Poppy Seed Roll

Poppy Seed Rolls remind me of my Mom, who I'm missing a lot after a nice holiday visit. Since she's on my mind, I decided to bring the glory of the Poppy Seed Roll to this sweet little blog space.


My Mom’s stories of the delicious Poppy Seed Rolls she ate as a child are missing just one thing: my Grandmother’s recipe. This is obviously a situation that needs to be rectified…

And so, I took it upon myself to create the Poppy Seed Roll of my Mom’s childhood; a softly sweet, bready roll spiraled with lots of poppy seed filling.

You can opt to make or buy poppy seed filling (I’ve had luck with the poppy seed filling made by a company called Solo). However, your most delicious bet is to make the filling yourself, and its actually quite easy. Simply simmer poppy seeds down with some milk, sugar, honey, orange zest, a pinch of salt and a hint of vanilla (raisins are NOT permitted…Mother’s rules). When it tastes delicious, your filling is done.


I recommend wrapping the poppy seed filling up in a light and buttery dough. I like using the same dough I use for Cinnamon Buns, you can find the recipe here: http://bit.ly/7Pd7sj . Next, I roll out the dough, load it up with poppy seed filling, roll it up and then bake it until golden. I like to then paint it with a bit of warmed apricot jam and drizzle on some simple vanilla glaze made of confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract.


Yum…a soft and light bread full of deliciously sticky poppy seed filling…which is slighty nutty and has a teeny little crunch. The gentle tang from the apricot jam is perfect. If you’ve never tasted a Poppy Seed Roll before, I urge you to try this out...and don’t forget to share the recipe!

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Chocolate-Banana Marble Bread

I’m not very good at following recipes. I don’t start out trying to be a recipe rebel but once I get into the kitchen, I tend to stray from the written word.

Yes, yes, you’re right that baking is incredibly scientific and you have to be careful with your tinkering. But, if you know a bit of the “why” behind what you’re doing and have a slightly daring spirit, you should be able to twist a recipe and get something yummy. And if it tastes like an old man’s boot…well, we learn from our mistakes!


My most recent recipe interpretation was for Chocolate-Banana Marble Bread. I know the original recipe is a good one because I tried it (a good starting point). Plus, I had some over-ripe bananas in the freezer that I wanted to clear out. The freezer is a good trick if you have bananas that are super-ripe but don’t have time to bake. All you need to do is peel them, stick them in a sealed plastic baggie and put them in the freezer.


The first thing I did to the marble bread recipe was add a bit of salt. I add salt to all baking recipes if they don’t include it, just a pinch of it boosts the flavors of everything else - your final product won’t taste salty…just more delicious.

In the original recipe, there was more butter than there needed to be. I decided to brown the butter in a small saucepan over low heat to pump up the butter flavor while using less of it (a great trick I got from America’s Test Kitchen). Since I had removed some of the butter but wanted to ensure that the final product was still moist, I decided to use a bit more buttermilk than the recipe called for and substitute half of the total sugar with brown sugar. Another issue I had with the original recipe was that it didn’t call for any actual chocolate (just cocoa powder). I’m a chocolate fiend so the chocolate omission needed to be addressed, and what better way than with chocolate chips?!


Speaking of chocolate chips…I’ve had a hard time finding really delicious chocolate chips. It’s easy to see the word “chocolate” and sort of trick yourself into thinking they taste good, but lots of the brands out there don’t! I did a taste test at home and was disappointed by the majority of the brands on the shelves. My favorite brand of chocolate chips at the local Whole Foods Market are made by the company “Enjoy Life”. The chocolate chips are mini, which I actually prefer in most baked goods…the proportions end up juuuuust right.



Out of the oven, all warm and toasty. Chocolate! Bananas! Joy!

The recipe I came up with is below…please tweak it to your liking.

Chocolate-Banana Marble Bread
(Thanks to Cindy Mushet for the recipe upon which this one is based)

3 very ripe medium sized bananas, peeled and at room temp
½ cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sifted pastry flour
1 cup sifted all purpose flour (you can use 2 sifted cups of all purpose flour if you don’t have pastry flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural is fine…I used natural)
3 tablespoons boiling water
6 Tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat a 9x5 loaf pan with melted butter or high-heat canola spray and line it with a piece of parchment that extends 1 inch beyond the long edges of both sides of the pan (this will make it easy to take the bread out of the pan).

Put butter in a small saucepan over low-moderate heat and swirl the pan as the butter melts and starts to brown…when the butter starts to smell slightly nutty and the color darkens to amber, take it off the heat and let it cool (if you burn the butter…and you’ll know if you do…start over or your marble bread will taste bitter).

Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside. Put the coca powder in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside.

Put the bananas in the bowl of a food processor and process to a smooth puree (or just mash them with a fork). Transfer the puree to a large bowl and add the sugars, buttermilk, cooled browned butter, vanilla, and eggs and whisk until just blended.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredient mixture and add the wet ingredients, gently mix until just blended...mix only until there aren’t any white pockets of flour.

Transfer half of the batter to a medium sized bowl, add the cocoa paste and gently but thoroughly blend it together.

Fold half of the chocolate chips into the light batter and half into the dark batter.

Drop alternating spoonfuls of the dark and light batters into the prepared pan, then “marbelize” it by using a spoon to gently turn the batter over in 3 places down the length of the pan (you’re essentially folding the two colors of batter into one another).

Bake for 55-65 minutes, until firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. When cool, remove from pan, peel off parchment and cut slices using a serrated knife.

Orange Pecan Cinnamon Swirl

I had some time on my hands, was feeling generous and know how Nick loves cinnamon buns. And so, I decided to bake up a delicious breakfast bread for him to bring to work…a riff on the sweet cinnamon buns he adores.

I started by making my favorite breakfast dough recipe. This dough is easy to put together and an absolute dream to work with. The only thing to watch out for with this dough is to make sure that the butter is room temp before incorporating it into the dough. If it’s not, it won’t incorporate smoothly and will take a bit more work.


Once the dough was smooth and silky, I rolled it out and filled it with orange zest, cinnamon, brown sugar, and toasted pecans (toasting nuts brings out a much stronger, richer flavor). I then rolled up the dough like I was making cinnamon buns, but then switched gears a bit. I wrapped it into a circle and cut slits 2 inches apart. Then I turned up these wedges so the filling was visible.

While it was baking, the whole apartment smelled of sweet cinnamon and I got an overwhelming feeling of comfort and “home”.

And then, out of the oven it came, and after some contemplation, I christened it “Orange Pecan Cinnamon Swirl”. I let it cool briefly and then drizzled an orange glaze over the top.


Lucky for me there was still one piece left when Nick came home that evening. It’s funny how people often feel bad taking the last piece of anything. If there’s a piece of something delicious left and I want to eat it…well, I see that as fate.

Turns out, the Orange Pecan Swirl was just as yummy for dessert as for breakfast.

For this recipe, go to the end of my post on August 28th and add the zest of 1 orange and 1 cup of toasted pecans to the filling, and substitute orange juice for the water in the glaze.

Banana Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Walnut Crunch

I am in a strange sort of limbo this week. I felt so clever when I put in my two weeks notice so that my last ho-hum day at my ho-hum office job would be one week before my first happy day at my first happy pastry place.

Having this time off seemed utterly divine and blissful as I was looking forward to it. I envisioned myself spending my days lounging on the couch, enrobed in fine linens while nibbling bonbons, with not a care in the world…

But, when Monday actually rolled around, the reality of it all was quite annoying. I realized that my couch isn’t very comfortable, I don’t have fine linens to wrap myself in, and eating too many bonbons gave me a splitting headache and made me cranky. Oh yeah, and I was lonely.

So, I did what makes me feel better…I baked something. And for me, there is really nothing cozier than baking muffins.



I had some over-ripe bananas and some lovely pink lady apples around, so I decided to put that combo together and sprinkle the top with a tasty cinnamon-walnut crunch. Luckily, these muffins cheered me up and were just as wonderful as I had imagined.

Banana Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Walnut Crunch
Makes 12 muffins

For the muffins:
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 pink lady apple, chopped into ¼ inch dice (I like the skin on, but do whatever makes you happy)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup cinnamon apple instant oatmeal (or any flavor you like…if you don’t have this around, you can just add an additional ¼ cup of flour instead)
¾ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ stick of butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Walnut Crunch:
*This makes more than you’ll need…use the rest to much on or put on top of yogurt.
1 egg white
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts

To make the Cinnamon Walnut Crunch:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Whisk egg white until frothy, then whisk in sugar and cinnamon. Fold in the nuts. Spread on parchment-lined sheet tray and bake for ~12 minutes, until beginning to dry. Stir to break up nuts. Continue to bake until nuts and coating are dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool and finely chop.

To make the Banana Apple Muffins:

Turn up the oven to 350 degrees (after the walnut crunch is done). In a large bowl, combine the flours, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and salt and whisk to mix well. In another large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, melted but cooled butter, milk, eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the banana mixture into the well and stir gently with a rubber spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumps scattered throughout are fine. Gently fold in the apple pieces until evenly distributed.

Grease muffin tin or line with 12 paper liners. Fill each spot ¾ full with batter. Sprinkle Cinnamon Walnut Crunch evenly on top. Bake muffins for ~17-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Warm and Gooey Cinnamon Buns

In the whirlwind of life, it’s easy to overlook the small things that make it beautiful…like a deliciously sweet bite of nectarine, a small dainty flower by the sidewalk, the sun on your face or a crunchy piece of toast drizzled with clover honey. It’s nice to find things to look forward to, things that make you happy and think “Oh yes, life is good.”

One of the things that makes me happy is weekend brunch – it’s one of my favorite meals to eat, and to cook (probably because there is generally a fair amount of baking involved). I like to host brunches too - they offer a nice space to catch up with friends and enjoy a bit of a slow and lazy afternoon.


Freshly baked, ooey-gooey Cinnamon Buns are a happy addition to a brunch table…the smell of the sweet cinnamon and slight yeastiness in the air is satisfying and cozy.

Cinnamon Buns are great for so many reasons…including the fact that you can make them the night before, and then just pop them into the oven the next day (which means you get to sleep in!).


The dough for these Cinnamon Buns is one of my favorite breakfast breads…it’s lighter than a brioche but still tastes rich and buttery, and it’s incredibly versatile.


You can fill the breakfast dough (or not) with whatever you want, perhaps a filling with a bit of strawberry rhubarb jam and almonds sounds good to you…or maybe a poppy seed filling with an apricot glaze. Whatever you fancy, this is one of those things you'll look forward to.

Warm and Gooey Cinnamon Buns
(adapted from Cindy Mushett)

Dough:
1/2 cup warm milk, 110-115 degrees (I used 1% milk, but you can use whatever you have)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 1 1/8 teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, very soft (not melted)


Filling:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon warm water

1. Mix and Knead the Dough - Combine warm milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Whisk by hand to blend well. Let the mixture sit for 5 - 10 minutes, until the yeast is activated. Add the egg and yolk and whisk by hand until well blended. Stir in the flour and salt with a silicone spatula. Attach the dough hook and knead on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough may look ragged at this point but don't worry - it will smooth out when the butter is added. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the soft butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to blend in before adding the next. Once all the butter has been added, decrease the speed to medium-low and continue to knead for 5-6 minutes longer, until the dough looks soft and silky.

2. Rise the Dough (First Rise) - Lightly butter or oil a tub or bowl, scrape the dough in and then brush the surface of the dough with a little butter or oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

3. Roll the Dough - Dust your work surface with flour. Turn the risen dough out of the tub or bowl onto the flour. Press down firmly with your hands to expel as much of the gas as possible, but don't knead the dough or the gluten will be too developed for the dough to roll easily. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a 10x16 inch rectangle. Position the dough so that one of the long sides is parallel to the edge of your work surface. Brush any remaining flour from the surface and underside of the dough.

4. Make the Filling - Place the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of the stand mixer and blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and slightly lightened, 2-3 minutes. Scrap down the bowl. Use a silicone spatula to spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the long side opposite you.

5. Shape the Buns - Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, gently tucking and tightening as you roll. Wet your fingers and rub a thing film of water along the empty border. Finish rolling the dough into the border. Roll the dough backwards so the seam is facing upward and pinch all along it to seal the dough. Turn the seam side down and use a chef's knife to cut the roll into 10 equal pieces. Set each bun with a cut side up on your work surface and gently flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand. Place the buns into a lightly buttered 10" round cake pan, spacing them evenly.

6. Proof the dough (Second Rise) - Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and set aside to rise until the rolls have almost doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

7. Bake the Buns - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Bake the buns for 30-35 minutes, until the buns are deep golden brown and the center register 185 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a cooling rack.

8. Make the Glaze - In a medium bowl, stir the confectioners sugar and warm water vigorously with a silicone spatula until there are no lumps remaining, adding a few more drops of water if needed. Use a fork to drizzle the glaze over the warm buns. Then, enjoy!

Danish Pastries You'll Want to Eat

My experience with Danish…of the pastry sort…has been bleak. I blame it on icky motels' “complimentary breakfasts” where the boxed Danish (usually resembling a coffeecake) is a standard feature…neighboring stale white bread, a broken toaster and jelly in plastic containers.

Inside the feeble pastry box, with a plastic “window” (try not to look in!), is a slab of soggy-sweet Danish dough. It’s usually filled with some sort of fruity/tar-like goop and high-fructose corn syrup is mandatory. This Danishy thing is disgusting just to look at, let alone eat.

But it’s simply not fair, right or reasonable to judge all Danish against this sucrose abomination. And so, let’s figure out the real deal with Danish. Is it actually edible?



If you tend to enjoy warm, yeasty breakfast pastries (given they are made by a competent baker), then you’ll make room in your heart and tummy for the Danish. It’s sweet, crisp and soft at the same time, sticky in a nice way, and can host a variety of fillings from cream cheese to fruit to nuts to whatever else…in fact, if you have any interesting Danish filling ideas, let me know!



Making Danish follows almost exactly the same process as making Croissants (for reference, see my 7/24/09 post on Croissants). The main difference is that Danish dough contains more eggs, which makes it a bit softer and more tender. It is formed into a variety of traditional shapes and is usually brushed with some sort of fruit jam/glaze immediately after it emerges from the oven. I especially like the way a Danish wreath looks, and it’s actually a simple shape to make.

You start by rolling the dough into a rectangle, and then you fill the middle (I used a lemon cream cheese filling topped with blueberries). Be sure to leave a bit of an edge on so you can seal it without the filling gushing out.



Then, you roll it up, shape in into a circle and make slits along the sides (mine were about 2 inches deep and 2 inches apart). You then turn the dough in between the slits to face up (so you can see the filling).



Then you bake it, glaze it…and eat it.

Roasted Red Pepper, Feta and Basil Muffins

After long workdays that I spend sitting on my bum for far too long, I stroll up the San Francisco hills and wind through the (windy!) Italian neighborhood, called North Beach. I’m on my way to my pastry classroom at The Tante Marie Cooking School. Along my journey, I inhale deeply as I pass the chocolate shop on the corner of Columbus and Stockton. It smells more like rich and buttery caramel than chocolate, but is still a sweet reprieve from the usual city “aroma”- which I will avoid describing in case anyone reading this is in the midst of a snack.

Once I have climbed an urban mountain, I see the lovely Bay in the distance (some days more clearly than others, we’re at the mercy of the fog). When I see the water, I feel happier…relaxed…lucky.



And then, down the street I go, trying to look somewhat normal as I walk/run (the run part is not on purpose) down the hill towards the school, wearing a giant backpack overstuffed with my apron, checkered pants, pastry jacket and recipes.





Once inside the school, dinner (courtesy of the culinary students) is served.



In return, we leave them pastries for the next morning, which are generally well received. However, one snooty culinary student once told me that she didn’t like to eat pastries in the morning, so could we please just make oatmeal. For that comment, she will not be invited to my next birthday party…(humph). After dinner, we start baking the recipes for the evening.

And now, I’m going to flip things around a little bit…I’m going to recipe travel back to the first week of pastry school and write about muffins. I know muffins aren’t fancy, they certainly don’t require a pastry school background, and they are often passed up in bakery cases. A friend of mine even suggested that “Muffins are just ugly cupcakes." Well, that is ludicrous...maybe cupcakes are just muffins in drag! [By the way, I’m not anti-cupcake…I just like muffins better].

And now, since I’ve already time traveled, I’m going to confuse things even more. One of the things that I’ve learned from pastry school that I wasn’t necessarily expecting is a new approach towards thinking about foods and recipes. There is sort of a release from expectations…twists on ingredients and food norms that create something a bit unexpected. For example...



Roasted Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Muffins. What? A muffin? But, it’s savory. Why, yes…it is….and it is delicious!



These muffins are great in the morning…or mid-day with some soup or salad for lunch…or with a nice piece of steak/fish/whatever you fancy for dinner. In a nutshell…these muffins are just yummy. You should really give them a try, I think you’ll be happily surprised.

Roasted Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Muffins
(adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet)

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached AP Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cups (4 ounces) jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1/4 inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with butter, oil, or high-heat oil spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside.

Pour the buttermilk into a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and egg and whisk together until well blended. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumbs scattered throughout are fine, they will disappear during the baking. Gently fold in the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed.

Use a large ice cream scoop or two soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer muffin tin to a a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently run a thin knife or spatula arond each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffns and transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm.

Brioche

Oh my…Brioche. What a delicious and surprisingly simple bread to make. Brioche is buttery and soft with sweet and savory undertones that make it absolutely delicious on its own or as a companion to other tastes, textures and flavors.

Brioche is deliciously comforting straight out of the oven spread with a bit of orange marmalade, the bitterness of the orange peel cradled by the soft, lush buttery bread. Or, crisped in a pan as a sandwich filled with smoked gouda and roasted red peppers…the cheese oozing and gooing out the middle. And of course, it makes one of the most deliciously fluffy and decadent French toast slices you’ve ever tasted.

We often see Brioche baked into loaves, but Brioche à tête is the classical shape for this bread. It includes forming the dough into balls that are stacked in fluted tins with one small dough ball placed on top. It’s important to note that Brioche dough is quite sticky and can turn chaotic. It tries to take control of your life (or it at least resists the whole rolling situation) if it isn’t tamed by an adequate amount of flour.



The formed dough is then allowed to proof before being egg washed and baked.



When Brioche comes out of the oven, it is shiny and golden with a soft aroma that begs you to indulge in a nibble.



Taking the extra time to make and use a pre-ferment when baking up a batch of Brioche encourages a more distinct and delicious taste. The below recipe is a fantastic Brioche that is sure to make you and your eaters very happy.

Brioche
(Jeanie Brown)

Pre-ferment
105 grams flour
70 grams water
¼ tsp instant yeast

Mix together on low speed for 4 minutes and leave at room temp for 12 hours (75 degrees)

For the dough
105 grams of the pre-ferment
315 grams flour (AP or Bread)
70 grams water
1 Tb + 1 tsp instant yeast
1 ¼ tsp salt
160 grams butter (cold but pliable, take from fridge and pound with rolling pic
190 gr. Eggs (~3 ½…don’t count the shells)
3 Tbsp Sugar

Egg wash (just an egg beaten with a fork will do)

Add all ingredients to the mixer except the butter. Mix with dough hook on 1st speed for ~5-10 minutes until the dough is full developed (it should be shiny and string-like as it pulls away from sides of the bowl).
Gradually add the cold butter, slowly at first, over the period of 15-20 minutes on second speed (just break off bits of butter and throw it in…and yes, it does need to take that long to achieve the perfect texture…just be patient).
Let rise for 90 minutes.
Chill overnight.
Shape dough as desired, place in buttered pans and proof for about 60 minutes. Egg wash and then bake in a 350 degree oven (that was preheated to 375 degrees but turned down as soon as the bread goes in) for ~16-20 minutes.

Raisin, Rosemary, and Cinnamon Focaccia

On lazy weekend mornings, I often wake up with dreams of baking still swirling around in my head, like the steam coming off a hot cup of coffee. Sometimes, I’m so enticed by these thoughts of baking that I eagerly pop out of my warm, cozy bed and prance into the kitchen. I swing my apron on over my pajamas, preheat the oven, and start playing with flour and sugar.

Baking in the morning is such a gentle and lovely way to start the day. The aromas fill the house (or tiny San Francisco apartment) with happiness and the promise of something delicious, soon to be enjoyed.

This past weekend, I decided to do a little advance planning and try out a recipe I’d been thinking about for awhile: Raisin, Rosemary and Cinnamon Focaccia. Although you can complete the entire Focaccia recipe in one day, you’d have to wake up before the sun to get it baked off in time for breakfast or brunch. I prefer that the sun wakes up before I do, so I put together most of the recipe on Saturday for a Sunday bake.



First I plumped the Raisins in hot water for about 5 minutes, which heightens the lush, juiciness of the Raisins in the final bread. I like to do this step with most dried fruits that I bake with to ensure that the fruits are tender and delicious…it is simply too disappointing to take a bite into an irresistible bread…only to discover that it is dotted with hard, unappealing dried fruits. Next, I proofed the yeast in warm milk and mixed in the dry ingredients. This Focaccia recipe has milk in it instead of the more traditional water, so it has a softer and more tender crumb than most (the fat in the milk coats the gluten strands in the flour so they can’t link together as easily, resulting in a more tender bread). I then left the yeast to do its magic, and waited for the dough to double in size (about an hour and a half).



I then punched the dough blob down and shaped it on a sheet tray. Then I brushed the top lightly with olive oil, covered it with plastic wrap and slid it into the fridge for later. On Sunday morning, all I had to do was sprinkle the top with some Turbinado Sugar (bigger, crunchier crystals than table sugar) and pop it into the oven.



The resulting Focaccia is softly sweet and full of juicy Raisins that are nicely balanced by the crunchy Turbinado Sugar baked into the crust. The deep fruitiness of the Raisins is enriched further by the Cinnamon and Rosemary, which not only taste delicious but smell simply divine. This Focaccia is worth the time.



This focaccia recipe was written originally to be done in a KitchenAid Mixer, but I adapted these instructions to do it without one. If you are the lucky owner of a KtichenAid, then proceed as instructed below but reduce all kneading times by about 2 minutes. Also, be sure to scrape sides of bowl and turn dough occassionally while kneading.

Raisin, Rosemary and Cinnamon Focaccia
(adapted from “The Art and Sould of Cooking” by Cindy Mushet)

2 cups plump sweet raisins
2 ¼ cups warm milk (I used 2%) heated to 110-115 degrees
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
5 cups bread flour (or AP Flour)
3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
2 bunches fresh rosemary, leaves removed and very finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 Tablespoons Turbinado sugar


To plump raisins: Place in saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then turn off heat, cover pan, and let raisins sit for 5 minutes. Drain the raisins in the colander set in the sink and shake off any excess water. Spread raisins on baking sheet and cool.

Mix and Knead the dough: Combine warmed milk and sugar in large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on the top. Whisk in ¼ cup of flour by hand. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in another 2 cups of flour and mix thoroughly for ~5 minutes (I used my hands for this, which I coated lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking, but a wooden spoon would do the trick).

Add the raisins, olive oil, rosemary, cinnamon and salt to the dough and mix until well blended. Add the remaining 2 ¾ cups of flour and knead for ~6 minutes (the dough will be very sticky…I kneaded the dough while it was still in the bowl by sort of squishing it together with my hands, which were lightly oiled).

Rise the dough (first rise): Lightly oil the tub a bowl, scrape the dough in and lightly coat the surface of the dough with little oil. Cover with plastic wrap or lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1-1 ½ hours. If you’re using a tub, be sure to mark the starting level of the dough with a pencil or piece of tape so it’s easy to tell when the dough has doubled.

Punch down and shape the dough: Scrape the risen dough onto a greased 17x12 inch baking sheet with ½ inch sides and press dwon onto the dough firmly to expel some air bubbles (but don’t knead the dough again). Push and stretch the dough into an even layer in the pan. If the dough begins to pull back and resist stretching, you can brush the top with a little olive oil, set the pan aside for 10 minutes and then try again.

Proof the dough: Brush the dough with a little olive oil and cover pan with plastc wrap. Let the dough rise until it is almost doubled in size. Or, if you want to bake the focaccia the following day, brush the dough with a little olive oil, let rise ~20 minutes, cover with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator overnight.

Prepare oven: Place baking or pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Be sure to allow ~45 minutes for the stone to fully heat.

Bake the Focaccia: If you had the dough in the fridge overnight, take it out for ~30 minutes before proceeding. If not, continue on.

Remove plastic wrap, brush the dough olive oil if it was refrigerated (you can skip this additional oil if you didn’t refrigerate the dough overnight), dimple the dough by gently pressing your fingertips into the dough, about ½ inch deep, taking care not to deflate the dough by pressing too hard or making too many dimples.

Sprinkle the dough with Turbinado sugar and bake for 30-35 minutes (check that internal temp is at least 200 degrees F). Transfer to a cooling rack, brush lightly with olive oil immediately and cool for ~10 minutes before serving. Cut focaccia with a serrated knife.

Baking Bagels

It’s sort of an anomaly that I’m enamored with bagels. I grew up in the Midwest, which surely doesn’t explain it. And, although I’ve been carb-centric my whole life, I didn’t experience a REAL bagel until I was nearly twenty (thanks to my move to New York when I transferred colleges).

It was an edible epiphany…the reality of a B-A-G-E-L was so different from anything I’d experienced before. I realized that I’d been duped for all these years by rolls with holes, fictitiously labeled “bagels” in the grocery aisles I’d grown up in.

To me, the perfect bagel has a chewy, crunch of an exterior that your teeth pierce through, almost with a snap. A bagel has spring and depth to it, and I love mine topped with sesame seeds. There is something about the seeds’ slight texture and sweet undertone that complement the doughy orb perfectly.

Now that I live in San Francisco, I’ve been bagel frustrated for almost a year. The bagels that I’ve encountered in the Bay Area are imposters. I had almost decided to give up when (luckily) my bagel libido was revived. I realized that I could overcome this bagel dilemma…all I had to do was MAKE them.



The recipe I used called for a “poolish” which is a pre-ferment that needs to hang out for at least 12 hours before using. When it’s ready, you make the bagel dough, which you then form and rest (for another ~6-12 hours).



Then, it’s time for boiling in a molasses-baking soda bath (the key to a bagel’s chewy exterior) and baking.



My first bagel attempt was only a partial success…I’d let my dough rest for too long, and the result was a slightly over-darkened, craggy specimen (though still tasty).



But, I was determined to perfect the art of bagel making. And, on Sunday morning, I basked in bagel glory. The little golden bagels were plump (so plump that their holes were nearly squashed closed) and chewy and divine…topped with a little cream cheese, butter or homemade strawberry–rhubarb jam…mmmm. Any takers?




Bagels

Poolish:
1 c. bread flour
1/8 t. instant yeast
1 c. water (at the temp specified on your yeast package...mine was 120-130 degrees F)
Mix well, cover and leave at room temp 3-5 hours; refrigerate overnight

Final Dough:
1 c. Poolish (from above)
1/2 t. instant yeast
1/2 c. water (at the temp specified on our yeast package...mine was 120-130 degrees F)
16 oz. bread flour
1 T. vital wheat gluten (I found this at Whole Foods Market)
3 t. kosher salt
1 1/2 T. Malt Syrup (I also found this at Whole Foods Market)
Cornmeal (for dusting sheet pan)
Toppings, if desired (sesame seeds, poppy seads, onion, salt, etc.)

Add to Water for Poaching:
1 T. Molasses
1/2 t. baking soda

Allow poolish to come to room temp.
Stir yeast into the water just to dissolve.
Combine the poolish, flour, gluten, salt, syrup and water-yeast mixture in the bowl of electric mixer with the dough hook.
Mix 1 minute at low speed, 10-12 minutes medium speed. The dough should be slightly stiff, dense, smooth and dry. Add additional water if needed.
Cut dough into 10 equal pieces (3-4 oz each). Roll pieces into balls; cover: let rest 5 minutes.
Line a sheet pan with parchment and dust lightly with cornmeal.
Roll each ball into a 6 inch rope, loop it around your hand with the ends slightly overlapping in your palm. Roll the ends on the counter to seal.
Place the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the prepared pan.
Enclose the pan in a plastic bag and let rise 1 1/2 hours until they have increased by about 25%. Refrigerate the dough at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Position the oven rack in the middle and preheat to 475. Have a sheet pan lined with parchment sprinkled with cornmeal near the stove. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce heat until the water shimmers; add molasses and baking soda to the water.
Gently drop the dough into the water, cooking in batches. Flip them after 1 minute and poach on the other side for one minute.
Remove the bagels with slotted spoon to the prepared pan. Sprinkle seeds or toppings if desired.
Bake bagels 10-12 minutes until light brown, rotating the baking sheet as needed for even dough color. Let them cool 30 minutes before eating.

Saved by the Walnut Bread

I love, love bread. I love making it, smelling it and eating it. When Christa asked who was interested in preparing a bread starter (made of flour, yeast and water) before Saturday’s class, I was an eager beaver. Of course I wanted to do it! Plus, making a bread starter is simple…really simple.

Simple or not, there are certain circumstances when one should not attempt to make a bread starter. Trust me.

I put together (or tried to) my rendition of a bread starter late-ish on Friday night. Yes, Friday night……I’m aware how lame this makes me. Anyway, I was supremely exhausted after a long week, did not have back-up ingredients (in case of a malfunction), and was emotionally drained. I mixed my ingredients together and noticed that the recipe said to knead the mixture a few times. Hmmm….my bread starter had the consistency of buttermilk…not exactly knead-able. I realized that I had accidentally doubled the amount of water and ruined my bread starter. I cried.

The next morning, I went to class bearing my failed bread starter. It didn’t matter. “Okay, don’t use that…make the walnut bread with Patty instead,” said Christa. The walnut bread didn’t require a starter and was a perfect idea to me. I also thought Patty was a perfect partner in my breadventure. She gets my humor (shocker here….not everyone does…).

The walnut bread dough is straight forward, with minimal ingredients (flour, water, yeast, salt, walnuts, and walnut oil). However, walnuts are independent, funky things that hate dough. Upon attempted incorporation, they turn into nutty missiles with bad aim…shooting out every which-way and refusing to become one with the dough.

We had finally defeated the rebellious walnuts by kneading them into submission when we noticed another unexpected result. The bread dough had decided to turn slightly purple. It was odd…made no sense…and is a characteristic of all walnut breads I’ve ever eaten. I’m not sure why the purple tint occurs, but I’m sure there is some scientific explanation. Perhaps some reaction from the walnut oil? I bet Alton Brown would know.

After our dough was done with yet another long rest, we formed it into two rounds, slashed them with “the slasher” and popped them into the oven. The bread is ready when it’s crust is golden brown, and it sounds hollow when you knock on it with your hand (don’t burn yourself….).

Walnut Bread

1 ½ tsp instant yeast
7 fl oz water, room temp.
340 g flour (~2 ¾ cups)
2 tsp salt
½ c chopped walnuts
3 fl oz walnut oil, divided in thirds
coarse salt for crust, if desired

In a large mixing bowl, mix water, flour, yeast, salt and 1 oz walnut oil; knead until smooth and then knead in walnuts (~15-20 minutes of kneading).

Let rise until double, about 1-1 ½ hours.

Knead in another oz of oil; let rise again until double.

Knead in last oz of oil; let rest 5-10 minutes.

Shape into one medium or two small loaves; let rise until almost double.

Sprinkle with salt, if desired; bake in 425 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.