….maybe honey when I am in the mood and feeling indulgent.  Okay, okay….when I allow the desire to be indulgent, which isn’t too often.  Honey is great on this bread.  But this is about 100% whole wheat bread.  That’s this bread.  My current favorite breakfast bread.

One of these loaves was waiting for the children when they got back from Christmas vacation with their dad in Portland.  In Portland they have their own TV’s, separate bedrooms, watch a lot of cable TV, play computer games on a huge Mac, eat junk food and have a blast with their dad.  I like that for them.  At my house we don’t have cable or internet, one TV and this computer lost it’s fan a few weeks ago -- but we have whole grain homemade bread, baby!  *LOL*  We can’t have everything can we?  I am happy that my children love being in two different homes that are a contrast, where both contain parents that love them and are involved in showing that love to the best of their ability. 

Too much blathering, again.  Recipe.  Next.

Whole wheat bread ~

1 ½ T. yeast
1 ½ c. warm water
8 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oats
1/3 c. cracked wheat
¾ c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. millet
½ c. wheat bran
2 T. kosher salt
1 ¾ c. + 2 T. lukewarm water
1 c. unsulfured molasses

• In a small bowl whisk the yeast into the warm water until dissolved.  Let stand for 5 minutes. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cracked wheat, millet, seeds, bran, and salt.
• Add the yeast mixture, lukewarm water, and molasses.  If using a mixer, mix on low speed until combined.  Switch to a dough hook and knead 10 minutes.  
• Move the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let double.
• When double, remove, divide, pinch and roll and place each in an oiled 9x5 loaf.  Let rise until shy of double, approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours.
• Thirty minutes prior to baking, preheat oven to 450.  
• When ready to bake, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with oats.  Make it pretty, pretty. :)
• Bake at 450 for ten minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375.  I move the racks and bake these in the top third, but start them in the lower third.   Bake for 45+ minutes.  Here is the iffy part, my baking times -- I take the temperature of the loaf around 45 minutes in and it usually takes longer.  I pull it out when it hits at least 200 degrees.  If you want to go up to 215-220 degrees, so be it.  

So there it is - our breakfast bread for toast.  Whole grain, full of delicious molasses, seeds and grains.

Apple yeast bread ~

~

Nest, nest, nest, nest, nest, nest, nest.   Indulgent, productively indulgent nurturing feelings flowing within.  :)  It's coming out looking like apple yeast bread.  Oh, my lucky children. 

It starts here in the past.

The adjustments included using half the recipe.  In the divided recipe amount bumping up the salt to 1 1/4 tsp., less on the vanilla to 1 tsp., 1/2 c. whole wheat flour and 3 1/2 c. white flour, nix the spices.


The inspiration for this are the little wonderful Central Oregon apples.  Someone showed up to a meeting I attended with a paper grocery bag of these small beauties.  Being that there were about a dozen others in the room and a handful of them would want them, I had to silence my impulse to scream out "Mine!  Back off!"  Well, come on -- it's me, it's free, it's nature in the form of food sans chemicals...my impulse is to lunge and hoard.  I took the one with the longest stem because I found it enchanting.  *love*  Then I sat back until after the meeting and everyone else took what they wanted.  My patience-letting go in life continues to grow, this is a gift I've nurtured.  Nurture that which is kind, honest, loving, forgiving, joyful...serenity comes into place in life on it's own.  Then I go have fun making stuff like this recipe! :)

There were smaller than baseballs

This is being linked to the wonderful website Yeastspotting. 

Apple yeast bread ~

Use the above link to the cardamom bread with the noted adjustments.  This will make two rolls. 

Num, num

The apple filling ~


Apples of your choice, approximately three cups diced.
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon - more or less to your taste.
Pinch of salt
(I cannot believe I am out of nutmeg, so these were without - and were just deliciously cinnamon laden.) 
4-6 T. melted butter

• Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
• Add half the mix to the apples in a mixing bowl and toss.  Set aside for a short time.  If you let it sit long it will start to juice from the sugar.  That is going to happen during the rise time anyway, I just don't want to roll it while wet.
• Roll the dough to 12" x 16".  Spread the dough with melted butter. 
• Sprinkle the one dough with half the remaining brown sugar.  Sprinkle out half the apples.  
• Roll, seal, let rise for 30 minutes.  The apples will weep the sugar mixture.  This is the time to preheat the oven to 375-400 degrees.  
• Brush with an egg wash before putting in the oven.  Sprinkle with optional sugar.  Then make cuts.
• I baked these at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  I believe it would have been better to bake at 375 for 50+ minutes.  The apples will make the inside layers to be moist.  If the bread is not cooked all the way, it will be undone and doughy.  So...better a little longer than not. 

Showing the apple-sugar that has seeped out of the bottom

Before baking, the egg wash with the sugar, then slit

Have a wonderful week ~

Winter Cinnamon Rolls ~

Num, num.  :)  It might be more accurate to say that I make this in joyful anticipation of an upcoming Winter season. 

For Miss Annie

I make cinnamon rolls about once a year.  They are up there in the top five Hard-to-Resist list for me.  Monday I made a batch of cinnamon rolls.  This being Wednesday evening I still feel like I ate too many.  *oy*  Tuesday morning I woke with a sugar headache, that doesn't happen often...but considering much I've not been eating white flour/sugar combos since the first of the year, I'm not surprised.  

Aside from that, I made cinnamon rolls while Annabelle was on a three day school camp trip.  Oops.  Big oops in a child's mind.  I might have been a baker at one time, but my children did not get a steady treat of baked goods.  Last night, I fully realized that Annie finding out we had cinnamon rolls while she was gone was not going to go over well.  I made a different recipe today, a better one.  This time I didn't eat a single one.  I did try a piece....for testing sake...to see if I want to keep this recipe.  (I do, but it's not the favorite one.)  Annie indeed was not happy when I said I made rolls, she interrupted me mid-story asking, "Did you save one for me?!!!"  I said no...she pouted...I said I made a fresh batch.  Quick smile and satisfaction in her eyes.  Yay.  She's home, she's sleeping, she liked her cinnamon rolls, she said she missed us, loves us and repeated several times tonight that she is so happy to be home.  Not because camping wasn't fun, it was.  Because she loves who live in this little cozy run down old house.  I feel loved and centered.


I didn't realize until this post how close to a year it has been.  Happy cinnamon rolls to you!

This recipe, using yeast ~ is sharing company with other yeast recipes at The Wild Yeast blog.


 1/2 c. butter melted
1 c. milk - I used 2%
4 tsp. yeast
1/4 water, 105-ish degrees
2 eggs, room temp.
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
5 c. flour -  bread flour or unbleached all-purpose is fine


Interior ~

1/2 c. butter, either softened or melted and cooled, but not set.
1 c. brown sugar, packed
5 T. cinnamon
Optional nuts and cinnamon

• Melt butter in a saucepan, remove from heat.  Add milk to warm. 
• Proof yeast with the water, in a mixer bowl if using a stand mixer.  Let stand 10 minutes.
• Add eggs, sugar, salt to the yeast, mix.  If using a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment.
• Add three cups flour, mix thoroughly.
• Add the fourth cup and continue to mix to shaggy.  Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook if using a stand mixer.
• Add the fifth cup of flour, knead a few minutes or three to five minutes with a mixer.
• Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then resume kneading for another 3-5 minutes until smooth.

Note here -- I'm in a dry part of the states, so five cups flour gives me a nice smooth dough....if in the South, you might need a little more - but remember...a little tacky is better than a little tough when it comes to possibly adding more flour. 

• Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise until double.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface to approx. 15" deep x 24" wide.
• Schmear butter over dough except for the front one inch.  Sprinkle on sugar mixture.
• Roll from the 24" side.  Seal seam.
• Cut in half and each half in half in eighths.
• Place in a buttered 10" round or whatever you have where they fit and none are touching.  
• Cover loosely and let rise until double.
• Preheat oven to 350-375, your choice.  Bake 25-35 minutes until nicely golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a doughy area. 
• Let loved ones enjoy warm.  If they are children, let them have two when they ask if they can have another.  Okay - it's only Former Little Dude that asks and he's trim...so he can.  :) 

We didn't feel like adding icing, we tend to like not-to-sugary treats and these are sugary enough....but FLD and I being the critic team came to the conclusion they would be very good with cream cheese icing...yes, they would!

Before the oven

Whole wheat flour tortillas ~

 Oh, the things I do now to pass the time. I do amuse mahveryownself.

Love, love, love homemade tortillas.  So did Former Hubby.  As a matter of fact, I still smile when I recall the first time I made tortillas.  He took that first bite, his face lit up...smiling big and happy at me...saying, "These are sooo much better than store bought!!  We now have to have these all the time!"   (There is that "we" again.) He was too cute, because it meant he wanted me to make them...but requests used to make me grumpy.  I didn't make homemade every time we had tortillas on the menu, and he did pout a little when I didn't make them.  That was cute, too.  Sometimes.  :)

Fast forward more than a decade - here I am adjusting the favorite recipe for the myself and the kidlets.  The original comes from Mesa Mexicana cookbook - oooh, how I loved that early FoodNetwork show, Two Hot Tamales.  I've not made or tasted (at various homes by others) a better recipe as listed in their book.   

This is changed by the nature of steering away from white flour.  Whole wheat pastry flour enters.  Crisco be gone.  Welcome palmfruit shortening.

Whole wheat flour tortillas ~~
Linked to the blog Wild Yeast

2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour or corn starch
3.5 oz. shortening
1 tsp. salt
6 - 8 oz. warm water - start with the six ounces

•  Mix the flours with salt in a food processor.
• Add the shortening and pulse to a slightly coarse meal.  Remove to a bowl.
• Pour in the water, mix with hands until it comes together.  This is messy and fun!  Tactile ~ :)  Okay, you can use a wooden spoon to gather it.
• Dump onto a floured board (counter) and knead until smooth.  It should be soft and pliable.
• Divide into 8-12 pieces depending on the size you desire.  Roll each into a ball.  
• Place on a baking sheet and cover with a tea towel.  Let rest 15 minutes and up to an hour.
• Cut 7-11 squares of parchment or wax paper...these will be the liners for the raw rolled out tortillas.
• Roll out each one, using flour as necessary.  Stack on a plate using the cut papers.
• Heat a pan on medium heat.  Have ready a clean plate with a clean kitchen towel folded in half.  This will be the home for the warm tortillas stacked and cooked.
• Cook the tortillas one at a time, until puffy and slightly brown.  30-45 seconds each side.  Longer if your pan is not hot enough.  Too hot and it will burn quickly.
• Insert the first tortilla in the towel, add as you go along.
• Did I mention how much better these are?  And they are fun to make, too.

 Notes - - 

I do use regular white flour for dusting the board to knead and roll.  I divide into 12 pieces and roll these much thinner than I do the white flour version.

For the most part, this took the 3/4 c. warm water because of the cornstarch and less flour than the original recipe.  This will also depend on what whole wheat flour you choose to use.


I added the cornstarch to not have an overly whole wheat taste in the end result.  These are just soooo good.  All three kids loved these just as much as they remember the white flour version.  Good stuff.  :)

Bad picture, delicious tortillas

 Eskimo kisses ~~
xoxo

Whole wheat rosemary focaccia ~

A bell rings...the sort that begs for an announcement.

Still with a hint of warmth lingering on the fresh cut bread at the time of first tasting, the girls say they love it, they asked for "just another thin slice?"  Former Little Dude looked a bit cautiously at me and said, "I don't care for it.  I don't like whole wheat.  I mean...I'll eat it if you use it for a burger, but no, I won't eat it.".  Ack!  Ack, again!  This is not acceptable.  I am now taking applications for a new son.   Because there ain't one thing wrong with this earthy version of focaccia.  Poor boy.  He's going to be hungry tonight.  

My guinea pig recipe for whole wheat focaccia ~ 
Linked to the Wild Yeast blog

1/2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warmish water - 90 degrees or so
9.5 oz. sponge starter
11 oz. whole wheat pastry flour
10 oz. whole wheat flour
1 T. kosher salt
3 T. olive oil
3T. milk, room temperature
1/4 c. chopped rosemary

• Mix the yeast and water, let sit five minutes.
• Add the sponge starter, break it up.
• Add the salt, then the milk and oil, then the flours.  Knead or use mixer with dough hook.
• Let the dough rest for ten minutes, then knead for another five minutes.
• Add rosemary now or wait until the next day.
• Let rise in the fridge overnight. (I let it go two full nights in the fridge)

The crumb

• Bring out the dough the next morning, let it come to almost room temperature.
• Add rosemary now, kneading into the dough, if it was not done the night before.
• When the dough is room temperature, divide into two well oiled 10" round pans.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Let rise until almost double.  Top with more olive oil, more rosemary if desired and a sprinkling of kosher salt.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Cool in pan ten minutes, remove.

Notes --

I'm quite happy with this recipe.  The long two night rise with the sponger starter is wonderful for added flavor.  I didn't do two nights on purpose, but didn't make the time over the weekend to take it out after one overnight sitting in the fridge.  Next time I believe I will do less flour, for an even softer, hopefully lighter dough.  


Toodles ~
xoxo

Eight precious bagels ~

Nutmeg-golden raisin

Very soft, yet still chewy bagels - no high/gluten/bread flour included.   Dense and chewy - not this recipe.  

I just don't make bagels often, it's rare in fact.   We can get good boiled bagels here in town, thank goodness.  A few years ago there was only one local bagel place that didn't boil their bagels, yet still called them bagels.  This is one of the few time I will get on the Food Soapbox.  If they aren't boiled, they are simply rolls with holes.  Anywhoo.  I consider these a major treat to make.  If I am making bagels, something complex is going on and I'm baking these to keep me busy.  That's not always bad, and neither are these bagels. 

I do like bagels that are made with bread flour.  As I mentioned, these are that not particular recipe, they are quicker due to the amount of yeast...and today, ready for the kids after school snack.


Eight precious bagels ~
(on the light side, soft)


4 1/4 tsp. yeast (whoa, that's alotta yeast)
1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
2-3 T barely malt syrup
Egg white wash at the ready 

Love the brass, the time worn handle

• Have ready two baking sheets lined with parchment and sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Bloom the yeast in the water, five minutes.
• Mix the salt and flours, add to the yeast. Knead or mix with dough hook for five minutes.
• Let the dough rest 10 minutes, then knead another 10 minutes - or mix with the dough hook.
• Remove the dough to an oiled bowl.  Let rise until double.
• Get a stockpot full of water, approximately five quarts in an 8 quarts stock pot, add the malt syrup.  Let it come to a boil, reduce to a simmer when ready.  Meantime, shape bagels.
• Divide the dough into eight pieces.  Roll each into a tight ball.  Place a finger in the middle of the roll and go through.  Use a finger from each hand an twirl the hole open wider.  Set them to rest ten minutes. 
• Boil the bagels two at a time, 30 seconds on each side in the simmering water.  Remove with a slotted spoon of some sort and dab the bottom with paper towels of excess water.  Place on baking sheets.
• Brush on egg white wash, top as desired.
• Bake 20-25 minutes.

Leftovers for our breakfast tomorrow

Fig-walnut bread ~

~ in hands so tender ~

Fig-walnut bread ~

3/4 tsp. yeast
1/4c. warm water
8.5 oz. sponge starter
2/3 c. water - room temperature
2 T. honey
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. flour - more if needed
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c. dried figs, chopped (or more)
1 c. toasted walnuts, chopped

• Bloom the yeast in the 1/4 c. warm water, let it sit a few minutes.  Appreciate it's scent.
• Add the 2/3 c. water, the sponge, the honey.  Break up the sponge in the water, like a child would - with fingers damp, joy and awe.
• Add the salt to the flour, mix.  Add the flour to the wet ingredients.  Mix or knead five minutes.  Let the dough rest 20 minutes.
• Knead or mix in the figs and walnuts.  Add a bit more flour if needed - up to 1/4 c. but let the dough be a sticky dough.
• Shape the dough into a roll for a 9x5 pan.  Oil the pan well.  Set to rise until double.
• Before it's almost double, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• When double, bake for 15 minutes, then reduce to 375 and bake another 20 minutes or until done.  Tap the bottom of the loaf for the hollow sound to check.  
• Remove from pan to cool.

I do like an egg  yolk wash on this particular bread.

~ Latte snack, with blackberry honey ~

  I had a little leftover sponge.  Figs were on my mind for some reason, no need to question, only to head to Nature's to purchase them.  I had a beautiful flour that I also felt moved to buy this week, whole grain additions.   I was craving bread that is earthier, a feeling cradling appeasement to what is not yet forgiven in self.  Whole grain, breads that take extra time and care, something that gives fuller when one slows down to build a foundation that will yield something with more depth, lasting good memories  I've been baking a lot of sponge starter bread as of late.  This bread is one that I will make many more times in my life, I was quite fond of it. 

 ~ I know what real love is ~

Bread love ~

Sustenance Sunday ~

~

Rewinding back to the last bread post, now comes the lower two in the picture...

My poor heart shrank that day

Rosemary bread ~
Adapted from the baking book, Amy's Bread

1 tsp. yeast
1/4 c. warm water
3 T. olive oil
1/4 c. fresh rosemary - chopped
15 ounces starter
3/4 c. cool/room temperature water
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 T. kosher salt

• Bloom the yeast in the 1/4 c. warm water.  Let sit for a few minutes.
• Add the water, oil and the starter.  Break up the starter with your fingers.  This is fun!  Squishy-squishy!
• Smile, laugh, squish some more - who says being middle-aged isn't as fun as being a young child.  Only you ~ ~ :)
• Add the salt, flour, rosemary in a bowl, mix.  Add this to the wet ingredients.
• Mix or knead for 5 minutes, let rest 20 minutes.
• Mix or knead 5 minutes more.   Removed to an oil bowl, let rise for an hour.
• Put in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove from the fridge, let come to room temperature.  
• Form into two rounds, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap rise until almost double, allowing time to preheat the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Bake for 20 minutes.  (mist oven if desired).  Reduce heat to 400 and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
• Oh, so yummy is rosemary in bread ~

~  A wonderful place ~

Bread, bread, and more bread ~

~
Sponge starter started.
Go do other things.
Pass by the starter.
Wonder when it will start visually moving.
Go do other things.
Notice that the starter has grown.
Marvel.
Check on it often, just for fun.
Squeal in delight.
*smile*

My unbalanced heart

I often crave making good rustic bread, but since I have never had anything close to what I can get so perfectly done here in the area, and I sooooo love bread done well...I rarely give into my need to play with bread when it requires a starter and it's two days before I have a hot loaf out of the oven that still lacks the kind of crust I prefer.  There are tricks that one can do at home to get a better crust, truth is...I just don't feel like making the effort.  :)  That and I feel my home gas oven does not produce the kind of crust in either crispness or browning that resulted from my past electric ovens.  What I do end up with is more flavor in the crumb, if not a crisp crust, when I use a sponge starter.  Flavor ~ flavor ~ flavor.  

 ~ One boule, two boule, three boule, you ~

Honesty and decent homemade bread, that is this post.  I'm done with the honesty, now onto the decent bread.  Soft bread.  

Hopefully you know a bit about working with a sponge when making an overnight rise in the fridge kind of dough.  My instructions will be lacking if it's new to you. 


1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water - 105-115 degrees
3 1/2 c. unbleached flour

Mix the yeast with the warm water, let sit 3-5 minutes.  Mix with the flour, knead or use a mixer for 5-10 minutes.  Put this in a lidded container to rise for 6-8 hours.  Use before it collapses, when approximately 4x it's original size. 

**You will use only part of this sponge.  The other remaining amount I used to make rosemary bread.   I will post that recipe sometime next week for entry into the weekly blog posts at Yeastspotting.


1 tsp. dry yeast
1/4 warm water
1 c. cool water - room temperture to 75 degrees
12 oz. sponge starter
4 c. flour
1 T. kosher salt
1 c. rouch chop walnuts
5 oz. roasted red peppers, patted well with paper towels to remove moisture, diced.

•  Add the warm water to the yeast, let sit five minutes. 
• Add the cool water, sponge starter and break up with your hands for a few minutes.  This is fun.
• Add the salt, 3 1/2 c. flour and knead by hand or dough hook and mixer for ten minutes.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Add the red peppers and walnuts, knead (or mix) until combined.  The dough will become very wet and slippery from the peppers. Let rest 10 minutes.
• Add more flour if you need it.  I started with 1/4 of the 1/2, then added the remaining.  It is a soft sticky dough.  I left it that way.
• Let rise in an oiled bowl for one hour, covered.
• Put the dough in the fridge overnight.
• Remove the next morning.  Let it warm and when it starts to rise again, form into three boules.
• Before they get to almost double, preheat oven to 450.
• When double, flour and slit (or not) and bake for 15 minutes.  
• Steam oven if you know how.  Use a tile if you have it.
• Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  It should sound hollow.
• Let cool completely. 

Love heart

 Tah-dah.  Roasted red pepper-walnut bread.  Give one away, it feels good.

The crumb, a bit underdone wouldn't you say?

A peek at the rosemary bread.

A peek at the rosemary bread

 


Happy moment to you the moment you read this ~