Whole Wheat Bread

This bread recipe comes from the cookbook, Laurel’s Kitchen. It is kind of the Joy of Cooking for the vegetarian world. I enjoyed reading it. She talks about her journey into the world of nutrition in San Francisco when the hippie movement was just taking hold. On the whole, I have become much more sympathetic to hippies since moving out East. Most of Laurel's recipes need a tweak or two or three but this bread provides a good basis if you are just starting out.

Basic Whole Grain Bread

3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s).

Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. In a few minutes, when the yeast comes bubbling to the top, stir in half of the whole wheat flour (and beat very well, until the dough ceases to be grainy and becomes smooth and stretchy. –I never do this.)

Add the salt and the remaining flour cup by cup, mixing well. Knead it in the bowl until it is no longer sticky, then turn it out onto a floured board.

As the dough gets stiffer and harder to knead, sprinkle the remaining flour a little at a time on the tabletop and knead the dough on top of it.

Knead, push and fold until the dough is soft and springy to touch and return it to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl snugly, allowing room for the dough to double in bulk. If not doing a retarded rise (see next entry): punch the dough down and allow it to rise again until it has doubled in bulk.

Grease two loaf pans or two 46-ounce juice cans. Divided the dough in half and flatten each half into an oblong the length of the load pan. Cover the pans to protect from drafts and let the loaves rise once more, until they have doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees towards the end of the rising period. When the bread is rounded just above the rim, spread a bit of milk on the top of the loaves and bake it for about 40 minutes. When you remove it from the pan and tap it on the sides or bottom. It should sound slightly hollow. The color should be a golden brown. Allow the bread to cool, then slice and serve.

Variations: I tried just raisins but was not satisfied with this combination. So I added raisins and walnuts to the next loaf and enjoyed this a lot more. The raisin bread needs an accompaniment. I know many people do not like walnuts so another type of nut one could use might be unsalted sunflower seeds. You can add many other dried fruits, nuts, and/or herbs. Just don’t soak the dried fruit as it can leach excess sugar into the bread and add it right before the

My thoughts about this recipe: It is the only 100 percent whole wheat recipe I have found so far. Cooking with whole wheat can be more difficult, but more on that later. Also, I tried adjusting the salt. One teaspoon is far too little and negatively affects the rising process. Two teaspoons is great if you are very sensitive to salt. I ended up liking one tablespoon salt and it is the maximum you can put in the recipe without negatively affecting the rising process. Please see next entry for further ruminations on baking bread.

The dough should be relatively moist. Do not add too much flour. With whole wheat flour, it is especially important that your dough is as wet as possible, because this will allow it to rise more easily. Just remember that it should not be so wet that you cannot knead it. In DC, I usually use a little less than the recipe calls for. When I am kneading, a thin layer of dough attaches to my palms and it is almost too sticky to knead properly. Play around with it a bit and figure out what works for you.

Bagels and more

So I have been busy lately. Mostly trying to perfect recipes, finish school, juggle two jobs, and find a job.
In my spare time (Thursday from 11:30 to 2:00 and sometimes Friday afternoon), I have been cooking out of Laurel's Kitchen. I am working on the bagel, bread and granola recipes. So I was wondering...what makes a bagel good?
Suggestions so far have been chewy, crisp on the outside, and no hole in the middle.
Will keep you updated on how it is going and any thoughts on the perfect bagel are always appreciated.

Gravy

Gravy. Original here
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons braggs
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and nutritional yeast and brown it slightly. Continuously stir it so it does not burn. Add braggs to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Comments: Very good with a strong flavor. Changes that were made to the orginal recipe: butter was used to replace the oil. Original recipe called for 1/2 of oil. I changed it to 1/4 cup butter, but if you are worried about your cholesterol or are vegan, oil works fine. Two tablespoons of braggs was substituted for four tablespoons of soy sauce. I upped the salt from 1/2 teaspoon to one teaspoon to make up for the fact that braggs does not have salt but you should really just season it to taste since vegetable broths all have different sodium contents.
Also, my dad taught me that the key to a good gravy was browning the flour, which I agree. Otherwise you get a lumpy ball of dough and who wants to eat that?

Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes

I made Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes with an old roomie. Actually followed the recipe this time since he read it multiple times.

Here is the recipe or you can click on the link. It was real good.

3 tablespoons curry powder, preferably Three Golden Bells brand
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground chili paste or dried chili flakes, or to taste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled, cut into 3 slices and bruised with the flat side of a knife
1 1/2 cups fresh chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
3 carrots, peeled, cut on the diagonal into 2/3-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or cow's milk
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

GARNISHES
1/2 cup Asian basil leaves, cut in half
8 sprigs cilantro, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 scallions, chopped

Preparation

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat the meat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chili paste and the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder, and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges of the pieces are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, onion and sweet potato and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with Asian basil, cilantro and scallions, and serve.

Things we changed: be careful not to cook the veggies too long. Also it would be good with just breast meat. The thighs were good but it was annoying to have to take the meat off the bone.

Pfefferneuse

This is a family recipe from my mom's mom. I was going to make it twice a year but last year only made it once. The oven broke and it was impossible to bake them. This recipe makes a lot of cookies that keep for a year in air tight jar. I know it sounds freaky, but back in the day, this is how the folks did it. Also, these cookies may be misnamed in the grand scheme of things but not in the familial sense. Pfefferneuse are usually black pepper cookies but these are made with anise seed. Several words of warning: these cookies are not chewy, they are not for everyone, and they are best enjoyed two or three at a time with a cup o' tea.

Pfefferneuse
3 c sugar
1 c butter (2 sticks)
2 c heavy sweet cream
3 c dark Karo syrup
5 tbls chopped anise seed
12 to 13 c flour
1 tsp baking ammonia
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp of each allspice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger

Mix ingredients well until a stiff dough
Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Roll small amounts into a long thin strip and cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
Bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes.
Store in glass jars (traditionally mason jars), not in the freezer.
Makes two gallons.

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole

Did I mention I am obsessed with baked dishes as of late? The original to this recipe called for four eggs, 1 package of spinach and 50 percent more dill. There is still a lot of dill in the recipe but it wasn't too overpowering and complemented the spinach really well. One person described it as a lot like the filling for spanakopita but without the gross filo dough.

Spinach-Cheddar Casserole

3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 16-ounce container cottage cheese
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup packed grated sharp cheddar cheese + 1/2 cup for top
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dillweed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs, salt and pepper to blend in large bowl. Thaw and drain as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Mix in spinach. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Transfer mixture to prepared dish. Top with a little bit of cheddar cheese.

Bake casserole until center is firm and top is golden, about 50 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese

So this is my mom's macaroni. I love it. It is not overly creamy and has a golden top to it. I will give you her recipe and then my modifications. It is best served with ham...

Macaroni and Cheese the Original

1 package macaroni
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
1 c milk
1 c half and half
1 teas salt
1/4 teas seasoning salt
1/8 teas pepper
8 ounces cheddar cheese (two to three cups)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni as per the instructions on the package.
Melt butter gently in a sauce pan on low heat and add flour, salt and pepper. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Then slowly add milk and then half and half all the while stirring the mixture. Heat until milk begins to slightly foam. Do not bring to a boil. On low heat or with no heat, stir in shredded cheese until it is melted. Add noodles and bake in a small casserole dish until golden brown on top (30 to 40 minutes).

The recipe I made for 10 people...

Macoroni and Cheese the Collective

2 packages macaroni
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
1/2 c flour
4 c whole milk
2 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
12 ounces cheddar cheese (three to four cups)
4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni as per the instructions on the package.
Melt butter gently in a sauce pan on low heat and add flour, salt and pepper. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Then slowly add milk all the while stirring the mixture. Heat until milk begins to slightly foam. Do not bring to a boil. On low heat or with no heat, stir in shredded cheese until it is melted. Add noodles and bake in a small casserole dish until golden brown on top (30 to 40 minutes).

Notes: I forgot to add the salt which it definitely needs. Also, I made mine with three cups of whole milk because I was nervous about adding so much liquid. Next time I will stick with all four cups.