Vanilla Icing

Loungers

                        Can we go back to the weekend?  Please?

Wild Rice & Onion Bread

Can I just say I have a new favorite sandwich bread??

It has wild rice and minced onions in it.  Sound intense?

It is!  This bread is packed with flavor--just the right amount to compliment whatever you spread on it or put between slices.  And if you just want to eat it plain and warm from the oven---that will be just as satisfying.

Pac-Man Miche

Before it gets silly around here...this is a Poilane-Style Miche similar to the one found in the Bread Baker's Apprentice.  It's a huge and quite heavy country loaf that is made of whole wheat flour, a little bread flour, salt, water and Chuck.  Yup, Chuck contributed part of himself and I'm pleased to say that he's finally got the hang of things and doesn't take nearly as long to rise bread as he did when he was brand new.

See what I mean?  It's hard to resist being silly when you are holding enormous bread.

Tristyn came flying in from the other room when he heard Maia giggling and took the bread right off of her.

Maia tries to tickle Tristyn to get it back. 

It sort of worked.  Sort of.  Don't pay any attention to the tablecloth I threw over the dishes in the background.  I'm not a photographer and never seem to notice these things until nearly too late.

Eventually we did get around to eating the bread.  Maia spreads soft butter flavored with brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

But it's too hard to resist being goofy.  It sort of looks like Pac-Man doesn't it?

Even I got in the action!!

It was my idea to add the mashed potato and pea eye.  I'm quite proud of that bit of inspiration but not so proud of how the children and I spent the next ten minutes running around the house making Pac-Man Miche chomp the heads of one another, Rick, the dogs, and the cat.  That's sort of embarrassing.  I'll exclude those pictures.

Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Couronnes

I needed a break from Chuck.  I've almost forgotten that I don't even like sourdough and the whole Adventures with Chuck saga is more about the challenge of sourdough and baking with it.  Today I took a break and it was good.  Roast Garlic and Fresh Rosemary good. 

My poor Rosemary plant is horrified that I chopped part of it for the second time in two weeks after promising not to touch it until spring.  I couldn't help myself after I opened up the jar of dried Rosemary and it looked so hard and dry....it looked completely inedible.  I ran upstairs to the room I keep my herbs in and looked at the poor pitiful Rosemary.  And then I snipped off a bit of the tender new growth.  The scent of fresh Rosemary filled the room and before i could control myself I had snipped about two tablespoons worth. 

The lesson to learn?  Grow more Rosemary!!!!! 

They sort of look like bagels, don't they?  They are significantly large; I should have put something in the picture to give a sense of scale.  I shaped them into couronnes (crowns) and if you look closely, you can sort of see the indentations in the dough. 

This bread can be made using your favorite Hearth Bread (Artisan? Rustic?  Those terms always confuse me!) recipe.   The recipe I use makes about 2 pounds of dough.   Replace about 3 ounces of your bread flour with whole wheat flour.  Add two tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic and the thoroughly smashed cloves of 3 bulbs of roasted garlic.  The smell of the garlic will be strong but rest assured the taste will be just right.  Roasting the garlic will mellow the intensity.  I looked around the Internet to see if there was a proper term for the taste that develops when you roast garlic but I couldn't find one.  What I did find was about two dozen different ways to roast garlic.  Some were really complicated and no wonder why not many people bother and buy that crap in jars and shakers. 

Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential, Updated Edition, Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly) had a funny line about garlic  "...Avoid at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screwtop jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic." 

Roasting garlic doesn't exactly require you to peel it.  Here's how I do it:  I cut off the top of the bulb so that the cloves are exposed.  I set it in the center of a square of aluminum foil and I drizzle olive oil over it.  Just a little--don't overdo it.  Then, I close up the tinfoil (imagine a giant piece of candy) and pop it in a 375 for 45-60 mins.  When it is cool enough to handle you just squeeze gently and all of the cloves will just slide out of their little papery jackets.

Be warned...the aroma of the garlic will fill your home better than a Yankee Candle.

Pizzelle

My mother in law gave/permanently/long term loaned me her pizzelle iron.

She says it's fairly old.

I don't mind.  I prefer it this way.  Old is good.  Old means it works and probably will continue to work for years to come.  Unlike most junk manufactured today.  =(

The pizzelle never stick to the iron and I can peel them right off with my fingers while they are still soft and warm.  I ate one of them hot but I had that sizzling on the tongue thing again and that was enough of that.  I waited until they were cool before munching on another half dozen.

My grandmother always used anise but lemon and vanilla are traditional as well.  This time I used vanilla.

 

Thank you, Pat, for making this Italian girl very, very happy.

P.S.  I'll try to save you some.

Regret

Today I sent a bread out into the world that I wasn't satisfied with.   In fact, it's eating at me that I sent out this imperfect specimen and people might think that I was satisfied with it.   Missy took it to the office with her and I called AND texted her telling her that maybe she should just 'pitch it.'  She didn't and I told her she simply HAD to let everyone know how dissatisfied I am with this bread.  I think she thinks I'm a little crazy obsessed and I'm not saying I'm not, but she agreed to explain.  I hope she manages the right note of obsessed earnestness in her tone.

It's supposed to be a sourdough made with Roasted Garlic and Extra Sharp Cheddar with a hint of Oregano.

Except the oregano has all but disappeared in appearance and definitely in taste.  The garlic?  Well, let's just say if I hadn't told you that it was there you would have never guessed.  The cheddar dominates which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I wanted it to have a strong cheddar taste.  Buuuuut---extra sharp cheddar + sourdough makes it a little too tangy.

The garlic and oregano should be easy to adjust.  The question is--Do I tone down the cheddar or go with a non-sourdough?

 

It sure does look pretty though, doesn't it?

Sweet Cupcake

           Because sometimes you just need something jaw-achingly sweet.

Panettone Disguised

Can you believe a panettone pan could not be had for love or money locally?  Of course Fantes had plenty but they are across the state and I hadn't time to have anything shipped.  I had to improvise and use a brioche pan and a small round casserole.  The one shaped in the brioche pan was much prettier once I turned it right side down.

It looks sort of like a Pandoro but with more fluted edges.  I promise that it is Panettone!  It's just in disguise.   It was prepared as Panettone is.  Hmmm.. maybe one other small difference---I used dried tart cherries as my fruit instead of other assorted dried fruit.  (Wikipedia says it's supposed to be things like currants and candied orange.  Hmph.)  The cherries were soaked overnight in rum to plump them up.  Good thing the alcohol bakes off because I popped a cherry in my mouth and it was like taking a quick neat shot!

A thick wedge of Panettone and a dollop of sweetened Vanilla Marscapone makes a perfect dessert.  And don't forget the cappuccino!

Sourdough

I've had something under wraps....

Last of December Baking

The last picture of something I baked in December:

Whole Wheat Walnut Bread from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.  It's a very intensely flavored loaf as it uses 100% Whole Wheat flour.  It is tasty and I especially like it toasted with butter but it's not a bread for everyone.  I won't be making it our family's everyday loaf.

Anyways, it's that time again---to clear out the Baking Sidebar of all the December goodness and start replacing it with January's items.

Here's the recap--43 items in December!  Not bad!

DECEMBER BAKING

• ROSEMARY ROMANO FLAT BREAD

• BROWNIES
• BAGELS
  ....18.
• BUBBLE BREAD
  ...extra sharp cheddar & oregano.
• WHOLE WHEAT WALNUT BREAD
• CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
• WEISSBROT
  ...German White Bread
• FOCCACCIA
  ...to accompany Christmas Day dinner
• CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• CHEESCAKE BITES
• SUGAR COOKIES
• GINGERBREAD COOKIES
• PB COOKIES W/HERSHEY KISS
• SNOWBALLS
• SNICKERDOODLE PINWHEELS
• STRIPED SHORTBREAD
• CHALLAH
  ...2 huge loaves.
• TEENY LEMON CAKE
  ...the quest for the perfect lemon loaf begins.
• BLACK BOTTOM PUDDING
  ...recycling at its finest.
• PRETZEL DOGS
  ...revisited.
• STRUAN
  ...this stuff is so good that it's no wonder why we keep going through it so fast!
• PEPPERMINT BARK
  ...not really baking....
• STRUAN
• HONEY WHEAT ENGLISH MUFFINS
  ...featuring Greek Mountain Honey from Thyme
• STRUAN
  ...I'm in love.
• STUFFED SHELLS & GARLIC TOAST
  ...one way to use up Monsieur Monfort's French Bread.
• CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
  ...so very very good warm.
• MONSIEUR MONFORT'S FRENCH BREAD
  ...2 large boules.
• BROWN SUGAR & CINNAMON PANCAKES
  ...does this count as baking? It's not from a mix...
• PIZZA & GARLIC BREADSTICKS
  ...last night's dinner
• STRUAN
  ...larger loaf this time.
• PB COOKIES DELUXE
  ...need more.
• STRUAN
• PB COOKIES DELUXE
  ...crunchy peanuts + pb chips=swooning
• COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS
  ...cereal is out, muffins are in.
• RICE KRISPIE TREATS
  ...they do turn out just as wonderful with homemade marshmallows.
• MARSHMALLOWS
  ...so easy that everyone should give them a try.
• BROWNIES
• SANDWICH BREAD
• ORANGE CREAMSICLE COOKIES
  ..these are not meant for breaking in half and sharing with a friend. Tell them to get their own!
• BREAD BOWLS
• ROSEMARY ROMANO FLAT BREAD
  ...full of zing--both herb-y and salty
• BERRY FILLED VANILLA CAKE
  ...me 1 Cake 0