(Your) Ignorance Is (My) Bliss

As far as my cooking is concerned, I have little interest in full-disclosure. As far as you’re concerned, you’d like to keep it that way. You’ve been burned before, lied to by big bad lobbyists and policymakers, who care more about their selfish ends than your delicate health. Maybe you think I’m a nice gal who cares about you, so why do you want to know what I don’t need to tell you? Perhaps you think I am not above putting my selfish needs (ie my dependency on you as my friend) before your health.

Wrong. Example: I brought in some organic-ish homemade whole wheat blueberry muffins this Monday. You liked the way the anti-oxidants zapped those free radicals, and you liked the way those whole grains enveloped those LDLs. That satiated-mind-tummy feeling, however, left you pretty quickly, didn’t it? That’s what (1) a cup and a half of enriched white flour, (2) a cup of refined white and brown sugar, and (3) one stick and two tablespoons of butter will do to you. Those things have no heart. They shall take yours.

Please, try to understand that my habits are as intractable as that of the State. So, as long as the FDA is elusive about food labeling, so shall I. Friends, here’s a recipe for delicious whole wheat bread. Your final product may or may not be perfect, depending on whether or not you rub at least a tablespoon of butter on the crust after it comes out of the oven.

Wheat-ish Bread

recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Yield: 1 loaf of bread

Active time: 35 minutes; Baking time:1 hour

Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cup whole wheat flour
1½ tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp powdered milk
1½ tsp active dry yeast
4 tbsp vital wheat gluten
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1¼ cups warm water (100°-110°)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the water and honey; microwave for about 40 seconds, until it reaches the right temperature; sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and let it proof for 10 minutes
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the two flours, powdered milk, salt, and vital wheat gluten
3. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of yeasty liquid, and stir together until a vague doughy mass begins to form
4. Dump the contents of the above bowl onto a clean work surface, and work in two tablespoons of the butter
5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until it is smooth and supple
6. Place the dough into a lightly-oiled container, flipping the dough around until the entire surface area has a bit of oil on it; cover and let it double at room temperature
7. Pre-heat oven to 350°
8. Take out the dough and gently flatten it to the size of a piece of printer paper; roll it from one short end to the other, keeping the surface area taut; seal up the edges with your fingers; place into a lightly-oiled 8½ x 4½ loaf pan; lightly-oil the top of the loaf, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap; let it almost double in size at room temperature
9. Put th loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet; put a handful of ice cubes on the baking sheet; bake for about an hour, until the internal temperature is 190°, turning it 180° halfway through baking
10. Once the loaf is out of the oven, rub a tablespoon of butter all over it; put it on a cooling rack for two hours before slicing

Tip 1 I usually mix the water and honey in a huge Pyrex bowl, and put it in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds, then take its temperature

Tip 2 A lidded pitcher is a great way to cut the dough doubling guesswork, if you don’t want to spend money on a dough bucket

Tip 3 Carefully score the top of the bread right before putting it into the oven

Tip 4 Steam and crusts are friends

IMHO Please don’t rub shortening or margarine on the loaf

Lo! What sweet comfort appears

Tonight I shredded two zucchini
(Some call it a squash
Others a courgette)

With cinnamon
Sugar flour and salt
All were hand-mixed
In a golden Pyrex

350 degrees
An hour long wait
Out! And alas!
I longed for success!

My expectations blossomed
Yet crumpled when cooled
It was toasty deception
It was disguised driftwood

Remember that morning
So simple so spry
Muffins in pleated cups
A dewy tear to thine eye

My affection for this loaf
Was transitory.

Appreciatively devoted
I admire the muffin forever

Banana Nut Muffin

recipe adapted from Rombauer, et al joy of cooking

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep: 15 minutes; Baking time:14 to 16 minutes

Dry Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
⅔ cup coarsely chopped walnuts/pecans

Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
⅔ cup light brown sugar
1⅓ cups mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°, and line a standard 12-muffin pan
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the list of dry ingredients
3. In a large bowl, mix together the list of wet ingredients
4. Add the dry mix to the wet mix, and stir until the last bits of dry ingrdients are no smaller than the size of a dime (i.e., over-mix and expect less-tasty results)
5. Spoon and divide the batter into each cup
6. Bake on the middle rack for 14 to 16 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the center muffins comes out clean
7. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing to desired next location (a cooling rack if not being immediately ingested)

Tip 1 I often complete Steps 2 and 3 in separate containers the night before I want to make the muffins. Next morning is as follows: Turn off alarm, pre-heat oven, snooze, stir, bake.

Tip 2 Sprinkle some turbinado/raw brown sugar on the muffins before putting them into the oven. Surprise!

disappointment

PSA: Mother’s Day is May 9, 2010

From time to time, the consequences of living alone will abruptly strike my consciousness. For instance, about ten minutes ago I was sitting in my studio. A night in, oh how nice. Nine minutes ago, I was sitting in my studio, and I realized I was sitting under the light of two soft-glow lamps, a scented candle, and listening to the music of The Reverend Al Green. It’s a good thing I had a big dinner, or else an empty bottle of wine would be hanging out with me tonight, too.

Have I turned into my mom? My mom actually makes the world go ‘round when she’s at home, so, no, I’m not even close to turning into her. Other than an undeniable predilection for adult soft rock, the behavioral patterns my mom has passed down to me have little to do with my trespasses while in isolation.

Thankfully, before I left the nest, she was able to imbue in me the importance of making myself useful in the kitchen. Any ability to make things that are both edible and photograph-able comes from that woman. Within, and beyond, that lesson, she showed me that patience and tenacity bear great things in life. She’s right, so please keep that in mind when you see the recipe for this scrumptious loaf of bread.

Cinnamon Swirl Currant Bread
recipe adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s the bread bible

Yield: One 8″x4″x4.5″ loaf
Time: Dough Starter: 1hr to 24hrs; Minimum rising time: about 3.5hrs; Baking time: 50 minutes

Dough Starter Ingredients:
6 oz. or 1⅛ cup plus 1¼ tbsp whole wheat bread flour
7.15 oz. or ¾cup of warm water
.75 oz. or 1 tbsp plus .5 tsp honey
2.4 grams or ¾ tsp active dry yeast

Dough Ingredients:
5.5 oz. or 1 cup plus 1.5 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
.75 oz. or ⅛ cup dry milk, preferably non-fat
2.25 oz. or 4.5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt

Cinnamon Swirl Filling Ingredients:
1.3 oz. sugar or ⅛ cup raw brown sugar
.15 oz. or 2 tsp cinnamon
about .5 oz. or 1 tbsp beaten egg

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, proof the yeast for about 10 minutes over the honey and water mixture that has been heated to about (about 105°). Add the whole wheat flour and whisk it until smooth and some air is incorporated, about 5 minutes. This is the dough starter.

2. In another bowl, whisk all of the Dough Ingredients except for the salt and butter. Sprinkle all of the dry dough ingredients over the dough starter, and cover it with plastic wrap, leaving it at room temperature to ferment between 1 to 4 hours. The dough starter will rise and push the dry dough ingredients around — success.

3. Add the butter and salt to the bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Throw the mess onto a tabletop, and knead it for 5 minutes. The dough will stick everywhere. After 5 minutes, it should develop a stronger structure because of the gluten development. Resist any temptation to add more flour. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough into a single roundish mass, and cover it with the now empty large mixing bowl for 20 minutes. It’s going to rest now, and so should you.

4. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes, and resist any temptation to add more flour. It’s going to be sticky, and you’re not going to feel good about it. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Add a half cup of raisins/currants/sultanas, if you so desire, and mix it throughout the dough.

5. Let the dough double in a covered oiled container at room temperature (75° to 80°), 1½ to 2 hours. Gently lay the dough out onto a floured counter, in a rectangular shape. Fold it like a business letter, and put it back into the container to let chill in the fridge for an hour.

6. On a floured counter, roll out the piece of dough so it’s about 7½”x14″ and about ¼” thick. Gently press on the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large air bubbles. Brush the beaten egg over the surface of the dough, then spread the cinnamon sugar mix over it, leaving about a ¾” space at the edges. Starting from the short side of the rectangle, roll the dough toward the other end. Seal up the long seam of this dough log, as well as the spiral side seams.

7. Place in the loaf pan, and cover it loosely with an oiled plastic wrap. Let it rise until it is about 1½” over the top of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours.

8. Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350° for 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature is about 211°. Turn the pan around halfway through baking.

9. Glaze the top of the bread with melted butted, and let it cool for an hour before slicing it. If you still have any remaining hours left in your day, you should try a slice — it’s very good.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!