Second Home - Mediterranean Olive Bread

When you think of typical Mediterranean foods, certain images immediately come to mind. Salty white cheeses like the famous feta and its universal cousins. Olive oil and olives. Ripe, firm tomatoes. Fresh herbs like oregano, basil of course, thyme, rosemary.

And bread, two styles especially. There is the thick-crusted 'artisan'-style loaves. Basically a boule, baked at a high temperature until almost black. The interior remains soft and white while the crust is so crunchy you almost have to saw it open. Almost. Then there is the 'country' loaf. A softer crust with a white and fluffy interior. Almost heaven and made with only a few select ingredients. White bread flour, yeast, water and salt. To soften the crust just a little more add an egg. To brown the crust add some sugar. That's it.

This bread is from the second category. It has a robust crust but not at all crunchy or chewy. The interior is soft as soft can be. Fluffy. It is a variation on a bread found throughout the Mediterranean in one form or another. Another variant can be found in the wonderful baking book Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I have replaced the typical butter with olive oil to cut down on the saturated fats, and to add the flavor of the oil. Olive oil does not suit a lot of baked goods, but is perfect for Mediterranean bread. Also, just so you wouldn't mistake it's origins, I have added about 1 cup of roughly chopped green olives. The aroma in your kitchen will be unbelievable. And if you can manage to wait until it cools, you won't be disappointed.

Here's What You'll Need:
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or AP flour)
1 Tbs. dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter (or Olive oil)
1 cup green olives, roughly chopped (or half black)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of the flour and the other dry ingredients (yeast, sugar and salt). Mix thoroughly.

2. Make a well in the center, then add the water, while stirring, to form a thick-ish batter. Beat in the eggs, then the butter gradually. Or the olive oil if using it instead of the butter.

3. Stir vigorously until the batter is smooth and silky, then add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough 'cleans the bowl'. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and shiny and only just barely sticky.

4. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Deflate the dough. Push it out with your fingers until it forms a rough rectangle. Sprinkle the drained olives evenly over the surface of the dough, then roll it up, jelly-roll style from the long side to form a 'log'. Tuck the ends underneath the log, and place it on a parchment -lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel, to rise a second time, about 45 minutes.

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Brush the loaf with the beaten egg, then bake for about 35 minutes until it is a deep brown. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

7. Cool on a rack.

Oh, and it makes amazing toast!

Closer to Home - 'White' Cheese Bread

I know, I know. The latest trends in bread are taking us AWAY from white bread. Lately it seems, everywhere you look, there is another article explaining patiently (or sometimes less than) why it's no good for you. Or at least not that good for you. Nowadays it's all about whole grains and bread made without wheat altogether. As if, after maybe 10K years of making bread from wheat, it all of a sudden is not good for you. Now, I'll grant you, the flour we get today, especially the industrialized bleached all-purpose flour, is mostly starch. That, of course, is the reason bread is what it is. The gluten in the white flour traps the air given off by the yeast and makes it light and airy and sweet and, well, just delicious. Which is why I always, but always, when baking with white flour use UN-bleached and fortified flour. And I add things. Like dried fruit. Or nuts and seeds. Or some dairy product and/or and egg.

In Israel we have great dairy products. Cottage cheese to die for. Lots of excellent hard cheeses and a great tasting selection of soft white cheeses. We spread them on toast, or bake them into pies, or pastries, or just spoon them over salads. It is just this kind of cheese that I used in this bread replacing some of the liquid. You can use any soft white spreadable cheese for this although you may have to slightly adjust the water/flour ratio. This bread will keep for several days, and makes great toast. Oh, and it fills your whole house with the most heavenly aroma while it bakes!

Here's What You'll Need: (for 2 loaves)
2 cups (about 500 g) soft white cheese
3 Tbs. sugar
1 egg, beaten*
3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbs. dry yeast
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 cups (about 4 1/4 cups) AP flour
1 1/4 Tbs salt

* I only use large eggs.

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Place the cheese, sugar, egg and water in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (You can use your mixer on low speed for a minute or so.

2. In another bowl, mix the baking soda with the yeast and 2 cups of the flour. Then add this to the liquid mixture slowly while it continues to mix on slow speed. At this point you can add the salt. Slowly add the rest of the flour while continuing to mix until the dough 'cleans the bowl'.

3. Leave the ball of dough in the bowl. Sprinkle a little flour over the top, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rise until doubled, about 3-4 hours.

until it looks like this...

4. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, knead for about 1 minute. You will notice that after a slow rise in the refrigerator the dough is less sticky, and more flexible and easier to knead!

5. Divide the dough into 2 equal-ish pieces. At this point you can shape them as loaves and place the dough in lightly oiled loaf pans. Or, you can shape them as 'batards' (like thick torpedoes) and let them rise free-form on parchment paper or a peel covered with corn meal. (What I did.) Either way, let the dough rest and rise. In loaf pans until it rises above the sides of the pan. On a peel, until almost doubled. Either way, about 45 minutes.

I slashed the dough just before baking. If you do this, slash using a serrated knife (or razor blade) about 1/4 in (3 mm) deep, just before placing in the oven. 

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, pre-heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Bake (with steam for a hard crust, without steam for a soft crust) for about 30 minutes or until they are a beautiful deep brown and smell incredible.

and toasted with butter...

7. Cool on a rack. Bitayavon (Hebrew for Bon Appetit).

Hats off to Dr. Johnson - English Oatmeal Bread

Long before I became a baker, I studied English Literature. In fact, I even have a Bachelor's degree in the subject. I have never worked in the field, I admit. But to this day I am an avid reader of just about anything I can get my hands on, including great literature. I especially like Dickens and the Shakespearean period. Which brings me to Dr. Johnson, who was mostly a contemporary although he continued after Shakespeare as well. Among his many literary works, Dr. Johnson is known for his dictionary. He was a humorist and quite a snob, and so his definition of 'oats' reads something like this (not an exact quote): "Oats: a grain which in England is fed to cattle but in Scotland feeds the population". Needless to say, in Nova Scotia and in Old Scotland, he is not well liked especially since oats are not only tasty but also nutritious. They are also mostly gluten-free. However, if you use then for gluten-free baking, make sure they are certified. There is always the danger of cross-contamination with wheat and wheat products.

This bread actually comes from England, despite Dr. Johnson, where it is usually served as a tea bread. Covered with butter and/or honey it is delicious and the oats, which are soaked for 2 hours beforehand, disappear in the moist dough.

Here's What You'll Need: (for 2 small loaves, one large loaf, or about 1 dozen rolls)

2 cups oatmeal, plus 2 Tbs. for dusting
2 cups milk
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
2 Tbs. butter, softened
2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour or AP flour
1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 Tbs. water

Here's What You'll Need to Do: (in a food processor)

1. Attach the plastic blade to your processor. Add the oatmeal and the water, cover, then let it sit and absorb the water for 2 hours.

2. Pulse to mix the oatmeal, then add the remaining ingredients, holding back about 1/2 cup flour. Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until you get a soft sticky dough that 'cleans the bowl'. Continue running the processor for about 45 seconds until the dough is well kneaded.

3. Remove the dough from the bowl, then, on a lightly floured surface knead a few times. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover to let it rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl, deflate, then form into a loaf, or into rolls. Cover and allow to rise a second time, this time for 45 minutes.

5. About 20 minutes before the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 400 F (190 C)*. Optionally, you can brush the loaf (rolls) with the egg wash and sprinkle with oats. Bake for 30-35 minutes (about 20 for rolls) until golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

6. Cool on a rack.

* If using 'turbo' function, reduce heat by 50 F (25 C).

Back to Basics - Irish Soda Bread (as scones)

One of the really great features of my home town in Nova Scotia, is its multicultural aspect. You wouldn't normally think that this would be true. I come from a very small town (today maybe 25K residents) in a remote corner of a remote island in Canada. And Nova Scotia means New Scotland! So you wouldn't normally believe that there would be so many people from so many cultural backgrounds. But, with all that, there are people there, with a Scottish background (of course), but also, Italians, Jews, Ukrainians and Poles, Russians and Italians and Irish as well.

 I haven't baked bread while reminiscing in a while. Just the other day I was thinking about 'the old country', and that started me thinking about Irish soda bread. This bread is an iconic Irish food. I have actually thought about baking it for years and never done so. This is because I had some irrational idea that it was long and complicated and, besides, it uses no yeast. What kind of bread uses no yeast? Only recently I read a recipe, saw how easy it is, and decided to go for it. I AM going to bake this bread. So... it is NOT complicated at all. One-half hour from start to finish. And delicious. I have made this bread in the form of scones (triangular wedges). But, unlike scones, this bread is made with low-fat buttermilk (1.5% fat) so there is NO guilt in eating several in one sitting. Which is what you'll do when you make these. Well, maybe just a little, but how can you resist?

 Here's What You'll Need: 
 3 cups flour (you can substitute some whole wheat for the AP flour - I used 1/2 cup ww flour and 2 1/2 cups AP flour)
1 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk


 Here's What You'll Need To Do: 

 1. Preheat the oven to 450F (about 220C).

 2. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine thoroughly.

 3. Make a well in the center, then pour in the buttermilk. Stir to combine and to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. DO NOT OVERMIX. (This develops the gluten in the flour and makes the scones chewy like bread - not crumbly like a good scone).

 4. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead only a few times to smooth the dough, then form into a disc about 7in (18cm) in diameter. Cut the disc into 6 or 8 wedges then place them on a parchment covered baking sheet.

 5. Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned top and bottom.

6. Cool on a rack.*

 * These scones taste great while still warm and smothered with butter and/or jam.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bread - The First Kind

As you all must know by now, I like to experiment with bread recipes. I also like to attempt vintage recipes and to bake breads that are standards from all over the world. And so, I approached this bread from England with an expectation of something special, since it is so well-known there. In reading about oatmeal bread I soon discovered that there are two distinct types. In this version, I will use rolled oats mixed directly into the dough. In another version, which takes about 2 days to make, the oats are cooked first, literally made into oatmeal breakfast cereal, then the next day added in to the dough. I will make the other version at another time. This version, however, produced a loaf with a close crumb and a very crunchy (and satisfying) crust. I have been eating it for the last 3 days (it keeps well!) with pastrami and Dijon mustard. Also, just plain toasted with peanut butter spread all over. It is delicious, and especially so, if you like crispy exteriors with soft interiors. A keeper.

Here's What You'll Need:
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups medium oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
rolled oats for decoration

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Mix the yeast into 1/2 cup of the water and let it stand to activate for about 5 minutes.

2. Mix the flours, the oatmeal and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Pour about half the remaining water into the bowl and start to mix, adding just enough water to make a smooth and slightly sticky dough. This dough will be stiff!

3. Remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.

4. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

5. Deflate the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, form it into a loaf and place it in a 8 1/2 in X 4 1/2 in (22 cm X 11 cm) loaf pan. Cover and let it rise until it just goes over the lip of the pan.

6. Heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Brush the loaf lightly with water and sprinkle oats over the top.

7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

8. Cool on a rack.

Pane Con Pomodori e Cipolle Rosse - Tomato and Red Onion Bread

I love Italian bread. It's a fact. I think what I love the most is the simplicity that leads to sophistication that I find in the best Italian breads. For example, the most popular breads have only four ingredients: flour, water yeast and salt. There are some Tuscan breads that even leave out the salt, depending on the thick stew served with the bread to provide the flavor when you sop it up. How simple is that? So... where does the flavor come from? From the rise, which, if you do it right, should be slow and at cool temperatures. Like in the fridge.

This bread is a variation of a peasant loaf that comes from Calabria in Southern Italy. There, they like food spicy and the tomatoes are firm and packed with flavor. The combination of a slow-rising dough, with tomatoes and red onions and just a pinch of red pepper flakes makes for a bread that is strong on character and perfect for smoked meats and cheeses. Or just toasted with butter or some other spread like humus, mustard (under the toppings) or a good quality mayonnaise (ditto).

Here's What You'll Need: (for 1 large loaf)
3 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2/3 (167 ml)cups warm water
4 cups (560 g) bread flour
2 tsp. salt
1 lb (450 g) ripe tomatoes
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 red onions, finely sliced
3 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Here's What You'll Need To Do:
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside to activate, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix the flour and salt in a separate large bowl, make a well in the center and add in the dissolved yeast. Mix in just enough flour from the sides to make a slurry, then cover and let it rest to create a 'sponge' for about an hour.

3. In the meantime, peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Chop just the flesh of the tomatoes roughly and set aside. Peel and finely slice the onions.

4. Heat the olive oil in a pan then add the onions and oregano and pepper flakes. Finally, add the tomatoes and saute gently, covered for about 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to come out of the tomatoes and create a thick sauce. Cool this mixture completely before continuing.

5. Stir the tomato mixture into the sponge, and mix thoroughly to make a soft slightly sticky dough. The tomatoes are wet, and you may need to add a little flour to keep the dough manageable, i.e., only slightly sticky.

6. Knead for a few minutes to bring it together and evenly distribute the tomato mixture, then form it into a ball and place it in a lightly-oiled bowl (turn to coat) and cover to let it rise. Let it double in volume. This will take about 2 hours. If you want to greatly improve the flavor, you can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight like I did. Amazing!

7. If you placed to dough in the refrigerator, remove it, and, leaving it covered, let it come to room temperature, about 2 hours. 'Knock down' the dough, and form it into a tight boule. Place it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, covered with a kitchen towel to rise again, about 1 hour.

8. Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 F; 180 C) for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

The Absolute Easiest Bread Ever - No-Knead White Bread That Fits Your Schedule

Back in 2006, Mark Bittman, the food editor at the NY Times,  published an article
describing a clever method developed by Jim Lahey for baking incredible tasting French bread in a Dutch oven pot that didn't require any kneading at all. None. He later went on to publish a whole series of cookbooks, all wonderfully comprehensive and very modestly titled. Here are a few examples: The Food Matters Cookbook, How To Cook Everything, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and more.You get the idea.  Every one a delight to read, clear and simple. The idea was so simple and yet produced the most incredible bread! Not only that, it seemed to go in the face of everything we had learned about bread making. Long, slow rises, wet dough and NO KNEADING at all. The reaction was instantaneous. Luminaries in the bread world started experimenting with this method and publishing their own variations. For instance, Peter Reinhart, in his now classic, The Bread Baker's Apprentice champions this method extensively. And again in his later book Whole Grains Breads. Nancy Baggett has produced a whole cookbook dedicated to baking using this method (or rather, her variation of the original) in her great book Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads. This recipe is my take on a recipe from her book. It is so simple, and the best part, is that you can delay the baking with the looong rises, so that it fits your schedule. Try it. I am sure you'll love it.

Here's What You'll Need:
6 1/2 cups AP flour (or bread flour)
3 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp dry yeast
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 3/4 cups ice water (yes, that's right - ice water)

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Use a very large bowl because the dough will have to practically quadruple its volume. In this bowl combine the dry ingredients - the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. In a separate bowl (or measuring cup) mix the oil and water together as much as possible. Then place ice cubes in the cup to chill the water.

2. Finally, make a well in the dry ingredients, and add 2 3/4 cups ice water to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough that is evenly mixed. DO NOT KNEAD.

3. Form the dough into a rough boule, then spray lightly with spray oil. Cover with plastic (I placed mine in a plastic bag) and let it stand, at room temperature, for 3-10 hours (not a typo).

4. Place the still-covered dough in the refrigerator to rise slowly for 10-15 hours (overnight, basically).

5. The next day, divide the dough into 2 equal parts, and place it into two 9 in (23 cm) loaf pans. Let the dough rise, at room temperature and covered, until it reaches about 1/2 in (3 mm) above the rim of the pan.

6. About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425 F (210 C). Place the bread in the oven, and reduce the temperature to 400 F (200 C). Bake for about 45 minutes until the bread is browned nicely and crisp. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

Yum!!!