Call for Recipes

[james]

We are making good progress on the cookbook (I guess we will decide at the last minute whether we make one or two), and I wanted to invite everyone to send me your favorite recipe by email (or in the forum) and I will include it in the book.
James

[james]

Re: Call for Recipes

Even if you don't have the recipe, just send photos!
James

[carioca]

Re: Call for Recipes

Hello James,

a photo of my whole grain/wholemeal/rye flour bread is somewhere on the FB site (I guess under Introductions). Hendo referenced the photo the other day and asked for the recipe. I provided him with this method by private e-mail, but if you think it is worthwhile to include in your cookbook, I'll tighten up the recipe and pass it on.

PS: Bianca has threatened dire consequences if I divulger HER sourdough bread recipe, but this is a good approximation.... I don't know if Hendo has tried it yet, but it's usually a top bread even in an electric oven...


Here goes: You are right, it looks good, feels good and has an excellent taste. I used to claim that "It's the best bread between here and Hanover!"

I am a very haphazard baker, so what I do is soak a varying quantity (1 cup to 1 1/2 cups) of organic wheat grain in filtered water for three or four days (running fresh filtered water on to the container if it gets a bit frothy on top).

I try the grain for bite, and if they're nice and soft, I mix them with a bit of sourdough starter, a bit of organic plain white flour and a spoonful of molasses of a morning.

By afternoon the starter has turned the whole lot into a nice bubbly mixture. I then add organic wholemeal (maybe three cups) flour, about the same amount of rye flour, and some more organic plain white flour.

I mix the lot, adding filtered water as I go, making sure it doesn't get too wet. I add 1 to 1.5 tsps of salt.

Then I start kneading the dough for a while by hand, until it starts feeling springy from the gluten structures that develop (because of the rye, it doesn't get as springy as all-wheat flour dough).

I let the dough stand overnight, knock it back down in the morning, kneading for a little while. Sometimes it has gone softer overnight so I add some white flour as I knead...

Then divide the dough into two halves, put it into 1 kg bread tins (each half fills about half a tine), cut slashes into the top and sprinke some white flour over the top.

The loaves then are left to rise again until they (hopefully) fill the entire tin and bulge nicely...

Just before they are at their highest, I preheat the oven (underfloor element only in this model) to about 220 C. When the temperature is reached, I bake the loaves for about an hour (I set the timer for an hour - its maximum - then add perhaps 5 minutes more if I think it's necessary. I'm generally guided by the smell of the bread as to its degree of 'done-ness'...

As I said, I'm a casual baker, and my wife, who's been baking our bread for the past 35 years or so (without grains and with only a tablespoon or two of rye and NO white flour) despairs of my methods. But she likes my bread, particularly in thick slices at lunchtime as a hearty snack! (I slice it rather thinly, as I believe you should give the butter, cheese, meat or whatever you put on your sandwich a chance, too!)

Have a go, it's not rocket science!

Cheers

[james]

Re: Call for Recipes

I respect the "baking by feel" technique, but personally, I can't do it -- I don't think I have enough of a feel at this point. Maybe I will take some professional lessons as some point, and try to get there but for now, I weigh the flour and water before I add them. Boring.
James

[maver]

Re: Call for Recipes

James, I previously posted this in the pizza thread (edited a little here) - a recipe my dad began making after a trip to Italy when I was probably in fourth grade. Potato pizza - a pizza bianco

Stretch your crust and layer on top in this order-
very thin sliced potato (may want to use a mandolin - it should be thin enough to pass light through the whole slice), russet works well
Fresh mozz
garlic, salt (go a bit heavy here, remember the potato absorbs this), pepper
fresh thyme or rosemary
fresh grated romano or parmesan
dice green onions or thin sliced red or yellow onion
drizzle EVOO.

This usually has guests a bit suspicious, but on their second visit they always make sure we are making it again.