Pain a l'Ancienne and Croque Madame or Toasted Ham and Cheese Sandwich!

Pain a l'Ancienne is another fermented recipe that I thoroughly enjoyed making for Bread Baker's Apprentice. It was an easy recipe with just mixing the dough, refrigerating over night and then forming the loaves in the morning. And it was a fantastic bread to eat!







Since this is football season I do try and make something for us to snack on during the Sunday games. Being I just made Pain l'Ancienne I thought I try to find a sandwich or something similar in the only Julia Child cookbook I have, "From Julia Child's Kitchen". I was shocked to find just how much this book is worth! I got it years ago as one of the free books when I joined the Book of the Month Club! Who'd a thought! But I did find a sandwich that I thought we'd enjoy..well heck who doesn't like toasted Ham and Cheese!







Julia says, "Some say Croque Madame is cheese flavoring only, some make it like Monsieur but substitute chicken for ham. I like ham and cheese, myself, but you should feel free to do what you wish since there is no set recipe and the process is the same whatever you choose. Here is an amusing presentation--a giant sandwich made from a flat long-oval loaf of French or Italian bread cut lengthwise. Present it whole, and cut it in crosswise pieces. The beer and cheese topping, by the way, same from my colleague, Simca; she sent me the recipe years ago, and now may not even remember her genial conception."


Croque Madame
Recipe adapted from "From Julia Child's Kitchen"

For each slice:
1 TBL flour
1/3 c beer (a slight 1/4 c. is plenty)
1 TBL Cognac (I skipped)
1 egg
1 c coarsely grated Swiss Cheese
Salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper
2-3 TBL melted butter
3-4 thin slices cooked ham or use leftover turkey

Cut the bread lengthwise into slices about 3/4" thick and lay on a baking sheet. Dry out for 20 minutes or so in a 350 degree oven, until quite hard and just beginning to color.

Place the flour in a small mixing bowl, gradually beat in the beer, then the Cognac and egg; stir in the cheese, and seasoning to taste, exaggerating a bit on the pepper. Brush the top of each slice of bread with melted butter, cover with slices of ham, then mask completely, out to the edges all around, with the cheese topping.

Bake in upper third of a preheated 450 degree oven 15-20 minutes, until cheese topping has puffed and browned.

To serve as a first course, cut in half lengthwise and crosswise, to make 4 pieces. To serve for cocktail appetizers, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into pieces of whatever size you wish.







I did start a new Bread Making Group, HBinFive and we will be baking our way through the new book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois. It's a fun, freewheeling group that I'm sure anyone would enjoy. And we've even started a new side feature, Camp Breads, which is baking 5-minute breads in an outdoor grill or on a campfire.

To see a demonstration of Jeff and Zoe's bread making method, please watch the below video and if you are interested or have any questions, contact me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com. In any communication please include your full name and if you have a blog include the blog name and URL and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.









All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Pain de Campagne

Pain de Campagne;("country bread" in French) is typically a large round loaf ("miche") made from a natural leavening similar to, but not as sour as, American sourdough. Most traditional versions of this bread are made with a combination of white flour with whole wheat flour and/or rye flour, water, leavening and salt. For centuries, French villages had communal ovens where the townsfolk would bring their dough to be baked, and the miches weighed from four to as much as twelve pounds. Such large loaves would feed a family for days or weeks, until the next baking day.

Before the advent of roller milling, virtually all wheat was milled by stone grinding. In order to produce a lighter, less toothsome bread, the whole wheat flour was sifted or bolted using mesh or cloth. This resulted in a whiter flour that still retained some of the bran and germ. The addition of rye flour in some recipes probably originates from the presence of rye growing among the wheat. All the grain was harvested together, and as much as 10 percent of it would be rye. Rye flour ferments more quickly than wheat flour, and it imparts a distinctive flavor to traditional pains de campagne.

Today pain de campagne is still made in France, and is enjoying a growing appreciation in the United States. The doughs are allowed to ferment for several hours, allowing the natural bacteria and yeasts to grow, and are then rounded and placed in linen-lined baskets called "bannetons". After the dough has risen, it is dumped out of the basket and onto peel, and slid into the oven where it bakes at around 450 F (240 C) for about one hour.









Pain de Campagne is my 16th bread for Bread Baker's Apprentice and I've enjoyed each and every bread. But I have to admit the fermented recipes are my favorites.

As soon as I tasted the Pain de Campagne it reminded me of a long ago dinner with a Sicilian friend. We were enjoying our dinner and he tore off a piece of bread, slathered on some cream cheese and dipped it in his wine. Hmmmmm....interesting and something I'd not seen or tasted before. So I loaded up the cream cheese, dipped and bit into heaven. I was perfectly happy for the rest of meal eating nothing but bread dipped in wine!

Bread with cream cheese goes especially well with a Merlot. And I just happened to have a bottle of Columbia Crest Merlot and had a very nice Sunday afternoon watching football and dipping in the wine!










I did start a new Bread Making Group, HBinFive and we will be baking our way through the new book "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois. It's a fun, freewheeling group that I'm sure anyone would enjoy. And we've even started a new side feature, Camp Breads, which is baking 5-minute breads in an outdoor grill or on a campfire.

To see a demonstration of Jeff and Zoe's bread making method, please watch the below video and if you are interested or have any questions, contact me at ms dot bigblackdog at gmail dot com. In any communication please include your full name and if you have a blog include the blog name and URL and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.


And a Book Giveaway...........


If you join HBinFive by November 15th you will have a chance to win a signed copy of "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Francois!








Please visit some of my fellow BBA'ers and see their version of Pain de Campagne:

Janice of Round the Table
Susie of Susie's Home and Hobbies
Phyl of Cabbages and King Cakes
Jolene of What's Cookin, Chicago?
Paul of The Yumarama Artisan Bread Blog


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - French Bread and a Delicious Brandy-flavored Crostini

I held off on baking the French Bread for Bread Baker's Apprentice because I wanted to try out my new Perforated Bread Pan and it was in the mail! So as soon as I received the pan and had a break in my schedule I got right to work.

I tried two different slashing techiques and I'm not happy with either of them. I really do need to get a good Lame but was wondering if an x-acto knife would work as well?





First of all I have never attempted to make French Bread and I'd heard horror stories about making baguettes. So I went into this recipe very hesitantly. I even read the recipe several times just to make sure I understood every single step. But from beginning to end, except for the slashing, I had no problems what so ever! I'm pretty much convinced much of my success was due to my new Perforated Bread Pan!






And I am so glad that my pan was delayed because in the mean time I found the most wonderful recipe for Crostini and it was perfect for the French Baguettes. I found reference to the Cognac-flavored Crostini recipe on Kate's blog, A Spoonful of Thyme, and she had a link to the original recipe on Ju's blog, Little Teochew. So I contacted Ju and asked for permission to reprint her recipe and the ever so gracious Ju said "yes". I was so happy because the Cognac-flavored Crostini is such a unique recipe and I will be making it again and again and I wanted to share it with all my readers. I served the Crostini with Romesco Dip while we watched the Sunday pre-season football games. The Crostini was delicious and we ate every crumb!







Cognac-flavored Crostini
Reprinted with permission from Ju of Little Teochew

1 baguette
4 to 5 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a knob of butter, about 3 TBL
1 TBL cognac (or vodka) See **See NOTE
1 clove (or 2) garlic, sliced/smashed
Sea salt
Black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degree Celsius. **See NOTE

2. Slice the baguettes into 1/2 inch thick pieces and lay out on a tray.

3. In a bowl, combine olive oil, butter, garlic and cognac, and microwave on high for about 2 minutes, so that the flavour of garlic is infused into the oil (butter should be melted by then). Stir well.

4. Brush both sides of all the baguette slices generously with the flavoured oil.

5. Toast in the oven for slightly over 1 minute, or when the sides start turning crusty and golden brown. Don't take your eyes off them! The bread should still be soft, chewy and pliable in the centre.

6. Take the tray of Crostini out of the oven, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

**NOTE: I did not have any cognac so I used Brandy on half the Crostini and Mole Poblano Vodka, a slightly spicy but mellow hot pepper vodka, distilled right here in IL by North Shore Distillery. And to toast the Crostini I laid it out on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and popped it under the broiler on high until the edges were a nice golden brown.

And my favorite was the Crostini with Brandy. Although the Mole Poblano Vodka Crostini was very good, the touch of brandy with the toasted garlic butter on homemade French Bread was exquisite!






Below are a few of my fellow BBA'ers, please feel free to click on the links to see their interpretation of this recipe.


Cindy of Salt and Serenity
Sally of Bewitching Kitchen
Kelly of Something Shiny
Jenn of Pete Eatemall




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Lavish Crackers

This week for Bread Baker's Apprentice we made Lavish Crackers. I was happy to see this on our agenda because I make a double batch of crackers at least every ten days or so but I cut them into long breadsticks. We love my breadsticks and not only eat them with dinner but as a snack, with soup or salad and I've even been known to grab a few on my way out the door for a quick snack in the car.

We made Peter Reinhart's Lavish Crackers for Daring Baker's in Sep '08 and you can see my interpretation of the recipe here. At the time of the Daring Bakers Challenge we were just given the recipe with no pictures for reference so I was not aware of Reinhart's wonderfully fun top striping for the Lavish! As soon as I saw the stripes I knew I had to try it! For the striping I used poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, kosher salt and caraway seeds.







Lavish Crackers
Recipe adapted from the "Bread Baker's Apprentice" by Peter Reinhart

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tb agave syrup or sugar
1 Tb vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb water, at room temperature
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the Windowpane Test and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.







Below are a few of my fellow BBA'ers, please feel free to click on the links to see their interpretation of this recipe.

Phyl of Cabbages and Kings
Oggi of I Can Do That!
Brandy's Flickr Folder and she made Pita Bread which was an alternative recipe.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Italian Bread

This week for the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we made Italian Bread. I like to serve breadsticks in place of crackers and since soup was on our menu that week I made breadsticks instead of loaves.







Of course I have to change the recipe a bit and so I added 1 TBL slightly crushed whole fennel seeds and about 1/2 c. sesame seeds. I know it looks more interesting with the sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the breadsticks but I can not make the seeds stay put and believe me I've tried every which way, egg wash, olive oil and even tried embedding the seeds into the dough with my rolling pin. But still the seeds fall off and make a mess. So now I just add the seeds right to the flour and no more sesame seed showers!


And who knows you might even organize a quick game of chopsticks!







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 172 by clicking here.




Below are a few of my fellow BBA'ers, please feel free to click on the links to see their interpretation of this recipe.

Emily of Flickr Photo Album.
Brandy of Flickr Photo Album.
Paul of Yumarama.




Gadgets that Work






One of my very favorite baking tools is my Flour Wand. I've had my Wand less then a year but it is one of my most used tools. The Flour Wand is very easy to use and securely holds the flour until you are ready to dust your pastry cloth.

To fill the wand just dip the Wand into your flour bin, press the handle together to open the coiled oblong spring and fill it with flour. And when you are ready to dust some flour, quickly flex and release the handles while waving the wand over your pastry cloth and the flour sprinkles out in an even dusting. I love my Flour Wand!

If you are wondering what the flowered cloth is that's a vintage tablecloth and I use it as a pastry cloth. The tablecloth is a very heavy 100% cotton and gives me a larger work area when I am rolling out any kind of dough. I do wash them in cold water and hang to dry. You can pick up the small vintage tablecloths at flea markets or garage sales for $5-10.


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Focaccia and a delicious Bruschetta

This week for Bread Baker's Apprentice we made Focaccia. I've made Focaccia Bread about a million times in my life and it is one of my favorite breads. It's quick and easy and makes a great last minute addition to any meal and it's very versatile. You can top with a large variety of items like cheese, basil, tomatoes and make a pizza type bread. Or you can slice it horizontally and toast it for the base for Eggs Benedict or a toasted tuna sandwich. I've used it for hamburger buns and even popped it under the broiler for a great garlic bread!

I always add about 1/2 cup sourdough starter to my Focaccia dough but decided to use fresh yeast instead. And I dearly love using fresh yeast! Also I added 1/2 cup mashed potato. The dough was silky smooth and so easy to work with and it rose beautifully!

Our tomatoes are slowly starting to come in and I was going to make BBLTs (Basil, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches with the Focaccia but then decided to whip up some Bruschetta instead. See Recipe and **Note below.







Bruschetta with Spinach and infused Garlic
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

4-5 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb spinach, cleaned and torn into small pieces
1/4-1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
8-10 fresh Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Abt 15 fresh Tarragon leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 c. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

In a small pan heat the EVOO until just warm. Add the cloves of garlic and simmer until the garlic is just golden brown. Remove garlic and set the oil aside to cool. On a cutting board smash the garlic with a fork.

In a small bowl add the tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan, Basil, Tarragon, smashed garlic and cooled EVOO and blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes so the flavors set.

**Note: I cut the Focaccia into about 3-5" pieces and then cut each piece horizontally. On a foil lined baking sheet lay out the sliced Focaccia and top each piece with Bruschetta. Set your oven on Broil and pop the Focaccia/Bruschetta under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Be careful because this will burn very quickly.







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 159 by clicking here.


Please feel free to visit some fellow BBA'ers and see their interpretation of this recipe.

Terri of Mustang Terri
Nico of Nico's Blog
Sally of Bewitching Kitchen
Txfarmer at Txfarmer (blog is in Chinese)




All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA -- English Muffins

The week for our Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we made English Muffins. I've always loved English Muffins and prefer them over toast any day! I make English Muffins all the time and have two recipes on my blog both with excellent results. To see the recipes please click here and here.

I did change Reinhart's recipe and added about 1/2 c. sourdough starter and I used kefir instead of milk.







Chicken Salad is one of my favorite sandwiches and I can't think of anything better then a Chicken Salad and Tomato Sandwich on a toasted Sourdough English Muffin! And to make this sandwich even better, I used our first picking of tomatoes out of our garden! It was delicious!







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 157 by clicking here.






Please feel free to visit some fellow BBA'ers and see their interpretation of this recipe.

Deb of Italian Food Forever
Oggie of I can do That!
Mags of The Other Side of Fifty
Susie of Susie's Home and Hobbies



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA - Cinnamon Cranberry Mini Challah

Cinnamon - (Cinnamomum verum, synonym C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree 10–15 metres (32.8–49.2 feet) tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, and is native to Sri Lanka.


The name cinnamon is correctly used to refer to Ceylon cinnamon, also known as "true cinnamon". However, the related species, Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum), Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi), and Cinnamomum burmannii are sometimes sold labeled as cinnamon, sometimes distinguished from true cinnamon as "Chinese cinnamon", "Vietnamese cinnamon", or "Indonesian cinnamon"; sometimes referred to as being cassia. Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. Cassia has a much stronger flavour than cinnamon, is generally a medium to light reddish brown, hard and woody in texture, and thicker, as all of the layers of bark are used.







I am a cinnamon addict. My favorite cinnamon, Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia, is not a true cinnamon, but it has the most exquisite aroma and flavor and I just love it. I buy my Vietnamese Cassia, 1 lb at a time, from Penzeys Spices. And I always use more cinnamon then the recipe calls for, yes I am a true cinnamon lover!

This week for our Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we are making Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Of course with me being me I have to mix things up and change it around just a little. I substituted orange-flavored dried cranberries for the raisins and decided to make 1-piece mini challahs instead of a loaf. The orange-flavored dried cranberries were so good in this recipe that I think I found a permanent substitute for raisins!

And the 1-piece braided challahs, video below, were so easy, I can't wait to try this technique again. I made my braids much smaller and only used an 18" dough rope to begin which amounted to a finished 8" challah.







Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 147 by clicking here.






Here's some links to other BBA'ers and their interpretations of this recipe:

Oggie at I can do that!
Caroline at Two Skinny Jenkins
Angela at Gourmet Hotdish and other Culinary Disasters
Jia at Sweet and Savory



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA -- Morphing Buns into Beignets

This week for our Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge we were supposed to make Cinnamon Buns or Sticky Buns. But I made Cinnamon Buns just a few weeks ago and although I love Cinnamon Buns I really think they taste much better in cold weather when there's a foot of snow outside. Of course I could have made Danish but I just made Danish a month ago. Oh well, sometimes deciding on just what to make is a problem.

Then I remembered Beignets! I've wanted to try my hand at Custard-filled Beignets for the longest time and jumped at the chance to finally check off another item on my very long ToDo list!

Beignet (pronounced [bε.ɲε]; In France, beignet is an umbrella term for a large variety of pastries made from deep-fried dough with fruit or vegetable filling. They may contain other fillings, as well: potatoes, mushrooms, or even meat.







Although I followed Reinhard's Cinnamon Bun dough recipe, the shaping technique for Beignets was a bit different. After the first dough rise is complete, let the air out gently and divide the dough into small evenly sized balls. I weighed out small dough balls, 30 grams each, which was a little smaller then a ping pong ball. The Beignets puff up quite a bit, about double the size of the dough ball, during the frying process so if you want smaller Beignets adjust accordingly. Spray a piece of parchment paper with Pam. Place each dough ball on a parchment, cover and let rest in a warm place for about half an hour.

While the dough balls are resting, heat a pan of peanut oil over a medium heat about 375 degrees. When the oil is hot, carefully drop raw Beignet into hot oil. Fry one side and then flip over to fry the other side until Beignet is golden brown on all sides.



When they are cool enough to handle, pipe in the custard. I used a pastry bag fitted with a filling tip to pipe the custard into the Beignet. Fill the pastry bag with custard. Poke a hole in the side of the Beignet with the tip and pipe in the custard.







Custard Filling
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 c. milk or cream
4 TBL flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar and beaten egg until well blended. Heat milk to a simmer. When the milk is hot, slowly pour the milk into the egg/flour/sugar mixture stirring constantly until smooth.

Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Custard should be thick like pudding. If not thick enough put back on stove and while stirring add 1 tsp flour and heat though.








Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 143 by clicking here.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

BBA -- Ciabatta

Ciabatta; Ciabatta (Italian pronunciation: [tʃaˈbatːa], literally "carpet slipper") is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish and, like a slipper, should be somewhat collapsed in the middle. Since the late 1990s it has been popular across Europe and in the United States, and is widely used as a sandwich bread.

Ciabatta was first produced in Liguria, although at least one type of ciabatta can be found in nearly every region of Italy nowadays. The ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb, to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture. The more open-crumbed form, which is usual in the United States, is made from a very wet dough, often requiring machine-kneading, and a biga or sourdough starter.

There are many variations of ciabatta. When made with whole wheat flour, it is known as ciabatta integrale. In Rome, it is often seasoned with olive oil, salt, and marjoram. When milk is added to the dough, it becomes ciabatta al latte. A toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as a panino (plural panini).





Ciabatta is our eighth bread in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. I was looking forward to making Ciabatta! I am a very enthusiastic sourdough baker and I love using kefir in anything I am baking. I choose to make the biga version and substituted sourdough starter for the yeast and kefir for the milk and I did use EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).

Generally I like working with a very wet dough, but as soon as I mixed up this recipe I knew it was not wet enough and my loaves would not have the large gorgeous holes that I wanted. Could I have added a bit more water or kefir? Yes, but since I'm involved in this challenge to learn I'm trying to stay as close to the Reinhart recipe as possible.





All in all, I was not disappointed in my Ciabatta as it was a good bread and it was fun to do the stretching and folding method during the rise. But next time I make it, I will be experimenting and definitely adding more liquid and a little bit more salt too.

I baked my Ciabatta on a Sunday and served it as an afternoon snack after a day of yard work for both of us. I served the Ciabatta with 2 dips, Romesco Dip and an Olive and Parmesan Dip. Since my husband was home and watched the entire bread process and then smelled the bread baking, he could not wait to give it a try. So I cut the bread when it was warm..so not a good idea!





Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 135 by clicking here.


All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Do's and Dips

I don’t know if it’s because of the increase in temperature and gorgeous summer days but I’ve been making the best dips lately! They’re so delicious and colorful, it’s almost a shame to scrape the last bit from the bottom of the bowl!

Deeba, a friend on twitter and author of Passionate about Baking, told me about a wonderful dip that she had recently made. As soon as I saw the gorgeous color I just had to make it. I found a good recipe on Dinner with Julie and of course proceeded to change the recipe which I have to do. I think it was about 6 weeks ago that Deeba pointed out the Romesco Dip and I’ve made it four times already. We love it! The gorgeous intense color is just a preview to the fabulous taste!

My second dip is just something I threw together to serve along with the Romesco Dip. I wanted something light with a unique taste to contrast the 2 dips. My Olive and Parmesan Dip was perfect and very good with my homemade Breadsticks and Ciabatta Bread!

Both dips would be wonderful for an appetizer or an afternoon snack or even something to munch on while watching a football game.







Romesco Dip

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, or half almonds and half pine nuts
2 whole garlic clove, peeled
1 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
2 sweet red peppers, roasted
1 TBL. red wine or sherry
1 TBL balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste
1/4 c EVOO, you may need to add more (EVOO=Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Turn the broiler on High and move a oven shelf closer to the broiler.

Clean out all the seeds from the sweet peppers. Cut each pepper into thirds and then slice so that pepper will lay flat. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the pieces of red pepper in the baking pan and put baking pan in oven to broil. I only broil until the peppers start turning dark. Careful that you don’t burn the peppers! I do not peel the peppers because so much taste is in the broiled skin.

While the peppers are broiling add 2 TBL EVOO to a small frying pan. Over medium low heat sauté garlic cloves until golden brown and soft. Remove garlic cloves to cutting board and mash with a fork. Set aside.

Add almonds to the small frying pan and toast for about 2-3 minutes until just slightly golden. Remove from pan and cool.

In a food processor add bread crumbs, broiled red sweet peppers, mashed garlic, toasted almonds, vinegar, wine, paprika, and EVOO. Pulse until everything is minced fine and well blended.

Makes between 1-2 cups.



Olive and Parmesan Dip
Recipe developed by Big Black Dog

1/2-3/4 c. EVOO (EVOO=Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
4-5 Black and Green Olives, sliced thin
1-2 TBL of grated fresh Parmesan Cheese
Freshly ground Black Pepper

Thinly slice the olives. Pour EVOO into a small serving bowl. Add sliced olives and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.








All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Challah **Sometimes you get it just perfect

Challah; chal·lah also cha·lah or hal·lah (KHä'lə, hä'-)
n. A loaf of yeast-leavened egg bread, usually braided, traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath, holidays, and other ceremonial occasions.

The below photos represent a huge milestone in my blogging experience. They are the very first photos posted to my blog that needed no color or lighting manipulation from a photo program. All I did was crop and add my name to each photo. For the very first time the lighting was perfect. Hallelujah..I finally got it right!






I can't believe I've already completed six breads from my Bread Baker's Apprentice Baking Group! I enjoy baking bread and would bake bread daily if we could eat that much. Challah dough is very easy to work with and although the braiding looks difficult, it's not.






I made the loaf of Challah on Saturday and promised Mr. Tastebud's I would make him some Strawberry French Toast for Sunday Brunch. Unfortunately, Sunday morning I had no appetite what-so-ever. Why I go through times like this I don't know but sometimes I just don't feel like eating and nothing sounds good to me. Now when I look at these delicious looking photos, how I wish I had at least tasted it. WOW, it really does look good!







Simple French Toast
Recipe adapted from my Mom

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. milk
5-6 slices of bread
Cinnamon
Cooking Spray like Pam

Option: Fresh fruit

Measure the milk into a small bowl. Add slightly beaten eggs and mix well. Pour milk/egg mix on to a small platter or pie plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with cooking spray.

Place a bread slice into the egg mixture, letting the slice soak up egg mixture for only a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Coat only 1 slice of bread at a time and only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time. You may have to add more cinnamon.

Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup and fresh fruit.







I've done a 3, 4, 5, and 6-Braid Challah and I thought was doing great. But then I found the below video demonstrating a 12-braid Challah. A 12-BRAID Challah...OMW, it's huge. Doesn't this look like fun! I might have to make this one next time!





Google Books has the entire book, "The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread", by Peter Reinhart, scanned and you can find the recipe on Page 133 by clicking here.



All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Believe it or not I have never made Spaghetti and Meatballs. I’ve made Spaghetti and I’ve made Meatballs but never together. I didn't really care for meatballs until I tasted Mama’s Meatballs! And they are totally delicious!

Although my Red Sauce is a very quick and easy, the meatballs do take time to make, form and fry. But you can make the meatballs and refrigerate over night. And the next day fry the meatballs and make the Red Sauce. I actually think the meatballs are better if formed and put in the refrigerator for the night.

The meatball recipe is large but the meatballs can be safely frozen. And for a special treat you can make meatball sandwiches. The Meatball Sandwiches I have pictured were served on homemade Anadama Buns.






Michelle's Red Sauce
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1 can good quality Italian Plum Tomatoes (5-6 whole tomatoes and juice)
3 TBL EVOO
3-4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
5-6 sun dried tomatoes, sliced thin
1 c. fresh basil, minced
2 sprigs of fresh tarragon, minced
1/2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika
1/2 c. fresh parsley, minced (save a little to sprinkle on top for serving)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Topping:
Fresh minced parsley
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a heavy bottomed pot, over low heat add EVOO.

Turn the burner down to simmer and add the whole garlic cloves. Simmer the cloves until just golden brown. Watch the garlic closely so that it does not burn.

Remove cloves to a cutting board and smash with a fork. Return smashed cloves to the warm EVOO.

Add the tomatoes including the juice. Break up the tomatoes with a fork.

Add the dried tomatoes, minced herbs, paprika and pepper and simmer for a few minutes.

Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the fresh chopped parsley and gently stir.

Serve hot over linguine and sprinkle with minced parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.






Mama’s Meatballs
Recipe adapted from Chef Rocco Dispirito’s Mama

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-6 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, and parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and salt.

Combine with hands until mixture is uniform, do not overmix.

Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls.

Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil in straight sided, 10-inch-wide saute pan and heat over medium-high flame.

Add the meatballs to the pan, working in batches if necessary, and brown meatballs, turning once. This should take about 10-15 minutes.

While meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a large pot.

Transfer the meatballs to the pot with the marinara sauce and simmer for one hour.

Serve alone or over your favorite pasta.







All Rights Reserved 2008-9 © Big Black Dog