Forbidden Rice and Green Onion Hearth Bread
November 11, 2011
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to gather for a potluck with a fantastic group of fellow food lovers. We are all part of Food52, a fabulous online community of inspired home cooks and knew each virtually through viewing, cooking, and commenting on each other’s recipes. The gathering celebrated the publication of the first Food52 cookbook, in which many of the party-goers had their own amazing recipes published. The cookbook is beautiful and I can not wait to cook my way through it!
Not surprisingly, we all had a lot in common, most notably our love of good food. The table was brimming with amazing dishes, most of them made from recipes found on Food52. It was difficult to decide what to bring, but I opted for fresh baked bread.
Forbidden Rice and Green Onion Hearth Bread is based on a recipe from Montana Culinary Students on Food52. The contrast in texture and color that the black rice brings the bread drew me in. Wild rice works as well, but Forbidden Rice sounds irresistibly tempting! The onion adds a deep savory quality and works beautifully with the aromatic rosemary. A hint of lemon zest adds a pleasant brightness to this hearty loaf. This bread will definitely become a regular in my baking rotation. I imagine that it would make great croutons as well, if you are able to resist the bread while fresh. This bread would also be a tremendous addition to the Thanksgiving table!
Check out what some of the fabulous cooks I met are doing on their own sites! TasteFood, Still Simmering, The Year in Food, The Wimpy Vegetarian, The Beet Goes On, My Kitchen Solo.
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Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
March 30, 2011
Whoever invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a genius. What other meal takes only minutes to prepare, but is incredibly nutritious, and with any luck will inspire cheers from the happy and hungry youngsters (or more mature eaters) ready to devour their sandwich? This sandwich has saved the day millions of times for mothers and fathers around the world, myself included.
As with any meal, the quality of the product is dependent on the quality of the ingredients with which you start. In our house, PB & J stands for peanut butter and jam since the pantry is generally loaded with various homemade jams and very little jelly. Our favorite is berry jam, either blackberry (as pictured above), ollalie berry, or raspberry. The next layer is organic, natural peanut butter (surprisingly enough Costco makes a great one), and of course the bread.
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread is my go-to slicing bread. In the summer when my kids and I hide from the world (and the grocery stores) in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this is the bread that feeds us between the weekly trips to town for provisions. It is very easy to put together and turns out beautifully every time. The bread is slightly sweet from the maple syrup which makes it perfect for peanut butter and jam sandwiches or even grilled cheese. The bread also toasts beautifully, so in the off-chance you have leftovers the next morning, it will taste great toasted and slathered in butter and jam or honey.
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
makes 1 loaf (enough for 6 sandwiches)
adapted from Bon Appetit
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
Mix warm water with yeast. Allow to sit 5 minutes while the yeast dissolves. Pour yeast mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except for 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Mix until dough ball forms, then knead on a lightly floured board until dough in stretchy and supple. Add some of the reserved flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft, but not sticky.
Place dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap. Let rise 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured board. Press into a 8-inch square. Roll the square into a log. Place log seam side down in a buttered 8 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan. Let rise 45 minutes until 1 1/2 inches higher than pan. (see picture)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 30-40 minutes until center registers 180 degrees. Cool 15 minutes, turn out on rack. Bread will slice most easily if you allow it to cool completely.
Here is a printer friendly version of the recipe:
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
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Weeknight No-Knead Bread
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OK, so I finally tried it. I know I’m a little behind the times and most of you have already made or at least eaten the reputable “No-Knead Bread”, but for me this was a first. Back in 2006, when New York Times published a variation of this recipe it created quite a fervor. Multiple friends shared their success with the bread, but I was home with a baby who was not yet mobile. I had nothing to do but bake bread, the other, more time-consuming way, by kneading it. Truly, I paid little heed to the recipe. Then later, when Cooks Illustrated published another version, I ignored it again. At that time we were blessed with bakery seconds delivered to our door each week from an amazing local bakery. Now that I am back to work, the kids are beyond mobile, and the free bread has long since stopped gracing our table, it was time to dig out this AMAZING recipe and give it a try.
Good Morning Yeasted Waffles
January 22, 2011
Breakfast is a highlight in our house. We love it. Eggs a million ways, pancakes galore, beans, granola, you name it. For some reason though, I always get stuck when I try to make waffles. The idea of them is so good, but my product tends to leave me unsatisfied. My husband makes a mean waffle, but even when I try his recipe, it doesn’t quite work to my liking. So the other night, I was blown away when I had my first yeasted waffle at a friend’s gathering. Sure, it looked like other waffles I’d tried in the past, but the taste was uniquely different. This may well be my new favorite waffle. Read the rest of this entry »
My Pantry Shelf 