Cranberry Orange Brioche

© 2017 Edward C. Kern, Jr.

I decided in the absence of finding my old brioche recipe, I would check out recipes in my more recently acquired cookbooks. How to Cook Everything has an easy looking brioche recipe and The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, an intriguing recipe for Chocolate Chip Brioche Pretzels.

Using ideas from both, here is the recipe I used this Easter:

In a small bowl wisk together until the yeast has dissolved:

1/3 c milk
1 t instant yeast

(I tried using a fork first but found I really needed to use a whisk to dissolve the yeast).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment [Smitten Kitchen uses paddle; my engineer son says paddle is not designed for dough --- see * below] place:

9.8 oz (2 1/4 c) flour
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt

Add the yeast mixture and:

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

Mix at at low speed  until the dough comes together in a shaggy pile then turn to medium speed and beat for 10 minutes. [Then switch to the dough hook --- if you are using padddle and your mixer hasn't died] and knead  until a smooth dough forms, another 5 minutes.*

Then add:

8T (1 stick) butter, cut in small slices, at room temperature and continue mixing until a smooth dough forms.

Then add:

1 c dried cranberries
Zest of 1 organic orange

Continue mixing until cranberries and zest are well distributed in the dough.

Turn into a large, well buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 2-3 hours until doubled in bulk.  Turn onto a floured board and divide dough into thirds, Roll into three long cylindrical strips and braid. Flatten and shape the loaf then let it rise for about an hour.

Brush with a glaze made of:

1 egg
1 t water

Bake in a 400 degree over for about 1/2 hour. Check after 15-20 minutes,and if the brioche is getting too brown, cover the top with foil. When done the bottom of the brioche when tapped, should sound hollow.

Despite the disruptions in intended technique (see below), the brioche came out well and was shared with Alex and her family Easter morning.  It's the third generation (Henry despite all the chocolate eggs he had already eaten, enjoyed a big slice and part of a colored hard boiled egg before negotiating for another chocolate egg) restart of a tradition and the recipe will no doubt be tested and tweeked before next Easter

© 2017 Edward C. Kern, Jr.

* Full disclosure: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook starts out using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment at slow speed until the dough becomes a "shaggy pile".  It then directs the speed be raised to medium and the mixture beaten for ten minutes --- "the long mixing time creates the soft, stretchy strands brioche is known for" (page 18).  It then directs a switch to the dough hook for the remainder of the recipe. This is the technique I had intended to use. However, my mixer lasted about two minutes into the long mixing time then crashed (fourth photo from top). Time to improvise. I kneaded by hand for a while though maybe not a full 8 additional minutes then tried not so successfully to knead in the butter by hand. I then switched to my food processor fitted with the dough blade.

Ms. Perelman notes: "Unfortunately I find this to be the rare bread dough that's radically easier to make with a stand mixer. Nevertheless, should you feel up for the challenge, you can vigorously "knead" the dough in a large bowl with a wooden spoon for a good 10 minutes before adding the butter. Yes this takes longer than your average bread dough, but that long kneading time is what yields the long stretchy strands essential to great brioche" (page 18).  Well good brioche this time --- great, I hope, after my mixer gets fixed.

Although in my hurried improvision, I used the dough blade, it turns out the metal blade may in fact be better for bread. This is in fact what Mark Bittman recommends in his recipe for Brioche (page 232) in  How to Cook Everything.  The difference is he adds the yeast with the dry ingredients, processes for 5 seconds. Adds cold butter and eggs and processes for 10 seconds, then with the machine running adds the liquid (in his case both milk and water). He then adjusts with water/flour to get the dough to the right consistnecy.  Using 4 c (18 ounces) of flour his recipe makes about twice the dough as the recipe above.

Reviewed 5/8/17

Looking for a Recipe --- Easter Brioche

The virtues of being a messy cook..... The main purpose of this blog is to organize family recipes, particularly those associated with a special occasion. Alex called a few days ago, surprised the recipe for the "brioche" I used to serve on Easter was not on my blog and asked if I could find it. We haven't had a family Easter morning in many years and it is too buttery a loaf for just Ed and me so I hadn't made the bread in a long time. Even so, I was pretty sure I could find this recipe. Among other things, I kept lists of favorite recipes at the start of each section in my old paper notebook. Oops, no "Brioche" under BREAD.

I thought it was in one of my New York Times cookbooks, but checking all three, I found two brioche recipes ("American" and "French") but both were spotless, no notes, no spilled ingredients and no lingering bookmark.  Very unusual for a recipe I had made so often.  Both recipes called for refrigerating the dough overnight and the "French" recipe called for placing the dough in a bowl, covering with lukewarm water, and letting rise until the ball floats in the water.  I don't remember either technique.

The brioche recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook was also suspiciously clean, but if I had compared recipes I probably would have chosen it because it used less butter, eggs and sugar than the Times recipes.  None of the recipes suggest braiding the brioche, rather baking in muffin tins or brioche molds (with a top knot of dough), or in loaf pans. Then  I realized I had not checked  The Art of French Cooking. No brioche. In fact I was surprised to find the only entries under bread are "preparation of" (as in cutting off the crusts and making toasted bread cases), "crumbs", "croutes", and "rounds". Viva la Boulangerie!

Photos top to bottom 1994, 1995, 1996

There is always the possibility I used the Christmas Stollen recipe. This recipe is covered with ingredients and notes, for many years I've made this just using raisins (not candied fruit) and the Easter "Brioche" does contain raisins (something lacking in all of the above mentioned brioche recipes).  I checked all my paper recipe collections but am going to keep looking for the recipe with the tell-tale spills and notes (like add raisins, braid). Meanwhile Alex may find her own recipe and I'll add a new potentially traditional recipe to Cook's Cache.





Reviewed 5/8/17

Alex's Almond Pancakes

One Sunday morning this January Henry crawled into bed with me and announced we were having pancakes for breakfast.  Alex's turn to cook.  My pancakes cannot compete with hers. I looked forward to breakfast along with Henry.

This recipe serves 4 adults and 1 pancake loving toddler, with maybe one pancake leftover for a mid-morning snack.

Preheat a pancake griddle, and preheat oven to low (250 degrees F)

In a large bowl, mix together:

3 c all-purpose flour
1 T + 1 1/2 t (4 1/2 t) baking powder
1/2 t salt

Beat together

3 eggs
2 1/4 c milk (may need as much as 3 c milk or combination of milk and yogurt - see beow)
3 T melted butter
1 1/2 t almond extract

Then gently stir in the dry ingredients.  If the batter seems thick, add more milk or yogurt. The thickness of the batter determines the thickness of the pancakes, the more liquid, the thinner the pancakes.

Butter or oil a hot griddle then ladle or pour the mix onto the griddle. Turn pancake when bubbles form across the surface. Adjust heat as necessary, subsequent batches may require less heat then the first batch. When both sides of pancake are browned, remove to the warm platter in the oven and hold until all batter is cooked.

Serve with warm maple syrup.





Reviewed 5/8/17

Egg White Puffed Pancake

If cholesterol is no issue, it is hard to beat Baked German Pancake (right, photo at left, left, photo below) made with real eggs and butter for a weekend breakfast. Over the years I have tried a variation of this pancake using various brands of "egg product", some working better than others in achieving a puffy pancake. Recently the only "egg products" I was able to find were  boxed egg whites.  I searched for advice but could find no on-line recipes for puffy egg-white pancakes so decided to experiment.

Mixing the ingredients together I became skeptical.  Instead of a golden yellow, I had a white batter (see bottom two photos).  What would the finished pancake look like?  Not to worry, the pancake was very puffy and golden brown!  (left, photo above, right photo at left) Of course not as rich tasting as the Baked German but quite delicious with warm maple syrup.  Next time, thinking of Alex's Almond Pancakes, I added some almond extract, a definate plus.

The third iteration (photo at left) was to use fresh egg whites rather than the boxed pastuerized egg whites.  I immediately noticed that the fresh whites have much more body than the boxed whites.* This was evident in the texture of the pancake too.  Not as much body and popover-like texture as the pacake made with whole eggs, but signifagantly more body and texture than the crepe-like pancake made from boxed whites.


Serves 2, maybe 3?

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine:

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c fat-free milk
3/4 c egg whites (preferably from fresh eggs)
1 t almond extract
1 T vegetable oil spread such as Earth Balance

Put cast iron skillet (~9'' diameter) or glass pan  (~6' x 10"/~60" sq) in hot oven. When pan is hot add vegetable oil then return pan to oven until spread is melted but not burned!  Meanwhile beat ingredients well with a whisk until batter is smooth and bubbly. Remove pan from oven and tilt until bottom surface and sides are evenly coated with melted oil. Pour batter into pan and cook until pancake is puffed and brown, about 25 minutes.

Remove from pan, slice into servings and serve with warm maple syrup.          

* Bottom photo shows mixture made with fresh egg whites, 2nd from bottom photo shows mixture maded with boxed egg whites.

Reviewed 5/11/17

Henry Bear Bread

For Henry who is celebrating his First Birthday today!

In 1988 this was called Teddy Bear Bread and made at Christmas time by Alexandra, then nine, and Christopher, almost six, for themselves and for a few special friends. Since Henry loves bread and is used to only the best, this recipe may need some tweaking. I look forward to making the Henry Bear version, most likely using a whole wheat dough, with Henry during a future visit :-)

Meanwhile the original Teddy Bear Bread recipe:
(Makes two bears)

Over medium heat, heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan:

1/2 c milk

Then stir in:

3 T sugar
2 t salt
3 T butter

Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve

1 envelope active dry yeast in 1 1/2 c lukewarm water
(Check to be sure the water temperature is within the range given on the yeast package - too hot and the yeasties die, too cold and the bread won't rise).

Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the milk mixture and

3 c flour.

Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then stir in

3 1/2 to 4 c more flour, or enough to make a stiff dough.

Knead the dough on a floured board for 8-10 minutes. Then place the dough in bowl greased with butter. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise for one hour. Punch down.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Set two pieces aside, these will form the bodies of the bears. Divide the third piece in half, these will form their heads. Shape the fourth piece into a long roll and cut into fourteen pieces, these will form the 8 paws, 4 ears and 2 noses of the two bears. Shape all of the pieces of dough into balls. Place the large balls on buttered baking sheets.  Place the medium balls above the large balls for the bear heads. Flatten these four balls slightly. Attach balls for paws, noses and ears.

Cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make indentations for eyes, noses and belly buttons with the end of toothpick or a small skewer. Place raisins in these indentations.  Use a small spoon to make indentations in the ears.

Make an egg glaze by lightly beating:

1 egg
1 T cold water

Brush the egg glaze on the bears.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on racks.

Tie red yarn or ribbion in a bow around each bear's neck :-)

Happy Birthday Henry!

Reviewed 5/7/17

Revised  1/28/15 title chaanged'

Revised 1/7/25 photo added

Moosilauke Whole Wheat Batter Bread

Ed and I spent a wonderful (though very cold) night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge recently. The food as always was yummy but for me the highlights were the Whole Wheat Batter Bread at dinner and the Sticky Buns* at breakfast.  John, one of the crew members, gave me the recipe for the bread, adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.  After reading the recipe, I asked John what gave the bread the wonderful topping. He said he had topped the hot bread with some micro-waved honey and a handful of oats.

Because this bread is so easy to make, and because bread for sandwiches is often hard to find when cruising,  I'm eager to try this recipe (without honey topping) on the boat next summer!

NOTE:  This recipe makes 2 medium loaves of bread.

Grease (I used butter) 2 medium 8" x 4" bread pans.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

6 c whole wheat flour [Dip and sweep if you measure. I weigh and use ~ 30.6 ounces King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour]
1/4 c sugar
1 t salt
2 packages [4 1/2 t] dry yeast [or 3 t instant dry yeast]

Mix well. Gradually pour in

3 1/2 c warm (120 - 130 degrees F) water

Mix, about 50 strokes, to blend.

Divide the batter between the two greased bread pans.

Cover each pan with waxed paper [buttered on the side that touches the bread] and let sit 30 minutes.

Preheat oven [not convection mode though Mr. Clayton advises "if using a convection oven, reduce heat 40 degrees for each bake period"] to 400 degrees F. Put a small pan on the bottom shelf.

After the bread has risen for 30 minutes, place pans on middle rack in the 400 degrees F oven. When putting bread in the oven put 8-12 ice cubes in the small pre-heated pan. Cook for 15 minutes then
REDUCE HEAT to 350 degrees F and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Remove bread from oven.

Let cool a few minutes then remove bread from the pan and place on wire rack to cool.  If the Moosilauke honey-oatmeal topping is desired, warm in microwave

3 T honey

Using a pastry brush, spread over the top of the loaves, then sprinkle top of loaf with

2 - 3 T oatmeal

© 2012 Edward C Kern, Jr.

And what did we do to work off all this delicious food?  A morning hike up Mount Moosilauke. While the low forty degree F temperatures, brisk wind and clouds shrouding the top of the mountain gave us pause, our decision to hike was well rewarded. The hike up Gorge Brook Trail was sheltered from the wind and as we approached the summit, the clouds lifted and the sun came out briefly, illuminating small spruce and grasses covered with snow.  Indeed a magical moment!

© 2012 Edward C Kern, Jr.

If you nail this recipe, and hopefully you will,  cool :-) If you wish you'd done better, for a wandering discussion on how I finally made a loaf comparable to Moosilauke's see Notes on Bread-making.

* The recipe for the Sticky Buns (in progress, photo at left), for now at least, did not make the Cook's Cache cut - too much butter and much more complicated than this bread to prepare.  The recipe, adapted from the King Arthur Cookbook, can be found in the Famous for Fine Food and Favorite Recipes from Moosilauke Ravine Lodge.

Reviewed 5/8/17

Notes on Breadmaking

The first loaf of Moosilauke Whole Wheat Batter Bread I made was a disappointment (photo left, bottom left loaf).  Tasty, but much denser than the bread we were served at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. So off to the library for bread books: The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum and the original source of this recipe, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.  If you are really interested in bread making  check out one or both of these books; don't rely on the wandering novice notes below.
NOTE: Quantities below are for one loaf or half the recipe.

FLOUR

When I first made this bread, I sensed the dough was a bit stiff,  my first instinct was to add more water, but since this was the first time I had made this bread I decided to follow the recipe exactly. "Three cups of flour" turns out not to be so exact. In Cool Tools I wrote about the benefits of weighing flour.  In The Bread Bible, Ms Beranbaum provides detailed measurement conversions for flour. Her chart notes:

1 cup whole wheat flour (dip and sweep) weighs 5 ounces
1 cup whole wheat flour, finely milled, (lightly spooned) weighs 5ounces
1 cup whole wheat flour, finely milled, (dip and sweep) weighs 5.3 ounces (1)

For her recipes, Ms Beranbaum defines flour volume as "measured by dipping cup used for measuring solids into the flour bin and sweeping off the excess with a metal spatula or knife" (2)

Mr. Clayton writes, "The amount of flour given is only approximate because flour varies greatly in its ability to absorb moisture due from differences from harvest to harvest, sack to sack, as well as month to month as the humidity changes and the flour absorbs or releases moisture.... In the latter stages of mixing dough, add flour sparingly.  It is better to slowly add the last bit of flour to be certain the texture of the dough is just right rather than to overwhelm the dough with flour.  If you do go beyond the point where the dough is soft and elastic, it becomes hard, add water.  The dough will accept it though reluctantly." (3)

For this first loaf (top photo, bottom left loaf), I used the dip and sweep method (which one of the crew members told me Moosilauke uses) or 15.9 ounces of 365 Organic Whole Wheat Flour. The bread was denser and had much less volume than the bread I remembered from Moosilauke.  I tried a few other loaves using less flour (one shown in top photo, top left loaf); the bread was lighter but the top concave.

Finally I got some King Arthur whole wheat flour, the flour the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge purportedly uses, and started again.  I used the dip and sweep method  and found the flour weighed 15.3 ounces. Since King Arthur lists the flour as weighing 34 grams per one-quarter cup or 14.4 ounces/3 cups, I then removed enough flour so the remaining flour weighed 14.4 ounces (photo second from top).  I added water to the lesser amount of flour (mixed with sugar, salt and yeast).  The dough seemed much too sticky so I continued to add flour until I had used all 15.3 ounces.   Writing about "too-soft dough" Mr. Clayton states "The combination of flour and kneading will give the dough sufficient body to stand alone on the baking sheet. Test it by slapping your open hand against the ball of dough. Leave it there for the count of ten.  If your hand comes away clean you have enough flour." (4)  Since this is a batter in a pan bread, not a kneaded stand-alone loaf, I used a batter that still had a bit of stickiness to it - small pieces would attach to my hand but the batter was not overly sticky.



Note photos of the bread after it has risen. Higher ratio of water ( photo top left) resulted in small bubbles (and concave top after cooking), while less water (photo middle left - first "successful loaf") resulted in a smoother finish (and convex top after cooking). The first loaf (photos below) which also had fewer bubbles did not rise as much/double in size. Turns out I was probably pretty close to the right flour:water ratio the first try.  Maybe the room was too cold for the bread to rise properly, maybe the convection oven.... the loaf (lower right photo) was dense and low volume, but it had a convex top.

YEAST

Active dry and instant dry yeast are the two best yeast options for breads on this blog to date. In On Food And Cooking, Harold McGee differentiates between these two forms:

"Active dry yeast, which was introduced in the 1920s, has been removed from the fermentation tank and dried into granules with a protective coating of yeast debris.  The yeast cells are dormant and can be stored at room temperature for months.  The cook reactivates them by soaking them in warm water 105 - 110 degrees F/41 - 43 degrees C ["proofing"] before mixing the dough. At cooler soaking temperatures, the yeast cells recover poorly and release substances that interfere with the gluten formation (glutathione)" [At higher temperature the yeasties die].

"Instant dry yeast, an innovation of the 1970s, is dried more quickly than active dry yeast, and in the form of small porous rods that take up water more rapidly than granules. Instant yeast doesn't need to be prehydrated before mixing with other dough ingredients, and produces carbon dioxide more vigorously than active dry yeast." (5)

Making this bread I used Fleishmann's Active Dry Yeast.  Per the recipe, I did not proof the yeast but added it to the dry ingredients as I do in making  No-Knead Bread.  But in No-Knead bread I use Rapid Rise/(instant) yeast which does not call for proofing. Both Ms Beranbaum in The Bread Bible, and Mr. Clayton in Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads state their preference, except when a sour flavor is desired, for instant/quick rising yeast.  Ms Beranbaum does add "Active dry yeast, with its higher amount of dead yeast cells, is favored by pizza dough makers because the dead yeast cells contain glutathoine, which relaxes the gluten bonds, adding further extensibility - making it easier to stretch out the dough.  Dead yeast cells add a desirable flavor as well." (6)

In his book, republished in 1987, Mr Clayton writes "Because the new fast-rising yeast cannot be found everywhere in the United states, recipes in this book [including the Whole Wheat Batter Bread] have been developed for the conventional dry yeast with the liquid between 120 and 130 degrees [when mixing dry active yeast to proof, the liquid should be 105 - 110 degrees F]. In almost all of the recipes the yeast is mixed with the flour before the liquid is added.... if the bread is prepared with a new fast-rising yeast and at the recommended higher temperatures, the rising time should be reduced by half." (7)

Unlike Mr. Clayton who holds the quantity of yeast constant and reduces rising time, Ms. Beranbaum states "sometimes you will see it [instant yeast] called 'rapid-rise.' I see this as a misnomer, because used in correct portion, it does not speed the fermentation of the dough (which would be undesirable for full flavor development).  Because of the manufacturing process, there are fewer dead yeast cells in instant yeasts than in active dry yeast.  This special process also enables the yeast to 'wake up' more quickly and makes it possible to use less yeast." (8) The No-Knead Bread which has an incredibly long (18 -24 hour) rising period offers an option of more yeast, less  time.  Since the Whole Wheat Batter Bread only requires 30 minutes of rising time it makes more sense to reduce the amount of yeast (.67 times the weight of active dry yeast).

CONVECTION OVENS - STEAM

After making several loaves of this bread, I found the texture improved but I could not produce a loaf with a convex top.  When I cooked the bread, the loaf collapsed resulting in a concave top.  Back to the books. Ms. Beranbaum writes, "Volume is determined by oven spring, which takes place during the first third of the baking cycle, when the rate of fermentation rapidly increases, until the heat kills the yeast.... The goal is to delay the formation of the crust until the gases have accomplished their work so the dough can expand to its full capacity. One way to achieve this is by steaming the oven." She also advises not to use a convection oven, at least for the beginning cycle of baking as it will blow out the moisture." (9) Whoops. I had been using a convection oven and not introducing any steam.  I switched to my regular oven, and using one on Ms. Beranbaum's suggested methods added ~6 ice cubes to a preheated pan when I placed the bread in the oven.  Still a convex top with the higher water content, but using the dip and sweep (15.3 ounces of flour per loaf) I finally got results that were comparable with the Moosilauke bread (top photo, right loaf)!  In retrospect the "steaming" may be unnecessary - stay tuned.

1  The Bread Bible, page 570
2  The Bread Bible, page 42 - Note, it is important to know method for dry measure when converting to weight!
3  New Complete Book of Breads , page 30
4  New Complete Book of Breads, page 709
5  The Bread Bible, page 532 - 533
6  The Bread Bible, page 561 - 562
7  The Bread Bible,  page 33
8  The Bread Bible,  page 561
9  The Bread Bible, page 84 -85

Reviewed 5/8/17

No-Knead Bread

Ed came home from a visit to Colorado two years ago raving about a friend's bread.  "It's the best bread I've ever had, and Cecile says it's so easy to make.  You have to get the recipe!"  I did. Cecile kindly shared the  recipe, adapted from Jim Lahey/Sullivan Street Bakery, she had gotten from the November 8, 2006 issue of the New York Times. It sat in my recipe file until last December when Ed and I both visited Cecile and David and  I was treated to some of this awesome bread.  I retrieved the recipe and tried to make the bread as effortlessly and with such amazing results as Cecile.  I had mixed success making it this winter in Colorado, perhaps because I used high altitude flour instead of the regular bread flour which works well for Cecile at 5,400 feet. I tried at ~sea level with bread flour and it came out quite well.

The reason it is so simple to make is that time replaces kneading.  In his article,"The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Replace the Work" in the same issue of the New York Times, Mark Bittman writes," I asked Harold McGee, who is an amateur breadmaker and best known as the author of “On Food and Cooking” (Scribner, 2004), what he thought of this method. His response: 'It makes sense. The long, slow rise does over hours what intensive kneading does in minutes: it brings the gluten molecules into side-by-side alignment to maximize their opportunity to bind to each other and produce a strong, elastic network. The wetness of the dough is an important piece of this because the gluten molecules are more mobile in a high proportion of water, and so can move into alignment easier and faster than if the dough were stiff.'"  If you decide to make this bread, first read Bittman's article.

Be advised that time is an ingredient and bread needs to be made ~18 hours + 2 hours for an additional rise before cooking.  Cecile sometimes trades yeast (whole package of Rapid-Rise instead of 1/4 t) for time (4-6 hours for first rise instead of 12-18). Still no-kneading, but additional yeast will give the bread a different taste.

In a large bowl combine:

460 g bread flour (NYT recipe calls for 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour)
1/4 t rapid-rise yeast

1/2 t  teaspoons salt (NYT recipe uses 1 1/4 t)

Add
1 5/8 cups water (room/tap temperature), and

Stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with lid.  Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when it has at least doubled in size and surface is dotted with bubbles. Follow one of the two methods below:

EASY METHOD

The "easy method", favored by Cecile is to leave dough in the same bowl and put a little flour on the dough and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. Using just enough (1 - 2 T total for both steps) flour to keep dough from sticking to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.  Cover with a cotton (not terry cloth) towel and let dough rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. NOTE: If using this method be sure there is enough flour (wheat bran or cornmeal) on the top of the dough (the part that will become the bottom of the loaf in the pot) to keep the dough from sticking to the bottom of the cooking pot.  I sometimes even put a thin coat of olive oil on the bottom of the pot just before adding the dough.

BOARD METHOD

This is the method used in the NYT recipe.  Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. 

When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven while it heats. I use a 6 quart enameled cast iron pot  9 1/2 inches in diameter and 5 inches high. When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from oven. Turn the dough out of the bowl into the hot pot or, if using "board method" slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is okay. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes (in my convection oven I find an addition 10 minutes is enough), until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

I made a loaf this spring during asparagus season.   The bread cried out for oilve oil so instead of boiling/steaming the asparagus as I usually do for sandwiches, I sauteed the asparagus in olive oil. What a treat!





Reviewed 5/10/17

Boat Toast

Known in other circles as "French Toast", boat toast was the breakfast of choice (no toaster on board) when Ed and his sister Alison were cruising with their parents aboard Alised. Boat toast has likewise become a favorite breakfast aboard Condor. Most often made from a random assortment of bread about to go stale (When crusing, I never know when we might find the next bread supply so I tend to over stock.) This is truly awesome when made with fairly think chunks of a baguette (as shown in the photo at left). I so casually mix the milk and eggs that in preparation for actually writing this recipe I consulted Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (original edition/1998) for a more professional ratio.

4 servings

In a medium sized flat bowl/pan combine:

2 eggs (or as I usually do use 1/2 cup "egg product" )
1 cup milk

If you like very mushy French toast and tend to soak the bread rather than dip it, you will need more batter than this. Also since the size and absorbency of bread differs greatly it is hard to predict exactly how much batter will be needed; I tend to add more milk and or egg as needed as I am soaking the bread.

Preheat a large griddle over medium heat.

Beat the egg and milk mixture well.

In this egg and milk mixture, start soaking:

6 or more pieces of bread, depending on size (figure 1 1/2 to 2 pieces of regular bread per person or 3 - 5 baguette slices, depending on the bread diameter and the ages and appetites of your crew))

Soak so that the mixture throughly permeates the bread.

Coat the griddle with:

Butter or  butter alternative such as Earth Balance, then place the soaked bread on the griddle. Sprinkle:

Ground cinnamon

on top before turning the bread and then sprinkle more cinnamon on the other side. Cook until nicely browned on both sides, adding more butter/oil when turning the toast to re-coat the griddle.

Serve hot with maple syrup.  Even better when topped with Maine blueberries too.

Reviewed 5/10/17

Revised 1/7/25

Outing Club Oatmeal Bread

When I was growing up the "Dartmouth Outing Club House" on Occum Pond was open as a restaurant during the summer months. It was operated by Jeanette Gill whose Outing Club Oatmeal Bread was legendary. I recently came across the recipe in Moogie's cookbook. Note that the recipe yields 4 loaves and scale accordingly.

"Pour
2 c boiling water over

1 c rolled oats

Add:
2 T shortening

Cool and add:
1/2 c dark molasses
2 t salt

Dissolve:
1 cake or 1 envelope dry granular yeast in luke warm water and add to oatmeal mixture. [Check yeast package for acceptable temperature range.]

Add:
5-6 cups flour beating in gradually

Turn onto floured board and knead until smooth looking. Turn into greased bowl. Cover and leave in warm place 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Shape into 4 loaves and place in greased bread pans. Let rise again. Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees F, for about 50 minutes or until well browned.

Yield four loaves, 1 1/2 pound each. Slice thick."

Reviewed 5/10/17

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Faced with two Halloween 2009 Jack-o-Lanterns that Christopher had challenged me to not "let disgustingly rot in the terrace garden", and the realization, after I had bravely butchered them, that Christopher "really doesn't like pumpkin", I went to the wonderful Mostly Muffins cookbook that Christopher gave me many years ago. Here I found a "pumpkin recipe" even Christopher admitted liking. My changes are in brackets.

Makes 10 -12 muffins or ~32 mini-muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine:

2 cups flour
3/4 c [I use 1/2 c] firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt [I omit]
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground nutmeg

Mix well and then add [recipe calls for mixing these ingredients separately and then adding to dry ingredients; I just add individually to dry mixture and then mix well]:

3/4 c canned pumpkin [I use 1 c and fresh or frozen pumpkin for better texture and flavor]
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted and cooled [I use 1/4 c canola oil instead]
1/4 c buttermilk [since I usually do not have, I use 1/4 c cider or 1/4 cskim milk]
2 eggs, lightly beaten [I often use 1/2 c "egg product" instead]
3 T molasses [I omit]
1 t vanilla
3/4 c [ I use 1/2 c] chopped pecans
3/4 c chopped pitted dates [I use 1/2 c raisins]
[1 large apple, cored and chopped]

Mix well and then place in a non-stick muffin pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester [or small skewer/straw from broom] comes out clean. Cool ~ 5 minutes before removing muffins from cups. Good both warm and at room temperature.

The mini-muffins,shown in top photo and left are particularly good for entertaining, either for brunch or with hot cider or tea on a fall afternoon.




Revised 11/14/2024 changed olive oil to canola oil



Reviewed 5/10/17

Heavy Duty Whole Wheat Bread

Kathy brought a loaf of this bread (actually called Irv's Heavy Duty Whole Wheat Bread) one night when she and Nick came for dinner on Condor. We had another couple on board too and since it was a bit crowded in the cockpit, I stuck the bread under the dodger to keep for dinner. Then to my great embarrassment, I almost forgot to serve it; I remembered it just as I was about to serve dessert. Anyway as I later told Kathy when I asked for the recipe, though everyone had a small piece that night, Ed and I got most of the loaf to ourselves and enjoyed every last crumb. This bread is really good!

Kathy writes:

“Nick’s brother-in-law gave me this recipe many years ago. Amounts are approximate and my loaves are a little different each time.

1 c bran
4 c hi gluten whole wheat flour
2 c bulgur
2 c white flour
2 T yeast (proof with 1 tsp sugar and l c warm water)
1 T salt

About 3 cups liquid ( I usually use a cup or more of nonfat plain yogurt which I’m sure was in
your loaf. ) You can also use buttermilk as part of the liquid. The bread keeps much better with some milk product in it.

Make a sponge with 1 cup white flour, bran, proofed yeast, and bulgur (which should be softened first with one cup of hot water).
From here on you just add the flours and salt until it’s ready to knead.
Knead and let rise 1 to 2 hours. Punch down and divide in two and make into loaves. I use corn meal on the baking sheet to keep it from sticking. Let rise again usually less time than the first rising.

Preheat oven to 375- 400 F. Bake 45 min to 1 hour.

You can use some rye flour up to 1 cup without the dough getting too sticky. Other additions that I like are flax seed, wheat germ, wheat berries that are cooked or sprouted and ground. Irv bakes his bread on tiles. I usually slash the tops of the formed loaves before they rise to prevent bubbles in the finished loaf. I think your loaf had about 1 cup of softened bulgur. 2 cups of bulgur makes a very dense loaf. Irv rolls his dough into a rectangle and rolls it up to get rid of air bubbles. I don’t usually bother.

If you are used to making bread this is more info than you need, but if you have questions I’ll try and answer....

Happy baking!"

Reviewed 5/10/17

Scallion Pie

This recipe is adapted from Barbara Tropp’s The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking (Pan-Fried Scallion Bread) that Christopher gave me, hoping, no doubt, for more Chinese cooking at home, for Christmas ~87/88. It is a terrific cookbook, but has very wordy, detailed instructions. It may not look that way but I’ve tried to simplify. If you don’t have a food processor, dough can be made in a mixing bowl adding first dry ingredients and then streaming the wet.

(1) Cold Water Dough
In a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade put:

1 c all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder

Add in a thin stream through the food tube while machine is running

1/3 c ice water


Give machine 2-3 seconds lag time to incorporate the last water droplets and form a ball; if no ball forms then add several drops of water until the dough comes together. Stop the machine and remove the dough (sometimes one large ball and several smaller ones).

(2) Hot Water Dough
In same food processor bowl repeat the above process using:

1 c all-purpose flour
1 t coarse kosher salt
1/3 c boiling water

(3) Combining the Dough:

As soon as the hot water dough coheres in a ball return the cold-water dough to the processor bowl. Process the two doughs together for 15 seconds. Place dough on a lightly floured board and knead it gently with the heel of your hand until it is smooth and earlobe soft. If dough is sticking continue to dust board with flour and knead dough until it no longer sticks, but be wary of adding too much flour; dough should be earlobe soft – not stiff – or it will be tough when cooked.
In a large bowl put:

1 ½ t sesame seed oil

Add the dough and turn so exterior of dough and interior of bowl are completely coated with oil. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes – 2 hours.

(4) Shaping the Bread:
Turn dough out on floured board, knead gently just until smooth, then divide into two balls. Put one ball aside, covered with a dishtowel. Roll the other ball on the floured board into circle 1/8 inch thick. Evenly spread over the top one-half of the following ingredients in the following order:

1 ½ t sesame seed oil

4 medium scallions, cut into green and white rings [I use more; I have come to the conclusion that more scallions are better and use ~10 scallions to make this recipe plus dipping sauce.   Photos at upper left show ~2 scallions per pancake.  Photos of rolled pancakes, ready to cook show pancake with ~2 scallions (upper left of photo) and pancake with ~4 (lower right of photo) .The more scallions used, the more scallions will break through during the final rolling. While this may defy the Chinese technique, I think I prefer both the appearance and more flavorful taste of the finished product.

1 ½ t coarse kosher salt [I use less]

Start at one edge and roll into a “log”; pinch end seams shut, then starting with one end, coil into a “snail” shaped spiral with the coils touching at every point. Tuck the tail end under the spiral; flatten a bit with palm of your hand. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (try not to burst layers of dough, though a few scallions will leak out) into 7-8 inch diameter circle. Cover with towel and repeat process with second ball.

At this point, one or both pies may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated/frozen for future cooking.

(5) Cooking
Heat in a heavy skillet large enough to accommodate one pie:

~ ¼ c peanut oil (oil should cover bottom of pan completely)

When oil is hot, add pie, adjusting heat so bubbles sizzle slowly around it. Cover the pan, then cook over moderately low heat, occasionally shaking pan back and forth to encourage steam that will puff the bread, until the bottom is golden brown (2-5 minutes). Flip the bread – if pan is very dry dribble in a bit more oil, then shake pan to distribute. Cover, reduce heat slightly and cook 3 minutes more, shaking pan occasionally. After 3 minutes, check bottom at 30-second intervals and remove when bottom is golden. Remove from pan and cut into pie shaped wedges.

If cooking second pie, wipe skillet clean, reheat pan and add:

~ ¼ c peanut oil

Repeat process above.

Ms. Tropp suggests serving pancakes garnished with a few scallion rings. I like to serve pancakes with a dipping sauce:

Mix:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c rice vinegar (I buy the Marukan sodium free, sugar free)
1/4 c scallions, thinly sliced
1 t ginger, grated
1/2 - 1 t red pepper flakes, to taste
1 t sugar

Reviewed 5/10/17