Submarine

The other day I tweeted a recipe for a vegetarian "cheesesteak" style sandwich, which I didn't take pictures of because I was not aware of how bombastically delicious it was going to turn out. It was so good, I actually decided I had to make it again. (Post impending.) However, I had used a store bought roll in the original and realized one way to elevate it to an even HIGHER state of deliciousness would be to make my own submarine rolls for it. Moisty, chewy, simple rolls that let the ingredients be the star of the show. Yes, this plan was starting to take a tasty shape.

Bread baking is one of my favourite things, and so it took all of 10 seconds before I made up my mind. I ran to the internet, in the direction of "YES, LET'S MAKE BREAD!"  to find a basic recipe for the rolls, and then something strange and wonderful happened. What started off as someone's recipe became my own design, as I realized what I did and didn't have in my cupboard, and what I wanted from the recipe. I was baking bread, from scratch-- off the cuff of my own instincts! It was a strange, proud moment when I pulled the tray of these soft, simple roll babies out of the oven, the entire flat smelling like fresh baked bread. It was only minutes before I ripped one in half and ate it.

....Probably shouldn't have used the word babies in there. OH WELL.

Riley's Whole Wheat Submarine Rolls

Based on a recipe by The Galley Gourmet
Makes 6-8 Rolls.

 Ingredients

2 1/2 tsp (1 packet) quick rise yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour or bread, plus more for rolling & shaping
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salted butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp salt
oil (for greasing the bowl)

1. Put the warm water into a large bowl, sprinkle it first with the yeast, then with the sugar. Whisk, and wait until it gets foamy and fragrant.

 2. Add the butter and, gradually, the all purpose flour to the water mixture. If making this bread by hand, stir it in with a spoon, adding more flour until it won't stick to your hands, and knead with those unsticky hands. Then, add the salt and knead more. Work those biceps!

If you're lucky (or lazy like me) put it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix on low until combined, then add the whole wheat flour, and let the machine do the hard work. Knead it on medium speed for 10 minutes, until a smooth, elastic dough is formed.

3. Put the dough on a floured surface and form it into a ball. Grease a large bowl,  put your dough in it, and cover it with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place and let rise until doubled in volume. An hour or so.

4. When the dough is risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, and depress the air out of it. Divide into 6-8 equal pieces. Cover and let rest, 15 minutes. Then, on a tray covered in parchment, shape the balls into rolls 6-8 inches long or so.

6. Cover and let rise for an additional hour until puffed up, just like the photo below... Bread making is a practice in patience, and finding other stuff to do in the meantime. (I watched Nigella Lawson and went for a run.)

7. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until golden brown, 30 minutes or so. Remove to cooling racks, and then go to town, or else, freeze for future use! Voila, soft fluffy dinner rolls for you to create your sandwich masterpiece on.

Child's Play

Sometimes, it happens to me out of the blue: the sudden urge to get messy and bake something. I'll be minding my own business when the urge arises to get up to my elbows in flour, creaming butter and sugar, measuring, tasting. To have the flat filled with the smell of something delicious just coming to life in the warm belly of my friend, the oven. Always baking, this self renewing compulsion, usually late at night. If only these urges came as strongly with laundry and exercise, I might be all set.

Yesterday, it was 1:30AM when I decided that I would try and proof some dough overnight to bake it in the morning. Fresh bread on a Saturday morning? YES PLEASE. There was only one problem: I had no milk, and only about a 1 1/2 tsp of yeast, nowhere near a regular amount to make a decent, quick bread.

This called for experimentation. (Gasp. Experimenting with bread, I know. I believe in baking DANGEROUSLY.)
So I used Julia Child's White Bread Recipe, which contained no milk, but instead, made use of butter, naturally. Julia was notoriously wonderful at finding ways to put butter in EVERYTHING. After some quick Googling, I discovered that you can actually use LESS yeast in a recipe a long as you give it a longer rise time.

Perfect for someone who plans on sleeping in between making and baking, non?

I unfortunately did NOT take pictures of the process, because half of me was very convinced that there was going to be a disaster, and also, it was 2AM by the time I got started. I have never messed with the yeast proportions in a recipe before, or let dough chill in the fridge overnight for a slow rise. I was nervous the cold would wipe out the yeast like a snowstorm and some unsuspecting villagers. Cut me some slack, or at least a slice.  I did take some pictures of the beautiful after bake though. I probably could have left it a little longer in the oven but... I'm not unhappy with how this loaf turned out.

Just the opposite!

I got up in the morning to put this thing together, and now I can't stop eating it. You can see a pocket/slice of air in the top, which I think could have been fixed in forming the actual loaf. But even imperfect homemade bread is one THOUSAND times tastier than the bagged, store bought Wonderbread you're thinking about right now. It's soft. Chewy. Moist. Buttery. The crust is crisp in contrast to the warm airy inside.

Find Julia Child's bread recipe here and try it yourself! Then you could use it in the Hail Cheeses! Challenge...

Food Porn: Easter 2013

Happy (belated) Easter, friends.

I went home for the weekend and did tons of cooking. Lucky for you, I took pictures. Unluckily for you, some of these recipes are inventions, or I was having too much fun cooking with my mama to get step by step photos, or even recipes. I linked the recipes I located/am able to remember.

Without further ado, let there be food porn!

Mama's Limoncello & Herb Chicken

Spinach, Feta & Egg Phyllo Pie

Cole's Amazing Oat & Honey Bread - From Epicurious 

Oatmeal Cream Pies - From Homemade by Holman

What did y'all enjoy for your Easter extravaganzas? (Extra points if you put pics on the Facebook page!)

Dough, Yo

I didn't realize how important this recipe was to me until one Friday night a few weeks ago when I was having drinks at a stranger's house. (By stranger, I mean a friend of a friend who I was meeting for the first time, and not a balding dude in an unmarked van-- CALM DOWN MOM.) After a few rum and cokes, we decided what many people getting downright drinksy decide-- we were HUNGRY and we wanted PIZZA.

The three of us being accomplished cooks, agreed that delivery is for suckers and decided to make our pie from scratch. Well-- it was at this point that I volunteered to make the dough, and found myself in the kitchen with the task of whipping it together. To my own surprise, I knew it how to do it from memory. I guess I've made enough pizzas with it and now it's in my brain, and maybe even engraved on the walls of my heart. After all, pizza is my most favourite of foods. (Or one of them... Don't make me choose, please.)

It's probably because every week, the roommate and I declare Tuesday as "pizza night", throw together this recipe, add whatever we have in the fridge by way of toppings, and devour the goodness while watching New Girl. It's our miniature kick off to the rest of the week.
What's that? You still think pizza from scratch is a pain in the asiago? Well then:  I swear to you, this recipe requires very little kneading, making dough at home is probably better for your health (blah blah blah), AND you get to be the smug guy who has enough kitchen skillz to make their own pizza dough at parties. Are we down? Good. Let's get cookin', yo!

How much do I love pizza Tuesdays with Jess and the gang?

Yep, that about hit the nail on the head right there.

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 1 cookie sheet sized pizza.

 

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 generous pinch sugar

1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups flour* (plus more for kneading, dusting and dough's sticky shenanigans)
cornmeal

1. Pour warm water, yeast and pinch of sugar into a mixing bowl. Whisk.

2. When the mixture gets bubbly (about 5 minutes), add the oil, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour.

3. I find it's best to start out mixing the dough with the handle of a wooden spoon because it's sticky as hell and easier than clawing raw dough from beneath your fingernails, scraping it off your palms, and having a general breakdown over WHY, WHY DO THE PIZZA GODS HATE ME? Bro, chill and trust the spoon.

4. Now, the time of knead. Adding the remaining flour, fold and knead it into the dough with your fingers, your knuckles and your British Bulldog determination. You should have have a neat, round ball to work with at the end of it all. Set aside for 10 minutes, minimum, to rise.

 

5. In the meantime, grab a cookie sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal. Don't be shy, in fact, be downright liberal, because you don't want the pizza sticking to the pan. If you're baking the dough now, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If not, wrap it in cellophane and freeze it for later use. (But seriously, you know you want pizza right now so bake it RIGHT NOW.)

6. Roll out the dough on the cookie sheet to the edges,  gently flouring the top if it is sticking to the rolling pin.

7. Now is the time to make art with your freshly primed canvas. Top with desired toppings (sauces and cheeses and meats, oh my) and bake for 30 minutes. Allow 10 minutes to cool, and then get cray with the eating and everything!

Note
*You can use many different combinations of flour with this recipe. I've tried a combination of whole wheat flour & all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups & 1 cup, respectively) as well as one made from only all-purpose flour. Don't be afraid to experiment, and if you come up with some brand new genius combination, leave me a comment, a tweet or an email and tell me about it! I'd love to hear from you! I know this, because Tyler knows this.