Yeast Phobic

Although my first love is baking I almost always avoid recipes that call for yeast. I do not know if it is because I am impatient or I am too afraid to knead the wrong way but yeast and I only get along when it comes to homemade pizza dough. However, one of my resolutions in the kitchen this year is to overcome my fear of baking with yeast. I saved the following article in December and finally got around to giving it ago. The bread turned out great even though I baked it about 15 minutes too long. Here is the recipe, a link to the orginal article, complete with a short how to video and the pizza dough recipe I am not afraid of.

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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 oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. 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, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.


Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.


The original article that launched thousands of comments in the baking world

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?ex=1320642000&en=8b6c36e563bf5c05&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss



Pizza Dough

½ to ¾ cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
1 package (1 tablespoon dry yeast)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven and a pizza stone to 425°.

Combine ¼ cup water with the yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast, and let stand until bubbly, about five minutes. Put the flour, oil, and salt into a food processor, and process about five seconds with a steel blade.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, and process about 10 seconds, or until blended. Turn on the processor and drizzle just enough of the remaining water through the feed tube so the dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Process so that the ball turns around about 25 times.

Put the dough ball onto a 14 inch greased pizza pan or cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl, and let stand 10 minutes.

Pat the dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza paddle so that it covers the paddle, leaving a ridge on the edges. Spread with pizza sauce, and add the cheese and toppings.

Bake at 425° F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese in bubbly.

The Breakfast Cookie

The kids and I went to the airport today to see my niece off on her semester abroad to England. Grantham, England to be exact. Home of Harlaxton. It is hard to believe that it was 20 years ago that my friend Beth took off for the same place and Cortny and Heaps to Ealing. Now I am beyond thirtysomething with three children in tow and the security gate is as close as I get to international travel.

In honor of S and the adventures she is embarking on tonight I give you a second scone recipe, the one that has earned the nickname The Breakfast Cookie. I first had this type of scone at a teahouse in Woodbury, MN and my sister found the recipe on epicurious.com. I like it because it is egg free, makes a great mix to give as a gift, the unbaked scones freeze well, and I always welcome an excuse to have Heath Bars in the house.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Scones


3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/2 cup chocolate-covered English toffee bits
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Additional sugar

Preheat oven 375°F. Lightly butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and toffee bits. Beat cream in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into dry ingredients. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently until soft dough forms, about 2 minutes. Form dough into ball; pat out to form 1 1/4-inch-thick round. Cut dough into 12 wedges.

Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheets, spacing apart. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 12
Bon Appétit, September 1997

The Clogged Contessa

I received my first Ina Garten cookbook this Christmas Barefoot Contessa Family Style. I am not that familiar with the Contessa but I have family members that are big followers. This recipe is from her 1999 book The Barefoot Contessa. I first had it on the Menominee River last summer and I made it for the first time on New Year's. It is amazing. Just ask the neighborhood bagpiper.


Pan-Fried Onion Dip

2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.