Challah, the braided bread served on Shabbat and most holidays, is delicious, and typically made with many eggs.  We had vegan guests over for Shabbat last weekend, so eggs were out.   I had to learn how to make an eggless challah, and fast, so I turned to Joan Nathan, the Guru of Jewish cooking, and modified a recipe she had for berches.  I had never heard of berches before, so I asked my German grandmother about it.  She explained that berches is just the German word for challah.  Joan Nathan’s recipe is made with potatoes, but according to my grandma, berches can be made with or without potatoes.  How about sweet potatoes?  Well that’s what I had from our CSA, so that’s what was going into my challah.  The sweet potatoes lent a nice sweetness and a beautiful orange hue to the final challah, and everyone loved it… it also made for some killer paninis (see previous post).   Does anyone else have any experience with berches?  Feel free to share in the comments below.

Sweet Potato Berches

Modified from Joan Nathan’s The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. This recipe makes 2 large loaves.

• 2 pounds bread or unbleached all-purpose flour (8 cups)
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• About 3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (still lukewarm)
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• Poppy or sesame seeds

1. Place the flour in a large bowl, making a well in the middle. Stir in the yeast and 1/2 cup water. Add to the well a small amount of the flour, about 3 tablespoons. Cover and place in a lukewarm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, salt, and more lukewarm water if needed [I didn't need any]. Knead the dough about 10-12 minutes, until it is as firm as possible. [I had to add more flour--about 1/4 cup--since the dough was mad sticky.] Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Place in a medium-warm, draft-free spot, and let stand until the dough has doubled in size (about 3-5 hours). [Joan notes that if you are serving on Friday, you can start the dough Thursday night at 8 O'Clock, and it can rise slowly overnight.]
3. When the dough is ready, place it on a floured wooden board and split it into 4 parts. Make a long loaf of one of the parts [mine was more of an oblong round...], and divide one other part into 3 pieces. Roll the 3 peices into long ropes and braid them. Place the braid on top of the long loaf, pinching on the edges to attach. Repeat with the other 2 parts. Cover the challah and let rise once more for about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350F with a pizza stone inside, if you have one.
5. When ready to bake, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.
6. Bake 45 minutes to an hour or until the challah is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

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Making bread and pizza at home is all about planning. Once you’ve got the timing right, it requires very little active work.  I hadn’t made bread at home in over a month since we had been out of town, and well ya know,  summer… but when I saw artisanal multigrain loaves in the store selling for close to $5, I had a sudden burst of inspiration (funny how that works huh?).

Sunday is our day to prep our week’s food, and my contribution was one loaf of multigrain whole wheat bread, and dough for two large pizza pies to be eaten at a later date.  Sounds like a lot of work, but all this took roughly 15 minutes of actual work and about two and a half hours of listening for timers to ring and making decisions.   The only semi-technical part is feeling for when the dough is right, but the following two recipes should give you dough that is easy to handle and elastic, not wet and tacky.

Sunday Morning: Soaked the (Multi)Grains

When I woke up, I started soaking some grains that would be added to both the bread and pizza dough.  Uncooked grains add wonderful texture to bread, but they need to soak for a while, so it’s important to get that started early.  The grains I used were a small handful each of:

• Millet
• Oats
• Flaxseed Meal
• Coarse Cornmeal

I put those in a small bowl and added enough water to go about an inch over the grains, then I covered the bowl with a plate.    Ideally you want to soak the grains overnight, but I forgot.  We went out for about five hours, and when I got home and started on the dough the millet was still a little on the crunchy side but I used  it anyway and I ended up really liking the extra texture.

Sunday Late Afternoon: Started the Multigrain Whole Wheat Loaf

• 6 ounces white flour (about 1.5 cups)
• 10 ounces whole wheat flour (about 2 cups)
• 1.5 cups grain mixture (see above)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp active yeast
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4-1 1/2 cups of water

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment (a la Bittman), add all the dry ingredients and mix for about 30 seconds.  Add the grain mixture and the olive oil, and with the food processor running, start pouring in the water.  Because there is a lot of water in the grains, the amount of water you need to add will vary, so add it slowly until a dough ball forms and starts moving around in the chamber.  I added about 3/4 cup.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead for just a few seconds.  Form it into a bowl, and let it rise in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap until it doubles (1-2 hours).  Our kitchen was HOT, so after about 45 minutes it had risen plenty.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface again and let it sit covered with plastic wrap for about 20 minutes.

Dusting with flour as needed, shape the dough into a flat rectangle the width of your loaf pan.   Roll up the dough and place it in the oiled pan seam side down.  Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap and let it double again (1-2 hours).  (This is a great time to put about 5-7 minutes of work into making the pizza dough.  See below.)

If you want seeded bread: scramble an egg and brush it on the top of the loaf, sprinkle on the seed mixture of your choice (I used sesame seeds and rolled oats).

Slash with a sharp knife or lame, and put it in the center rack of your oven.  After about 20 minutes rotate the pan for even cooking.  It should cook for about 40 minutes or until it has a nice golden brown crust that gives a good thud when knocked with the back of a chef’s knife.  Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

We’ve been having this as toast for breakfast, I made an egg and cheese with it this morning, and it was also a great accompaniment to Tuesday’s ratatouille (see previous post).  Not bad considering the ingredients used cost about $0.40.

Sunday After the Bread Was Shaped: Made The Multigrain Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (enough for 2 large pies)

Equipment note: Pizza does require some special equipment, most importantly a pizza stone, followed closely by a pizza peel (the huge wooden pizza spatula that is oh so fun to use) and finally a pizza slicer (also fun).  I strongly suggest you invest in at least the stone and peel, especially if you’re interested in making artisanal bread (not in a loaf pan) as the hot preheated stone is what gives you a super crust, and you can’t really get that without it.   You can find this equipment and more on our amazon store (CLICK HERE), and yes, your purchases do help us keep our site running, so thank you.

• 10 ounces of white flour
• 12 ounces of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup soaked uncooked grains (see above)
• 3 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1-1 1/2 cups water

Follow the exact same procedure as for the sandwich loaf above.  After the dough has risen the first time, split it into as many pies as you’d like to make, and either start flattening them out into a pie, or do what I did and wrap each dough ball with plastic wrap, put it in a freezer bag, and throw it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.  The morning that you’ll be making the pizza, just take the dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.

Wednesday after work: Made a Delicious Pizza

Making the actual pizza is a snap:  Preheat the oven to 500 F with the pizza stone in the center of the oven.  On a cornmeal (or flour) dusted pizza peel, pat, roll or toss the dough until you’ve worked it into a pie as thick or as thin as you’d like.  Add your toppings, and slide it onto a pizza stone that has been heating in a 500 degree oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is just browning.  Let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.

We turned one of the frozen dough balls into a fantastic pizza with leftover tomato sauce from the ratatouille, slow roasted red onions, Bulgarian feta and anchovies, drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  It was super supper.

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This is what you’ll need:

• Cast iron pot with a lid
• Large mixing bowl
• Kitchen towel (not terrycloth)
• Bread flour
• Salt
• Instant yeast
• Yellow cornmeal (optional)

Monday

8:00 pm: Decided I would make a couple of loaves of no-knead bread.
8:02 pm:Realized I didn’t have any yeast.
8:10 pm: Went to Keyfood and bought a 3-pack of Red Star, quick rising, active yeast.
8:15 pm: Went to office holiday party and had some healthy ping pong competition with bosses and coworkers.
11:35 pm: Returned home ready to start my bread

1. Mixed 1 and 1/4 tsp salt, (kosher or fine sea salt), 1/4 tsp instant yeast, and 3 cups of King Arthur bread flour (following careful flour measuring practices) in a large mixing bowl.
2. Added 1 and 1/2 cups of room temp water and mixed the dough with my hand for just a few seconds, just until the flour was practically all mixed in.
3. Covered with plastic wrap and put it in a quiet, slightly warm corner of my kitchen

11:40 pm: Got ready for bed, and did nothing with my bread for 20 hours.

Tuesday

7:40 pm: Poured the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and quickly shaped it into a round (boule), by cupping the dough and turning it while pulling it tight. Placed the round onto a kitchen towel that had a light dusting of yellow cornmeal, dusted the top of the round with more yellow cornmeal, and covered the round with a folded kitchen towel.
8:40 pm: Put a cast iron pot with a lid on into the center of the oven and preheated the oven to 450.

9:30 pm: Pulled the pot out of the oven, opened the lid, and dusted a bit more corn meal into the pot, then, I carefully slid my hands under the kitchen towel to lift up the dough round and flip it into the hot pot. I then gave the pot a little shake to even out the dough and let it settle, and then I covered it up and put it back in the oven.
10:00 pm: Uncovered the pot and looked at the beautiful bread developing before me.

10:15 pm: The crust was a nice golden brown but I felt it could use 5 more minutes.

10:20 pm: Carefully removed the pot from the oven and took the bread out of the pot and onto a cooling rack using tongs and a spatula.

10:21 pm: Declared the task oficially accomplished and started looking forward to tomorrow’s toast.

For more pictures and more detailed instructions, read this post.

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One thing that wasn’t listed on chef Ripert’s menu was bread.  Everyone’s a sucker for fresh bread, and dinner rolls seemed like a great choice.

This recipe falls under the ‘impressive, but surprisingly easy’ category.  The rolls were made in practically the exact same way that I make boules and sandwich loaves, but when it was time to shape, I just divided the dough into 16 pieces.  For a bit more texture, I soaked some flax seed meal, millet, rolled oats, and corn meal in water, and added the mixture to the dough.

Four-Grain Rustic Dinner Rolls

• 500 grams (16.9 ounces or 4.5 cups) Bread Flour
• 1 Cup Spring Water
• 2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• Grain Mixture: 2 Tbsp flax seed meal, 2 Tbsp millet, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup coarse corn meal.

Soak the grains in 1/2 cup of water for 5-6 hours.

Mix the flour with with the yeast and salt, and add the water.  Stir until its a bit lumpy, then let it sit covered with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb more of the water. Then mix it up some more and add it to a stand-mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the grain mixture and knead for 10 minutes on low,  (or knead by hand) until the dough is smooth and a bit springy.

Let the dough rise for 3 hours in a lightly oiled container covered with plastic wrap.

Turn the dough: put it on a flour dusted counter, pat it into a rectangle, and fold like a business letter: the top 1/3 comes down, the bottom 1/3 goes up, and then flip it seem side down.  Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Shape the dough: Pat it down into a square about 3/4 of an inch thick, and divide it into 16 equal pieces.

Place the dough pieces on parchment paper being careful to give them enough room to rise.  Dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the rolls to proof for 1-2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed in the center, and a cast iron skillet beneath it.

Score the rolls with a lame or sharp knife dipped in water.

Bake at 450 degrees, for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Add a few ice cubes to the skillet so the dough steams for the first few minutes of baking (this allows it to rise more).

Cool on a rack, and serve as soon as possible!

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I admit, this is not exactly the simple, no fuss recipe you have come to expect from Sustainable Pantry, but this is a starting point, you can be sure there will be simpler sourdough recipes to come.

This recipe is from Local Breads by Daniel Leader, the founder of Bread Alone.

Sourdough Batards (fat baguettes) from Local Breads (modified slightly)

• 350 grams (2 1/4 cups) of bread flour (I ALWAYS use King Arthur’s)
• 120 grams ( 3/4 cup) whole wheat flour (I used organic stone-ground)
• 30 grams (1/4 cup) of rye flour (I used organic)
• 125 grams of sourdough starter (size of a tennis ball)
  
• 1.5 tsp of kosher salt
• 1.5 cups of water (I used room temperature spring water)

Mix the flour and the water and let it soak for 20 minutes (this gives the flour time to absorb the water). Then mix in the starter and salt.

It will be quite sticky, and difficult to handle, but keep at it.  Eventually it will turn smooth and not so sticky.  It took me about 20 minutes to get to the 5th picture below. (if you don’t want to knead, check out one of these other delicious bread recipes)

In Local Breads, he has a trick to tell if your dough has been kneaded enough: Pinch off a piece the size of a golf ball, and gently stretch it. If you can get it thin enough to see through without tearing it, it’s ready!  Our dough kept tearing, but it came really close, and in the end it still worked out.

Once the dough is ready, put it into an oiled container and let it rise at room temperature for an hour. Give the yeast some time to feed, you won’t see much rising yet (we didn’t).

After an Hour:

Turn the dough: this is a common step that is done part way into the dough rising. Pat the dough into a rectangle and fold it like a business letter. The top comes down to the bottom third, and the bottom comes up to cover it. Then put it back in the container seam side down, and let it rise again for 2-3 hours, this rose for another 2:45:

The dough is now ready to be shaped. You can make any shape, but I followed the book‘s lead and made Batards, a shorter, fatter baguette.  To do this, cut the dough in half with either a knife or a bench scraper.  Next pat the dough into a flat rectangle about 5 inches wide, and 3 long. Then fold the top edge in towards the center, closing the seal gently with the heel of your hand. Then, fold the bottom half up to the center, so they overlap with about an inch and again seal the seam. And finally, fold it in half the long way so you have a skinny log.

Next, you again seal it with your palm, being careful not to flatten the dough in the process.  And then roll it out like a Play-Doh Snake, only its not Play-Doh, it Sour-Doh!  Put a little extra pressure as you move your hands out to the edge to create the pointier edges of the Batard.

We’re almost there!

Now the dough rises for another 1-2 hours, on a couche (a canvas cloth that cradles baguettes or other shapes as they rise, and allows them to keep their shape), I used parchment paper on a baguette pan, but you could also roll up kitchen towels and slide them under the parchment between the batards to cradle them.  Dust the tops with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap while they rise.

Slash 3 inch slashes in the top with a very sharp knife or lame dipped in water.  And they’re ready for that 450 degree oven that’s been preheating with the baking stone in the middle rack, and a skillet in the bottom.

Into the oven it goes, along with a few ice cubes into the skillet to create steam, which is the makings for a heckuva crust.  Let it cook for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 400 and cook for another 20-25 or until the crust is gorgeously brown.  And that’s it!

This came out great!  I could have slashed deeper to get a nicer shape, but the crust was so good, and there were some real sour undertones!

If you are even considering attempting this recipe, I strongly recommend picking up Local Breads by Daniel Leader.  Along with this recipe and a ton of others, it has a wealth of baking tips, instructions on making your own starter, and some beautiful pictures.

While this seems somewhat involved, it’s actually not.  Like most breadmaking, it requires only a few minutes of work every couple of hours.  Most of the time is spent waiting for the next step.  So as long as you’re going to be around the house for the better part of the day, you can make a DELICIOUS bread with minimal effort. (blogging the experience, well that’s another story!)

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The method came from Mike at SourdoughHome.com, by way of Jonathan and it was very simple (thanks guys!):

Mix 1/4 cup of water with 3/8 cup of organic rye flour in a container, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and feed it 1/4 cup of water and 3/8 cup of organic rye flour every 8-12 hours. That’s it!

The major indicator that the starter is healthy is that it doubles its size between feedings. After about 2 days, it started doing this consistently. It also developed a very tangy, green-apply smell, and the gas bubbles in the dough between feedings appeared to be growing bigger each day.

Day 2: Before Feeding

Day 2: Stirring in the water (note there are no bubbles)

Day 3: Stirring before feeding, notice the air pockets!

Day 3: Mixing in the water, it gets milky and lots of bubbles develop

Day 3: Marking the height

Day 4: More than doubled in size!

To prevent the dough from taking over your kitchen, Sourdough Mike recommends disposing of 1/2 of the starter following each feeding, (I’ve been throwing out 1/2 each day).

Although my starter appears healthy, Mike recommends not storing it in the fridge until it is 30 days old. So while I can start using it, I have to keep feeding it twice daily. As an insurance policy though, after today’s feeding instead of throwing 1/2 of it out, I put it in a jar and stored it in the fridge. Just in case anything happens to my pet I’ll have a clone.

It really has been like having a pet. I feed it at night before I go to sleep, and then in the morning before I leave for work and marvel at how much it has grown. Once a week I transfer the starter to a bowl while I clean out its cage, and I make sure I give it lots of love. In return, I’m hoping this baby is going to make me some tasty bread. Tomorrow it will finally be put to the test as I attempt to make a sourdough batard from Daniel Leader’s book Local Breads, stay tuned!

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I woke up wanting biscuits. Biscuits are very easy and quick to make with pantry ingredients and they are DELICIOUS out of the oven. I started with Martha Stewart’s recipe for Cornmeal Drop Biscuits (From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook), and made a few changes.

Cornmeal Biscuits

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick cold butter
• 3/4 c cream cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons cold water

*Note: I substituted the cream cheese and water for 1 cup milk from the original recipe–I had no milk in the house…)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl

Cut in cold butter that has been diced into small pieces. This is traditionally done with a pastry blender, but I used a stiff flat whisk. Worked fine. The mixture will be very crumby.

Then add the cream cheese, continue blending, and then add the water, 1 T at a time until the dough JUST comes together. You don’t want to overwork it, and you still want there to be little clumps of butter bits.

Once the dough is ready, I put it on a floured counter to cut. Martha uses a drop technique, but I prefer my biscuits cut—I just like the neatness of how they come out. So i cut them out with a round cutter and placed on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

When all the biscuits are cut out, you can mash up all the odds and ends pieces, and cut out a few more…

Cook for between 15-18 minutes, until they are golden brown on the edges.

Delicious!

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Olive Rosemary Boule

• 1 lb (about 3.5 cups) white unbleached bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 cup chopped olives (I used Kalamata)
• 3 Tbsp dried rosemary

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