Simple Measure

Erin and I didn’t eat much cornbread when we were kids. At some point we must have had the Jiffy brand mix, because when I started cooking on my own I knew what to expect from that neat little box. A little egg, some milk, and you had a slightly sweet and very cakey cornbread that I still find delicious.

So when I went to a breakfast place called Penny Cluse in Burlington for the first time, it was natural for me to order corn muffins to go with my eggs. I’ll never forget how surprised I was when I took my first bite. Crunchy, earthy, and well, extra corn-ey, they were completely unlike the sweet stuff I had made at home. After that I’d still open up a box of Jiffy once in a while, but I’d dream of the real thing.

I’ve tried a few times to replicate the “Cluse” version, and this time around when Erin wanted cornbread to go with the delicious seitan chili she was making, I jumped at the chance to try again.

This time I added a tablespoon of polenta for added crunch and flavor, and they didn’t last long once they hit the dinner table. I must admit that though I like this version, the recipe I followed still doesn’t match up to my Penny Cluse memories. Which is a great reason to whip up another test batch soon.

Corn Muffins

Adapted from the Vegetarian Times Cookbook

Serves 12

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 Tbs polenta

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line one 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups.

Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, polenta, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the milk, oil and egg. Stir together with a fork until just blended. Little lumps are okay, just don’t overmix. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve at once.

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making a new bread ever since my Thanksgiving dinner rolls. Instead a deluge of Christmas and birthday baking has kept my KitchenAid humming and me too scattered to invest half a day in baking bread. But the results are totally worth the effort, as I remembered last night when I pulled a freshly made loaf out of the oven.

I had wanted to make a lean, chewy, crusty bread like ciabatta. Or maybe a thin Neapolitan style pizza. Something that would easily incorporate cheese because Erin and I have been craving that kind of bread lately. But during a perusal of my recipes it seemed like my kitchen was lacking a few items necessary to that kind of bread’s success, such as a pizza stone or even a good pan I could use for steaming up the oven. Back in Vermont I had those things, but so much of my kitchen gear was jettisoned to get ready for our move to Chicago that I was lucky to end up with even one box of stuff. So I filed those recipes away, and instead decided on one that could easily be created in my kitchen.

I chose a bread called Casatiello, which is a savory Italian version of brioche. The original recipe calls for salami and a good melting cheese like cheddar or gouda. I had no problem choosing the right cheese for the job. I decided on a 2 year Grafton cheddar that was mellow and creamy. But finding the right substitute for salami gave me a pause. I wanted the savory contrast in flavor and texture that the salami gives to this bread, yet I didn’t want to use any of the soy substitutes that were suggested in the recipe. Though smoked tofu is lovely on its own, I don’t want to find nuggets of it in my bread.

Jereme was the one who suggested that I use sundried tomatoes, and I must say that sometimes you need someone around who doesn’t think about food all the time to give you that little nudge in the right direction. Sundried tomatoes are an excellent choice for this bread because the bright and earthy flavor is distinctive enough to provide just the right savory note.

The resulting bread was soft and buttery with a moist crumb. The cheese incorporated evenly into the whole loaf except around the crust, where it formed kind of a flaky pocket that was absolutely delicious. Considering the addition of sundried tomatoes, this bread might benefit from an herb thrown into the mix, like rosemary or basil — something to try next time.

Casatiello is a rich bread, so I served it with a simple soup and salad. I think it might do best at a holiday table or a potluck where you want to knock everyone’s socks off.

Casatiello
From the “Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart

One note on the sundried tomatoes: I used the kind that are ready to use and sealed in a plastic bag. I chose not to use the kind packaged in oil because then I would have to reduce the amount of butter in order to keep the correct fat ratio.

This bread is made using a wet pre-ferment called a sponge, which is dough that has “been fermented in advance and added to another dough as part of a building process.” Thank you, Mr. Reinhart. This improves the flavor and texture of the final product. I look at it as kind of a flavor kick-start for the bread.

Sponge:

1/2 cup (2.25 oz) unbleached bread flour

1 Tbs (.33 oz) instant yeast

1 cup whole milk, lukewarm (90 to 100 F)

Dough:

3.5 oz sundried tomatoes, diced

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

1 tsp (.25 oz) salt

1 Tbs (.5 oz) sugar

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 cup (6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup (6 oz) coarsely grated cheddar cheese

1. To make the sponge, stir together the flour and yeast. Whisk in milk to make a pancake-like batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. This will ferment the sponge.

2. To make the dough, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar with a spoon in your electric mixer’s bowl. Add eggs and the sponge. Mix with your mixer’s paddle attachment on low speed until the ingredients form a coarse ball. Mix for one more minute. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the gluten to develop. Divide the butter into 4 pieces,then work the butter into the dough one piece at a time at medium speed. The dough will be soft, but not a batter. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, and continue mixing for 4 minutes. Then switch to the dough hook. The dough will change from sticky to tacky, and should clear the sides of the bowl.

3. Add sundried tomatoes, and mix until they are incorporated evenly. Mix in the cheese. The dough will be soft, stretchy, and tacky — but not sticky. Thinly coat a large bowl in oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, being sure to roll it around so it gets coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

4. Leave the bowl at room temperature to ferment. This should take about 90 minutes, or until the dough increases in size by at least 1 and 1/2 times.

5. This dough will make either one large 9 by 5 loaf or two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaves depending on what pans you have. I made a mistake and put all of the dough into a pan that I thought was 9 by 5, but it must have been smaller because it definitely filled it up. I baked it like that, and the bread came out fine, but next time I will try dividing the dough into two loaves and see how that comes out.

Mist the pan with spray oil. Lightly dust your hands and the dough with flour and shape into a loaf. Stretch and flatten the dough until it forms a rough 5 by 8 rectangle. Roll up the short end and pinch the seam closed. Continue rolling and closing the seam until the dough is completely rolled up. Place into the prepared pan seam side down. Mist the top of the dough with oil and cover the pans with plastic wrap.

6. Proof for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough rises just above the sides of the pan.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set the rack to the lower third of the oven.

8. Place the pan in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes — or until the dough is golden brown on top.

9. Remove bread from the oven. Carefully take it out of its the bread pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Let the bread cool for a minimum of one hour.

Do you remember when I learned how to make bread, Erin?

I decided to make the bread for the third Thanksgiving party that we hosted because I had a standing mixer that I was afraid of. I bought it because it was a fantastic deal, but I had no idea how or why one would use it. It sat on my counter, silently reproaching me while I made yet another batch of cookies by hand. Finally, Thanksgiving gave me a reason to delve into unknown waters: bread baking. It was time to use the KitchenAid.

So slowly, suspiciously, I set about making dinner rolls. The recipe was called Sixty Minute rolls, but I think it took me more like two hours. Was my water for proofing the yeast too hot or too cold? Could I walk the fine line between tacky or sticky dough? Amazingly, they came out pretty good, arriving on the table in irregular sized crescent shapes due to my inability to accurately portion out dough. After this initial triumph, I began using my KitchenAid for everything. At this point, Erin, you will remember a succession of pizza dough, birthday cakes, cookies, and bread emerging from my kitchen.

The next Thanksgiving, it was obvious that I would make dinner rolls again. I got up at 5:00 in the morning in order to mix the dough, and after it had risen I gave each roll an eggwash and a little seed topping. They looked so good coming out of the oven, but when I took my first bite at dinner I was disappointed. They tasted bland, with none of that fresh springiness essential to a good dinner roll. They were a failure. Was it the recipe, my imprecise oven, or just not enough know-how to make these rolls turn out right?

This year, I decided to not take any chances. Armed with an essential book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, my trusty KitchenAid and I turned out two practice batches of rolls out of this simple white bread recipe. And they were amazing. Light, golden topped, and full of buttermilk flavor, I knew I had a hit on my hands.

I think it was the quality ingredients that made these rolls so successful. Since the dough gets all its flavor from the enrichments you add, I suggest using buttermilk and a European butter. I used Plugra, which has a higher butterfat percentage than American butter. You can substitute whole milk or another butter, if you like.

Another handy tip for baking is to use a scale for your measurements. It’s more precise than hand measuring, and it allowed me to portion out each roll at exactly 2 oz (well, give or take a fraction. I’m impatient).

This is the perfect recipe for someone just starting to bake bread because the process is extremely easy and the dough is forgiving. Using a KitchenAid helps speed things up, but you don’t need to have one. I sometimes do the last kneading by hand so that I can get a feel for the dough. If you’re hand kneading, here’s a word of caution — resist the temptation to add too much flour because the dough is sticky. This will just give you tough rolls.

Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

From The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

4 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour (21.5 oz)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt (.38 oz)

3 tablespoons sugar (1.5 oz)

2 teaspoons instant yeast (.22 oz)

1 large egg, slightly beaten, at room temperature

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (2 oz)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
It’s important to note that this recipe calls for instant yeast, which is more concentrated than active dry yeast, and does not require water to activate. It’s easier to use, but if you don’t have any instant yeast you can use about 3 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast. Add the 1/2 cup of warm water it will take to activate it the yeast, and only use 1 cup of buttermilk.

1, Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Pour in the egg, butter, and buttermilk. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment. Mix until all the flour is absorbed and the dough has formed a ball. If the dough seems very stiff or dry, add a little more buttermilk until it is soft and supple.

2. Begin kneading on medium speed with the dough hook. You want a dough that is soft and tacky, but not sticky. Add more flour if the dough seems too sticky. Knead for six to eight minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl. Put the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Let the dough ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into eighteen 2-ounce pieces. To shape the rolls, take 2 ounces of dough and place it in the cup of your hand. Push it slightly into the counter and rotate it until it forms a smooth tight ball. Place finished rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mist the rolls lightly with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for around 90 minutes, or until dough doubles in size.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. At this point I like to brush the rolls with an egg wash made of 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water. This gives the rolls a nice shiny golden look.

6. Bake the rolls for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let the rolls cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack before serving.

Voila, dinner rolls!