Nostalgia Time - Rye Rolls

What a week (a month really) it's been. Starting from mid-December right up until last Thursday, my wife and I have been working almost non-stop setting up and making all kinds of last minute arrangements for my daughter's wedding! Now that it's over, I'm sitting here, a few days after, in a state of shock, not really comprehending that it's over and the guests have gone home. That the party's over. That it's time to get back to work. So pardon me, please, if I have not been posting as much as usual. Truth be told, I have also not been baking as much as usual! But, like I said, it's time to buckle down, and get back to work.

Arranging a wedding made me very nostalgic. Of course, I think of my daughter as a little girl. But it also makes me think about my hometown when I was a little boy. A small one industry town in northeastern Canada. Literally in the middle of nowhere and filled with immigrants from all over Europe. Poles, Irish, Ukranians, Jews and, of course, many, many Scots.

Food from northern Europe is simple fare but no matter where you are from, there are certain things in common. For instance: since it is so cold there and winters are long, a lot of foods are based around root vegetables easily stored for the winter. Also, lots of animal fat (chicken, goose, pig). And preserved foods like pickles of all kinds, hard cheeses, and smoked and pickled meats, fish  and cheese. Bread is very heavy and hearty using whole grains and especially the heavy, dark flour from rye.

In keeping with my current nostalgia, I am posting a recipe for rolls, for any time of day, using rye flour. They are the kind of rolls I used to eat as a child, but lighter. The rye flavor is unmistakeable, and the texture, soft and just a little chewy, makes them perfect for anything from a nice sharp cheddar to a good pastrami with mustard. Enjoy them while reminiscing.

Here's What You'll Need:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. sugar
1 cup rye flour
about 2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. caraway seed (optional)

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Add all the ingredients, except the salt, and mix to form a shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the salt over and mix it in.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and just barely sticky.

3. Form into a ball, them place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

4. Shape the dough into 2 equal boules or about 12 rolls. (I made rolls.) Place the shaped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered, and let it rest/rise a second time, about 45 minutes.

5. Just before baking, slash the rolls/boules with a sharp serrated knife or a razor blade.

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Bake with steam (a small metal tray filled with boiling water on the bottom of the oven does the trick), for about 17-20 minutes (for rolls) or about 30-35 minutes (for loaves), until the crust is fairly hard and the bottoms are well browned. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Sour and Chewy - Delicious Overnight Sourdough Bread

In recent weeks I have been experimenting with sourdough, but without the fuss of 'the care and feeding' of a starter. True, the sourdough starters yield exceptional loaves, but really, who has the patience. Especially in the summer when I just want to bake bread and quickly! So, a while ago I developed a method (or maybe I read about it, I can't remember) for making fast, overnight sourdough. Now I am experimenting with different combinations to see how it tastes. I mean, how bad can it be. Anyway, here is my latest offering. It tastes almost like a real honest to goodness sourdough,, but without the fuss. Also, because it has the tanginess of the starter, along with rye flour it makes an exceptional loaf for sandwiches. Especially pastrami with a good sharp mustard. Yum!

Here's What You'll Need:
for the starter

1 cup rye flour
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. dry yeast

1. Mix together all the ingredients to form a rather wet paste. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature, preferably overnight.

the next day...

for the bread dough

1 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
or

2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
about 1/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
about 1 Tbs. sesame seeds (optional)
enough water to make a soft, but firm dough

2. Mix the remaining ingredients into the starter, kneading to form a soft, firm dough. If necessary add water, 1 Tbs. at a time as needed. Knead in the nuts and sesame if using. Knead for about 5 minutes then form into a ball, turn to coat in a lightly-oiled bowl, then cover to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a tight ball, by stretching the dough from the top to the bottom and place on a baking sheet , covered with baking paper, with the stretched dough down. Cover with a kitchen towel for a second rise, about 45 minutes. If you have tightened it correctly, it will not spread much.

4. About 20 minutes before baking time, heat the oven to 400F (200C). Slash the bread to make the oven spring more effective without tearing the bread, using a sharp serrated knife (or a razor blade).

5. Just before placing in the oven spray the bread with water lightly. You should also spray into the hot oven several times to introduce hot steam into the oven.

6. Bake for 35 minutes or until a deep brown crust has formed and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If you have a baking stone, you can place the baking sheet directly on it, and place the bread on the stone for the last five minutes. Also, you can turn the oven off at the end and leave the bread on the stone for an additional 5 minutes or so, to make an even 'crustier' crust.

7. Cool on a rack.

Basic Healthy Beautiful Bread - Artisan Whole Wheat Boule

After all is said and done, sometimes what you really want is a slice of healthy, hearty bread that tastes great and is good for you at the same time. Oh, and it should be pretty, too. This bread, inspired by the Master recipe for whole wheat bread in Jeff Hertzberg's magnificent Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, is just such a bread. It tastes great. Just as important, it has a slightly chewy crust and a soft, but strong crumb. Perfect for sandwiches loaded down with meats or cheeses and with sauces or marinades or other wet ingredients. It does not become mushy but rather is up to the job it's supposed to do, i.e., it is there for you when the going gets tough, and doesn't disintegrate into crumbs all over your clothes. It is also pretty, looking ever so much like a nice artisan loaf without the 'muss and fuss' of working with sourdough.

This is a straight dough, mixed and baked the same day, similar to a challah but not quite as enriched It is shaped like a French boule (french for ball) but of course flat on the bottom. Also, the slashing which is both functional (lets the gas escape so the bread doesn't explode sideways in the oven while baking) and decorative. I have no doubt you'll love it once you try it.

Here's What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups AP or bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. dry yeast
3/4 Tbs. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
about 1 1/3 cups warm water

Here's What You Need To Do:
1. Mix the dry ingredients (the flours. sugar, salt and yeast) together in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer until evenly distributed.

2. Add the egg, oil and most of the water and mix to form a rough dough. Add water or flour to form a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough in a mixer vigorously for about 10 minutes (or 15 minutes by hand), until the dough is very smooth and only slightly tacky.

3. Place the kneaded dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover with plastic wrap to rise until doubled. This will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Take the dough from the bowl, and, trying desperately not to degas the dough too much, form the dough into a boule. This is best done by stretching the dough from the top away from you towards the bottom. After each stretch, turn the dough by about 45 degrees. When the dough is 'stretched, place it, folds on the bottom, onto a baking tray. Cover the boule with a damp kitchen towel to rest for about 45 minutes.

5. Start heating the oven (400 F, 205 C) about 30 minutes before baking. Just before baking, slash the bread twice or three times with a serrated knife, spray with a little water and place in the oven.

6. After about 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for a total of about 35 to 40 minutes. If you have a baking stone, you can move the boule from the baking sheet to the stone for the last 10 minutes of baking to give more crispiness to the crust.

7. Cool on a rack.