~Occam's Lame~ Sourdough simplicity at its best

So I've been on a bread kick for some time because I will no longer be buying tasteless "foam" bread from the store for the prices asked and certainly not warranted.  I also have an objection to spending 6 dollars for a reasonable quality artisan loaf.  In Culinary school in CA, my favorite class was breads and pastry and my favorite part was making the sourdough boules!  Alas...  my move back from CA proved too much stress for my little starter and it died, putting my sourdough projects on long term hiatus.  Recently I got it in my head to start again with a new starter and an adapted recipe.  I think that after more than a few dead starters and some boring yet surprisingly overcomplicated recipes, I've finally got something worth posting here:

~Basic Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread~
Printable Version 

3.75 C Organic Unbleached Bread Flour

0.75 C Organic Unbleached Whole Wheat Flour

2 Teaspoons kosher Salt

1.5 - 1.75 C Purified Water (108f)

Barm

Special Tools: 2 Medium Bannetons or Bowls

                        Bread or Pizza stone

This is a recipe that I adapted from my own notes on yeast and bread and a basic sourdough recipe from the Bread Baker's Apprentice.  If you're ever thinking of going the same rout I did and making all your own bread at home, I can't recommend it enough!

The first thing you'll want to do here is make the barm from your Mother Starter.  As with everything in this recipe, it takes some time but requires very little effort.

Barm:

Feed your mother starter and retain the normal amount you would normally toss out (for ideal results you should take your sample from the Mother between 8 and 12 hrs after the last feeding.)  in a 1 Qt container, thoroughly combine 2.5 oz Purified Water and 3 oz High Gluten or Bread Flour and add your mother sample.  Let this rise until it almost doubles (2-3 hours) then place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.  About 30 minutess prior to using it, take the barm out of the fridge, cut it into small pieces, work them just a tiny bit and let them rest at room temp a to let warm up just a little.

~~~FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~

Here is as good a place as any to begin this weeks food science section!  The reason we keep doing what we do when we feed and temperature control the Mother and cool ferment the Barm overnight before use is to maintain a microbial equilibrium in the culture that we've named (mine is Gilbert by the by.)  In nature, and especially in the flour itself (organic = more) there are a hoard of tiny yeast (Saccharomyces exiguus) and most commonly Bacteria (Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis) spores.  When we add water to them they wake up and start consuming the sugars broken down by natural enzymes in the flour.  The yeast acts as natural leavening as most leavened breads, consuming simple sugars and releasing co2, while the bacteria, consuming mostly waste products from the yeast, produces lactic acid: the familiar "sourdoughness" we all love so much.  Friends til the end might be anthropomorphising a tad but with the right care, we get an ideal symbiotic relationship that will last a loooong time.  Microbiotic Symbiosis = Sanfransisco Sourdough.  Science!

~~~FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~ 

Once the pieces have had a chance to wake up, measure out your water and dry ingredients in separate large bowls.  If you will be using a stand mixer like a Kitchen-Aid, measure out your flour and salt in the mixer bowl.  Add the pieces to your warmed water and mix them gently into the water so you have only a few pea sized pieces of undissolved barm.  Add the water/barm mixture to your dry ingredients in portions while mixing, allowing the moisture to be absorbed before adding more.

Once all the moisture has been absorbed and the dough has come together in a rough ball, let your dough rest 15 mins to autolyse.  If your using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead on medium speed for 4 minutes, rest for 2, then knead again on medium for another 4 minutes.  If you're hand kneading, knead vigorously for 10-12 mins on a relatively cold, floured counter top to avoid excess oxidization.  The final dough should be smooth and pass the windowpane test.  Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise 3-4 hours, turning once at the half way point to help distribute the yeast more evenly.  To fold, press the dough out into a 12" rectangle and fold over into thirds.  Crimp the edges closed and repeat once more then return to the bowl to let redouble.

Gently remove to a clean work surface, being careful not to degass it too much.  cut into two pieces and round them off, pinching the edges together underneath.  Flour two coiled Bannetons or line two medium bowls with floured tea towels and place the boules, smooth side down in to proof, covered, until they roughly double in volume.  I love the coiled bannetons because they give you that wonderful spiral pattern when they come out. 

Preheat your oven and stone to 500f with a shallow pan on the highest rack and start boiling extra water in a teapot for steam.  Once the oven is hot, turn the boules out on to a floured peel or sheet pan and score them however you like with a Lame or very sharp serrated knife.  I like a simple square pattern but there are many to choose from on sites like the Fresh Loaf (great site for bread baking fans!)  Slide your scored loaves off the peel onto the waiting stones, pour about 1.5 C of boiling water into the shallow pan and close the door quickly but GENTLY (don't pop all the bread bubbles.)  Wait 45 seconds then squirt or spray more water onto the sides of the oven and close the door.

I accomplished this with a sterile 60 CC saline syringe from a hospital supply shop and a tall drinking glass of warm water.  Repeat twice more and turn down your heat to 450.  Bake 12 minutes, rotate loaves 180 degrees and bake for a further 12-18 minutes until the reach a 210f internal temp and are golden brown all over.  A few good tests for doneness are a hollow sounding thump and a distinct crackly crunch when squeezed gently right after coming out of the oven.

So there it is!  Delicious sourdough bread hot and fresh out of the oven!  I admit it may not be quick by any stretch but the steps required are all as paint-by-numbers simple as you could want and with a recipe of 3 ingredients (flour, salt, water) you cant get much more cost effective in a quest for bready goodness.  I don't think even William of Ockham himself would have any qualm with a nice piece of this on a brisk early spring morning...  Did I go to far?  I guess I just like bread a little too much sometimes.

Enjoy!

~Toast and Tea~ Rainy day combo for the ages!

More rainy day recipes...  Good excuse to be in the kitchen I guess!

Good, old-fashioned whole-wheat toast and piping hot tea is good anytime but I think it tastes that much better when its really pouring.  And, of course, as the tenth Doctor would say "Good cup of tea! Super-heated infusion of free-radicals and tannin, just the thing for healing the synapses..."  Timelord regeneration or just old rainy day blues, a nice hot snack and a cup of tea can do you good.  Today I looked and was bereft of a good loaf of sandwich bread so I made some of my own:

~Basic Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread~

  Printable Recipe

3.5 C Unbleached Bread Flour

1 C Unbleached Whole Wheat Flour

1.5 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast

1 Large Egg, beaten lightly
1/4 C + 1 Teaspoon Cultured Butter, melted
1 C Purified Water + 3/4 C Whole Milk (warm 108f)

SPECIAL TOOLS:  2 8.5" x 4.5" Loaf Pans  

Yield: 2 Loaves

This is a recipe I adapted based partly on a basic white bread from one of my favorite all time bread books - the BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice), a few online recipe hunts, and some of my own tricks.  For one, I always proof my yeast in warmed water first.  You should also measure out your yeast first and let it come to room temperature before use so it can activate faster in the dough.  On that note, lets get going:

Start by combining flours, salt, and half your sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  



In a medium bowl, combine water, remaining sugar, and yeast and stir well, making sure to get all the yeast in the liquid not stuck to the side.  Let the yeast hydrate and proof until it forms a think, frothy foam.  Combine melted butter, egg, and milk and add to the proofed yeast.

Make a well in your dry mix and pour in the wet ingredients.  Stir with a wooden spoon or on medium-low speed on a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment until just combined and hydrated.  I needed to add a tiny bit more water to hydrate the dry bits at the bottom.  After all the liquid is absorbed, let your dough rest for 15 minutes in another common variation - the Autolysis stage:

~~~FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~

In the tomato tart post, I talked about how
overly stretched gluten chains are the culprit in the case of chewy/bready pie crusts.  In the case of breads, we not only want the glutens to form but we get one extra step that helps the process.  That step is called Autolysis or "self splitting."  In the world of bread, this means the breakdown of starches and proteins in the flour through the action of its own natural enzymes (amylase and protease respectively.)  This results in the formation of less complex (less complex = more flavor) sugars and the reformation of complex protein structures into simpler gluten forming proteins (mostly glutenin.)  These processes are usually expressed during kneading but there is a dark side...  When you knead, you also expose the bread to oxygen and that can cause problems.  Just like in your body, oxygen (normally O2) can become unstable and destructive O, also known as free radicals and just as in your body, these free Os can work against you, causing the breakdown of all those helpful and tasty sugar and protein structures you want even as you build them.  Dough Autoloysis gives you a big head start, reducing kneading and rising times and thus reducing oxygen exposure!  A short 15 minutes and you get improved crumb, better bubbles, better crust better flavor...  world of difference!  Autolysis!  It's Science!

~~~FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~ 

*whew*  
After your dough is rested, remove it to a floured work surface and knead smooth for 10 minutes or until it reaches 85f and passes the "windowpane" test.  

The test is to see if the glutens are stretched and structured properly.  Take a small piece about the size of a large marble and gently stretch and squeeze it thin as possible.  The dough will have passed the test if you can stretch it thin enough to see plenty of light through it without breaking.

Round off your dough and place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl to rise.  Let the dough rise 2.5 to 3 hrs until doubled in size at least.  Remember that the size not the time is the pressing factor here.  Remove the dough to a clean surface and cut in half, being gentle as to not degass the dough too much and cut it into 2 pieces for loaves.  Shape the pieces into boules by rounding and pinching the sides under to stretch the top and form a shinier crust.  Place into 2 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pans to rise at room temperature until doubled in size again.  Preheat your oven to 350f. Eggwash (1 egg plus + equal parts milk) and bake 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven, until the loaves reach a 180f internal temperature with a nice golden brown crust.  Depan them and cool on a wire rack for at least 40 minutes before slicing.  

There really isn't a smell quite like buttery bread in the oven to brighten up your day.  I think it's kinda the equivalent of cookie dough rivaling the actual cookies it becomes.  This bread makes great toast but has enough structure for sandwiches, even makes good french toast!

 

Enjoy!

~Buttery Fruits of the Sea~ First time impressions of a long time favorite

A great little french place just opened up recently here in Walleyville and one dish in particular reminded me of a real piece of nostalgia:  Brown butter trout with herbs and shallots.  Simple and elegantly to the point in a culinary sense.  I've always loved recipes since I was small and I thought I would give my CCA training given recipe-copying skills a try for a little LOTR movie night dinner:

~Brown Butter Salmon with Wild Rice and Crispy Toasted Bread~

Printable Recipe

2-4 Equal sized King Salmon Fillets

1 C Cultured, Unsalted Butter

1 Large Lemon1 Medium Shallot

Sprigs fresh Thyme

1 Large clove Garlic
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper

1/2 C Dry organic wild/brown rice blend per person
1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1 good quality Demi-Baguette per 2 people
Olive oil

Special tools: Large Cast Iron Skillet
                       Large Casserole Baking Dish
                        Aluminum Foil

Another recipe I love for its simplicity!  Its more preparation than anything, like any task worth undertaking, but once you've got you mise en place its smooth sailing.  Depending on what rice you've got, it'll take up to 50 minutes of steaming to cook to perfection so lets get that done first.

I like to add a tiny bit of cinnamon to the water along with the butter to add some interesting aromatics!  Add 1/2 C rice and 1 C water PER PERSON to a medium pot with a tight fitting lid.  Add your butter and cinnamon to the water and follow the instructions on the rice packaging as different blends will greatly sometimes...  The rice I used required 50 minutes of steaming on low heat.

Next lets get our fish ready. It's always a good Idea to have color coded cutting boards to avoid cross contamination.  If you've only got one, or not too much counter space, just leave the fish in it's plastic packaging until the last minute.  

Preheat your oven to 400f.  Slice your lemon as thin as you like and set aside, keeping in mind that thicker slices mean a more zesty while thinner means more lemony sourness. Peel and slice your shallots about 1/8" thick and set aside.  Crush one large garlic clove with the flat of a blade.  Start browning butter with the shallot slices and the crushed garlic.  At the same time, heat butter in the cast iron skillet over medium heat and sear the fillets, 2 mins on one side to give them a nice dark glazing.  and place them in your baking dish.  Once the butter has a nice brown color to it, pour over the fillets.  Sprinkle each with salt and pepper, top with 2 or 3 lemon slices and three sprigs of thyme each.  Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 15 mins.  

After 15, remove the foil and spoon juices over each piece 2 or 3 times and put back in the heat for 5-7 minutes depending on your liking.  For the toasty bread, slice your baguettes in half like a hot dog bun and in half so you end up with 4 pieces.  Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and fry quickly until just browned. 

 Well... I guess that's all I have to say on thi-

~~~MAD FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~

In my last post, I talked about pyrolysis - a form of heat based caramelization related to the Maillard Reaction (named for the chemist Louis-Camille Maillard) as a non-enzymatic browning.  When we heat the fish, especially when we sear it at the beginning  the amino acids and certain sugars in the meat form complex mixtures of semi-volatile flavor and scent molecules giving it that great flavor,color, and smell.  Each food group and type have their own nucleophilic amino groups, resulting in their own unique flavors and smells.  This reaction is responsible for some of our favorite things like BACON smells and nice grill marks on a steak!  There you have it!  Maillard Reaction.  SCIENCE!

~~~MAD FOOD SCIENCE CONTENT~~~
I knew I almost forgot something important...

Food-copy Ninjutsu successful!  The textures work well with a stepping down from the crispy bread to the toothsome rice and the tender salmon.  Might even try some puff pastry crisps next time... Simple, elegant, quick, and delicious recipe that I will definitely be making and sharing again soon!  

Enjoy!