No-knead Sourdough Bread Recipe

I am in love with a website I have found recently, Breadtopia: For the love of bread.
I have made several of Eric Rusch's recipes, and since I am a sourdough fanatic (not really the sourdough taste but I love the idea of having it live and not buy active yeast!!)

I don't want to snag the whole recipe, so for this delicious bread you need to go to
Breadtopia: Sourdough No Knead Method
I add in 2-3 teaspoons of Baking soda to get rid of some of the acidity and sourdough taste. I know some people love the strong taste, but for me it is a little too sour.

Tonight I am making Breadtopia's Sourdough Pizza recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!

bungaree recipes

Simple Meals:
Tomato Bread Pudding
Tortilla Española
egg, tomatoes and homemade bread
Pizza!
Barley lentil (and whatever else) soup
Old Fashioned Sour Dough Pancakes
Dutch Baby or Oven Pancake

baked goods:
(chocolate)zucchini(cake) bread
Danish Braid
Corn Chips
Scones
Dutch Baby or Oven Pancake
Oatmeal Cookies with a Purpose

International Delights:
Samosa (Indian Dumplings) recipe



How to:
Canning: Apple Butter
Cook a Squash

old fashioned sour dough pancakes supreme

There is so much to enjoy about being together, about cold mornings and being inside and eating pancakes. B made us breakfast this last Saturday, we gobbled it up. We are firm believers in eating meals together. The boys are not always the perfect dinner companions, but they are learning.


Old fashioned Sour Dough Pancakes Supreme
recipe by Agnus Marble (B's grandma)

1 cup starter (sourdough starter)
4 Tbps. Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 pint cottage cheese
1 1/2 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
4 beaten eggs
4 Tbsp. oil or melted shortening
Milk or water

Add milk or water, as much as needed to get it pourable. We love these, great way to get a good breakfast down the kids. Loaded with protein. I keep these going just adding water, a bit of buckwheat, wheat germ, more eggs, cheese flour, etc.

grilled cheese and sunflower sprouts

Have you ever eaten sunflower sprouts!? They are so good. We two bags of them at the saturday market and we at them all. I used them on salads, as a type of veggie treat, I love eating them straight out of the bag. They are soft and crunchy when you bite into them, they have the nutty taste of sunflower seeds.

This was one of my favourite lunches. There is a trick to getting super nice grilled cheeze sandwiches. I was skeptical until I took a bite, now I will never go back.

Agnes' grilled cheese

two slices of homemade bread for each sandwich
spread mayo (yes it is amazing!) on one side of each slice and put it on your griddle or pan
spread mayo on the other side while the first side cooks
flip
put cheese on right after you flip

bethany's note:

Right before I am ready to take put the top on I put a handful of sunflower sprouts on top of the cheese then close up the sandwich. You have to be careful not to get the sprouts too hot or they aren't as fresh and crisp.

And there you have it, a generational combo that is worthy of an amazing lunch.

Samosa recipe

Manjula is amazing, she has so many fun Indian recipes to try. She has a website with tons of recipes and youtube demos to make it easier for the clueless like me!! Today I am going to make these samosas, and I have already made Dal is on the stove cooking right now!!! If you could smell the aroma in my home, you'd be pounding on my door for some food, YUM!





Manjula's kitchen has 72 different videos on YouTube if you are as much and Indian cuisine fanatic as me you will drool watching it. She makes it all look much easier, and removes the scary mystery out of a food that here would seem a little intimidating, since we have no idea how to make it. OH, it is so worth stepping out!!! I will tell you how they samosas go!

If you have any pointers for me let me know!

Here is the Samosa recipe directly from Manjula's kitchen!!!


SAMOSA

Makes 8 samosas.

Ingredients:

• Dough:
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sooji (semolina flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 11/2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 cup minus 2 tablespoon lukewarm water

Filling:

• 3 large boiled potatoes, peeled and chopped into very small cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 chopped green chilies
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon amchur (mango powder)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 cup green peas (frozen)

Method

Dough:

1. Mix the flour, sooji, salt, oil and salt togather to make a soft dough (add more water as needed).
2. knead the dough for about 1 to 2 minutes to make the dough smooth and pliable.
3. Set the dough aside and cover it with damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes.

Filling:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away oil is ready.
2. Add cumin seeds as cumin seeds crack, add green chilies, coriander powder and stir for few seconds.
3. Next add green peas and turn heat to medium and stir until tender.
4. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Stir in garam masala and amchur. Add more salt or amchur according to taste.
5. Let the filling cool to room temperature.

Making Samosa:

1. Take 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour to make a paste and keep aside.
2. Knead the dough for a minute.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make into balls.
4. Roll each ball into 6-inch diameter circles and cut each circle in half.
5. Spread the paste lightly all along the edge of one semicircle. Pick this semicircle up with both hands and fold it into a cone shape. Pinch the side of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
6. Fill the cone with 3 tablespoons of filling. Press this filling down with your fingers. Now close the top of this cone into a triangle shape, pinching the top edge so that it is completely sealed.
7. Continue filling the rest of the samosas.
8. Heat about 1-1/2 inch of the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil and dough should sizzle and come to the surface slowly.
9. Place the samosas in the frying pan a few at a time.
10. After samosas are floating on top of the oil turn them slowly. Fry the samosas until the samosas turn a light golden-brown color on all sides. If you use a high heat, the samosa crust will be too soft and not crispy.

Tips:

1. Boil the potatoes just until tender. Be careful not to poke the potatoes multiple times while they are cooking, as they will absorve the water. Drain immediately and keep aside until cool enough to touch.
2. The dough has to be kneaded well; otherwise, the samosas will not come out as crisp.
3. If the filled samosas sit for too long, they will dry. To avoid this, cover with a damp cloth.

Suggestions:

1. Samosa can be prepared ahead of time and can be freeze for a month.
2. Before freezing fry them enough until samosa changes the color to very light gold brown.
3. After samosas are on room temperature bag them in zip lock bags and freeze them.
4. To use frozen samosas take out as many you need and fry them on medium heat.

If you make it let me know how it turns out!!! I will be trying it tonight :)

Baked Apple Butter

(B)'s grandparents have tons of apples, tons. We picked one bucket and we could have picked many more for sure. They are all irregular and funky so you have to quarter and de-core them by hand. I am a pro now! (kind of)

steralized hot canning jars ready for the using. I did this while baking the apples...for over 12 hours at low heat.

a funnel, makes life much easier (as far as canning goes :)

plunk 'em on in. cover and process for 10 min.

delightful. what can I say? This is the first thing I have canned by myself...I always head over to the Marble Ranch for canning. I have to say it was well worth it, and made me understand the process. It is not difficult, just a LOT of work. I now see why people don't can too much anymore, however I also see why I am going to make a habit of it now. There is something so neat about taking something and storing it for winter- just like ants and squirels for sure.

Baked Apple Butter (recipe from Joy of Cooking: All About Canning & Preserving, p. 82)

This is the easiest and perhaps the finest, apple butter of all.

Stem and quarter:
6 Pounds unpeeled cooking apples
combine in a large, heavy saucepan with:
8 Cups apple juice or water
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft, about 1.5 hours.
Preheat the over to 200 degrees F.
Pass the apples through a food mill or medium-mesh sieve. Return to pan and add
Juice and grated zest of 1 Lemon
1 and 1/4 Cups sugar (half may be brown)
1+1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in:
1/2 Cup port or dry red wine (optional)

Pour three-quarters of the puree into a crock or deep backing dish, reserving the rest. Bake, uncovered, until thick enough to mound on a spoon, about 10 hours. As the mixture shrinks, ass the reserved puree. Pack the hot fruit butter into hot jars. See putting up preserves, p. 50. Leave 1/4- inch headspace, (p.12) and process for 10 minutes (p.14).

my notes: I left my skins on. I didn't pass it through a sieve at all, just mashed them up and the peels end up breaking all up and not being obvious (unless a little peel here and there bugs you).
I used water and not apple juice. I probably quadrupled the recipe, so I had to cook it for longer. Make sure you don't try and get done faster by turning up the heat, it will burn. I did turn it up to 300F for a while, and that was fine but you need to stir it often.

______________________________________________

enjoy!

pizza, it's what's for dinner!

Oh yes. PIZZA~!! I love making it. I have made the dough before, but lately I've been into these two I can buy from the local Co-op. They carry Big River wheat and white and Bread Stop wheat dough. I only buy the wheat. I have tried both and I think they are the same, except Bread stop is a dollar cheaper and smaller...so take your pick.


Since it has been cooling down at night, I am not avoiding my oven like the plague we now get pizza! I made this first pizza three nights ago. Here is what I did:

I used the Bread Stop dough. used pesto for the sauce. loaded on the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. sprinkled it with a tablespoon of minced garlic. tossed on some capers. backed the thing. cut up tons of tomatoes (since they are coming out our ears right now in the garden) ...I used earlies and green zebra (so excited to use the green zebra!!). put those on after the pizza came out so that they would not be soggy, but fresh. oh, if I could just give you a slice you'd be convinced. yum.


here is pizza numero dos. glory.


again Bread Stop wheat dough. pesto for sauce. motz and parmesan cheeses. put in oven. in a bread tin chop up produce I used squash, because that is what we had that needed to be used, but the more colour you add the better. this is a throwback to when I worked at cirello's pizza here in corvallis. it is known there as a roaster. they put red onion, squash, zucchini, into a "roaster" or bread pan. so that is what I did. I then added minced garlic and olive oil. put it in with the pizza. take them both out and throw the veggies on, and then I added tomatoes (again, we have to use them up!!!). oh sweetness. this was good.

(chocolate) zucchini (cake) bread

Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains by Sarah E. Meyers and Mary Beth Lind

Zucchini Carob Cake ( or chocolate!) p. 215

3 Eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1+1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup carob or cocoa powder
2-3 cups grated zucchini
1/2-1 cup carob or chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1. Beat eggs. Add sugars, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and buttermilk. Mix well.
2. Sift flours, allspice, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder together. Stir zucchini into dry ingredients.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
4. Turn into a greased and floured 9 by 13 inch pan. Sprinkle chips and nuts on top ( I mixed the chips in, and did NOT include any nuts...but that is just beacause I don't like nuts in cake)
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

Note:
This works well made into cupcakes.




I quadrupled this recipe to get what is in this picture...and it was a chore to stir. j helped out some :) I put two in the fridge and put the other 6 in the freezer for later. Yummm.

productive oregonian day

This is an amazing time of year. Right now in oregon we have raspberries, blueberries, and cherries. This is the most productive time of year, which also means a lot of work.


Glad I kicked yesterday's malaise!

Today was a day worth a thousand. It went like this:
*get up
*make bread dough
*water garden
*get boys up
*breakfast
*pick loads of oregon fresh blueberries
*go to grandma's for lunch
*naptime for the boys
*knead the bread dough
*dream up recipes for the berries
*naptime complete (o's batteries must be slightly faulty as he seemed to not gain a full charge yet again today)
*make dinner falafel with fresh garden zucchini from grandma :)
*eat
*play (for the baby bungers, and daddy) clean up time for me
*bathtime (baby bungers)
*bedtime (baby bungers)
*make blueberry jam (bunches of it, as in 10 24 oz containers. yum)
*bake bread
*write this
day complete, me...I am wiped out.

end result:
10 24oz containers of blueberry freezer jam jubilation
7 loaves of wheat and grain goodness

what do you like to do with excess berries? berries are so good to eat, but it is so fun to save a little for later, as in when it is so cold outside and you have fresh tasting frozen yum waiting for you! Making freezer jam is really easy, easier than making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, everyone should try it at least once....all fears will melt away. bread, well...that is easy too...but more work.

Danish Braid

Daring Baker June Challenge Complete!

DANISH DOUGH

Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.



my notes: I used two pints of apples that I canned last fall (!!!) and I sprinkled raw sugar on top of the braid. This was a good recipe, but it had so many steps I am not sure I will crave making this soon. It was a great experience though, and my house smelled like a professional bakery. The goods, they were loved by all, we finished off the last of it today for breakfast, YUM!