They baked much faster than the time in this recipe, so check them super early

Delicious!  Lowfat!  YUM!

CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE

Keep in mind I made several changes and you can find them

behind the cut, so click below to see mine…

Changes I made to the recipe are as follows:

• 2 1/2 cups flour– I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose
• 1/2 cup sugar– I used organic sucanat
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoonbaking powder plus
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon– I used 1/4 tsp heaped
• 1/4 cup coconut– I used unsweetened
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup milk- I used a little more milk due to the ww pastry flour
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoonsvanilla
• 3 medium mashed bananas– I used 3 fresh ripe + an extra frozen banana
• 1 cup chopped  pecans
• 2 cups  frozen blueberries- I used 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup frozen raspberries

It will be here sooner than we think, and I’m planning on baking a 3D lamb cake for Easter

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2010/02/25/banana-blueberry-raspberry-and-pecan-bread/feed/ 10 Angelnina bread tulip2 http://angelninascottage.com/2009/04/15/a-long-day-and-a-big-night/ http://angelninascottage.com/2009/04/15/a-long-day-and-a-big-night/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:09:59 +0000 angelnina http://angelnina.wordpress.com/?p=1212 ]]> I just love the movie “Big Night”.  It just makes me happy.  I decided to have my own big night with the “kids”.  Olivia had never seen the movie, so we started early, and made “A Long Day, and a Big Night” out of it!

The Menu:

Italian Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Homemade Rustic Artisan Bread

Spaghetti with Great Grandma DeFranco’s Meat Sauce

Strawberry Sorbato and Prosecco Floats- made with homemade Strawberry Sorbato

Sfingi ~ Ricotta Puffs- made with homemade ricotta cheese-and dipped in honey sauce

The kids arrived with a bouquet of daffodils!  For me?  Why, yes!

I started with my homemade ricotta cheese.

All you need is a gallon of whole organic milk, and 1/3 cup plus two Tbsp white vinegar

ABOVE: Curds and whey

We invited the kids to take a ride with us up to La Conner to see the Daffodil fields in bloom.  I knew it would give the mixture some time to completely separate out the curds from the whey.

ABOVE: Last year’s daffodils in La Conner

ABOVE: Sean and Oliva in La Conner

La Conner is a lovely little town.  I blogged it last year too.

ABOVE: Squinting eyes and in mid-sentence.  Yes, I’m usually in mid-sentence.

“Good Lord, what is that big bright thing up there in the sky?”

ABOVE: Mark pointing out the mussels to Sean and Olivia.

PLEASE CLICK BELOW IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE VERY PICTURE HEAVY FOOD POST (20 MORE PHOTOS TO BE EXACT)…

Oops! I almost forgot, I made the Strawberry Sorbato for the Prosecco Floats, before we left that morning too.

ABOVE:  This drink is to die for.   I  like to wait until the sorbato (a cross between sorbet and gelato) melts and the drink becomes slushy.

Back home to finish up the ricotta.  Ricotta cheese is incredibly easy to make.

ABOVE:  Ricotta completed and ready to use.

Pork back ribs, homemade meatballs, hot Italian sausage, and hard boiled eggs.

Spaghetti and Meatballs–my favorite meal.

Don’t forget the fresh baked bread!

A little Montepulciano made with organic grapes–thank you Trader Joe’s!

Hmmm, you tell me….

Maybe I should have named him Jack.

Back to our evening…

Kids in the den watching “Big Night” while Mark and I make the Ricotta Puffs (Sfingi)

I really enjoyed making these little doughnut/fritters.  Oh Lordy, these are so good I could eat a whole batch, but I held myself back…a little.

ABOVE:  The ricotta is used in the base of the sfingi mix.

Then, I drop by rounded teaspoons into my deep fryer.

Spoon honey mixture over each little doughnut.

Then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This is simply Love on a Plate!

Oh, let’s look at that again…

I should also note, I made the meat sauce the night before.  This sauce is always better the next day.

I know this looks like a lot of work, and it is, but I broke it up over a 24 hour period.  Timing was perfect for this one.  Having the sauce cooked, the sorbeto in the freezer, and the ricotta process started before we left, made it a bit easier when I returned from the little mini-trip.

The movie was a lot of fun too!

Mangia, mangia!

RECIPES:  I’ll be creating separate posts with the individual dishes and their recipes, and then I will link from the menu on this blog to each recipe.  Some of these recipes individually are too good to stuff into a huge post like this.

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2009/04/15/a-long-day-and-a-big-night/feed/ 11 Angelnina dsc_0209 dsc_0342 Daffodil Field in Skagit Valley dsc_0323 dsc_0327 dsc_0341 dsc_03261 dsc_0305 dsc_0310 dsc_0313 dsc_0378 dsc_0375 dsc_0345 dsc_0352 dsc_0361 dsc_0366 dsc_0368 dsc_0257 dsc_0353 dsc_0370 jack-nicholson-shining_l dsc_0387 dsc_0382 dsc_0388 dsc_0384 dsc_0389 dsc_0393 http://angelninascottage.com/2009/03/30/chicks-and-bread/ http://angelninascottage.com/2009/03/30/chicks-and-bread/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:24:05 +0000 angelnina http://angelnina.wordpress.com/?p=1148 ]]> I did it again.

I bought more chicks.

Why I ever go into the feed store is beyond me.

I really love Buff Orpingtons, and I wish I had started my flock with the Buffs.  Sunday we drove to the  feed store just to “look” at the chicks.  We left with these little gals.  They are just adorable.

Last night I had to move them from the garage into the den.   I realized Mark had used the wrong lamp socket with the heat lamp bulb for the chicks.  After a midnight hunt in the shop, we had no luck locating the porcelain socket–which is really important to prevent fire.  I knew the chicks couldn’t stay in the garage and have enough heat from a 100 watt light bulb, so I brought them in and hung the lamp with a simple 100 watt light bulb–so far, it has worked very well.  The brooder is about 90 degrees.   I was awakened by chick peeps on and off throughout the night.  Today I feel like the mother of  newborns.  Thank God breast feeding isn’t required.  I’m exhausted!

I’m not naming any of these gals until I’m quite certain there are no cockerels in the bunch.

For those who followed my first time experience with the original flock, you will remember my son, Sean, naming one of my girls “Sean Jr”, and “she” turned out to be a little rooster!  Needless to say, Sean is not allowed to name any of these chicks.  I think it was a curse!

More chicky butts than faces in this photo, but they were trying to stay warm until we set up the lamp!

In food news:

I tried a no-knead recipe for a Ciabatta bread.  I found the recipe here at “Food Wishes” an excellent food blog!  He even made a video showing how to make it– step by step.

I had only one problem–my bread stuck to my pan–big time!  I mean it was like I had super glued the stuff down–ripped off half the crust trying to get it off the pan.  I’ve made a lot of bread in my lifetime and never had that happen before.  I’m baking it again, and this time I’m going to oil the pan and then add the cornmeal–maybe I’ll slip some parchment down too!

That said, let me tell you, this bread tastes GREAT!  Look at the texture…amazing stuff, without the kneading.  Granted kneading can be a wonderful meditative experience, but when you don’t have time to, try this one.

Ciabatta Bread looks like a fluffy slipper–it is flatter than a regular loaf of bread.

It is thicker than this photo seems to show.  I really enjoyed it.  The crust was crispy and the interior was just right.

Oh, I do have a bread stone in the oven and I used my convection bake setting for half the time–which may be how I created a super glue base?  If you have a clue, please clue me!

I have to admit–the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes, that I normally make, is more impressive, BUT this really was fun and it tastes great toasted.  It is a nice change, and it is fun to try new things.

]]> http://angelninascottage.com/2009/03/30/chicks-and-bread/feed/ 10 Angelnina chick1 chicks3 chick2 bread4 breadslice http://angelninascottage.com/2009/03/11/italian-easter-egg-bread-ring-and-more-easter-dinner-ideas/ http://angelninascottage.com/2009/03/11/italian-easter-egg-bread-ring-and-more-easter-dinner-ideas/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:10:07 +0000 angelnina http://angelnina.wordpress.com/?p=1069 ]]> NOTE: The following post is from an Easter 2007 blogI posted on my Live Journal.  I want to share it here with new readers, and to remind some of my regular readers of some Easter Dinner ideas.

I have included the Easter Egg Bread and the Almond Pear Tart  recipes.  I will get the other recipes up, as time permits.   In the meantime, you can find the Flourless Chocolate Cake and the Mandarin Sorbet in Giuliano Hazan’s cookbook.

Easter 2007

This Easter I ended up making too many desserts.  I look through cookbooks all of the time, and when I see things I want to make, I tell myself I should wait until a holiday.  I don’t think I’ll wait anymore.

ABOVE: Italian Easter Bread

I have wanted to make this bread for years, but never made enough time to squeeze it into an Easter menu.  It is time consuming, but it was worth it.  I served it the next day, and I would recommend only serving this the same day you bake it.
EASTER EGG BREAD RING (Italian/ Greek)

3 tablespoons multicolored sprinkles (jimmies

1. Color the 5 eggs with egg dye. In a large mixing bowl, blend the white sugar, salt, and yeast well with 1 cup of the flour.
2. In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup milk and butter, heating slowly until liquid is warm and butter is melted. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients and beat 125 strokes with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a ball of dough that draws away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, working in additional flour to overcome stickiness. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, combine the fruit, nuts, and anise seed.
5. Punch down the dough and return it to a lightly floured board. Knead in the fruit mixture, keeping the syrupy pieces dusted with flour until they are worked into the dough. Divide the dough in half.
6. Carefully roll each piece into a 24-inch rope–the fruit and nuts will make this slightly difficult. Loosely twist the two ropes together and form a ring on a greased baking sheet. Pinch the ends together well. Brush the dough with melted shortening. Push aside the twist to make a place for each egg. Push eggs down carefully as far as possible. Cover the bread with wax paper and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
7. Bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a twist comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
8. Once the bread is cool, drizzle the icing on top between the eggs, and decorate with colored sprinkles. To make icing: mix together confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, and vanilla.

OR Click here for the recipe.

I decided to do two baking sheets of roasted veggies.  It was a way to have an assortment of vegetables and cook them all at once.  The tray not shown had baby reds, zucchini, carrots, sweet onions, garlic, and herbs.

The Pear Upside Down Cake is truly one of my favorite cakes.  The recipe calls for almond paste and fresh Bosc pears.  This is the second time I’ve made it and one I’ll make again and again.

I also made my first flourless chocolate cake.  The recipe is from Hazan’s book and this is a cake only a true chocolate lover/ worshipper can eat.  I used semi sweet chocolates from Germany.

“Rich” is an understatement.

ABOVE: Mandarin Orange Sorbet (made with Prosecco)
If you like sorbet, you have to try this recipe –again Hazan’s–for Mandarin Orange Sorbet.  It calls for a cup of Prosecco and fresh squeezed mandarin oranges.  This is a new favorite of mine!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend–holiday or no.

WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP-Garnished with cranberry goat cheese and scallions

I enjoy food.  I seriously enjoy eating a great meal.  How I define a good meal, depends on my mood.  Sometimes a slice of pepperoni pizza and an Italian chop salad is a great meal.   One of my favorite meals is spaghetti and meatballs–just like my Great Grandma DeFranco used to make–oh, is that ever a great meal!

As the depth of winter reaches in and tries to snuff out my light, I know I need to eat more vegetables.  I don’t know if anybody else experiences this, but I know I do.

There are times when I’m going forward with my day, minding my own darn business, when all of a sudden I have a beet attack!  Seriously, I crave beets.  Not only that, but once I get my hands on some beets, I eat them so fast I have to remind myself to stop and breathe!  Obviously, something in my body is craving the nutrients of the beet, and I need to pay attention to it.

Every now and again, I get these little whole food cravings: carrots, curried soups, sauteed spinach with pecans, chard with garlic and crushed peppers, fruit salad, pomegranates, sweet potatoes with butter–the list goes on and on.

In the middle of writing this, I have succumbed to another craving–avocado with oranges and vinaigrette.   I just sliced up an entire avocado, chopped an orange, mixed them together and sprinkled them with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.  See?  I feel better now.

I was having a vegetable soup craving the other day, and I found a recipe at Epicurious.com that looked quite appetizing.   I cooked it last night and served it with my homemade honey wheat bread.  It would also be wonderful with a roast chicken dinner.

This soup is vegetarian,  but you can replace the vegetable stock with chicken stock, which I did.

Leave off the goat cheese and you have an amazing vegan soup.

Winter Vegetable Soup (Click on recipe name for original recipe)

This soup calls for: 1 c. chopped: turnip, sweet potato, butternut squash, granny smith apple, carrots, and onion(I doubled and added 2 cups of each)

Also, 3 Tbsp olive oil ( I doubled it to 6 Tbsp) 5 cups chicken stock (I doubled and used only 8 or 9 cups) 1/4 cup maple syrup and cayenne pepper to taste.  I used 1/2 tsp for the double batch–it was indeed spicy!

I thought buying organic vegetables and maple syrup was going to put me over the top and make the cost too high, but I ended up with enough vegetables to double the recipe!  I didn’t double the maple syrup, as I found it sweet enough with the 1/4 cup.  For less than $12, I had a huge pot of vegetable soup that will last us all week.

I might experiement with this soup by adding curry and coconut milk or cinnamon and cloves.

Of course, no soup is complete without a great loaf of homemade bread!

Allow me to start, by saying, I’m not a fan of wheat bread.  I’m a white bread gal.  Seriously.  I’m trying to acquire a taste for wheat bread because I’m told it is so much healthier than white bread.  I’m not about to give up my Artisan bread or baguettes, Italian bread, or any white bread for that matter.  I am, however, open minded, and I have wanted to try this bread recipe every since I watched the documentary, “How to Cook Your Life”. I went right out and bought The Tassajara bread book too!

This is the first Honey Wheat bread I’ve ever loved!  I’m not kidding, I love this stuff.  Now, granted, I did add two cups of regular white flour–yes, I know that is cheating, but there is a whopping 6 cups of whole wheat flour in this recipe as well.

These babies were bursting out of my large bread pans!

The next day, it still sliced and tasted beautiful!

Want to see the Tassajara Wheat Bread process and read the extensive  instructions with photos?  Click below…

Start with your ingredients in two steps.

Step 1

Mixing up the sponge:

(two loaves)

3 c lukewarm water (85-105 degrees)
2 Tbsp yeast
1/4 c sweetening honey, molasses or brown sugar (I used honey)
1 c dry milk
4 c whole wheat flour (substitute 1 or more cups of unbleached white flour if desired) I substituted 1 cup here.

measure the water -3 cups; lukewarm {85- 105}, does not feel warm or cold on your wrist. measure the baker’s yeast (2 T) for faster rising and lighter bread, use 1.5-2 times amount in recipe. sprinkle yeast over water and stir lightly to dissolve
add honey.

add dry milk and stir to dissolve.

complete dissolving is not necessary, as the ingredients will become well mixed when the batter is thicker.

The bread will have a grainier taste and a coarser texture if the dry milk is omitted. In this case, less flour will be needed.

Then add whole wheat flour a cup or so at a time, stirring briskly after each addition.  As mixture thickens, begin beating with the spoon, stirring up and down in small strokes and in small circles at the surface of the mixture.  Scrape sides of bowl occasionally. After 4 cups of flour have been added, the mixture will be quite thick but still beatable, a thick mud.

Now beat about 100 times until the batter is very smooth.  Do this at the surface of the dough ducking the spoon under the surface, bringing it up above the surface pulling up the batter in a circular motion. the dough will become stretchier as you do this and much air will be incorporated.  This completes the mixing of the sponge.

Setting of the dough to rise:
Cover the bowl with a damp towel to keep off draft.   Set in warmish place (about 85-100 degrees) in summer, almost any place might do.  Otherwise on the top of stove over pilot light, shelf above the hot water heater, in oven which has pilot light, or in oven which has been turned on for several minutes then turned off .  If it’s in a cooler place (70-85) it’ll just rise more slowly.   If it’s frozen it won’t rise at all but will rise when it’s unfrozen.  Heat above about 125-130 degrees will kill yeast, which is what happens when the bread is baked.

Let it rise for an hour or 45 minutes.

Above: SPONGE

Advantages of the sponge method:
the sponge method, omitted in most bread recipes, is advantageous in many ways. the yeast gets started easily in the absence of salt, which inhibits its functioning, and in the presence of plenty of oxygen. gluten is formed when the sponge stretches in rising, which would otherwise be the product of your labor in kneading. this added elasticity makes the remaining ingredients more easily incorporated and kneading more easily accomplished. Even a 10-15 minute rising at this point will facilitate the accomplishment of the remaining steps.
Part 2

Folding in oil, salt and dry ingredients –other flours, nuts, fruits, etc.

4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil, butter, or margarine (I used x-virgin olive oil)
3 cups additional whole wheat flour ( I substituted 1 cup white)
1 cup whole wheat flour for kneading.

Folding in is the method used to mix from this point on.   Do not stir!  Do not cut through the dough!  Keep it in one piece as much as possible.  Each cut and tear will lessen the elasticity and strength of the dough.  Pour on oil and sprinkle in salt.   Stir around side of bowl and fold over toward center.   Turn bowl toward you with left hand and repeat folding until oil and salt are incorporated.   Sprinkle dry ingredients on surface of dough about a cup at a time.     Fold wet mixture from sides of bowl on top of dry ingredients.   Turn the bowl 1/4 turn between folds.   When dry ingredients are moistened by the dough, add some more dry ingredients.   Continue folding. after adding 6-8 cups of wheat flour, the dough will become very thick and heavy, but don’t be intimidated.   Continue folding in flour until dough comes away from (does not stick to) sides and bottom of bowl, sitting up in the bowl in a big lump.   The dough is ready for kneading when it can be turned out of bowl in pretty much of a piece, except for a few remaining scraps.  Take time to scrape bowl carefully, and lay scrapings on top of dough on floured board.   It is not necessary to wash the bread bowl at this point, simply oil it lightly.

Kneading the Dough:

The kneading surface, board or table should be at a height on which your hands rest comfortably when you are standing straight (mid-thigh).   Keep the surface floured sufficiently to prevent the dough from sticking during kneading.   The purpose of kneading is to get the dough well-mixed, of a smooth, even texture, and to further develop the elasticity of the dough.   Beginning with a lump of dough not entirely of a piece, somewhat ragged and limply-lying, commence kneading.   Flour hour hands. picking up far edge of dough, FOLD dough IN HALF toward you, far side over near side, so that the two edges are approximately lined up evenly.   Place your hands on NEAR SIDE of dough so that the top of your palms (just below fingers) are at the top front of the dough.  PUSH DOWN AND FORWARD, centering the pushing through the heels of the hands more and more as the push continues.   Relax your fingers at the end of the push.   Rock forward with your whole body rather than simply pushing with your arms.   Apply steady, even pressure, allowing the dough to give way at its own pace.   The dough will roll forward with the seam on top, and your hands will end up about 2/3 of the way toward the far side of the dough.   Removing your hands, see that the top fold has been joined to the bottom fold where the heels of the hands were pressing.
TURN the dough 1/4 turn, clockwise is usually easier for right-handed persons, and vice versa.   Fold in half towards you as before and rock forward, pushing as before.
TURN, FOLD, PUSH.   Rock forward.  Twist and fold as you rock back.   Rock forward.   Little by little you will develop some rhythm.   Push firmly, yet gently, so you stretch but do not tear the dough.
Add FLOUR to board or sprinkle on top of dough as necessary to keep dough from sticking to board or hands.   As you knead, the dough will begin stiffening up, holding its shape rather than sagging; it will become more and more elastic, so that it will tend to stretch rather than to tear.   It will stick to hands and board less and less until no flour is necessary to prevent sticking. the surface will be smooth and somewhat shiny.
As you continue kneading, scrape the sides of the bowl and incorporate into the dough, SCRAPE THE BREAD BOARD and rub dough off hands and incorporate these scrapes into the dough.   Place the dough in the OILED BREAD BOWL smooth side down, and then turn it over so the creases are on the bottom.   Oiled surface will keep a crust from forming on the dough.
COVER the dough with a DAMP TOWEL and set it in a warm place.
Rising and Punching the Dough:
let dough RISE 50-60 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.

PUNCH DOWN by pushing fist into dough, as far as the hand will go, steadily and firmly. do this maybe 25 or 30 times all over the dough. it will not punch down as small as it was before the rising.   Cover.
Let RISE 40-50 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.  If you are short for time, the second rising may be omitted.   The loaves will be slightly heavier.

Shaping the Loaves:
Start the oven preheating (adjustment of temperature may be needed for your oven. Electric ovens in particular may need to be set 25 degrees lower than the indicated temperature).   Turn dough onto the board.  If the dough is of proper consistency, (i.e., moisture content), no flour will be necessary on the board.  If too wet it will stick on the board. use flour as necessary.  If too dry the folds will not seal together easily.
Shape into BALL by folding dough to center all the way around as in kneading without the pushing. turn smooth side up, and tuck in dough all the way around.   Cut into 2 EVEN PIECES. shape into BALLS again, and let sit for 5 minutes. KNEAD DOUGH with right hand.   Turn and fold dough with left hand.   Do this about five or six times until dough is compact.   This gives the loaf added “spring”, similar to winding a clock.   After the final push, turn the dough 1/4 turn and, beginning at near edge, ROLL up the dough into a LOG SHAPE.   With seam on bottom, flatten out top with finger tips. square off sides and ends.   Turn it over and pinch seams together all the way along it.   Have BREAD PANS in a stack.   Put some oil in top one and turn it over, letting it drain into the next one. place loaf in oiled pan with seam up.   Dough can fill pan one-half to two-thirds full. a 5 1/4 x 9 1/4 pan will take a 2 1/4-2 1/2 pound of yeasted loaves. a 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 pan will take a 1 3/4 – 2 pound yeasted loaves.
FLATTEN dough out with backs of fingers. turn loaf over so seam is on the bottom.   Press again into shape of pan with backs of fingers.

COVER. Let RISE 15-20 minutes, from finish to last loaf, depending partly on how long you take to make the loaves and partly on how fast the dough is rising.

Pre-baking and Baking:
Cut the top with SLITS 1/2 inch deep to allow steam to escape.   For golden brown, shiny surface, brush the surface of loaf with EGG WASH: one egg beaten with 2 Tab water or milk.   Sprinkle with sesame seed or poppy seed, if you wish.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. smaller loaves will bake faster. to see if done: top is shiny golden brown.   The sides and bottoms should likewise be golden brown. loaf will resound with deep hollow thump when tapped with finger.
REMOVE from pans immediately. for clean-cut slices, LET COOL one hour or more before cutting. note: adjustment of oven temperature may be necessary.   Electric ovens, especially, should probably be set 25 degrees lower than indicated.

Storing:
When completely cooled, bread may be kept in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.   Finished bread may also be frozen and thawed for later use, with some impairment of flavor and freshness.   Slightly stale bread may be freshened by heating in 350 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes.   Dry bread can still be used for toast or french toast, croutons or breadcrumbs.   For zweiback, cut dry bread in cubes and rebake at 200 degrees until crunchy and dry.

Soft Pretzel

Part 2

Place dough in oiled bowl

Cover dough

Roll to a length of 24"

Shape the Pretzel

Into the oven

Finished

Texture

These are fun to make, but they do take some time.  You dip them into a bath of boiling water and baking soda before baking.  It makes them nice and moist. 

I used sea salt because I didn’t have “pretzel” salt on hand, and it worked great.  I kept two plain and brushed them with butter and dipped in cinnamon and sugar–very yummy!

After watching (and enjoying) the documentary, How to Cook Your Life featuring Zen Priest Edward Espe Brown, I couldn’t wait to buy the Tassajara Bread Book!

I found out it had been updated over the years, and I was lucky enough to find the latest edition.

I’m excited to bake some of the recipes, and since the weather is cooler this week in the Pacific Northwest, I may give it a whirl.

In case you haven’t heard of the film, here is the trailer:

Oh, and in keeping with my thrift shop nerdiness, I found this very cool retro Salton electric bread warmer, and I can hardly wait to use it.  I’ve sold a few of these on Ebay, but I have never found one that had a blue and white checkered cover.  Usually they have the God awful gold, orange, or brown colors.

This will be nice for keeping muffins, bread, and rolls warm on the buffet…

if I don’t end up selling it on Ebay.  I’m fickle

Angelnina's Garden Soup

Last week I didn’t feel like cooking a big meal, so I threw together a pot of soup.  I made up a recipe using a few things from the garden and my pantry.  I think I’ll call it Angelnina’s Garden Soup.  Sometimes I make a huge batch of marinara sauce and freeze it in individual containers.  I pulled out a pint to use as a base in the soup–I make my marinara pretty darn spicy with crushed red peppers.  I also used 2 qts of chicken stock (If you don’t have any homemade, grab a few boxes at Trader Joes).  In a little olive oil I cooked a little onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes before tossing them in the pot.  I was grabbing things left and right from the garden and pantry: kale, escarole, zucchini, yellow squash, garbanzo beans–everything went right into the pot!  I boiled some pasta and added freshly grated parmesan reggiano . 

As with many soups, it tasted better the next day. 

I served the soup with bread from the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes”.  I’ve posted photos of the basic recipe, but a few days ago I baked these two loaves of the Italian Semolina Bread.  I gave one to my son, Sean, but I haven’t heard back from him yet on whether he liked it or not.  Mark and I love it!

Italian Semolina Artisan Bread

Subscribe in a reader

Photobucket

I baked my second loaf today.  I haven’t cut into it yet, but the crust is even better looking this time.  I made a few changes:  I slit after rising–I had to let it rise for almost an hour this time.  I set my oven to convection bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes prior to baking.  I still used the pizza stone and cup of a boiling water for steam.  After fifteen mintues of convection at 425 degrees, I quickly switched my oven to regular bake cycle at 450 degrees for another fifteen minutes.  I can see the crust is crackling (I shouldn’t have kept tapping it   Looks like a winner.  I’ll let you know how it tastes later.

Photobucket

I’m still in a state of shock this morning.   I found a book at a thrift store titled, “The Splendid Table“ by Lynne Rosetto Kasper.  I had heard of the author on NPR.  I was excited to find such a great book at a thrift store and I couldn’t wait to take it home and comb through it.  I always go online and look up the books I buy and check out the author’s bio.  I came across her web site which recommended a recipe for artison bread in five minutes.  More research led to the book I will be purchasing today:

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

If you enjoy great bread–run to the bookstore NOW!  The recipe allows you to mix flour, salt, yeast, and  water to make a dough that rises for a few hours on the counter and then goes into the refrigerator to use at your leisure for up to two weeks.  I have only made my first loaf, and there is plenty of dough leftover-I predict a few more loaves of bread and maybe a pizza in the next week or so.

When you’re ready for fresh baked bread –simply  load your hands up with flour, cut off a grapefruit size piece of dough from your container of dough, form it (if you haven’t made rounds before, you may need to see a video for this part) and place it on a pizza peel you have covered in corn meal to rise for about 40 minutes (I allowed mine to rise 60 minutes in the warmest part of my home).  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees for 20 minutes (or halfway through the rising time) with a pizza stone on the middle rack and a broiler pan on the bottom rack–to be filled with a cup of very hot water when you slide your risen bread dough into the oven onto the stone.  Slit the top of your risen dough with a serrated knife (dip knife in flour to keep it from sticking), sprinkle some flour over top, and bake!  30 minutes later, you should get something that looks like the photo at the top of the page.

Watch the video

The Recipe:

Recipe: Simple Crusty Bread

PRINT this Recipe

I made a sandwich today and the bread is just like the great artisan breads you buy at the bakery!

NOTES FROM ANGELNINA: Make sure you use the pizza stone and add the hot water right after you slide dough oven.  I do not have a pizza peel, so I used a small flat edged cookie sheet which I practically piled cornmeal on to make sure it wouldn’t stick no matter what ( I mean heap it on!).  Then I grabbed my baker’s scraper just in case it needed a shove–it didn’t and slid right off.  Again, I had loads of flour and cornmeal on the bottom to ensure proper fast slip off pan.  Some people use parchment paper, but I haven’t tried it yet.

I used Gold Medal Bread Flour–so far nothing beats this flour for me, so I didn’t want to take a risk.

See MY photos of various stages here…

Rising right after mixing.

Risen for two hours.  ( I kept lid on looser because I wasn’t sure if it was too air tight

In the fridge to wait a few hours more…

My formed ball, slitted, and resting.  I slit it before the rest period, but the instructions say to slit before placing in oven!  I panicked but all went well.

Fresh out of the oven

Slicing while still a bit warm (not hot).  We couldn’t wait.

UPDATED: SECOND LOAF CRISPER CRUST