Cheese & Onion Bread

Feeding a cold can be a real pain, sometimes. The taste buds are a bit dull so flavors need to be a bit sharp. And since I'm feeling a bit dull, sharp is somehow eluding me...

But when I'm feeling a bit under the weather, a perfect place to go is to Mom's Cook Books... When I was a wee tyke she'd make me tea and toast - her magical cure-all. Sometimes cut in little squares, sometimes in triangles. And depending on the illness, sometimes with a bit of cinnamon sugar on top. It always seemed to work - part of a mother's magical powers, I guess. While she's no longer here to make me tea and toast, she did give me her cook books. It's not quite the same as her telling me everything will be better in just a little while, but I can evoke her spirit just by picking up the books.

I wanted some fresh-baked bread and turned to her book for a bit of inspiration. I came across Cheese and Onion Bread and thought it would be perfect.

I was right. It was.

It was really easy to throw together and packed the wallop I needed, flavor-wise.

I'd love to know where she got all these recipes - which magazines or newspapers, the dates... what other recipes were there that never made the cut?!? Newspaper-wise, I'm pretty sure most of them came out of the San Francisco Examiner or the sadly-defunct San Francisco News Call Bulletin. Magazine-wise, it's anyone's guess. Mom loved her magazines, and had all of the Ladies magazines back in the day - Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping... As you can see by the recipes, dinner was never dull at our house!

And this bread wasn't dull, either.

It was perfect - and just the Mom-fix I needed!

by Tim Dineen

Pane Siciliano

Last night I pulled out my beat-up old copy of  The Italian Baker by Carol Field.  I had planned on making her Pane Pugliese and it needs a biga, or starter.  It's  one of my most favorite breads.  I was pulling the ingredients together when I turned the page and saw a recipe for Pane Siciliano.  Something new.  I actually had the semolina flour (shock!) and decided to give it a try.

Pane Siciliano

Makes 2 loaves

• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp malt syrup
• 1 cup water, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups durum flour or semolina for pasta
• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds

By hand:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the oil, malt, and 1 cup of water.  Mix the flours and salt and whisk in 1 cup at a time into the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Knead on a floured surface 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally slamming the dough down vigorously to develop the gluten.

By mixer:

Stir the yeast into the 1 1/4 cups warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the oil and malt with the paddle; then add the flours and salt and mix until smooth.  Change to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until; the dough is firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body, 4 to 5 minutes.  Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.

First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  The dough should be springy and blistered, but still soft and velvety.

Shaping and second rise. Punch the dough down, knead it briefly, and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Flatten it with your forearm into a square.  Rollit into a long, narrow rope, about 20 to 22 inches long.  The dough should be so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope.  Cut the dough in half and shape each into a loaf.  (The book shows 3 classic shapes and illustrations; Mafalda, Occhi di Santa Lucia, and the baked Corona.  I made the Santa Lucia.)

Place the loaves on floured parchment paper, peels sprinkled with corn meal, or oiled baking sheets.  Brush the entire surface of each loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds; pat the seeds very gently into the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Baking. Thirty minutes before baking heat the oven with baking stones to 425°.  Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal just before sliding the loaves onto them.  Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times with water.  Reduce the heat to 400° and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer.  Cool on racks.

The final bread came out excellent, but I had to play with the dough a bit.

First off, it was way too dry.  I know that there are a bazillion and one factors involved in making bread; the moisture content of the flour, the weather and humidity, yadda yadda yadda, but I had to add almost a half-cup of water to the dough.  I finally worked it into a close approximation to what was described "firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body" but it never really had the elasticity I think it should have had from the description.  Same with the forming of the dough.  It rolled out well, but didn't have the "so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope" texture.  It had some, but not what was being described.

Nonetheless, it came out great!  It had that rich semolina flavor and fine texture.

by Tim Dineen

Walnut Raisin Bread

I have been baking bread for more years than I care to admit to. From the thousands upon thousands of loaves I baked on the USS Ranger, to the tons of pizza dough I made at Pirro's, the free-spirited years at Tahoe, or the hotel kitchens where I would jump in to make a thousand un petit pain for some banquet or another to pumpkin rolls at Thanksgiving, I've baked a lot of bread. I've baked Artisan Breads in 5 minutes, I've made Julia Child's Pain Francais - all 907 convoluted steps. I've made a majority of the breads in two of my most favorite cook books - Carol Field's The Italian Baker and James Beard's Beard on Bread. I read them like other people read novels, dreaming up different dishes to serve with them - and sometimes even following through on them...

You could say I like bread.

And this particular bread has become a favorite.  Besides being ridiculously easy to make - it's foolproof! This is my third batch in 2 weeks - made slightly different each time - and they have all been great.

This time around I decided to make a walnut raisin version.  It came out stupendous and really - could not have been easier. I keep the starter in the 'fridge at all times, now, because I want to be able to make another loaf at any given moment.

Walnut Raisin Bread

starter

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water 110°
• 1 3/4 cups flour

Sprinkle yeast into the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in flour. Cover bowl with clean towel and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days.

dough

• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water 110°
• 1 cup starter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup rye flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Sprinkle yeast into water in mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add starter, flours, and salt.

Mix on low speed with dough hook for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Add raisins and walnuts and continue mixing another 5 or so minutes.Knead by hand for a minute or two on a lightly-floured surface to make sure the nuts and raisins are evenly distributed.. Place the dough into a clean bowl and cover with a kitchen towel.

Let rise until doubled - up to 2 hours. Punch dough down and let rest for about 10 minutes before forming the loaf.

Shape the dough into a cylindrical loaf and place on a bread peel generously coated with coarse cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled - about an hour.

Preheat oven with baking stone to 425°.

Dust loaf with flour and then make three parallel slashes across the top. Slide dough onto stone and bake for about 1 hour.

Replenish starter with about 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water.

Form the dough into a loaf and let rise until doubled.

Dust with flour and make three parallel slashes.

Slather with butter and eat!

Repeat.

I really would love to encourage folks to take the time to bake a loaf of bread. I know some folks have gotten discouraged because their bread doesn't come out like Wonder Bread or stuff from a bakery. Commercial bakeries are using dough conditioners and a myriad of chemicals and stuff to make every loaf identical.

You're not doing that at home and you shouldn't want your bread to taste store-bought, anyway. The reason you make it at home is so it doesn't taste store-bought! Really. Think about it.

There are a lot of bread recipes right here to get you started.

Bake a loaf. You'll be glad you did!

by Tim Dineen

Sourdough Country Bread

A mid-week day off is unusual for me, so I thought I'd take advantage of it with a loaf of fresh bread. I had made a starter the other day and, while I could have let it go another 24 hours, it was ready.

I really do love homemade bread. There is just nothing as satisfying as the bread-making process - the kneading of the dough... knowing instinctively when it is just right and ready for that first rise... The smell wafting through the house as it bakes and fighting the urge to slice off a hunk and slather it with butter while still hot from the oven. I have to admit that I rely more on the mixer kneading than I do myself, nowadays, but it's still a lot of touching and feeling and knowing when it's ready.

I haven't made this particular bread in a while. It's a sourdough, but more of a country French than a San Francisco style. It has a really deep, crunchy crust and a tight, fine crumb. It's made for sopping up soups and stews.

It's a white flour bread but I put just a tad bit of rye flour to add a bit of texture and flavor. You can make it with all white or add a bit of your favorite non-white flour. Just don't add too much.

Sourdough Country Bread

starter

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water 110°
• 1 3/4 cups flour

Sprinkle yeast into the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in flour. Cover bowl with clean towel and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days.

dough

• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water 110°
• 1 cup starter
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup rye flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Sprinkle yeast into water in mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add starter, flours, and salt.

Mix on low speed with dough hook for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Knead by hand for a minute or two on a lightly-floured surface. Place the dough into a clean bowl and cover with a kitchen towel.

Let rise until doubled - up to 2 hours. Punch dough down and let rest for about 10 minutes before forming the loaf.

Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a bread peel generously coated with coarse cornmeal. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again until doubled - about an hour.

Preheat oven with baking stone to 425°.

Dust loaf with flour and then make three parallel slashes across the top and three more across. Slide dough onto stone and bake for about 1 hour.

It's flour, water, salt, and yeast - the most basic bread ingredients there are - but they combine to make a stellar loaf.

Have fun with it, experiment, switch out some of the flours for others. Shape it into a longer loaf.  No matter how you do it, it's gonna be great.

by Tim Dineen

Pepper Bread

It started off a bright, sunny day, but as it nears the Equinox, the temperature is dropping. Pretty soon it's going to be long pants and socks weather. I am so not looking forward to layers of clothes.

But there's still sunshine and there's still hot peppers in the garden. Time to create...

This started off as just a loaf of bread, but as I was starting to mix the ingredients, I thought a pepper-bread would be good. The bread ingredients pretty much remained the same - although I added garlic powder - and after the first rise, I patted, filled, rolled, and placed in the cold oven just as it it had been a loaf of the French-Style Bread I set out to originally make.

Pepper Bread

(adapted from James Beard)

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water (about 105° )
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 cups flour
• 12 hot peppers, seeded, fried, and cooled
• 1/2 cup cheese shavings
• 3 tbsp cornmeal

Directions

Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt and garlic powder with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and pat and shape into a rectangle. Liberally place the cooled hot peppers on the dough and then shave cheese on top using a vegetable peeler.

Roll the rectangle up tightly. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal. Place in a cold oven, set the temperature at 400° and bake 30 or so minutes or until well browned and hollow sounding when the top is rapped.

It's crunchy and chewy and definitely has a kick. Perfect for soup or stew or just munching...

by Tim Dineen

Fresh Multi-Grain Bread

It's about a million degrees outside with a bazillion percent humidity. Perfect weather for baking bread.

Weather like this really is perfect for bread-baking. The heat and humidity make for Mother Nature's Perfect Proofing Box.

It's about the only positive thing I can think of about the weather.  I'm a west coast wuss when it comes to humidity and heat. I just don't like it. And I hate living in air conditioning  ::he says with the air blowing like there's no tomorrow:: I seem to hate the heat more.

I remember all those summers I spent in Bakersfield with my grandparents. We'd be outside playing in 100+° weather and the only cooling at grandma and grandpa's was an old swamp cooler in the living room. When it got up past 110° we'd head inside for Kool-aid or head out to Center Street Market for an ice-cold Coke if we had any money.  It's amazing how a mere 55 years can change one's outlook. I'd die, today.

No Kool-aid and no Coke in the house nowadays, so it became time to bake bread.

The bread-baking happened because I saw fresh yeast at the grocery store this morning. Impulse-buy of the day. The recipe is a take-off of a Bob's Red Mill recipe. I changed things around to suit my own needs, but the basic recipe is sound.

And really really good. It's an easy one to pull together, so go for it.

Multi-Grain Seeded Bread

• 1/2 cup Grape-Nuts-type cereal
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp fresh)
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp poppy and sesame seeds, mixed

Place the cereal in a large bowl, and pour the boiling water on top. Stir, and let it stand until the cereal and water cools to about 105°.

Sprinkle the yeast over the cereal and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand until the yeast begins to foam, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of the unbleached white flour to the cereal, along with the oil, sugar, and salt, and stir until smooth. Mix remaining flours and slowliy add. You may or may not need the remaining 1/2 cup. Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about ten minutes, adding more flour if it's sticky.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough inside, turning it over in the oil, and cover with the dishtowel. Let the dough rise until it's doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes, then shape into a 12 x 4-inch loaf. Sprinkle a baking sheet with 2 teaspoons of the seed mixture and place the loaf on top of the seeds. Cover the dough with the dishtowel and let it rise until almost doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Set one of the oven racks in the center of the oven and one just below the center. Place a baking pan on the lower rack and preheat the oven to 425°. Brush the dough with a little water and sprinkle with the remaining seed mixture. Using a sharp knife, cut 3 slashes across the top of the loaf. Place the baking sheet with the loaf in the oven and immediately pour 2 cups of water into the hot pan on the lower rack in the oven (water will steam).

Bake the loaf about 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

It had a beautifully-light crumb and a nice, crusty crust.  Definitely one of my better loaves...

Slather it with butter. And forget about the heat.

by Tim Dineen