Basic Baguettes and a Tender Rye Bread

One gift of the pandemic has been baking "with" my urban grandson. We started with matching boxes of King Arthur Baking mixes, working our way through a couple of breads and cinnamon rolls, then scones. He's already an ace with sugar cookies and has his own recipe.

This weekend, he's working from scratch on baguettes -- I gave him a baguette pan, five pounds of bread flour, and a jar of dry yeast, over the holidays. So he's all set! Here's the recipe I provided this morning, and I get the feeling he's going to do this on his own:

Grandma’s Baguette Recipe

One cup warm water, in a large bowl. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons dry yeast over the water. In a separate bowl mix 2 cups bread or regular flour and 2 teaspoons salt. Then add the flour mix to the liquid and stir. Switch to the dough scraper* and and another cup of flour. Work it in with the dough scraper. Now just add a half cup or less flour at a time, folding the dough with the scraper to mix and stretch it, until it feels stretchy and still soft but almost firm. Add a tablespoon of oil to the bowl and roll the dough in it so it and the bowl are oiled. Cover bowl and let dough rise for 1 hour. Put a little oil or spray on your baguette pan. Start the oven heating to 425. Take a cutting board or sheet of wax paper or parchment and put about a quarter cup flour on it. Dump your dough onto this. Use the scraper to divide into loaves (your pan is for 3?).  Roll each one with your hands into a long loaf and place in pan. Put parchment or wax paper loosely over them. Let rise - maybe 20 minutes? - then bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden.  

For those of you ready to fuss a bit more, two tips will make your loaves more like the French ones: Place a roasting pan of hot water on a lower shelf of the oven to add humidity (I don't want a 12-year-old doing this because of the risk of spilling), and when you're ready to bake, dust a bit of flour onto the tops of your loaves and add diagonal slits, using a very sharp blade.

Earlier this week I baked a rye-and-caraway bread that I really liked, improvising a bit from a recipe that came with the pumpernickel flour I bought from King Arthur Baking. Here we go:

Buttered rye bread with organic eggs ... mmm, my kind of breakfast.

 

Soft Rye Bread With Caraway Seeds

Combine and mix in a large bowl, repeatedly folding with a dough scraper* to knead into a soft, smooth dough:

2 cups pumpernickel flour

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup potato flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup caraway seeds

2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons dry yeast

3 cups warm water

Add a bit of oil to the bowl and roll the dough in it; cover and let rise 1 hour. Divide into two oval loaves and place them on a greased baking sheet. Let rise 10-15 minutes while you heat the over to 425 degrees. Slash the tops diagonally and bake 20-25 minutes. Try to wait until it's cool to slice it!

(The original recipe included 2 tablespoons of caramel color; I didn't have any, but it would have made the bread look more like a store-bought rye.)

*If you don't have a dough scraper ... well, there's nothing that does the job as well. Here's a link. They are cheap and you'll wonder why you waited so long to get one. Mine has a curved edge, which I like better than the straight one in this link, but it's not being sold by KAB now ... you may find one online if you look for a while.

Spring Treat: Cheddar Chive Bread with Grated Zucchini

Adapting recipes and the kitchen to reality means facing the frozen packet of grated zucchini in the bottom of the freezer. It seemed so smart last summer to take an "extra" zuke, grate it, and pop the results into a bag and then into the freezer. This recipe turned out perfect for using it, at long last -- and if you don't have any in your own freezer, double the chives.

There are two "tricks" to the recipe. The first is getting a lot of the moisture out of the grated zucchini. Luckily, frozen grated zucchini makes this easy! Let your packet thaw, and set it in the dish drainer so the liquid can leach out for five minutes or so. If you are grating fresh zucchini, don't bother with steps like pressing it in a dish towel or other strange actions -- just let it sit half an hour and pour off any "juice" that has pooled in the bottom of the dish. Either way, you'll want a bit of extra time for your zuke prep step, but it's leave-it-alone time: just set up the grated vegetable to drain and go on with life.

I chose to prep this with three containers, because I was making my own "buttermilk" (what the recipe originally called for) -- that is, acidified milk. It's easy. Here's what I did:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease (in any way you like) a 9 by 5 inch bread pan.

2-CUP GLASS MEASURING CUP: Pour in 1 cup milk (any kind). Add 1 tablespoon vinegar (white or cider). Stir. Break in 1 egg and add 1/4 cup corn oil. Stir with a fork.

MEDIUM  BOWL: Grate about 4 ounces of sharp cheddar (enough to make 1.5 cups grated cheese). Take a handful of chives and snip them with scissors (the best way to get uniform tiny pieces that aren't totally smushed) -- you want 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives. Top this with your 1.5 cups of drained grated zucchini and run a fork under it to toss it together a bit.

LARGE BOWL: Gently stir together 2 cups flour (I used half unbleached King Arthur white, half King Arthur's new-ish "white wheat"; this will work just as well with all white flour, or half whole wheat—it won't be great with all whole wheat though), 2 tablespoons sugar, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. If you are crazy for salt, you can include a half teaspoon of it, but with the cheese, I don't think it's needed.

Add the measuring cup of liquids to the large bowl and stir briefly with that fork. Add the medium bowl of goodies and stir just enough to make sure all the dry ingredients have become wet.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, as they say. Leave the bread in the pan for 10-20 minutes; then slide a knife around the sides and tip it out onto a cooling rack.

Eat it warm or at room temperature. Yes, with butter!

One more "trick": If you want to place this on a serving plate while still warm, to take it to the table that way, be sure to put a piece of waxed paper between the warm bread and the plate, so it doesn't stick, and of course use a serrated knife to slice it.

Harvest Season: Apple Cake

The basic form of this recipe comes from Joan Nathan's book The Jewish Holiday Kitchen (1988). I've baked it in three ways: in a tube pan (as written), in a bundt pan (be careful not to increase the amount of apples or the pan overflows!), and in a 13 by 9 inch cake pan. The bundt pan gives a pretty shape, but it's miserable to clean out; the "half sheet" cake pan is simplest, and should be done with two layers of each mixture, not three -- it's also easiest to serve from. And the tube pan is most authentic for a "Jewish holiday" look. Your choice.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the pan and dust it lightly with flour (important for the crust), tapping out any excess flour.

Peel and cut into thick slices 5 large apples (I like Cortland or Macs for this). Mix together 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar; pour over the apple slices and turn gently with a spoon until all the slices are sugared. Set aside.

Mix 3 cups flour (I use King Arthur Unbleached -- do not use cake flour) with 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In electric mixer, place 1-2/3 (one and two-thirds) cup sugar, 4 large eggs, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended.

Add the flour mixture and mix ONLY until blended. Scrape with spatula to make sure all flour's mixed in.

Pour one-third of batter into pan. Layer with one-third of apples-and-cinnamon-sugar. Repeat two more times, ending with apples on top.

Bake 90 minutes until golden on top. Let sit a few minutes and then, if using tube or bundt pan, unmold.

(Note: I use a two-piece tube pan, and because I'm awful at getting things out of pans intact, when my cake's baked I let it cool for 5 minutes, then loosen the outer part of the pan and remove it. I serve from the core of the pan, as shown in the photo. Or slice up, and plate the slices.)

Keeping it fresh: This cake won't keep for long. For a day or two, wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and keep at room temperature. For longer, it needs to be refrigerated. Past three days, it gets a bit mushy but is still yummy, especially warmed up with a dab of ice cream.

Canning Applesauce: Checklist!

Today is the first day I've had "off" since September, so I'm catching up by posting this set of photos and tips on canning applesauce, especially for Stacy, who asked about canning back then.

Tip 1: Applesauce canning is the same as for any "acidic" fruit, like peaches and tomatoes. You want fruit that isn't spoiled -- although you can cut out bruises of course, and use the rest of the apple.

Tip 2: Use "real" canning jars. Yes, you can save money with glass mayonnaise jars and such, but the point of the real ones is, they are thicker glass and designed to take some heat. Especially for your first few tries, spend a few dollars on the real ones. You also need two other items shown here: rings, and lids. You can buy them together in one package. The rings are reusable forever (or close to it), but the lids are meant for one use only. See the red rim of rubbery material? That, and the precise shape of the lid -- those are the parts that make the airtight seal. Re-use the lids and you're asking for failed seals. The lids are cheap. Your time (and food) isn't! Make sure to wash everything before use. I like wide-mouth jars, myself.

Tip 3: I sort of quarter my apples, leaving out the cores -- which avoids (harmless) black specks fro the cores that way -- and simmer them in a heavy-bottom stock pan. Another good pan for this is the enamel-lined cast iron kind. Keep the heat modest, to avoid scorching. Add a little water. Stir often.

Tip 4: I've almost always used a "Foley mill" (shown here) to turn the soft apples to mush and remove the skins and any stray seeds. Mine usually lasts 15-20 years or so ... this is my second since 1984. So it's a good investment. You can experiment with other food mills if you like. Of course, if you choose to peel your apples, you can just stir the "mush" and not put it through a food mill at all. (And that's how to make "chunky" applesauce: peel, cook, and do not squish it!) But I'm usually looking for efficiency when I'm doing applesauce, so the Foley mill suits me. The hardware store has it -- or purchase online.

Tip 5: You MUST sterilize the jars. Here's how canning works: Water (or applesauce) when you boil it reaches 212 degrees F. That's hot enough to kill a lot of bacteria, but not some of them, and not the molds. By trapping the heated fruit inside the canning jar, you build up pressure that lets the temperature rise even higher than 212, and kill off the nasties. BUT if you don't sterilize the jars first, you risk having extra populations of bad buggies that won't die. I put mine into the canning kettle, with water up to about 3/4 of their sides, inside them too, and bring to a boil, with the lid on. After 5 minutes, they are in good shape for filling. Use tongs to lift them out, letting the water from inside them drain back into the kettle as you take the jars out. Place them on a dishtowel-covered bread board or countertop -- this prevents them getting shocked by the temperature changes they are going through -- and in a moment they'll be dry and hot and ready to fill.

Tip 6: Don't boil the lids! But they will be a bit closer to 100% sealing if you warm them in a bit of the hot water dipped out of the boiling canning kettle.

Tips 7 and 8: A wide-mouth funnel helps a lot in keeping the rims of the jars clean as you fill them. If you don't have a funnel like this, fill the jars carefully -- and then dip a corner of a paper towel into the water boiling in the canning kettle, and use this pretty sterile wet-wipe to clean the rims of the jars. You want a clean rim to meet the red rubber part of the lid; any food in between will prevent a good seal.

Tip 9: Set the lids into place and then screw on the bands LOOSELY. When you lower your jars to be submerged in the canning water (which should come up to half an inch OVER the tops of the jars; I usually keep a kettle boiling in the background in case I need a bit of extra water), air inside the jars will be forced out through the seal area -- it's a one-direction process. Then as you "can" -- that is, bring the water back to a boil and time carefully from the start of the boil (always check the right amount of time for the size jars you are using; it's likely to be about 30 minutes for quarts) -- the steam pressure builds up inside the jar (that's why you're using real canning jars, and new lids) to kill any harmful organisms and make the food safe to store at room temperature. It does help to have one of these special canning tongs thingies, but I canned without it for 20+ years -- a couple of potholders and a pair of cooking tongs will get you through.

Tip 10: When the time is up and you take out the jars, handle them gently and put them back onto that towel-covered board. PROTECT them from drafts and bumps for a few hours. You can screw the bands down a bit when you first take them out. But not too tight. After the jars have cooled (next morning), you can actually take the bands off -- the lids will be firmly sealed to the jars. Taking the bands off, and washing and drying them before putting them away, will help keep them in good shape for the next round. On the other hand, if your jars are likely to get bumped in cupboards or carrying, leave the bands in place. You can wipe the jars down with a clean damp cloth once they are cool, too.

You asked about how to be sure the jars have sealed. Here it is: Once the jars have cooled for a couple of hours, the center of each lid should be sucked down toward the fruit, making a dimple. Good! If instead the center is popped up, press it gently and see whether it stays down. If it does, and is still down in the morning (when the jars are cool), you're fine. But any jars where the lid dimple has NOT sucked down by morning should be considered "not sealed" -- just pop them into the fridge and use the contents within the next week. It's fine for eating, but it won't "keep."


Add your labels (be sure to add the year!) and enjoy having a stable, safe, and delicious food in your cupboard, for later in the season!

Lemon Zucchini Bread (Ssh, It's the Healthy Version)

I found a recipe last year for Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread and it was great -- but way more than I wanted in the sweet and refined carbs area. Glad to share this newly adjusted and delicious version! Makes either 1 loaf (9 by 5 inch pan or, my preference, 10 by 3 inch) or fills an 8 by 8-inch cake pan.

Mix dry ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon zest OR 2 tbsp candied lemon peel (I used King Arthur Flour's version )
2 tbsp lemon juice powder (again, King Arthur Flour sells this; if you don't have it, add the same amount of lemon juice to the wet ingredients instead)

Mix wet ingredients:

2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup buttermilk OR (my fave subsitute) milk + yogurt adding up to 1/2 cup

Combine. Fold in:

1-1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini

Bake in greased pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (1 hour if using 10 by 3 inch pan). Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove if using a loaf pan, to finish cooling on rack. (You can leave the cake-pan version in the pan and serve it from there.)

Rhubarb Recipes

Preparing strawberry-rhubarb pie today.

The season is turning, even though a spate of rainy days has kept off some of the expected summer heat. I'm glad there's still rhubarb to harvest -- it's the first crop of spring, most years, and doesn't always last all that long! Weather and "pests" (like snails) can easily take it out of commission.

Today is a strawberry-rhubarb pie day here, which reminds me that I promised to post rhubarb recipes after the local "Historical House & Garden and Rhubarb Café" event had concluded. (People who attended were offered a lovely booklet of the recipes!) So here are some to enjoy.

CHOCOLATE RHUBARB BROWNIES

Best if cut only as small as 9 servings, but we managed 25 for the event!

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup unbleached flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rhubarb, diced small
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and sea salt.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix them until they are just incorporated. Add the rhubarb and chocolate chips and mix until they are combined. The batter will be quite thick.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out so that it is even in the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook the brownies so they don't dry out! Cool completely before cutting. 

FROSTED RHUBARB COOKIES

Maked 5 dozen. I baked and froze mine a week ahead of time, then frosted them on the day I wanted to serve them.

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Stir together:

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Cream together in a large bowl:

¼ cup (1/2 stick) softened butter

¾ cup shortening

1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

Add flour mix to sugar/shortening/egg mix and stir well.

Stir in:

¾ cup flaked coconut

1½ cups diced fresh rhubarb (diced small)

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

Frost when cool.

Frosting

Beat together:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp butter, softened

3 tsp vanilla extract

1½ cups confectioner’s sugar

RHUBARB PUNCH

Cut in small pieces 3 pounds rhubarb (should make 2 dry quarts).

Add 2 quarts water and cook until fruit is soft. Drain through double layer of cheesecloth -- you will find a lovely pink juice released from the "green" mash!

Add 3 cups sugar and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Chill. Measure, and add equal volume of chilled ginger ale -- or for a lower sugar version, use a sparkling water like Perrier. Serve with crushed ice.

Jean's Chewy Maple Cookies

Left side, cut with pizza cutter! Right side, recipe working much better.

My good friend Jean shared her recipe yesterday for Chewy Maple Cookies -- yumm! Baking them today, I used the "very strong dark" maple syrup that Goodrich's Maple Farm in Cabot, Vermont, provides for cooks. I also tried substituting whole wheat flour for part of the white flour in the original recipe -- not a success at first, as the whole wheat flour didn't absorb the liquid, and the cookies spread into a sheet of cooked dough on the (parchment-lined) pan. A few quick strokes with the pizza cutter turned things back into snack form, but I still wanted the cookie shape, so with the other half of the dough I raised the amount of flour.

Here's my final "revised" version -- and Jean, thank you very much!

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together:
1-1/2 (one and one half) cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I put the regular chopped ones in a small plastic bag and run the rolling pin over them a couple of times to make them finer)

In a large bowl, beat with hand mixer:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup dark maple syrup (if you can't get dark, use light but add Jean's extra ingredient: 1/2 tsp maple flavoring)

Stir in dry ingredients. Drop dough by generous teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.