How to get to Carnegie Hall

I was reminded last weekend that my skill in the kitchen didn't develop overnight.  Sunday night I made dough for rolls and stuck it in the fridge.  (It's the recipe for Hoagie Rolls from Artisan Breads Every Day--a really lovely dough to work with, which I forget when I haven't made them in a while.)  Monday morning, I got up early and portioned the dough and formed the rolls.  I managed to get them baked before I had to go to work.  Boy, did the house smell good when I left. =)  At one time, I never would have had the confidence that I could pull that off, but in the past 5 years of baking and blogging, my baking skills have improved tremendously.  How?  Through repetition, of course.  And also good teachers--Dorie Greenspan, Peter Reinhart, and lots of others.  

Yet I still get frustrated when things don't turn out quite the way I wanted to--when they aren't perfect.  The demons of perfectionism and I-don't-have-enough-time have been really getting to me lately, which is a lot of the reason why I haven't been posting much.  I get hung up on the idea that if I don't have anything new and exciting to post, I shouldn't even bother.  But there's beauty in sharing the things that have gotten better with practice, and in writing just to express what's on my mind. 

Wordless Wednesday - Rolling along

(Hoagie/kaiser rolls from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day)

I'd like to propose some toast

I usually pack my lunch to take to work.  It saves money, not to mention that it's usually nice not to have to go anywhere to get food.  That means more reading time. =)  Occasionally, I just have to get away from work for a bit, but I try to keep that to a minimum.  I get lots of comments from those who envy my lunches, even when it's just a sandwich.  "I bet you made that bread, didn't you?"  No, I don't always, but I definitely like to when I have the time.  I generally prefer hearty breads or rolls for my sandwiches, rather than traditional "sandwich bread."  I'd rather save those pan loaves for toast, or better yet, French toast.  They're also good for grilled cheese, but not what I prefer for cold sandwiches.  

White bread dough also makes good dinner rolls, or hot dog & hamburger rolls.  I almost never buy those anymore.  Homemade ones just taste better, as well as hold up better to juicy burgers or sauerkraut on dogs.  Another great thing is that white bread loaves or rolls are relatively quick to make--you use a straight dough that is done all in one day.  There's no need to remember to make a preferment the night before.  The butter and sugar in the dough can slow the rising times a bit, but you can remedy that with either some SAF Gold yeast or using a slightly warmed oven as a proofing box.  Either way, look out, since although the dough can get off to a slow start when proofing, once it gets going it can blow the lid off your container if you're not paying attention. =)

I've pretty much decided that there's no way I'm going to fully complete the BBA Challenge, but my friends Kayte and Margaret are still trying to get it done.  (Some of the recipes just don't appeal to me, and I don't feel like making them just to say that I did.)  Even though I've skipped a bunch of recipes they invited me to join in on the White Bread variations.  I don't actually make regular white bread very often--I usually can't help myself from substituting some white whole wheat flour for part of the bread flour.  In fact, I did just that with the second variation of the BBA white bread, which I posted quite a while back.  This time I decided to stay true to the recipe and make it with just bread flour.  The first variation uses dry milk powder and water rather than milk or buttermilk.  Fortunately I had some dry milk in my pantry, though I think it's almost time to replace it.  Unless it's pretty fresh, I find that it tends to clump up and make small lumps in the dough.  

I made the dough with the lesser amount of water, but still found it to be quite sticky.  I added some additional flour while it kneaded in the mixer.  I often start doughs in my stand mixer then finish kneading them by hand so I don't overheat the machine.  That's what I did for this recipe, and I ended up kneading in a bunch of bench flour by hand to get the dough to the point where it was just tacky rather than sticky.  I didn't keep track of the time, I just kneaded until I got a fairly decent windowpane.  It wasn't perfect, but I tend to be impatient when kneading. After the initial proofing (which took a couple hours), I formed the dough into one pan loaf and half a dozen oval rolls.  After letting them rise, I baked the rolls first--they got 15 minutes at 400ºF.  Then I turned the oven down to 350ºF and baked the loaf for about 30 minutes.

The verdict?  Whole grains and hearth breads are wonderful, but sometimes you just want some plain white sandwich bread.  This one is delicious.  The girls and I sampled some of it with jam for a snack, and it was a hit all around.  B is excited to have the rolls for her lunch, and I'm sure both girls will be happy to have bread stashed in the freezer so we can make toast for breakfast.   

If you'd like to make this bread for yourself, I highly recommend getting a copy of The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  There are still a lot of people out there trying to baking through the whole book--you can read about it on the BBA Challenge Facebook page.  You can read Kayte's post about this bread on her blog.  And check out Yeastspotting for lots of other delicious yeasted treats.

All in knots

Every once in a while we end up doing our Central Market shopping on Sunday morning.  Usually we shop Friday and Saturday nights (one CM, one HEB, depending on my work schedule), but we didn't want to go Saturday night last weekend for fear of not being back in time for the start of Doctor Who.  The girls like to watch too, and the 11pm replay is way too late for them.  Heck, most of the time it's way too late for me, too.  

Anyway, the great thing about shopping on Sunday morning is that everything is fully stocked, including the bakery!  Sure, I love baking my own bread.  But I worked Saturday and was still tired on Sunday (from what seemed like a very long week), so there was no way I was going to pass up the still-warm loaves of Durum Sourdough and Ciabatta.  We actually saw some of the bakers still at work, so Gillian and I stopped to watch for a minute.  Her comments?  "Mommy, he has a different kind of weigher than you do."  (He had a balance.)  "But he's making those rolls like you make!"  He was, in fact, making knotted rolls, though they were a bit simpler than these ones that I made last week.  He wasn't joining the ends together to make rounds.  It was neat that she recognized that we make the same sorts of things at home that they make at the bakery.  How many kids can say that?

I discovered these rolls as I was reading my new issue of Fine Cooking (Oct/Nov 2011).  They caught my eye both because they looked delicious and also because the recipe is from one of my favorite authors, Peter Reinhart.  They looked like they'd be pretty easy to make--it's a straight dough, no preferments necessary.  The nice thing is that you can mix up the dough, then either leave it at room temperature to rise if you're baking the same day, or stick it in the fridge to rise overnight.  You can keep it in there for a few days if you don't get back to it right away.  The full recipe of dough makes 18 rolls, so I decided to bake half the first day after refrigerating my dough, then do the other half a couple days later. 

I mostly followed the recipe, though I did decide to substitute some white whole wheat flour for part of the bread flour.  I used about one-third www flour.  I didn't really add any extra liquid, so the dough was probably a bit stiffer than it was supposed to be.  Next time I'll probably add a little extra milk.  The only other big change I made was to omit the egg wash on the rolls--most of the time I can't be bothered to fuss with it.  It probably won't surprise you that I'm one of those people who prefers matte finish over glossy on my pictures... =)

The verdict?  These were a big hit, especially with the girls.  Baking them in batches on different days worked really well, too.  That way we were able to get through them before they got stale.  I'm sure we'll be making this recipe again.  I doubt that the girls had any idea that there was whole wheat flour in them, either. =)

If you'd like to try the original recipe, you can find it in the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of Fine Cooking, or here on the Fine Cooking website.   My friend Kayte baked along with me on this one, so if you'd like to see the rolls finished the way they were supposed to be (with egg wash & seeds on top), check out her blog post.  I'm also submitting these rolls to Yeastspotting, where you can see lots of other yummy yeasted treats.  

That blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream

There's no question about it--my husband is much better at gift-giving than I am.  He clearly puts a lot of thought into it and comes up with lots of great things, many of which I wouldn't think of for myself.  He's directly responsible for my love of cooking magazines, for instance.  About 10 years ago, I had the flu.  The real deal--I was extremely miserable for most of a week.  To make me feel better, Jamie brought me an issue of Fine Cooking to read while I was stuck in bed feeling horrible.  I had cookbooks, and watched cooking shows on PBS, but I'd never actually read a cooking magazine.  All it took was that one issue, and I was hooked. =)  

He's continued to feed my baking and cooking obsession hobby.  He's responsible for quite a few of the cookbooks I've acquired in the past several years, especially since I started blogging.  For our anniversary a couple weeks ago, he got me another gift that I'll be able to use a lot.  He checked some lists of traditional anniversary gifts.  This was number eight for us (though we were together five years before we got married, as well).  There are a few variations, but one of the options for #8 is pottery.  So he went to a wonderful local gift shop and got me a couple of lovely pieces.  One is the gorgeous serving tray pictured in the photos in this post.  (I'm sure the other will make an appearance soon.)  I pretty much immediately wanted to bake something just so I could take photos. =)  I've been having a hard time writing bread posts lately, partly because I think after a while it's hard to come up with interesting pictures.  This was the perfect thing to get me going again.  (And yes, he did consider that I could use the dishes for blog photos.)

To start with, I chose a bread that I've been wanting to make again for a while.  The recipe is from one of my favorite bread books, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day.  The official name is Soft Rye Sandwich Bread.  I just refer to it as sourdough rye, since it does use a sourdough starter for the preferment.  The final dough is spiked with a bit of commercial yeast as well, which means the bread doesn't take forever for the final rise. =)  The great thing about a lot of the recipes in this book is that the doughs require minimal kneading, since they get a long, slow fermentation in the fridge which allows time for the gluten to develop on its own.  The dough can be held for several days, too, so you can bake when you have time.  

The rye flour is just in the perferment, so the rye flavor is fairly mild.  A bit of molasses in the dough adds some flavor and color.  You have the option to add some cocoa powder as well, to darken the color, but I skip it.  Caraway and orange oil are other optional flavorings, but I go for the plain version.  The dough can be baked in loaf pans, or as freeform loaves, which I prefer.  This time, I made the dough into two bâtards.  I dusted the tops with a bit of flour, which makes them easier to score and makes for a nice contrast after baking. 

The verdict?  I love this bread.  I've made it several times now, and it's always delicious.  I can happily eat it just with some butter, but it also makes terrific sandwiches--especially with ham. I think everyone else likes it, too, but this one was mainly for me. =) I love the slight tang from the sourdough and the fact that since I made the bread, I can leave out the caraway, which I don't like. Mmm.

If you'd like to try this bread for yourself, I highly recommend getting the book (or checking it out from your library, if you can).  I've made at least a dozen recipes from it so far, and have enjoyed them all.  

For more wonderful yeasted treats, be sure to check out Yeastspotting!

Sunny day...sweepin' the clouds away...

I've always liked to bake bread, but it used to be that I didn't do all that much of it.  A few years ago, my husband Jamie got me Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible (don't remember the exact occasion).  I tried a few things, but they didn't always work out that well.  After starting my blog a couple years ago, I did start baking more bread, as recipes came up with Tuesdays with Dorie and Daring Bakers.  I made a whole lot of bagels.  The real breakthrough came last year, though.  First, my husband got me a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for Christmas.  I was fascinated--it gave me a way to make homemade bread more often without investing a lot of time.  It also gave me the idea that I might be able to BYOB, yes, bake all my own bread.  I was a bit nervous about the idea, but figured that the worst that would happen is that I'd quit if I couldn't do it.

Then in May, Nicole of Pinch My Salt came up with the great idea to bake all the way through Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  I already had the book--I bought myself a copy about a year before that--and had made several of the recipes either for Daring Bakers challenges or on my own.  Again, I was nervous about the idea, but a whole bunch of my blogging friends were doing it--many of them at a slower pace, and I figured I could keep up with that.  

At this point, it's probably safe to say that I've baked more bread in the past year than in the previous 10 years or so combined. =)  And I'm still going.  We just started a second year of BYOB.  Last year I made lots of things for the first time--croissants, anadama bread, casatiello, raisin swirl bread, English muffins and ciabatta.  I've gotten really good at making my own hot dog and hamburger buns, from a variety of recipes.  I've made all sorts of rolls and sandwich breads for Brianna's lunch.  This year is off to a good start--I made real French bread.  And my collection of bread books keeps growing.  My most recent acquisition is Peter Reinhart's newest book, Artisan Breads Every Day.  I even got to go see him in person, for a class where he demonstrated recipes from the new book.  (More on that coming soon!)  With this latest book, I've embarked on a new challenge for the new year--sourdough!

What really got me doing was a recipe in the new PR book for Crusty Cheese Bread.  The pictures looked fabulous, and I just had to make it.  But first I needed sourdough starter.  I admit, I've been rather scared at the prospect of getting my own starter going.  Many of the recipes I've read seem to require a lot of attention.  But the one in Artisan Breads sounded pretty easy.  I also liked the fact that it started off with a small quantity of ingredients--I hate the idea of throwing away lots of flour and water.  There's still some of that, but as I get going, I figure I'll bake with it more often and reduce the waste a bit.  I'm not going to go into all the details here (especially since I didn't take pictures of the process).  If you're interested, I highly recommend getting your own copy of the book.  But a few things to note...

The one unusual ingredient I needed at the beginning was pineapple juice.  It's in there to create a more acidic environment to keep unwanted bacteria from thriving.  We don't drink much pineapple juice, so I just bought a can of concentrate, reconstituted just enough for phase 1 of the starter process (first you make a "seed culture"), and stuck the rest in my freezer to use at some point.  I started off making two different seed cultures, one with regular white bread flour and one with white whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur flour for both).  By the third day, I was seeing some activity.  I had a setback on day 4, though, when I came home from work to find that my bread flour one had turned an interesting shade of orange.  Colors like that aren't a good thing, so down the drain it went.  I was kind of upset about it, but kept on with feeding the www one.  When I hit the 4th phase and was supposed to discard half of the seed culture, I had a great idea.  I kept the extra and fed it with bread flour, while I kept using www flour for the first half.  By the time I built each into a "mother starter" the second one was mostly white bread flour.  So meet my two starters:

Bert and Ernie.  =)  Bert is the white whole wheat one.  They look a little different in part because of the different colors of the flours, but also because Bert was fed right before the photo, while Ernie was fed yesterday.  One of the things I really like about PR's mother starter is that you can stick it in the fridge for up to 5 days and take some out as needed.  Longer than that and you'll need to feed it again before using it.  Both versions are firm starters, though the www one is a bit higher in hydration because you use a bit more water with the whole grain (about 75% versus about 66% for the bread flour one).  After feeding, I leave the starter out on the counter overnight or while I'm at work (depending on whether I end up feeding at night or in the morning) and pop it in the fridge when I get up or get home.  So far it's worked nicely.  

Okay, at long last, we get to the first recipe I made with the starter.  The Crusty Cheese Bread looked too good to pass up.  First you use some of the mother starter to make a larger quantity of sourdough starter.  I used the bread flour one for this recipe.  I mixed up the ingredients (mother starter, bread flour, water) in the early afternoon and left it to ferment at room temp for about 5 hours (things rise quickly in my kitchen).  I decided to mix the final dough right away, but you can also store the starter in the fridge for several days.  

The dough was made up of all the sourdough starter, water, milk, agave nectar, bread flour, salt and some added instant yeast.  You could probably do it with just the wild yeast, but using some instant yeast allows you to things done in a shorter amount of time while still having lots of flavor from the sourdough starter.  The dough also has chives or onion added for flavor; I went with the chives.   I used half the dough right away, letting it rise for a couple hours before shaping and baking.  The other half went into the fridge.  For the first loaf, I kneaded in cheddar cheese cubes before shaping the dough into an oval boule.  Then I let it rise for about an hour, scored the top, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then baked it.  I baked the loaf on my baking stone and poured hot water into a steam pan in the bottom of my oven when I put the dough on the stone.  I baked the loaf for 30 minutes, rotating it halfway through for even baking.

I baked the second loaf three days later.  For that one, I patted the dough into a rectangle, spread shredded fontina over it, and rolled the dough up like I would for cinnamon rolls.  I pinched the ends closed and ended up with a baguette sort of shape.  That loaf only took about 25 minutes to bake.  I don't have pictures of that one, but it was rather ugly--I ended up with big cheesy bubbles where the dough pushed through the slashes in the top of the dough.

The verdict?  Aesthetics aside, both versions of the bread were fantastic.  When I baked the first loaf, about 5 minutes in, I stood in my kitchen trying to figure out what I was smelling.  It was the chives, which had started cooking where the dough hit the hot baking stone.  The whole house smelled amazing by the time the bread was done.  =)  The sourdough definitely added to the flavor of the bread as well.  Brianna preferred the first loaf, which isn't surprising considering her love of yellow cheddar (I used Tillamook sharp).  Gillian prefers "white cheese" (of any variety, sharp or mild), so that's why I made the second loaf with fontina (Boar's Head; I couldn't get the Italian one I prefer).  I took some of the second loaf to work, where it was a big hit as well.  I'll definitely be making this bread again in many variations. 

If you'd like the recipe, I highly recommend getting a copy of the book.  If you don't want to buy it, maybe you'll be lucky like my friend Tracey and your local library will have it.  I've been baking away, and will have more sourdough results to share soon! =)  I'm also submitting this bread to Yeastspotting--head over there every Friday for more amazing yeasted treats!

Pie time

When I first started this blog last December, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to blog about.  I do a lot of baking, and like experimenting with recipes.  I do cook as well, every day.  We very seldom eat out--saves money, and I generally like doing it.   Of course, there are days when dinner consists of pretty simple things like frozen ravioli.  =)  I enjoy trying new savory recipes and do sometimes make notes about them in my notebook.  But the vast majority of my notes are about things I've baked, and I ultimately decided that I would just blog about baking.  Of course, sometimes dinner involves baking, too.

If I had to pick a favorite food, it would definitely be pizza.  I love pizza.  In pretty much any form, but my favorite is thin crust pizza.  That's one thing that I miss about the east coast.  Austin tends toward Chicago-style pizza.  But we do have a few options, including a great New Jersey transplant.  We make pizza at home on a weekly basis, all from scratch.  People always seem so surprised when I tell them that.  "You make the crust?  Yourself?  Every week?"  I can't quite duplicate real pizzeria crust, since my oven only goes to 550 degrees F, but I keep trying. Using my baking stone helps as well.  And I've learned to make a big batch of dough and freeze half of it, so I don't actually have to make dough every week.  =)  Over time, I've played around with different recipes, and pretty much settled on my go-to dough.

And then came the October Daring Bakers challenge.  This month's host was Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums, and she chose Pizza Napoletana from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  I have this cookbook, and have liked everything I've made from it so far.  The pizza was on my to-do list, but I hadn't gotten to it yet.  Rosa gave us a lot of flexibility, but did set a few requirements.  Something saucy.  Some sort of topping.  And tossing.  Yes, tossing the dough, as opposed to rolling it out.  With pictures. =)

One thing that's different for me about this dough recipe is that it uses cold water.  I've used room temperature water, but not cold.  Peter Reinhart had an article in Fine Cooking earlier this year that had some tips in in that I applied to my usual dough recipe, including a slow rise in the refrigerator.  This recipe has you do the same.  I actually don't do an overnight rise--I make the dough first thing in the morning and leave it in the fridge all day (usually at least 10 hours), and that seems to work quite well.  The recipe also calls for less yeast than I'm used to, which helps make for a thinner crust. 

Since I make pizza every week, I was able to try this dough a couple times during the month.  The first time, I made it as written, except that I didn't add any sugar.  I was making it from my copy of the book, which doesn't have any sugar in the recipe, and I didn't realize that until after the dough was already made.  As directed, I divided the dough into 6 balls.  I put three in the fridge to rise and put the others in the freezer.  When it came time to shape the dough, I couldn't believe how easily it stretched.  It was actually a little too thin.  I always shape dough by stretching it over my hands, not rolling, but there was no chance of tossing--it was just too stretchy.   But we topped it and baked it and it made for some very tasty pizzas.  

Which leads me to another thing that people can't believe.  My favorite pizza is plain cheese.  Tomato sauce and mozzarella, maybe with a little parmigiano reggiano on top.  Whenever I'm in a group that's ordering pizza, people give me a hard time because I want pizza with no other toppings.  But you know what?  It always gets eaten, and not just by me. =)  I do like mushrooms on occasion, but one thing I don't like is pepperoni, which is why my husband and I make our own individual pizzas.  He loves everything, but usually goes for pepperoni and black olives at home.  And he adds provolone cheese and maybe a bit of romano on top.  A few years back he switched to turkey pepperoni and loves it because it's less greasy.  

The frozen dough from that first batch worked fine as well, but I decided to tweak a few things when I made my second batch of dough a couple weeks ago.  When I made it the first time, I used all bread flour and the full 2 ounces of olive oil.  I cut the oil back to one ounce, hoping to make the dough a bit less tender.  And I tried one of the side-bar variations in the recipe and substituted white whole wheat flour for 10% of the bread flour.  I also increased the yeast just a little bit.  After kneading the dough in my mixer, I put the whole batch of dough in one of my dough buckets and put it in the fridge for the day.  That evening, I divided it into 6 portions of dough (and froze half of them).  

The verdict?  I liked my variations better--the dough was easier for me to work with.  I liked the additional flavor and texture from the whole wheat flour.  It's amazing how just a small amount can make a difference.  I'll probably continue to play around with the recipe--for one thing, I like some semolina flour in my pizza dough.  But I'm sticking with the cold water and smaller amount of yeast (my old recipe used 2 teaspoons).  On the whole, this was a very successful challenge for me.

Check out Rosa's blog for the original recipe and complete method.  Here are the ingredients for my variation:

2 ounces white whole wheat flour (King Arthur)

18 ounces bread flour (King Arthur)

1 3/4 teaspoons table salt

1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

14 ounces cold water (from the fridge - 40 degrees F)

And here's my standard sauce recipe:

Easy Pizza & Pasta Sauce

3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch of kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds (don't let it brown).  Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Stir in the seasonings, including salt to taste.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Leave the sauce chunky or puree it with an immersion or regular blender until smooth.

And don't forget to check out the Daring Bakers blogroll for more wonderful pizza ideas!

Inspiration

When I went to the library on Thursday, one of the cookbooks I found was Whole Grain Baking from King Arthur Flour.  I've seen recipes from it on a number of blogs and seen it at the bookstore, so I wanted to take a closer look.  I have two other KAF cookbooks, and I've been thinking about adding this one to my wishlist, but I don't do a lot of whole grain baking.  Of course, that's part of why I picked it up--I know I really should work more whole grains into our diet.  

I'm still reading through the book, but so far I like what I see.  And it inspired me to pick up a bag of white whole wheat flour while I was shopping today.  I had already planned to do some bread baking today, and figured I could substitute it for some of the bread flour.  I had my eye on a recipe for white bread from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  The past couple times we've had hamburgers (not something we do all that often), I tried my hand at homemade buns.  One I've blogged about; the other I haven't gotten to yet...  So I figured I'd use half the recipe for buns and make a loaf of bread for lunches with the rest.  

For this first attempt, I just subbed the white whole wheat flour for about a quarter of the bread flour in the recipe.  Other than that, I pretty much stuck to the recipe as written.  In my kitchen, the rising times tend to be on the shorter end of the ranges, so the whole thing took maybe 4 hours, start to finish.  The buns and loaf bake for different times at different temperatures.  I baked the buns at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, at which point they were nice and golden brown.  Then I lowered the temp to 350 and baked the loaf for 35 minutes.  When I checked its internal temperature, it went right on by 190 degrees F, so it was definitely done.  The higher initial oven temperature may have had something to do with that.

The verdict?  Everyone liked the hamburger buns.  Jamie said he wouldn't have guessed that there was whole wheat in them if I hadn't told him.  Gillian and Brianna are already used to eating some whole wheat things, like tortillas, and they seemed to enjoy these.  How can you go wrong with fresh baked anything? =)  As for the loaf of bread, I cut it for pictures, but no one has eaten any yet.  The real test will be when I pack it in Brianna's lunch tomorrow.

Somewhat Whole Wheat Bread

(adapted from White Bread Var. 2 from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart)

5 ounces white whole wheat flour

14 ounces unbleached bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 large egg, slightly beaten

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

12 ounces 1% milk, at room temperature

Mix together the flours, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer.  Add the egg, butter, and milk.  Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the flours are absorbed and the dough forms a ball, adding more milk or flour if needed.

Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed (I used about 3) for 6 to 8 minutes.  Add more flour, if necessary, to create a dough that is soft, supple and tacky but not sticky.  The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl or rising container and roll it to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich loaves, into eighteen 2-ounce pieces for dinner rolls, or twelve 3-ounce pieces for burger or hot dog buns.  (My dough weighed about 38 ounces, so I used 19 ounces for the loaf and six 3-ounce pieces for the buns.)   Shape the pieces into boules for loaves or tight rounds for dinner rolls or buns.  Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap.  Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.  

For shaping the loaf, flatten the piece of dough with your hand, folding in the edges to make an even-sided rectangle about 5 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches long.  Working form the short side of the dough, roll up the length of the dough one section at a time, pinching the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension.  The loaf will spread out as you roll it up, eventually extending to a full 8 to 9 inches.  Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hand or with your thumbs.  Rock the loaf to even it out; do not taper the ends.  Keep the surface of the loaf even across the top.  Place the loaf in a lightly oiled pan, 8 1/2" by 4 1/2".  The ends of the loaf should touch the ends of the pan to ensure an even rise.

For rolls or buns, line 1 or 2 sheet pans with baking parchment.  Rolls require no further shaping.  For hamburger buns, gently press down on the rolls to form the desired shape.  Tranfer the rolls or buns to the sheet pans. 

Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel.  Proof the dough at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F for loaves, or 400 degrees F for rolls or buns.  Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and register just above 180 degrees F in the center.  Bake loaves for 35 to 45 minutes.  The tops should be golden brown and the sides, when removed from the pan, should also be golden.  The internal temperature of the loaves should be close to 190 degrees F, and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  When the loaves have finished baking, immediately remove them from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour.  Rolls should cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Breakfast for lunch...

...again.  I've got to quit trying out new recipes on Sunday mornings.  Actually, that should read "time-consuming new recipes."  New muffins or pancakes aren't the problem.  It's the yeast breads that are messing with my timeline.  =)  A couple weeks ago it was doughnuts.  Today it was cinnamon rolls.  

You'd think after my comment last week about running out of room on my kitchen bookshelf again, I would have known better than to open my Borders email.  But how could I pass up a 40% off coupon, especially since I needed to spend my Borders bucks by the end of the month? Since Jamie got me Pure Dessert for Mother's Day, I decided to pick up something else that I've been eyeing for a while...  Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice.  I've seen recipes on a number of blogs.  There was also a great article by him in my last issue of Fine Cooking that gave me some pointers that improved my pizza dough.

I'm still working my way through the beginning part of the book, which talks about the whole bread-baking process, but I decided to thumb through the recipe section to see what I might want to make first.  The cinnamon rolls caught my eye.  It wasn't until I was reading through the whole recipe that I realized why.  I've seen them before, here.  This was the recipe chosen by Marce of Pip in the City as the Daring Bakers challenge for September 2007.  (You can check out her post or Peabody's for the full recipe.)  

I did make a couple changes.  I left out the lemon extract/lemon zest and added a teaspoon of vanilla instead.  I didn't end up using all of the cinnamon sugar mixture, either.  Since I love raisins in my cinnamon rolls, I used the flambéd raisins from Dorie's Brioche Raisin Snails in the filling.  But since Brianna doesn't like raisins in her baked goods, I only sprinkled the raisins over about three-fourths of the dough.  I used mini chocolate chips for the rest.

The result?  Brianna, Gillian and I all loved them.  And as a bonus, now my house smells fantastic... =)  I'll definitely be making these again, once I figure out how to get them done in time for actual breakfast (without getting up at 4am!).