Cornbread Recipe

I must admit that I am not a big cornbread fan.   I never have been.... I blame that on the many box mixes I have had in the past.  This recipe may have changed my mind about that old Southern classic that we northerners have misunderstood.   

I like that it is made with actual cornmeal and flour and sugar and Greek yogurt and fresh corn.  I think this is the recipe I have been looking for.  Perhaps you, as a Southerner, will look at this recipe and tell me I am still misunderstanding, but this was WAY better than anything I have had thus far. It was moist and hearty and had a lot of texture due to the fresh corn kernels.

I would have linked to the recipe, but it isn't on the FoodTv site.  I will make this again.

I would wait a little while longer before loosening and slicing it as mine was not quite cool enough in 15 minutes.

Now that I've found a nice recipe, maybe I will invest in one of these!

Hot, Whole-Wheat Soft Pretzels

 

Seriously, can't you just smell them? 

  
Sliced horizontally, they make great hamburger buns.  If you do them as straight sticks, you can cut them and make them hot dog buns. Yum!

 

Recipe

 

Soft Pretzels

• 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• 3-4 cups water
• 3 Tbsp baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Pretzel salt or French grey sea salt

Directions
1. Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flours and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl,  cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for 5 minutes- 10 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpat. Set aside.

3. Heat 3 cups of water to very warm  in an 8-quart saucepan and add the baking soda. Turn off the heat.

4. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8-16 pieces depending how large you'd like your pretzels to be.  Dip the rope into the soda water holding onto the ends of the rope as handles. (It doesn't matter if the tips of the ends don't get submersed).  Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

5.  Coat with egg yolk and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake at 450 for 8-12 minutes or until deep brown.

Sourdough Bread

Have you ever tried to make your own sourdough bread? I tried years ago, but after two weeks, my started turned pink and smelled really funky, so I tossed it. Now that I have had lots of practice making yeast breads, I decided to take it on again. I am a total novice, but wanted to share with you my success. Finally, it worked! It took about a month of feeding and tending to my starter, but it finally turned out the way I wanted; sour flavor without being too sour and just enough of a rise and perfectly crunchy on top, chewy on bottom crust. Love it! I am soooo happy and it is worth all of the effort. I am just going to share with you the starter and bread recipe I used.

I don't need to try to recreate the recipe since there are actual experts out there.  Confessions of a   Bright-Eyed Baker had the recipe I found on Pinterest. I tried it because they didn't make you feed it more than once per week or two. I fed mine more than that sometimes and I made several loaves over the month, but none of them were sour tasting. After I refrigerated my starter for a week or so, it finally turned sour. Exactly as I like it. I used the San Francisco bread recipe at the bottom of this post. It takes a long time to raise it this way, but I love the flavor enough to keep doing it. I have some recipes that take NO time and NO kneading and barely any work, but sourdough is such an awesome flavor that I will continue on with this old-fashioned way of making bread.

Here is the link to the recipe I used. I hope you will try it.  Let me know how you enjoyed it (or otherwise!)

If you would rather start with a sourdough starter that is already started, you can always order one on Amazon or somewhere like that. I think even King Arthur Flour has one that you can order at their site.

Here is a link to an Amazon one...

Or this one...

Or... you can see there are lots of options...

And a few more that you may find useful...


I have this pizza stone and it works well for bread making if you don't want to use parchment and a cookie sheet like I do.



Tami

Easy Artisian Bread {Really!}

Mid-summer in Upstate New York does not lead one to think about baking bread or baking anything else for that matter.  Our humidity and heat levels generally take us to the grill where we flame-broil everything.  I have, however, been wanting to bake bread for some time now.  I had a recipe I really wanted to try because I, to be honest, have not had much luck with bread baking.  I have no patience and hate waiting for it to rise and then kneading it and then waiting again, etc.  It makes me crazy and it takes way to long!  Besides, with our busy schedule, my timing is never right for punching it down and letting it raise again, etc. 

We have had a relative break in the humidity, at least in the mornings, so I decided to try this recipe.  Seriously, it is the best I have ever made.  Look at it!  AMAZING!  I even changed the recipe to meet my whole wheat needs and it came out perfectly.  The crust is crunchy and tough while the inside is fluffy and delicious and a little salty!  My rolled oats and sunflower seeds didn't stay on the top when I cut it though.  Not sure why... maybe someone can tell me?  Do I need to stick them on with something? 

The best part of all is that this bread is $.40 a loaf.  Really?  I pay $3 or more at our local grocery store for an Artisian bread.  There really is nothing like a loaf of freshly baked bread coming out of the oven at your own home.  It gives you such a feeling of accomplishment and my family gobbles it down as soon as it is cool enough.  The smell is awesome too.  If you have never baked bread, I suggest you try this recipe.  It is great for those who have never tried because the step-by-step shows pictures and the description covers everything you need to know to get it right.

So, the secret to this loaf being so easy is the lack of need for kneading and a quick-rising yeast!  You just mix it up in about 2 minutes, set it aside for 2 hours and then pull some out of the bowl and shape it, let it rise for 30 minutes or so, cut the hash marks on top, put it in the oven.  It is perfect for a weekend lunch or dinner. 

Anyway, the original source of this beautiful bread at The Italian Dish.   I changed the recipe a bit for my needs so I will just tell you what I did differently and you can visit The Italian Dish for the step-by-step tutorial.  She (he?) did a wonderful job showing you how the loose bread dough should look and explains everything beautifully.

For my version, I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of raw wheat germ and I used a yeast specifically made for whole wheat bread.  The packets of yeast had more yeast in them than the original recipe called for, so I used 1-1/2 packets.  I also added a bit more water because it didn't look as loose as her/his picture looked.  This worked perfectly. 

Another change I made was to half the dough between two containers because when it rises, it really rises. The first time I made it, it bubbled completely out of the container and onto the counter.  It was hilarious and the yeasty smell took over the entire kitchen!

I also added rolled 7-Grain mix and some sunflower seeds to the top.  Like I said though, they didn't stay on while I cut the bread.  Not sure why.  I will investigate.

For the coarse salt, I used French Grey Sea Salt.  It was nicely salty without being overly-salted.  I will definitely use that again.

Enjoy with butter or Homemade Strawberry Jam!

Fall Birthday Celebration: Squid Ink Pasta with Mussels, Dark Chocolate Cake and Cheezy Pizza Bread

Don't you just love Fall? Nothing makes me want to cook more than that change of seasons!   All of those pumpkin recipes!  I have already made a pumpkin roll, pumpkin spiced lattes and an apple pie, apple sauce and apple crisp.  Love it! 

One of the other things that comes with fall is our whole family's birthdays.  We go from September through December... one per month.  I had a gamer birthday party for my oldest 11-year-old son as seen here.

Today is my husband's birthday, so I am making a cheezy pizza bread and some great squid ink bow tie pasta with mussels... his favorite. 

For the pizza, I do nothing terribly fancy.  Make a pizza dough using the THIS recipe, spread the dough on a greased pan, and then top it with olive oil, chopped garlic, 5 different cheeses of your choice and then sprinkle with paprika and white pepper.  Delicious!

The special dinner of mussels and squid ink pasta is a great birthday dinner for my husband.  He loves mussels and it is fairly simple to make. 

Aren't these cute?  How could I resist a striped pasta???

So, I cooked the pasta according to the package directions. 

Add some chopped garlic to 1 cup of canned, chopped tomatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of white wine {or just 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth if you have no wine}.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the mussels and cover to steam them until they open.  If any of them fail to open, throw the unopened ones out. 

Top pasta with the mussels and the sauce and sprinkle with cilantro or parsley.  Dig in!

The other thing I made is my husband's favorite cake, Hershey Dark Chocolate Cake.  YUM! The recipe is on the back of the cocoa box but instead of using the boiling water, I used freshly brewed espresso.

Seriously, this is the best chocolate cake ever.  You really only need a small piece.  It is really rich.  My little one was home from school today until his antibiotics kick in.  He was feeling so much better that he wanted to help decorate the cake, so he picked his dad's favorite candy and told me how to put them on the cake.  {I wouldn't let him touch it.... germy little thing!}  Then he picked the candles from my candle stash {blush... yes, I have one}.  This is what he came up with. 

Happy birthday, Sweetie!

Enjoy what is left of Autumn!  I know I will!

Homemade Hot Pretzels & Deep-Fried Fettuccini Knots

Oh yum.... Today I made homemade whole wheat hot pretzels.  They are yummy!  The boys covered them with Easy Cheez.  I dipped mine in mustard. 

Here's the recipe....  adapted from Alton Brown by Kirbie's Creations.

The pretzels are soft inside, chewy and tough on the outside just like a good pretzel should be.  I put
Celtic Grey Sea Salt on mine.  It is subtle, but adds a lot to the flavor.

How about this for a fun party food?  Deep-fried Fettuccini!  Really!  It is awesome!
I found the recipe at Ceramic Canvas and their recipe tutorial is very nice and the pictures prettier than mine!
Go  check it out.  It is SO easy... but beware, it makes your house smell like a doughnut shop.  I think these would also taste great with some powdered sugar sprinkled on them... or maybe some cinnamon and sugar.
Oh... and I did not put the wasabi powder in them.  They were perfect for the poker party we had.

Blueberry Muffins

Come to tea?

Today I tried a new recipe for blueberry muffins and I loved the outcome! I changed the recipe up a bit because I didn't have sour cream but I did have fat-free Greek Yogurt so I made them using the yogurt. Oh my... they were so great. The kids each ate two and wanted to go for 3, but I made them stop.

They make for a rich and tender muffin in which the blueberries are floating throughout. Don't be surprised by the thick batter. It doesn't pour like some muffin batters, but plops more like cookie dough. That is the way it should look.

Here's the recipe as I made them.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp melted and cooled unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups 0% Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups small, fresh blueberries

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350F. Spray muffin tin with PAM.

2. Whisk flower, baking powder and salt in medium bowl until combined.

3. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until light yellow. Add sugar and whist until thick and well combined, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter slowly in 2-3 batches, whisking between to combine. Add yogurt and whisk just to combine.

4. Drop batter into greased muffin tin filling 3/4 full. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean... 25-30 mintues. Or 20 minutes on convect bake.

5. Invert muffins onto wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Tami

The Homemade Challenge- Bagels

Okay. I'm NEVER going to buy bagels at the store again. I swear! OMG... they are soooo good homemade! Check these out!

Here is where I got the recipe and this recipe is perfect! If you would like a pictoral walkthough of the process, you have to go to Thibeault's Table. Ann's blog is great and has MANY great recipes. Otherwise, the recipe is now posted below.
Thibeault's Table <----------Click here! If you make them, let me know. I really want to hear how they turned out for you!





Bagels
======
Source: Hors d'oeuvres Cook Book and notes from Thibeault's Table...

I have typed it exactly as the recipe is printed in the book. If you have a bread machine or Kitchenaide by all means use it to do most of the kneading. I always like to finish the kneading by hand. You can also make these into normal size bagels. I have used this recipe for over 20 years. I have tried other recipes but this is my favourite one.

2 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
about 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
3 quarts water with 1 tablespoon of sugar
cornmeal
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
about 2 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds.

Stir together water and yeast in large bowl of electric mixer; let stand 5 minutes to soften yeast. Stir in the sugar and salt. Gradually mix in 4 cups of the flour and beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. With a spoon, stir in about 1 1/4 cups more flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, (about 15 minutes); add more flour as needed to prevent sticking - dough should be firmer than for most other yeast breads. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled ( about 40 minutes to 1 hour).

Punch dough down and divide into thirds.

Set 2/3 of dough aside on a floured board; cover with clear plastic. Form remaining 1/3 dough in a log and cut into 16 equal pieces. To shape, knead each piece into small ball and poke thumbs through centre. With one thumb in hole (hole should be at least 1/2 inch) work fingers around perimeter, shaping ball into a small donut- like shape about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place bagels on a floured board or tray and let stand 20 minutes.

Bring water-sugar mixture to a boil in a 4 to 5 quart pan; adjust heat to keep it boiling gently. Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Lift bagels carefully and drop into water (about 6 at a time) boil gently for 1 minute turning only once (30 seconds each side). Lift out with slotted spoon and drain very briefly on paper towels, and place on baking sheet. Brush with 1/3 of the egg yolk glaze, sprinkle with seeds and bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes oruntil richly browned. cool on racks. Repeat with remaining 2/3 dough (you may need to punch it down before shaping,) working with 1/3 at a time. Makes 48 cocktail size bagels, or 12 to 18 larger bagels.

Tami

The Homemade Challenge - Butter and Cornbread

This week I've challenged myself to make some of the things at home that we generally buy at the store. It has been an interesting week so far. Being a stay-at-home-mom, I have the time to do these things, but other people may believe they don't because they work. You might be surprised! I couldn't believe how quickly these things whipped up and how quickly they disappeared from the dishes!

In order to find recipes that I wanted to make, I pulled out my old Cook's Illustrated Magazines. I just love them and reference them all the time. You really should pick one up if you haven't. They have them at WalMart now and although they seem thin and they don't have a lot of color photos, you will find them invaluable as a reference...even for a more experienced cook.... but especially for those just beginning. The best part is that they do experiments and try to figure out the best way to make the recipe turn out so that you don't have to! And there are tons of great tips.

Monday the kids and I sat down with the Cook's Mags and started looking through them. I let the kids pick something they would like to make (not necessarily something you would buy at the store). Surprisingly, V. chose frozen yogurt. I thought that was a great "something you would buy", so we chose to make that on Tuesday. We actually had all of the ingredients for chocolate and we decided that on Wednesday we'd make strawberry frozen yogurt since we could pick up the strawberries on Tuesday. Graham picked Gnocchi. I made that Monday night with some Tuscan Bean Soup and baked whole wheat bread. {Lots of stuff to blog about!}

Today (Wednesday) we chose to make homemade butter and buttermilk. I looked up a recipe to try on Epicurious.com. Since I would have buttermilk, I decided to get the other stuff to make cornbread and found that I actually had everything on-hand.

I'm going to post the recipes for the frozen yogurt later. I just made the butter, buttermilk and cornbread and while it is still in our tummies and on our tongues, I thought I'd post about that right now. Besides, it seems more interesting.

This is the recipe I used for the butter (Epicurious, April 2008)

Butter and Buttermilk

6 cups heavy cream, preferably organic (I used regular)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I didn't have fine sea salt, so I used regular tablesalt)

Special equipment: Special equipment: 5-quart stand mixer (or larger)

Transfer cream to bowl of 5-quart electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Tightly cover top of bowl and mixer with plastic wrap. Beat cream at moderately high speed until it holds soft peaks, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture separates into thick, pale-yellow butter and thin, liquid buttermilk, about 5 minutes more.

Strain mixture through colander into large bowl. Using hands, vigorously knead butter in colander, squeezing out remaining buttermilk, until dense and creamy, about 5 minutes. Transfer butter to large bowl, reserving buttermilk. Using hands, knead salt into butter. Roll into logs and wrap in plastic wrap or transfer to airtight container and refrigerate. (Butter will keep up to 1 week refrigerated or 1 month frozen.) Strain buttermilk through fine-mesh sieve, then cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

It was SOOO easy. I have never made it before and it was not a problem at all. Once the buttermilk and the butter separated, it did start splashing, but the splash guard you make out of plastic wrap, helps with this. So, make sure you do that step or you may have a mess on your hands. I took two pieces of plastic wrap and put one on each side of the whisk. Like this.

This is how it looked after about 10 minutes. You can tell the whipping cream is starting to clump and it doesn't look like whipped cream anymore.

After about 15 minutes (5 minutes at level 1o on the mixer)

It looks a little like scrambled eggs.

After 20 minutes of mixing the butter separated and stuck in the whisk (below) and the buttermilk started splashing. This is when you stop it.

Look how pretty that yellow butter is! And this is the buttermilk in my Grandmother's Tang pitcher. Plenty for several batches of pancakes or cornbread.

This is what it looked like before I squeezed the buttermilk out of it.

And here it is in a crock that I had on-hand, beside some maple syrup we used for the cornbread. YUM!

Now that I had fresh buttermilk, I wanted to make some cornbread. I pulled the recipe from Cook's and we made it up. The boys both ate seconds (which is rare for them. They are only- eat-when-you-are-hungry kids).

Click on the picture for a close-up of the recipe.

I used a 8-in round springform pan to make this and it worked out just fine. I also cooked it on convect at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It was done already, so be sure to check it after 18 minutes or so.

Very tasty with the fresh butter and real maple syrup!

Thursday we're going to make homemade pretzels. We buy those frozen ones for convenience, but how hard can it be? We'll see and I'm sure I'll blog about it. I'm not sure what Friday will bring, but I will be sure to give the details of the frozen yogurt tomorrow.

Tami