Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Recipe File From-Scratch Frontiers: Baking Bread
Posted by Lee Stabert on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 10:49 AM
I'm on a mission to become a serious home cook. Over the last couple years I've gone from stir-fry, salads and lasagna to whole lamb shoulders, homemade meatballs and a recently perfected food processor som tom while also transitioning into making many simple things I used to buy in--tomato sauce, salad dressing, hummus--from scratch.
Now I'm looking to take things even further: Yesterday I baked my first loaf of bread. I used a no-knead, whole grain recipe from Mark Bittman's new book Food Matters, so it wasn't anything too complex, but it still made me feel accomplished, wholesome and very happy. For lunch, I slathered a couple still-warm slices in a simple mixture of avocado, lemon and salt.
I know Claudia makes her own pasta (something I'm hoping to try someday), but what are some other from-scratch frontiers? Mayonnaise (or aioli)? Ricotta? Jam? Pickles? Corned beef? Puff pastry? Granola? Beer?
Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
How difficult is the no-knead bread? The idea of filling my house with the warm scent of baking bread thrills me; wrestling dough for an afternoon with a wooden spoon, not so much. But I've made beer bread before, and while it was certainly easy, it just didn't do the trick.
Also, does anyone recommend a particular recipe for no-knead bread? Seems there was a popular one going around early last year, but I've misplaced the link.
like
dislike
It is so very easy. Just takes some time, but no skill. You just combine the ingredients, give them some time to sit, transfer to a loaf pan and bake.
Here is a recipe similar to the Bittman one I used. (Mine was even simpler, I just used three cups whole wheat flour).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08mini.html?ref=dining
I'm a semi-accomplished cook, but I admit to being intimidated by many Asian recipes (Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.), homemade bread (kudos to you!) and homemade pie crust---yes, I use the Pillsbury dough. Have you tackled crust? I think the reason for my apprehension is that even though my mother made almost everything from scratch growing up, none of these things were in her repetoire.
Nothing really to add here except to thank you for posting this recipe and to say that making more things from scratch is my resolution for this year. I'll definitely be trying this bread very soon and plan to master (or at least not screw up horribly) my own beer and ice cream.
I wonder if there is enough local interest to get a DIY food list serve going where folks could post what worked and didn't work for them as they attempt some of these types of projects. I think as there is almost a "perfect storm" of economic conditions, health concerns, and awareness of the slow food and locavore movements that are leading home cooks back to making things from scratch. It would be great to have an online forum for tips and ideas or even go all hippie and have some "skill sharing" classes/workshops - my west coast upbringing is really coming out now!
For those who are intimidated by making their own bread and were intrigued by Carrington's earlier post (http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/bites/2009/03/the_greatest_thing_since_twin.php) about Twin Forks Artisian Breads, I just drove by the Produce Place on Murphy Rd. in Sylvan Park. They are outside under a little tent selling their breads.
I'll admit I'm a little intimidated by making my own bread, but I'd love to try.
wonderful post
yes, homemade pasta is amazing - and pretty damn easy. and it's nearly foolproof. AND it's a must. lee - anytime you want to learn, come by the house and i'll give you a lesson - and dinner.
bittman, uses the jim lahey technique. i've done it before in my le crueset dutch oven and once in a terracotta chicken roaster. it was good but i didn't LOVE it. then there's another guy who is all the rage these days - artisan bread in 5 minutes. http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com is the blog and a lot of people love the book. there are videos as well... be sure and check it out.
buy a pork belly and cure it. make your own pancetta. or bacon. very easy and very delicious. .. michael ruhlman has a charcuterie book by that very name that is kind of the current bible. sausage, prosciutto - etc.... make your own hot-dogs!
Many scratch recipes are not so much difficult as they are time-involved. I agree with Ryan: I'm into exploring making other things previously store-bought.(infused fruit vinegars, mustards, relishes, pear butter....the other day I made a pretty good marscapone w/ good cream, lemon juice,cheesecloth, and time.)
Meg-the crust thing is not so daunting if you have a food processor to cut the butter into the flour. Then, wrap up the dough ball and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least an hour before rolling out.
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
6 Tablespoons Chilled (like almost frozen)Butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons Ice Water
Pulse the butter into the flour/salt mix, then add water, a tablespoon at a time. The
doughball will easily form as it goes round and round in the processing bowl.
I make my own water, since it's incredibly simple (just two ingedients available everywhere) I have copper piping attached to the tailpipes of my Galaxie, and as it warms up I end up collecting one pint of crystal-clear H2O.
I used to have a Russian Communist roommate in college. She always said she hated American bread and it made her sick to smell it and eat it. After going to Ireland and seeing what real bread is about I completely understand. Think of the crap that goes into bread. They take out some of the elements of the bread and then add in "nutrients" so they can call it enriched flour. All in all the plain flour, before enrichment, has plenty of nutrients and vitamins. It's this chemical loaf crap I hate! Couple weeks ago I ordered the ingredients for an Irish breakfast complete with Brennan's Irish white bread and it was delicious - a little stale from being frozen and shipped, but still no chemical loaf taste! I welcome people making certain things from scratch! More Power To YOU!
Is it just me or is absolutely nothing Claudia describes as 'easy' actually easy?
gnomey baby - it is TOTALLY you...
and hey tobin, listen - making pasta is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. just AP flour and eggs - period.
TtG:
If your idea of cooking involves opening cans and setting a microwaving on high, it will be difficult. Heck, Oscar mayer made a mint out of selling deconstructed sandwiches as "lunchables", as if peeling a few slices of turkey and opening a bag of crackers was a task worthy of the snuggie crowd.
Anyone with clean counter space can make pasta from scratch
How do you get it thin enough/cut it. Do you have a pasta machine? Or does a rolling pin work fine?
Lee, you go to Claudia's house and use her pasta attachment on her kitchen aid. Bring wine. trust me on this - I own a bona fide italian rolling pin, authentic as hell. I'm not Jack Lalanne but I work out pretty danged hard, and rolling out pasta dough with that thing made me weep. It is now my intruder night stick...
ok SL - it's true. the KA roller attachment is a must have. at least for me. but you can get the manual rollers too. they have their own set of issues but people have been using then for a long long time...
thin is in - no doubt.
pink, last time I checked, all your kitchen counter space was populated by your vast collection of My Dinner with Andre Action Figures.
Tried this today, used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 of white flour, and 1/2 cup of cornmeal. Also brushed the top with olive oil and sprinkled some grey sea salt on before baking. Turned out awesome, a little dense for sandwiches maybe but great with dinner (corned beef and cabbage a few days late).
