Results tagged “bread” from Bodacious Girl

Lousy? Hardly. Mmm bagels.

As you may have already read, my bagels were put on hold due to a little binge drinking friendly gathering. The rest of the BBA is already going into brioche week... or wait is it casatiello? Whatever, I am still slaving over bagels. But oh - they are my absolute favorite. So far. So much bread so little time. How can something that tastes so damn good be so bad for your belly. Who cares. I look forward to every little bit of it.

I, however, unlike most of my Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge friends have learned to bake for 2. I halve most recipes. If I made 24 bagels I would try and eat each and every one. It would be ugly. Very very ugly. I cut the recipe right in half and lo and behold - I didn't have to hand knead. Hint Hint to my single bakers out there.

I baked a inept baker's dozen. (11 bagels) And I couldn't decide what kind to make so I made a slew of different ones. 2 sesame, 2 super seeded, 2 plain, 2 cinnamon sugared, 2 mozzarella and sun dried tomato, and one cheddar jalapeno for my baker friend in Indiana... but I ate it before I could send it. I think they may have over proofed or were to smart to retard in the fridge or something happened because once done, they were the size of my hand. I have big hands...



I of course enjoyed my favorite of the group, the sesame bagel, with some chive and onion cream cheese. The best thing about these bagels other then the taste was the texture. Because I am sure I did something wrong, I do not know if this was the desired effect, but the crusty outside was just that, chewy and crusty, especially after I toasted that big ole' bagel and sent myself into carb paradise mere minutes after they came out of the oven.

I do wish I took photos while I was doing the sponge and the kneading and the shaping and the retarding (which wasn't overnight... shhhh) and the boiling and the baking. But the chances of an ever so slightly hung over under the weather baker's apprentice wielding her camera while the Kitchen Aid whirled and flour kinda exploded out of the bowl and she ended up looking like she was being prepped to be dipped in beer batter - not so good. Not. So. Good. But they look good don't they? They don't look like the bagels of an abusive alcoholic mother.



I think not.

If you my readers reader would like to join me on this baking adventure, pick up The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge by Peter Reinhart and get baking. Be prepared to wear more flour then you use...

Everyone have a good holiday weekend?

Anyone need a holiday from their holiday? Whew. I thought it was just me. Then yesterday I realized I need a holiday from my holiday from my holiday and at this rate - I won't get anything done...

Where my fellow Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge peeps have almost finished baking the whole book, I took the holiday weekend to bake the second in a series of breads... the Artos loaf. I also decided to make it Christopsomos style, which is basically taking the Artos recipe and adding cranberries, raisins and walnuts. I was excited. It sounded like one delicious loaf of bread. Braiding and weaving and shaping aside, I just decided I would go monkey bread on it. Pour on that glaze and go to town.

Best laid plans.

But, it looks nice doesn't it?

Taste? Oh it tasted WONDERFUL! (As you can tell from the inconspicuous tear taken from the top right of the loaf...)

It even started out great. My poolish bubbled and doubled. My Kitchen Aid even handled the rather dense dough. I added the flour and the yeast, the milk and the oil. I used agave rather then honey and it smelled wonderful for unbaked bread. I molded it into a ball and placed it in an oiled bowl where it would sit and double in size. Mmm. THIS would be a GREAT day!

BUT WAIT!

What is that little bowl of nuts and cranberries and raisins and spices I see behind the FLOUR!

*panic*...

Shouldn't that be in the DOUGH THAT HAS ALREADY DOUBLED IN SIZE?

I 911 twittered my fellow BBA'ers. They suggested to add it after the first proof, just let it re-proof another 30 minutes or so before the final loaf shaping thing...

So I punched the dough out like Sicilian pizza maker and spread a thin layer of nuts and cranberries and raisins and SPICES over the dough. (Yesssss, even the spices were omitted...) Rolled it up and started forming it into a nice ball - but wait - NO! - the nuts and raisins and cranberries are breaking through! I pinched the little raisin holes up only to have 324 more open. Pinch! Ball! Pinch! CURSE! Pinch! PINCH PINCH PINCH! GAH!!! Cover with plastic wrap and come back in 30.

In that 30 minutes the outside temperature increased. The inside temperature increased. The dough proofed to ohhhh 3x its size. With little raisins and cranberries and nuts all trying to escape... not a pretty site.

Why oh why didn't I take photos...

Now I should have just taken this as a sign to screw the monkey and his bread and MAKE A REGULAR LOAF but noooooooo... Now the big ball of protruding raisins, cranberries and nuts had to become a bunch of little balls of the same.

Someone just shoot me.

If any bread should be called a monkey loaf - this was it... as if this wasn't enough, a minor situation involving beer, chips and salsa made me FORGET about the damn thing for 45 minutes. It was all, nuts, fruit and dough trying to escape the pan. 

:-|

Laughing and cursing, I threw it in the oven and hoped for the best.

Sure - It looks good in that photo - ok, kind of - but what you see is merely the top of a GINORMOUS loaf of monkey **** bread ever. This bread was 7" tall!

But it tasted AMAZING.

And the next morning - I learned that Artos french toast ROCKS!

If you my reader readers would like to join me on this baking adventure, pick up The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge by Peter Reinhart and get baking. You may have just as much fun as me...

So have I mentioned that I got all caught up in this little thing called the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge two weeks ago? On the encouragement of a non-bread baking foodie I know I signed up for what looks to be a year long trip down a very doughy road. Myself and 199 other crazy foodies are going to make and bake every bread in the book The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. Why? Hmm. Quite simply because we can.

I LOVE to bake. But generally save that baking for the cooler fall and winter months. Cranking my oven up INSIDE when it is 110 OUTSIDE and I am paying upwards of $300 a month to keep the temperature below 79 INSIDE hardly seems like the smartest thing to do. I may make this a two fold challenge. Bake the whole book - but do it outside on the grill. I wonder if THAT has ever been done. I wonder how many disasters I will endure. I wonder if my coffee is ready… Regardless, here is the first in a continuing series of yeast and gluten - the Anadama bread.

Me thinks I let it rise just a weee bit to much, but over all it was a tasty bread. I did think that it tasted much better right out of the oven then it did say a day later. But that did not stop me from enjoying it all week. The recipe calls for corn meal (polenta) and molasses which give this bread a slightly sweet flavor. Perfect for french toast. You are just going to have to trust me on this as before I could get the camera, it was literally all gone.

It also took quite literally - all day to make.

The soaker rested overnight.

Then we had to wake up the yeast for an hour.

Knead the dough

Proof for 90 minutes.

Punch down and shape into a loaf

Paint the house.

Let it proof again for 60 minutes.

Pour a drink.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Wonder if the cows will ever come home.

Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before you even DARE slice into it.

Patience is not one of my virtues…

So I sliced into it within 20 minutes anyway as you can see from the knife marks on the loaf.

But that was the best part. The VERY best part. It was warm, and still a little doughy and the butter melted perfectly and I was able to eat that whole slice before I fell asleep amidst scatterings of flour and cornmeal.

Mmm.

Bread. Good.

PS If you my readers reader would like to bake along with us please do! Pick up a copy of the Bread Bakers Apprentice and post links to your creations in the comments section of the post with the matching bread. So bake Anadama - comment here!

I would just like to start off by saying - for those of you who... yes I am talking about you. YOU SPECIFICALLY. Yes you. You sitting there pointing to yourself, looking over your shoulder mouthing "me?" with those wide eyes...

I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! And FOOD? Oh how I missed food. I missed the taste of soft boiled eggs and thick sliced apple smoked bacon. I missed cool Hawaiian yellow fin sashimi with ponzu and scallions. I missed that juicy burger, that cheesy enchilada, that greasy cheesy pizza. I am so glad we are all back together where we belong. Quick group hug!

Oh. Yea. One thing I didn't miss. Chocolate long john donuts and cold milk. When you are sick, sugar tastes divine. So no I did not waste away to nothing in the past three weeks. Quite on the contrary. Nothing says loving like a chocolate donut and NyQuil.

Lucky for me the first chance I had to really EAT again after my three weeks with the plague / malaria / leprosy / pleurisy / was for the Wild Card playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons. (Which, may I add - THE CARDS WON!) Nothing like football party food to get you back in the mood. Since I missed - oh - ALL OF THE HOLIDAYS and it's PLETHORA OF A YUMMY-LICIOUS BOUNTY. (One day I will get over this...) In the barrage of smokie links and currant jelly and cheesy meatballs and stuffed mushroom caps, I made my all time favorite football party food evah. Italian Sausage Bread with Marinara dipping sauce.

Mmm. Doesn't that look good? The actual loaf is about 18" long. 18 inches of spicy Italian sausage, caramelized onions and mozzarella cheese, all baked in a yummy basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper braided loaf of bread. Chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside. And oh so impressive looking when you show up with it. YOU? baked THIS? You brush it off - but of course. Tastes amazing on its own, or dunked into some simple marinara sauce.

Italian Sausage Bread
(Makes 2 loaves)

1 pound Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
4 1/2 cup flour (an additional 1/4 cup may be needed)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella

Brown sausage and onion. Drain and cool completely.

In a mixer utilizing the bread hook, combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes or until proofed.

To yeast, add salt, rosemary, parsley, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, butter and 1 egg. Mix well. Add 2 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Gradually add the rest of the flour and knead for 8-10 minutes. 

Place in greased bowl, and turn to grease all sides. Cover & place in a warm spot to sit for about 1 hour. 1 Hour of sheer torture...

Punch down dough and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 2 x 18-20 inch strip. Stir your desired amount of cheese into the sausage onion mixture and spoon down the center of each length of dough. Pinch long edges together to form a 14-20" rope. Make 6 ropes and braid 3 lengths together. Let rise 45 minutes. 45 long excruciating minutes...

Beat remaining egg and brush on loaves.

Bake in 400ºF oven for 25 minutes. 25 painful minutes of licking the oven door... I do not really recommend this licking at all.

Allow to cool to the touch, then slice and serve. I like mine with just a thin tease of butter, but I serve it with...

Marinara Sauce

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, clopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (both tomatoes and juice)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Wow your friends and family this weekend and ooh I know, make it for the playoff party you are attending / throwing. It is sooooo delicious people will beg you for the recipe. Go ahead and keep it as your secret. I wont tell. 

Who has a Thanksgiving hangover? Hands... anyone? Oh Yea...Me too. Roast turkey, pork sausage dressing, brussel sprouts with shallots and bacon, nutmeg carrots, cranberry mandarin parfaits, pumpkin pie, apple pie... and THREE CRAPPY FOOTBALL GAMES. But the best part. The very VERY bestest part of Thanksgiving Day. The Day After. And all that cold turkey with my name on it. Mmm Mmm.

Other then just cold turkey dipped in a bit of cold mayonnaise, my absolute favorite turkey leftover treat is a Turkey Bacon Avocado sandwich with red onion, tomato, sprouts and havarti on multi-grain toast. YUM! Just thinking about it makes me wanna...

Ah! There we go. You might notice I tend to like a SALAD on my sandwiches. You go ahead and put as much of whatever you like on it - 12 slices of bacon instead of 2... Bingo - it will still taste AWESOME.

Quite simply:

2 slices of multi-grain toast, one with mayonaisse; the other, dijon.

Lay a slice of havarti, turkey, avocado, salt n pepper, red onions, tomato on the mayo slice.

The bacon on the mustarded (huh?) slice.

Close it up to make the sandwich. Bite. Chew. Taste. Swallow. Sigh. Smile. Enjoy. Repeat.

Turkey also works REAL WELL on the Bacon Apple Brie sandwich. REAL. WELL.

So tell me - how do YOU enjoy your leftovers? I know that everyone has some and that we all would love some great ideas. Post your recipes here and check back often for some of the best ways to indulge your post Thanksgiving appetite.

Did the past month seem like a foggy messy blur? It could have been my damn lingering head cold. Maybe the tanking economy? Possibly that Mercury has been in retrograde for the past three weeks. Day's like these make me crave feel good foods. And nothing makes me feel more indulgent, more gratified or more happy then my Bacon, Apple and Brie sandwich.

Start with the following:

Yes, brie isn't a cheap cheese, but hello - coupons and a sale made this wedge $2.99. It can make 10 sandwiches. (or 4 depending on your cheese rations.) And mmm BACON. Everything tastes better with bacon. Just make sure you get some good bacon. Please don't get that slimy bacon in the shrink wrapped packages that costs two times as much. ACK! Go to your butcher. Get some apple smoked bacon. You will thank me later.

Have everything you need? Let's begin. Toast the bread.

I use a yummy bakery fresh 7 grain bread from my local grocery store. AGAIN - bakery fresh - and less expensive then brand name pre-baked preservative laden bread. TRUST ME.

Slice your apple thinly.

I use a Mandoline to get nice thin slices, but eh - any knife will do. Don't use too juicy of an apple. I find a granny smith work's best. If it is too juicy, blot with a paper towel.

Next. Cook the bacon. Mmm.

This is just a gratuitous bacon shot really. We all know what cooked bacon looks like.

Time to assemble oooey gooey greatness:

On the previously mentioned toast, spread mustard lightly on one piece, and lay sliced brie on the other piece.

Pile sliced apple on top of the brie, and the bacon on the mustard toast. (Mustard toast???) Put the bacon blessed mustard toast (again with the mustard toast?) on top of the apples...

Eat slowly while seated to avoid fainting from amazing-ness.

I feel better just looking at the photo's don't you? No kidding. Off to the kitchen. Catch you tomorrow for the first installment of FRUGALICIOUS - part of Bossy's Poverty Party.