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Breadhead Bookshelf: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

12/28/2013

This is the new edition which just came out in October 2013.

There has been a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, Thomas Dunne Books) on my Breadhead bookshelf since it was first published in 2007, because my mom doesn't waste any time when a new bread book comes out! I, however, have been a complete reprobate, a paragon of procrastination with regard to actually reading and using the book, and JUST THIS WEEK decided to see what all this "no-knead" method was all about. Let me say in my defense that I love kneading dough and was loathe to embrace any technique that minimized one's hands coming into contact with such a sensual substance.

But it's Christmas break, and without lesson plans to prepare and papers to grade I have a bit more free time, PLUS there's very little going on in the kitchen since we 're feeding only the monastic community instead of 300+ students, faculty and staff. This constitutes an ideal situation for me to play around. The foundational idea of the book is that one mixes a rather large batch of a wet, slack dough with no kneading, and the dough will store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You pull out a pound of dough at a time, and make a loaf of fresh bread easily and more often. The bread is very crusty, with a tender crumb on the inside (they refer to it a a "custard" crumb) and the large interior holes characteristic of artisan loaves.

Let me admit that I have not gone very deeply into this book. I've tried the master recipe three times, with slight variations each time with regard to the shape of the loaves. Let me also admit I AM HOOKED! While I'm not ready to give up my "baking-like-my-grandma" methods, this technique does produce wonderfully crusty, chewy loaves with exquisitely complex flavors and soft interiors. If you've ever wanted to make that kind of bread but don't have the patience or persistence to learn how to knead, this book is for you.

There are lots of other recipes in the book as well, and I may get around to them eventually. Right now I'm content that I can get a loaf of Italian bread with a chewy crust and this kind of interior . . .

. . . to go with homemade sausage and meatballs which I made for my family Christmas.

You don't have to buy the book to try the Master Recipe--they have a website with a great tutorial right HERE. But if the rest of the recipes come out as splendidly as what I've tried so far, you'll want Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day on your Breadhead Bookshelf as well.

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My Christmas Miracle

12/26/2013

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Stollen made a delicious breakfast treat on the 26th!

As I write this reflection, it's Christmas Day and I've got a batch of yeasted stollen rising (I wrote about the shortcut version earlier this month---find the recipe HERE). Many versions of this recipe call for the kind of candied fruits and citrus peels one finds in fruitcake, and although some of my fellow monks enjoy those flavors, many do not, myself included. So I'm making this batch with dried Michigan cherries and candied pineapple. We'll see what the results are like. (If there's a nice picture to the left of this paragraph, you'll know things turned out OK!) HERE is the recipe.

I had hoped to make this bread before Christmas and serve it at the reception following our Christmas Eve Mass, but other duties intervened. That has happened to me a lot lately, as it does to many people right around Christmas: you plan to get the cards sent out by Friday, you plan to have the tree decorated and the presents wrapped a week ahead, you plan to make all your favorite cookies----and then something interrupts. You get pulled into some other activity or crisis, and you never quite get around to what you had planned. I had an experience like the Friday before Christmas, and it turned out to be a wonderful gift from God.

I had decided to take a day away last Friday because my midterms were all finished. By way of explanation, here at Saint Bede we have to opportunity for a "day off" about once a month. You get $50 and a car, and you don't have to be home until late. Most of us visit family, go see a movie or shop at a bookstore, and eat at a favorite restaurant. Often I take the day to frequent antique malls, flea markets and pawn shops, in search of interesting items to give away as door prizes at bread demos. Lately I've been buying old, beat-up rolling pins and refurbishing them. I have my Stage Rats help me, so they can learn the skills and patience for detail sanding as well the value of upcycling.

So after running a few mundane errands (wearing my Santa hat), I went to the Pleasant Hill Antique Mall in East Peoria in search of rolling pins. I don't like to spend more than $10 each, so although I saw a dozen rolling pins that could use some TLC, I ended up with only three. The car was acting up a bit, so in the parking lot I called our prior Fr. Michael to give him a heads up in case I had car trouble. While I was still talking to him, a man walked past and asked "Hey, are you going to Peoria?" I was distracted, and a bit ticked that he interrupted my conversation, so I shook my head as a "no", even though I had plans to go into Peoria later that day. And in these scary times, I'm always wary of total strangers asking for favors. He passed on, I finished my conversation with the prior and hung up.

That's when I noticed that guy I had so casually dismissed was carrying a little boy who looked to be about two years old. Wherever he was headed, he was obviously in a hurry and maybe late for something. Two thoughts went through my head in quick succession: 1) Serial killers don't carry two-year olds; 2) If I don't help a guy with a little kid when it's less than a week from Christmas, I will go straight to hell when I die. Besides, I was wearing a Santa hat, so he probably figured I wasn't a serial killer either! I called out to ask where exactly he was headed, and he trotted back over to me.

It turned out that he was trying to get to a clinic where his son had gotten his vaccinations. He needed them to send documentation to his son's daycare, because he was starting a job tomorrow, but his wife had the car and he couldn't figure out where the bus stop was. I said I'd help him out, but asked if he had a car seat for the boy. He said he had one at his house, which was just a few blocks away. So they piled in the back; a quick stop at their tiny house for the car seat and off we went.

On the short trip to the clinic we introduced ourselves and I learned a lot more about his situation. Joe (I changed his name) was an Iraq veteran who loved working on cars, but couldn't find a job as a mechanic that paid the bills, so he worked as a concrete finisher---seasonal work, and hard labor at that, but they managed. That is, until the tornado hit Washington, which destroyed their house and his work vehicle. The tiny house was a rental, hardly big enough for them and their three boys. His wife had to get work as a waitress to make ends meet.

What truly impressed me about Joe was that he related all this without bitterness or self-pity or resentment. He felt lucky to be alive, both after his tour in Iraq and because he and little Joey had narrowly escaped the tornado. He was obviously a spiritual person, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a determination to be a man of Christian integrity. I liked him immediately, and felt slightly guilty for having been reluctant to help him at first.

By the time we arrived at the clinic, little Joey was sound asleep. I stood guard in the parking lot while Joe went in to get the papers faxed. he was back in less than five minutes, and he gratefully accepted my offer to drive him home. We buckled up, I turned the key in the ignition, and . . . nothing. No revving, not even a sluggish attempt to turn over--just a click.

My first thought was that I didn't have a credit card and that would make getting the car towed a problem. My second thought was: on the one day I have car trouble, God has arranged for a mechanic to be in my back seat. Joe offered to take a look under the hood and had the problem figured out in about a minute. There were some complications in finding an appropriate tool, and little Joey was so excited by our adventure that he bombed his diaper, but before long everything was cleaned up and sorted out, and we were on our way back to Joe's house.

When we arrived, I gave him a little money as a thank you; "It's just a little extra Christmas for the boys," I said when he seemed reluctant to accept it. I hope all was merry and bright in that little house today. I know my Christmas has been better for my having met Joe. I had a plan for how I thought my day would go, and even when I changed my plans I thought I was the one doing Joe a favor. Turns out God had a different plan, and wanted us to be gifts to one another. In the coming year, let's keep our eyes and hearts open to whatever God has in store for us.

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Cottage Loaf--when less than perfect is perfect

12/17/2013

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The bread to the left is called a "cottage loaf" and was not baked by me. I got this photo from someone else's website. The cottage loaf shape can be used for any bread, wheat or white. The shape originated in Britain during the Roman occupation, when ovens were rather tall and shaped like beehives. To stack one loaf on top of another made maximum use of oven space, a necessity when the ovens were communal and had to accommodate all the bakers in the village. I have included the recipe for this in my new cookbook The Breadhead Bible Father Dom's Favorite Recipes, which should be coming out in the spring. I needed a picture, so I set out to bake a nice looking loaf to use for the photo accompanying the recipe.

So here are my lovely loaves all lined up. You can see how I've pushed two fingers through the middle of each stack, as specified by the directions. I sprayed them with a little cooking spray to keep them from drying out and covered them with a light cloth so they could rise the second time, which they did enthusiastically. On two of them, I took a pair of scissors and snipped around the perimeter of the top loaf, to create a kind of crown effect. With confidence and anticipation, I put them in the oven at 375 degrees . . .

. . . and this is what emerged from the oven 45 minutes later. Mutant toadstools. Bread that grows in a swamp. Not exactly the kind of hero loaves I was hoping for. In one way, this is not surprising--I seem to remember having similar problems when I made them for an episode of Breaking Bread. What WAS surprising was the response I got when I posted them on my Facebook Fan Page (and these are unedited):

I like the whimsy.

I think they look awesome. Esp the ones with friar tuck hair lol
Or is it more 3 stooges-esque....lol

I like how they look, Father. Plus I bet they still taste great

I am totally digging their free form shape. Not all bread can be "super models" if it still tastes great then it is all good.

what a hoot!

I'd eat them!

I like the way they look. I think it was meant to be! Looks charming....and I bet a delight to eat.

They are so cute. They look like little characters from a Disney movie. Love them.

I think think they are really cool---kind of Alice in Wonderland!

I thought differentiation was a good thing.

They look artistic and tasty.

Out of a dozen or more I only had one that ever came out straight! looks like you stuck them together with more than just jamming a wooden spoon handle through the center.
Separate them into their individual loaves after baking and no one will ever know!

Reminds me of a Willy Wonka creation. Pour some chocolate on top and give them a funny name. Magical! (This one from my sister Eileen, God bless her!)

I think they're cute!

In short, it's obvious I need to lighten up on the "Bread-Monk-must-be-perfect" attitude and just enjoy the process as much as product. Not a bad thing to learn just before Christmas, when we put tremendous amounts of pressure on ourselves and our families to have the "perfect Christmas." The food matters, but not as much as the fun, and far less than the reason we celebrate in the first place.

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Orange Biscuit Twists

12/9/2013

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Here's another great Christmas breakfast treat: orange biscuit twists with chocolate drizzle frosting. These can be made in about 30 minutes, so it's a timely recipe to have on hand for holiday entertaining, potlucks, and brunches. The twists are essentially biscuit dough with an orange sugar filling. The recipe below calls for a light glaze, but I decided to try them with a chocolate drizzle (the exact same glaze with three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder added). Check out the slide show below the recipe to see the steps.

Orange Biscuit Twists
Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup milk
1 egg

Filling
Zest of a medium orange
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium size bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Beat egg together with milk in a separate bowl, then add to dry mixture. Stir until dough clings together, then beat for about 1 minute by hand. Mix zest with granulated sugar for filling.

On a floured surface, pat or roll dough into a rectangle 8 x 15 inches. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle on orange sugar on the bottom half of the dough. Fold dough in half lengthwise, making a 4 x 15-inch rectangle. Using a rotary pizza cutter, cut into 1-inch strips (you may also use a sharp knife but wipe the blade clean between cuts to keep it from sticking). Twist strips three or four times, then place on a lightly greased 12 x 15-inch baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Combine powdered sugar with milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. Place in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Brush as a glaze on top of twists; serve twists warm.

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Bambino Bread

12/8/2013

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This past weekend I had demos in Effingham and Breese, Illinois, and one of the recipes I demonstrated was "Bambino Bread"--it's meant to look like the Baby Jesus wrapped in his swaddling clothes! It's perfect for Christmas of course, but also makes a lovely hostess gift at a baby shower. You use can any kind of bread dough you like, sweet, savory, multi-grain, etc. I've posted the recipe in the past but thought I'd post the link again this year: click HERE to find the step-by-step instructions with photos.

And here are the video instructions:

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Shortcut Stollen

12/5/2013

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Stollen out of the oven and ready to be embellished.

German Stollen is a cherished Christmas tradition in many households, including here at Saint Bede Abbey. We tend to prefer the yeasted version, with red and green candied cherries and slivered almonds, and I have the recipe from our Fr. Arthur's mother, the real deal. It takes a long time to rise, because the dough is so rich. The characteristic "folded-over" shape is supposed to suggest the swaddling cloths of the infant Jesus. One elderly friend recalled her mother saying that she should "whisper your hopes and dreams into the dough and wrap them up tight with the baby."

When I'm short on time for the holidays (yes, it even happens to monks!) I sometimes make what I call a Shortcut Stollen, sometimes referred to as a Dresden stollen or a biscuit stollen. It's a quick bread, and you can make it start-to-finish in about an hour. Like many Christmas breads, stollen uses dried fruits for sweetness and flavor. The recipe version I'm sharing uses golden raisins and the loaf is usually dusted with powdered sugar before serving. Tonight, however, I used the same kind of dried fruits one finds in fruitcake, along with sliced almonds, because that's what I happened to have in the pantry. I also drizzled on a little hazelnut frosting and sprinkled a few more fruits around and got this:

Feel free to do a little experimenting of your own. Try it with candied pineapple and dried cherries, or use snipped dates. The recipe can be found HERE.

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Saint Nicholas Breads

12/1/2013

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The feast of St. Nicholas is December 6, and there are plenty of baking traditions surrounding this popular saint. There are breads shaped like his miter and crosier (as seen to the left) or like his boots, "St. Nicholas Men" depicting the saint himself or similar to gingerbread men but made of yeasted sweet dough, large round loaves decorated with crosses or braids. And cookies---an astonishing array of spice cookies, most often shaped like the saint himself. You have to have special cutters, of course, and those can be a little hard to come by. However, there's a terrific website called "The Saint Nicholas Center" with page after page of St. Nicholas traditions, lore, activities and recipes, as well as cookie cutters and other St. Nicholas goodies for sale. It's too late to get them in time for this year (I should have written this post a week ago, but I was in the midst of baking 40 dozen dinner rolls for Thanksgiving!) but buy them now and make plans for next year. Click HERE to go to their website. You'll be clicking from link to link for hours.

Another excellent resource is the book The Real Saint Nicholas: Tales of Generosity and Hope from Around the World by Louise Carus. The author, now deceased, was a dear friend of our Fr. Gabriel and used to bring us St. Nicholas Men as a treat on the saint's day. Check the book out on Amazon HERE.

For a charming description of a visit from Saint Nicholas to a Dutch home in the late 1800's, see Mary Mapes Dodge's classic children's book Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates. It's available as a free download HERE, but if you can find a vintage copy of the book, it probably has wonderful illustrations. I received a copy of the book from my grandma Helen in the early 1960's and every few years I re-read it. It gives you an idea of what high-quality children's literature can be.

Lastly, I thought you might enjoy seeing me playing St. Nicholas at a parish fundraiser some years ago. It took me a couple of months to grow my beard that long, and I was grateful for my theatre background and its accompanying makeup and costuming skills---I had to make the miter!

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Breadhead Bookshelf: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

My Christmas Miracle

Cottage Loaf--when less than perfect is perfect

Orange Biscuit Twists

Bambino Bread

Shortcut Stollen

Saint Nicholas Breads

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