Bread

Is it white bread or cornbread?

November 6, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It’s a mix of both! This is yet another recipe inspired by Spencer and one of his finds at a local restaurant. I remember the first time he had this bread he went on and on about how good it was and how unique it was. He was amazed how it was a normal bread but it had the flavor of cornmeal and the cornmeal could also be tasted. The next few times he went to that restaurant he had the same sandwich with the same “jalapeno cornmeal bread”; he was definitely obsessed with this bread by now. Ever time he had it he would come home and describe the flavors of it and tell me how awesome it was to have a bread that was a real bread but flavored with cornmeal.

From all of his raves I knew I needed to be hunting for a recipe that was similar to this amazing bread. I started my hunt not a moment too soon. About a week ago he was going to this famed restaurant to get his favorite sandwich but when he arrived they were closed. Just like so many other businesses right now, they were struggling to make it with the economy being like it is and unfortunately they are closed…hopefully just for the time being.

My first attempt of this famous bread was pretty good but I am still working on perfection. I didn’t stray too far from the original recipe since this was my first time baking it but it turned tasty. It smelled so good while it was baking and then when I pulled it out of the oven the loaves were so pretty and golden! They tasted awesome; and all the flavors were very evident but not overwhelming at all. This is definitely a “must try” bread! I’ll keep posting with my modifications to this recipe and possibly with a recipe of my own!

Cheesy Cornmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 (1 tbsp) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cups grated colby jack cheese
5 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used 5 Cups)

2 Tablespoons diced jalapenos

3-5 Tablespoons jalapeno juice (I will probably add more next time)

Directions

Pour boiling water over cornmeal and let stand until just warm.

Stir together sugar and lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand until doubled in volume.

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, salt, brown sugar, 1 cup cheddar cheese, cornmeal mixture and yeast mixture. Stir well. Mix in jalapenos and jalapeno juice until evenly mixed. Add flour 1 cup at a time. When dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured surface. Knead in additional flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead dough 10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1/2 hours. Punch dough and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place into buttered loaf pans. Let rise again until doubled in volume. Carefully sprinkle remaining cheese over bread.

Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and sides of loaf are also golden. Remove bread from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Adapted From: Shop World Kitchen

Daring Bakers Pizza Dough

October 29, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

This was my first challenge as a member of The Daring Bakersand I enjoyed every moment of it. The challenge this month was to make real pizzaria style pizzas by tossing the dough and everything. What an experience! I definitely don’t see tossing pizzas in a pizzeria in my future but I sure did have a lot of fun.

The hosts of the challenge for this month were supposed to be: Rosa of Rosas Yummy Yumms, Sher of What Did You Eat?, and Glenna of A Fridge Full of Food. Glenna had a little too much going on so she decided to pull out of the Daring Bakers so she ended up not being a host this month. Sherry (Sher) suddenly past away in July of this year but before she did she had shared her idea of the pizza challenge with Rosa. In honor of Sher, Rosa decided to keep the pizzaria pizza as the challenge. I’m sure Sherry would have had a wonderful time doing this challenge, but in honor and as a tribute tons of pizza doughs were flying through the air in October for her. Thanks to Sherry for finding this challenge and recipe and sharing it wil Rosa and thank you Rosa for honoring Sherry through this challenge.

I have made a few different types of pizza dough but none of the doughs I’ve made have been a 2 day process. When I first read this challenge and saw the dough was going to take two days to prepare I was kind of leary. I knew it would be better to do this challenge on a weekend so I could take my time with everything and make sure I did everything as the directions read. This dough turned out incredible; the flavor was so light and fresh and it goes with basically any type of recipe you can create. This recipe makes quite a bit of dough, so it’s one that could be made then frozen in individual bags or containers in the freezer. I will definitely be using this recipe again, it was awesome.

The only guidelines to this challenge were to follow the recipe and toss it like in a pizzeria. This challenge turned us loose in the kitchen. As far as toppings and sauces, that was entirely up to the creator of the pizza. I decided since I was breaking out for this challenge I would get creative with the toppings as well and try a type of pizza and sauce that I hadn’t tried before. This got the creative juices flowing and I thought of multiple other recipes that sounded so good, so stay tuned for those! I decided to do a chipotle ranch chicken. I know that doesn’t sound as adventurous as some things but the way I went about seasoning the chicken and making the sauce was not typical. All the flavors combined in this recipe were fabulous and everything blended well.

So, on to the fun stuff…the actual recipe!!!

Basic Pizza Dough

From: “The Bread Bakers Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart

Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled

1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar – FOR GF use agave syrup
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

Day 1:

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.
The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

Day 2:

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

NOTE:Make only one pizza at a time.
9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

Here are a few pictures of the tossing process for your laughing pleasure!!!

Here’s a picture of theChipotle Ranch Pizza

Chicken Stew and Cornbread Dumplings

October 28, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Soups, stews, chilis and more. Fall and winter are the perfect time to break out the classic soup recipes that are favorites as well as try some new ones that you run across. There are all types of soups; from the ones that make you feel cozy and warm because they are “home style” to the ones that are a little more fancy with rich tastes. I’m a huge fan of any type of soup and I’ll try anything once.

I’ve been looking through different cook books, catalogs and on different websites to get an idea of some different soups I would like to try this season. There are tons out there that sound so incredible; I don’t know if I will get to all of them this year! I’ve definitely gotten inspired by all the different types out there and I’m honestly amazed there are endless options.

I came across one that sounded so good and it was basically a spin on the classic chicken and dumplings recipe. Spencer loves chicken and dumplings, so when I saw this recipe I knew it was a must try. This wasn’t your typical chicken and dumplings; for starters the base was more of a cream base and the dumplings weren’t ordinary dumpinlings, they were cornbread! I love cornbread so I really didn’t think you could go wrong having cornbread dumplings, plus they had cheese in them. This treat just seemed to be getting better and better by the minute!

This was more of a stew than a soup, and it was so good. Spencer absolutely loved this; I know it’s one thats going to be on the menu from now on. Even in you’re not a dumpling fan you would probably like this recipe, these aren’t your typical dumplings that are actually down in the soup. This is also a recipe that could be made without the dumplings and with a side of cornbread instead.

Chicken Stew and Cornbread Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 16 ounce bag frozen, mixed vegetables
14 Ounces water and 1 chicken boullion cube
1 Medium onion, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano OR 1 Teaspoon fresh
1/2 Teaspoon dried dill OR 1 Teaspoon fresh
***You could use any other herbs instead.
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
1 2/3Cup milk
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
2 chicken breast poached and cubed-season with salt and pepper
1 Recipe for cornbread dumplings

Cornbread Dumplings:

In a medium bowl stir together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a dash of black pepper. In a small bowl combine 1 beaten egg, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons cooking oil; add to flour mixture, stirring with for just until combined.

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine brother, frozen vegetables, onions, water, dried herbs (if using), salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to boil.
In a small bowl combine milk and flour, stire into vegetable mixture. Stire in checken. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in fresh herbs if using.
Drop Dumpling dough from a tablespoon into 4-8 mounds on top of the bubbling stew. Simmer, covered (do not lift cover), over low heat for 10-12 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean. Once finished add a little more fresh cracked pepper and salt.

Recipe Source: adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Drunken Pizza Dough

September 9, 2008 by Lynsey 2 Comments

I was really in the mood for pizza the other night but I didn’t want the same old regular pizza, I wanted something different. I thought the first thing I could start with was the crust. How could I give the crust a little different flavor but not so much that it would take away from the pizza toppings? I had some wine in the refrigerator and thought I could use wine as part of my liquid to give it a little kick. The end result was absolutely fabulous and would be great with a multitude of different toppings. I got so many compliments on it and I had no leftovers after that meal!

This recipe made quite a bit of dough. I just made 1 large, thick crust pizza with it and the dough was still pretty thick and puffy after being cooked. This recipe could probably make 2 medium thick crust or even more thing crust pizzas. I didn’t need more than one pizza when I cooked but I probably could have halved the dough and used the other half for something later on. It was still really good though; I paired it with BBQ Chicken Pizza…oh so good!!!

Ingredients:

1 Package yeast (1/4 ounce package)

1/3 Cup warm water

1/3 Cup white wine (I used a Riesling)

1/2 Teaspoon syrup

2 Tablespoons oil

2 Cups flour

1/2 Teaspoon sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a large bowl proof the yeast with the sugar in 1/3 cup lukewarm water for 10 minutes or until it is foamy. Stir in the wine, oil, flour, and salt and blend until it forms a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic.

Put dough in an oiled bowl and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Recipe Source: A Lynsey original

Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy

August 31, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

We are huge fans of breakfast foods; not just for breakfast but for any meal. My darling husband could eat breakfast 3 times a day everyday and never get sick of it. I love making new things but you can also never go wrong with the good, old classics like biscuits and gravy. I am always searching for a good white gravy that isn’t too complicated and is pretty consistent everytime it’s made. I’ve tried several gravy recipes and they either turn out lumpy, runny, or some other type of consistency that gravy just isn’t supposed to be. I can finally say after searching for an incredibly long time that I’ve found the perfect white gravy recipe that is great with sauasage in it but is equally as good without the sausage. Since I’ve come across this recipe I’ve made it 3 times; it’s so good and easy and comes out at the same consistency every time. This recipe is also very easy to half if you are feeding a small crew; like 2!

Buttermilk Biscuits-

Ingredients:

2 Cups unbleached flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons shortening

3/4 Cup buttermilk

Sausage Gravy-

1 Pound bulk pork sausage

3 Tablespoons bacon drippings

1/3 Cup flour

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flaces (optional)

3 Cups milk

Directions:

To prepare the biscuits, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add the shortening and cut in with a pastry blender or fork to resemble coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix just until moistened; do not overmix.

Remove to a floured surface and sprinkle with additional flour. Knead 4 or 5 times. Roll 3/4 inch thick and cut with a floured 3 inch cutter.

Arrange the biscuits with edges almost touching on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

To prepare the gravy, brown the sausage in a large skillet, stirring until crumbly. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to drain, reserving the sausage drippings in the skillet. Add the bacon drippings ( I didn’t have bacon drippings so I just used vegetable oil) and flour, mixing well. Cook until the flour is gold brown, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk. Season with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Return the sausage to the skillet. Cook for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Serve with biscuits.

Courtesy of: “Beach Appetit” by The Junior League of the Emerald Coast

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Cheese is a main staple in our house. We make so many things that includes cheese and we’re always looking for new recipes including cheese. I have made these before it was just a long long time ago. It is one of those recipes that we LOVED but it just kind of slipped through the cracks and I didn’t really ever think of making them.
We were having a surf-n-turf meal at our house and when I was putting the menu together I wanted to make a bread but something other than garlic bread or regular biscuits. DH and one of the other guys that was coming over LOVES the garlic cheese biscuits from Red Lobster so I knew that was a no fail recipe for this group. I looked around the internet for a little bit and came across quite a few recipes and decided on this one since it was quick and easy. I did find some others that I want to try that are a “from scratch” recipe but I just didn’t have the time to do that with everything else I had to get together.
These biscuits were awesome. They are so simple and easy to throw together; especially when you need a quick bread side.

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 Cups Bisquick mix
2/3 Cup milk
3/4-1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Mix baking mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. (If too dry add a little more milk) Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: adapted from www.cs.cmu.edu

Banana Bread

July 3, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Banana Bread is one of those dishes that can be used for a variety of things; a snack, put some icing on it and it can be a dessert, eat it for breakfast or even make muffins which are great for an on the go treat. I have always loved banana bread, no matter what form it’s served in, and now that I’ve gotten older and on my own it brings me back to my childhood and gives me the cozy feeling of home. Another upside to making banana bread is that it’s a great way to use up very ripe bananas instead of having to throw them out. I always try to use up ingredients before they go bad and I love the fact the the more ripe the banana the better the bread it makes!

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 Cups all-pupose flour

1 1/4 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 Beaten eggs

1 1/2 Cups mashed bananas (3 medium)

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup cooking oil or butter or margarine

1/4 Cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Grease bottom of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes or until toothpic inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Recipe Source: Better Homes and Gardens Coodbook

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