notes from my food diary

I’ve MIA for quite a while again…so sorry for not being able to blogwalk to all my foodie friends.  I’ve been stricken with head cold and possibly allergy related ailment.  I started to not feeling well since the beginning of the week and finally I was home sick by Thursday.  My nose was really congested and my voice had gone South  I stayed home for the rest of the week with my son, luckily he’s done with school.  I honestly didn’t really know if this was only an allergy reaction to my raking cottowood pods in the yard or if this was truly a cold.  Those pesky cottonwood pods came like raining last week and I’ve been cleaning up our yard.  I didn’t take my allergy meds because I didn’t feel any need for that yet.  But, I’m feeling better this week and I wanted to post this bread recipe that I tried last week. 

Some modifications were made by me in terms of the flour used.  I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour and the bread was a bit more chewier as a result of the change.  This was my first time using sponge starter in a bread, overall, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the crust.  It didn’t formed a hard skin as I was expected.  Maybe because I didn’t use a stone while baking it, I don’t know.  But the crust was satisfactory, it was tight and had a nice bite to it.  One embarrasing fact was that the slits I made on the top of the bread were too small and not deep enough.  As a result, the appearance wasn’t something that I was proud of!

Honey Wheat Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Starter:

1 cup warm water (95-105F)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 cup whole-wheat flour

Dough:

3/4 cup warm water (95-105F.)

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 3/4 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon salt

Starter

To create the starter:  combine the water and yeast in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir to dissolve the yeast fully.  Add the flour to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.  Cover with a cloth and ferment the starter at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the dough:  combine the water, honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir to dissolve the yeast fully.  Add the butter, flour, salt and starter.  Mix on low speed until the dough is fully developed.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces weighing about 22 ounces each.  Set aside any remaining dough and freeze for future use.  Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball.  Place the dough on the counter or in a proofing basket and cover with a warm, damp cloth to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400F.

Form the dough into loaves, cover with a warm, damp cloth, and proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Score the loaves with a sharp knife, spray with water, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crusts are a deep golden brwon and the middle of the loaves is 190-200F.

Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.  If the bread was baked in loaf pans, remove the bread from the pans before cooling.

Source:  adapted from the Panera Bread Cookbook

This bread has been a staple in my household for a few weeks simply because we are crazy about its texture and the flavor of sesame seeds in it. I adapted the recipe a little bit by using a white whole wheat flour instead of the regular whole wheat flour. The result is exactly what I want in a wheat bread, soft with golden crust. Some time I will leave the crust unadorned, some other time I brush it with milk and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. Using toasted sesame seeds seem to heighten the flavor of it, though it’s fine to use untoasted seeds. The recipe came from my beloved book, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. But even though the recipe is for a bread machine, I actually use the machine only to knead the dough and do the rest in the oven. I’m really partial to use milk and/or a combination of milk and water to achieve the best texture, and this bread is one of the best recipes in the book. Using only oil and/or water quite often resulted in a dryer bread and that’s not what my family like. The recipe suggested to eat the bread the day it’s made and I’ve proven that it actually lasted longer than one day! Even after three or four days in my bread box, it’s still unbelievably soft.

Old-Fashioned Sesame-Wheat Bread
For 1 1/2-pound loaf

3/4 cup water
3/8 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

2 1/4 cups bread flour
3/8 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set to Dough cycle; press Start. While the dough is rising, grease a 9×5 x 2-inch loaf pan.

When the Dough cycle ends, immediately remove the dough from the pan. Using a rolling pin, and on a work surface lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking, roll out the dough into a rectangular. Roll the dough by the short side tightly to form a loaf. Place it in the pan, cover and let it rise until doubled in bulk for about 1 hour (preferably in a warm temperature setting).

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. If you desired, brush the crust with egg wash or milk and scatter some sesame seeds on top. Bake the bread for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove the bread from the loaf and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Source: adapted from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger

Finger Sticks French Toast

And to add some variety of our daily breakfast, I made finger stick French toast using this bread. This time instead of using whole eggs I used leftover egg whites. Now, the toast wasn’t exactly as fluffy as it would had been dipped in whole eggs mixture, but it was pretty good and quite healthy. The recipe for egg white French toast could be found on the Internet. Four egg whites combine with milk, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon would be enough to soak about 4-5 slices of bread. You could leave the bread whole, make them to sticks, hearts or whatever shape you like. Serve with maple syrup and maybe some fresh fruits, you’ll have a wholesome breakfast.

I’ve written many times before that I simply love bread. I’m totally a carbohydrate-loving person and am not the one who’ll say no breads. When I’m in the mood, I will rummage my fridge or pantry for something to be done. Am I the only that have that habit? A few days ago I found a tub of sour cream in the fridge, already opened and faces an expiration date very soon. I don’t like wasting food so I soon looked for recipes using sour cream in a different way. For sure I didn’t want to do another coffee cake for sure or muffins. So here is a clever and tasty way to use up leftover sour cream, sour-cream twists. They’re good tasting breads quite easily become regular breakfast item in my household. The filling could be varied so I can’t wait to try another version of this recipe!

Sour-Cream Twists
Makes about 10-12 twists

Dough
1 cup sour cream, warmed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast
1 egg
About 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Lemon juice, optional

To make the dough: Stir the sour cream, sugar, salt and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for a couple of minutes to dissolve the yeast. Stir well again, then add the egg and 2 cups of the flour, and beat until the mixture is smooth. Add enough more flour—about 1/2 cup—to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two, sprinkling on more flour if necessary to make a manageable dough. Roll and pat into a rectangle about 10×14 inches. Pull the corners out a bit if necessary to square them off.

Spread the softened butter over the dough in a thin, even layer. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then stack one piece on the other, so you have a layer of filling in the middle and a layer of filling on top. Cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Twist each strip several times and place about an inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for about 15 minutes, until the top edges are golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to racks to cool.

To make the glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, water and few squirts of lemon juice if you like, and beat until you have a smooth paste. Brush on the twists while they are still hot.

Source: The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham

Yes, I actually feeling a little blue because my freezer is bursting to capacity and those frozen blueberries from last summer are sitting on the shelves looking too blue! Alright, I said to myself, it’s time to bake lotsa things with blueberries in them. I’ve made white chocolate cheesecake with blueberries for my friend a few weeks ago and I was ready for a new challenge. Coincidentally, I borrowed a book from the library that has the right answer to my problem. It’s Martha Stewart’s book of Christmas. I didn’t remember why I picked this book, it’s probably out of curiousity since I have a yearning to read all the cookbooks there is in the library. The book has a recipe for blueberry sticky buns. Sticky buns filled with blueberries? Now, that’s something I haven’t done yet. Honestly, I get bored with the regular cinnamon-nuts combination sometimes, the idea of sticky buns with fruits is brilliant.

My technique was slightly different from the book’s because I used a bread machine to knead the dough. For some reason, the dough became a little too big, though not overproofed. Hence, I had to prepare two 8-inch square pans instead of just one to fit 12 rolls of sticky buns in it. I also mixed half all-purpose flour with half bread flour (1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/1 2 cups bread flour) to get a texture that I love from using bread flour. The end result was flatter but still goey from the juicy blueberries and tender. They were not so sweet and perfect for Sunday breakfast.

Bluberry Sticky Buns
Makes 1 dozen

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl, plastic wrap, and pan
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch for yeast
1 cup warm milk (about 110 degree F)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
3 cups fresh blueberries (about 3/4 pound), picked over and rinsed
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup light corn syrup

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar over 1/4 cup warm water (abou 110 degree F). Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in milk, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, the salt, and egg.

If using bread machine, set to Dough mode. Watch out the dough constitency, add flour as needed. After the dough rises, proceed to the next step.

Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, gradually add 2 cups flour; continue beating untill fully incorporated. Switch to the dough-hook attachment, With mixer on low, gradually add remaining cup flour to create a sticky dough. Continue kneading until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape onto a well-floured work surface; dust dough with flour. With floured hands, knead until dough is no longer sticky, about 1 minute.

Transfer dough, smooth side up, to a large buttered bowl. Cover wuth a lightly buttered sheet of plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add berries; cook, stirring constantly, until juicy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown-sugar mixture into prepared pan, reserving the rest, and drizzle with corn syrup. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Divide dough into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece into a 9-by-12 inch rectangle. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Sprinkle half the reserved brown-sugar mixture over butter; top with half the berries. Starting with one short side, roll dough into a 9-inch log, pinching to seal the seam. Repeat with remaining dough, melted butter, brown-sugar mixture, and berries.

Cut each log into six rounds; place, cut side up, in prepared pan. If any fruit mixture spills out of the rolls, spoon into pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 15 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven, ands bake until cewnters spring back and tops are deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; invert buns onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook.

This could be baked in the bread machine itself or baked in a pan, regular loaf or rolls like what I did. I also brushed the tops with milk before they went to the 350 degree F oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Poppy Seed Egg Bread
Makes 1 1/2- or 2- pound loaf machines

1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon gluten
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon SAF yeast or 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic or Tender cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)

When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Source: The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger