Saturday, March 8, 2014

spring forward gently

Yesterday I made another French Boule just to be sure that the first one wasn’t a fluke. I’m proud to say it was not. I also made Cinnamon Raisin Bread. We had breakfast for dinner.

In my last journal entry I was talking about self induced pain and suffering, and since then I’ve gone back for more. Making bread by hand is, in itself, a fairly descent core workout, but apparently I’m a glutton for punishment. True, I’ve been complaining and whimpering this past week but it is remarkable how much cardiovascular and weight training do to help me cope with daily life.

I am not, I can assure you, going to turn into some roughage eating gym monkey any time soon, but it’s clear from everything I’ve done in my forty-five years on this planet, my body and mind are happiest when I move. Whether or not I can use a long genetic lineage of peasants, servants, and fisherment as a reason, the release of Cortisol is essential to my well being. 

I had a vegetarian burrito at a chain restaurant for dinner tonight. I had been planning a vegetable stir fry but life, and my in-laws, had other plans. Spring break is only two days old, I’m behind on the baking projects I wanted to complete, and I’m planning to take tomorrow off from the kitchen to work on  laundry etc. 


Spring forward tonight: I’ve never been a fan of Daylight Savings Time.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

orange sweet rolls




Yeild: 12 large rolls

Equipment:
46cm x 30cm [13” x 18”] half sheet pans, parchment paper, rolling pin, large 7.5L – 11L [8qt – 12qt] capacity mixing bowl, 3.3L [3.5qt] capacity mixing bowl, 6.5L [7qt] capacity heat proof bowl, 500ml [2 cup] capacity mixing bowl, 500ml [2 cup] capacity measuring cup with a spout, 60ml [¼ cup] capacity measuring cup with spout, silicone pastry brush, 20cm [8”] sharp chef’s knife, 20cm [8”] offset pallet knife, wire whisk, silicone spatula, 30ml [2 tbsp] pinch bowl, fine microplane grater, large wire cooling rack ~40cm x 50cm [15” x 20”]

Ingredients:
90g granulated sugar [~6½ tbsp]
7g fine grade sea salt [~1 tsp]
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature [~5½ tbsp]
50g egg, at room temperature [~1 large]
3g orange extract [~1 tsp] 5ml
460g unbleached bread flour [~3½ tbsp]
8g instant yeast [~2 tsp]
290g buttermilk, at room temperature [1¼ cups] 290ml

110g light brown sugar [~½ cup packed]
16g orange zest [~⅓ cup] *from ~ 4 oranges

180g confectioner’s sugar [~3cups]
40g milk [~3 tbsp] 40ml
3g orange extract [~1 tsp] 5ml

-vegetable or canola oil
-additional flour for dusting

Mise en place:
Weigh butter and sugar into the large mixing bowl and set on a clear work surface.

Weigh flour into the medium mixing bowl. Weigh salt and then yeast in the pinch bowl and transfer to opposite sides of the mixing bowl. Set this on the work surface beside the larger bowl.

Reuse pinch bowl to weight orange extract, and place with others.

Oil the heat proof bowl and set aside until needed.

Weigh butter milk into the 500ml capacity measuring cup and set beside the mixing bowl.

Weight the egg into the 60ml measuring cup and set with the other weighed ingredients.

Method:
Using the spatula cream the butter and sugar together until pale, add egg and beat vigorously to incorporate air and blanch the mixture.

Add the orange extract.

Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together with one hand and immediately add these to the creamed mixture in one addition.

With the fingers of one hand slightly spread, use an orbital motion to mix the flour into the butter and sugar mixture turning the bowl with your clean hand. Add buttermilk and mix until dough forms a sticky loose mass. Switch to a kneading motion to incorporate all of the flour and then transfer dough to a floured work surface.

Knead the dough for 12 – 15 minutes, alternating before a traditional kneading motion and stretching and “smearing” the dough in all directions – called Fraisage. The finished dough should be tacky to slightly sticky, supple, and bounce back when pressed with a finger.

Transfer to the oiled heat proof bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and ferment at room temperature for 2 full hours.

Meanwhile, zest oranges and weigh the brown sugar into the cleaned medium mixing bowl.

When dough has doubled in size, very lightly oil a clear work surface and transfer the dough to the counter.

Lightly flour a rolling pin to prevent sticking and roll the dough into a 36cm x 30cm x 1.5cm [14” x 12” x ⅔ inch] rectangle. If dough springs back excessively, cover with oiled plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes before continuing to roll into shape.

Quickly mix the brown sugar and orange zest and sprinkle over the dough. Use an offset pallet knife to spread the mixture evenly over the dough leaving 1cm [½”] uncovered on the edge closest to your body

Roll the dough gently towards from you and pinch the seam closed. Roll dough onto the seam and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Allow to rest 5 minutes.

Cut into 12 even pieces 3cm [1⅛”] and place these 1cm [½”] apart on the sheet tray.

Cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to proof for 75 – 90 minutes

Preheat oven to 180ºC [350ºF] with the rack in the middle position.

Bake the sweet rolls for 20 – 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool on pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: Mix confectioner’s sugar, orange extract, and milk together to form a thick glaze that will evenly coat the sweet rolls. Adjust texture with additional milk or confectioner’s sugar as needed.

Spoon glaze over cooled sweet rolls, and allow to set before serving. Approximately 30 minutes.

Make ahead:

Store in an airtight container for up to one week. Reheat individual servings, as needed, in a microwave for 15 – 30 seconds before serving. 

blueberry lemon scones


What can I say about scones? Being a descendant of both English and Scottish heritage scones are prolific in my childhood memories. Just sweet enough to be a dessert but not so sweet you feel guilty eating them as a late afternoon snack. Clotted cream, butter, and jam may be traditional, but these need no adornment at all.

These cream scones have a texture and crumb most American’s associate with biscuits, and are, in fact, more New England than United Kingdom in style. They are rich with butter and lightly sweet, but the tart blueberries and lemon gaze balance that nicely. They are, quite simply, addictive with a cup of tea or any hot caffeinated beverage you choose.

Recipe following cut:

french boule


What the heck is a pâte fermentée? In American English we’d call it a starter. For me, however, that nomenclature has always conjured the notion of wild yeast sour dough breads, which I love, but which this is not. A pâte fermentée is a semi-stiff dough that is fermented for a long period time to improve flavor and stability in lean bread doughs. In contrast to other pre-fermenting methods this is, in ratio at least, a smaller version of the finished dough which is fermented first at room temperature and then stored under refrigeration for between 4 or 5 hours up to over night.

I’ve been making sandwich style breads for a while now. This is my very first, free form bread so I started with the simplest shape, a ball or boule. When I am confident that the results above are not beginners luck, I will move on to the torpedo or Bâtard style, and eventually to the quintessential French bread Baguettes.

Recipe following cut:

self induced pain and suffering

Thursday began at 5:00am, but not on purpose. I tried to sleep until my alarm but my right hip and left shoulder had other ideas. After catching up on the news, via BBC World Service, and with no sign of getting sleepy again, I made some tea. Since I was up, with time to kill, I decided to prepare dinner. I may be flat out exhausted when I get home but at least I won’t have to cook.

Today is also Shrove Tuesday, though perhaps more famous as Pancake Day, Paczki Day, and Mardi Gras. I attended a catholic grade school, and remember our teachers serving the whole school pancakes the day before lent. My Lenten fast may have gone out the window with the rest of my faith, but I do remember Shrove Tuesday as a fun day, that as kids we looked forward to. In honor of that memory, I made pancakes for the family which sufficed as both breakfast and lunch.

I am looking forward to dinner. A Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew with the full body of tomatoes spiced with curry powder and garam masala. Meanwhile, I’ve been busy writing up my recipes from last weekend and planning my next adventure with bread, by which I mean, I bought a traditional fluted brioche mold.

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Dinner last night was delicious, and good thing too because I have four quarts of it in the freezer!

I managed to drag my tired self to the gym last night with the intention of doing cardio and a little weight lifting, nothing too strenuous. I felt pretty good when I was done, but I could tell my muscles were fatigued. Today, is another story: I am currently wearing a cap because washing and combing my hair seemed like too painful a task.

Sore as I am, I am also feeling good about finally ripping off the bandage and going. It will, at least theoretically, be easier to go next time. Like all things, I have this idea that I must do a full-on workout every time to make it worth the effort of leaving the house. I need to learn that anything I can do will be beneficial.

Fitness is part of the “fuck it, I’m going to make bread,” plan. At 45 I know I am not old, but I do need to condition my body to be as fit and strong as possible. Otherwise I’ll be signing up for a livelihood of long hours and near chronic pain.


I’ve written up four recipes in the past day or so and will post those as soon as I’ve had the opportunity to put a fresh pair of eyes on them. 

Monday, March 3, 2014

practice, practice, practice

I’ve been going through a bit of a crisis the past six months, mostly in relation to my forty-fifth birthday, which is fast approaching. Intellectually, I know I shouldn’t measure my own life by anyone’s expectations, least of all those expectations I improvised when I was too young to know better. But, it isn’t uncommon for people to reach this age and feel unhappy with where they are, what they’ve achieved, and to some extent what do and don’t have. These are, I’ll admit the ne plus ultra of first world problems. I’m embarrassed to call it a mid-life crisis, but that is what it is. I’ve felt lost, discontented, and worried about what I’m going to be able to achieve with the little time I may have left.  Fortunately, or unfortunately – take your pick - I have an uncommon amount of time to contemplate what I want from my own life, and what I really need to fell content and fulfilled, but there comes a time when just have to suck it up and make a decision.

There are times in life when things fall into place and you feel as if the whole universe is pointing you in the direction you should be going: this is exactly what occurred for me this weekend. As I’ve written; I am happiest when I’m fully engaged, mentally and physically in a task. I have always been attracted to occupations that involve using my hands and creativity for my whole life, and this impulse likely goes as deep as my DNA. I have been reading, studying, and writing about food and cooking full time for years now. Some days I feel as if I don’t have an idea what I am doing, and others I’m more confident I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Now, however, I need to find a way to transition all this learning into some kind of means, by which I mean, money! The answer came to me in one of those rare crystalline moments when I was laying in a half awake state and a voice from deep inside me spoke up and said, “fuck it all, I’m going to make bread.”

OK so not that simple. I have wanted to go to culinary school for baking and pastry, and I still intend to fulfill that dream someday. In the mean time, however, there is nothing stopping me from teaching myself everything I can. I also have a core need to write which I do not intend to disregard. The two are not mutually exclusive. The plan, so far, is to focus this blog and my energies towards making artisanal breads, and pastries. I will be reporting about this process and all the other things that go on in the kitchen, but I will – at least recipe wise – be focused on baking.

As important as I think home cooking and care of the family are vital to a good life, it isn’t economically feasible for me to continue to stay home indefinitely. I’ve spent a great deal of time writing about this in an editorial that I’ll be posting here later so I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

The trick, for me, will be keeping my balance, which has never been strong suit. I have a tendency to throw myself totally into whatever I do and when the rewards aren’t commensurate with the effort I’m putting forward, I end up burning out and moving on to a new obsession. Anyone who’s known me for a long time can verify this pattern, and if nothing else comes of this life, I’d like to learn how to break that habit.

At some point, I hope to sell these goods at a local farmers or flea market, or possibly to area restaurants, with an eye on creating a small and sustainable business for myself. In the mean time, however, I just need to practice, practice, practice.

Worst case scenario: I learn to make artisanal breads and pastry for my family and friends. ‘nuff said!

Today’s weigh in: 254lb. Sticking to the lifestyle changes, as far as our diet goes, is starting to feel a little more natural, the trouble of getting myself to the gym still needs to be solved. Then again, perhaps I should give myself a break: I’ve been out shoveling snow every other day for most of the winter. For that reason, I’ve changed the banner of this blog to spring even if it is dressed for the date on the calendar and not the weather outside my door.

Friday, February 28, 2014

before I can do anything

Friday: and also payday! I have two projects on the go today. First, I still have to firm up my menu plan for the coming week in time to execute as much of it as possible later this weekend. Second, I’m making sweet orange rolls. I have a large number of Satsuma oranges that need to be used up. The recipe requires a large amount of zest, but a small amount of juice, so I will be peeling the oranges and storing the segments in the fridge for easy eating later.

I don’t want anyone to be alarmed but I’m actually out of butter. Tragic I know. Before I can make anything I’ll have to brave the wind chill advisory and head out to get supplies. Before I can do that, I must wait for the bank to open so I can visit the ATM and then also put some gas in the car. Before I can do that, I need a long, hot, shower.


Tea for breakfast, with the last of the Blueberry Lemon Scones.