Ciabatta Bread and my first Giveaway!!

Oh No! Silly me...the giveaway is not a ball of mushy drippy dough!  Look BEHIND the blob for a clue...

This week, it was time for me to turn to page 52 of Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart.


What new bread is in store for me now?  Answer:
Ciabatta bread or Pain à L'Ancienne (Rustic Bread)


...and then I'll tell you about my first Giveaway!


Since I have started teaching myself how to bake breads, it just amazes me each and every time, that you can go from a lumpy, gloppy, mass of very few ingredients to a beautiful, crusty, golden loaf of delicious bread.  


How did they do that in the ancient days?  Since I have begun to cook from scratch, questions of food history swirl in my mind.  Especially questions about the discovery of yeast.  

How in the world was yeast discovered and then used in baking?
Yeast goes back some six thousand years, when it was discovered by the Egyptians.
Beer was produced and brewed in the same areas as bread was being made.  It is suspected that the liquid ale was used in a batch of bread. The rise was more spectacular than a normal loaf of bread and so the same "ale" water was continuously used.  No one really knows how it all came about.  This is just a theory. 

O.K., I just had to satiate my curiosity on bits of bread history so...
now...


I'm going to take a foray into the "Giveaway" world.  I would like increase the number of followers to "Snippets of Thyme".    Do you see the apron worn in the top two photos?  Yes, behind the doughy orb?

That is the giveaway!  A hip, cool, gorgeous cooking apron for all of you food bloggers out there as well as anyone wanting to look hip in the kitchen. My cousin recently made this apron for me as a gift and I just love it!  I don't feel all fuddy-duddy wearing an apron because it is so darn cool!  


**(If any of you have little ones at home, you can also visit her store "Bayouland Babies".  Jena makes onesies, sundresses, jumpers, and adorable little cloth baby dolls.)

Keep following below and I'll tell you how you can get my giveaway...

My favorite...poached egg on freshly made bread

Here is what you must do:


1.  Kindly click on  "follow/subscriber" here on my blog site as well as Twitter and become a new follower.


2.  Announce to your Twitter and Facebook peeps (or anywhere!) that I am having a "giveaway" and provide my url (rileymadel.blogspot.com)


3.  Go to my comment box and type: This Apron is Too Cool for School

I will be using a random name generator to pick the lucky winner.  

The winner will be announced by May 12


Ciabatta Loaf Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 1/2cups (20oz/567g) unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 teaspoons (0.4oz/11g) salt
1 1/4 teaspoons (0.14oz/4g) instant yeast
2 cups (16oz/454g) chilled water (about 55ºF or 13ºC)
1 tablespoon (0.5oz/14g) olive oil

Do ahead

Combine the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a mixing bowl.  If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute (Snippets Notes:  Because if you don't put it on lowest speed, you might be wearing a lot of white on your face).  If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 1 minute, until well blended.  The dough should be coarse and sticky.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.

Drizzle the olive oil over the dough.  Mix on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment, or by hand using a large wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute.  The dough should become smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet.  Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface.  With wet or oiled hands, reach under the front end of the dough, stretch it out, then fold it back onto the top of the dough.  Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball.  The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft and fragile.  Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Repeat this process 3 more times, competing all repetitions within 40 minutes.  (Snippets Notes:  I just stretch and fold right there in the bowl as opposed to taking the dough out and moving it to the counter)

After the final stretch and fold, immediately cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate over night or for up to 4 days.  The dough will rise, possibly to double its original size, in the refrigerator.

On Baking Day...

Remove the dough from the refrigerator about  3 hours in advance for ciabatta.  About 1 hour after taking the dough out of the refrigerator, line the back of a sheet pan with parchment paper and generously dust the entire surface with flour.  Use a wet or oiled bowl scraper to transfer the dough to the work surface, taking care to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid degassing it.

Dust the top of the surface of the dough with flour and also flour your hands.  Using your hands or a metal pastry scraper, gently coax and pat the dough into a rough square measuring about 9 inches on each side, still taking care to degas it as little as possible.

About 45 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 550ºF (288ºC) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking.  Slide the dough, parchment and all, onto the stone;  if you aren't using a stone, put the entire pan in the oven. (Snippets Notes:  This is a shallow pan that you fill with water and slide in the oven right beneath you bread.  It will steam the dough and make a really nice crust)  Pour 1 cup of hot water into the steam pan underneath the pan holding the bread, then lower the temperature to 450ºF (232ºC)

Bake for 12 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes more, until the crust is a rich brown.  Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

French Baguettes!

Continuing on with my new bread book Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart, it looks like French baguettes are next on the learning curve.  I was excited about trying to make the classic french bread.  I imagined pulling the long slender loaves out of the oven,  wrapping them up in brown paper, and  tucking them in my bike basket alongside a thick, wild clump of lavender.  I imagined my scarf, wound so perfectly around my neck (as only the french know how to do),  with my french skirt billowing out against the wind, while pedaling my bike leisurely along the country landscape. 

 I imagined... I imagined...

Screeeeeech!  My revelry slips back to reality!  I don't even have a bike, much less a bunch of lavendar.  And unless the letters can magically rearrange themselves, the state I am currently discovering is spelled T-E-X-A-S.  

Alrighty then, so the only part of my daydream to come true are the yet-to-be-made french baguettes.  

Turn to page 49 and let's begin.

(Self-pity note:  Still working on perfecting my food photography.  Constant rejections from FG and TS.  Feel free, any of you experts out there, to aid my slow as molasses progression in this photographic area.  Seems when I download my photos to their sites, a slight blur occurs. Grrrrrrr.)

Coming back from New Orleans from Spring Break and bringing back in tow a huge can of Cafe Du Monde coffee was a perfect accompaniment to this crusty french bread.  Delicious heady Louisiana coffee and hot slices of french bread with butter = heaven!

S. Kenney - bread loaves proofing

Classic French Bread:

Ingredients:

5 1/3 c (24oz/680g) unbleached bread flour

2 teaspoons (0.5oz/14g) salt, or 1 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

2 1/4 tsp (0.25 oz/7g) instant yeast

2 c (16 oz/454g) lukewarm water (about 95ºF or 35ºC)

Do ahead:

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl.  If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute.  The dough should form a coarse shaggy ball.  Let it rest, uncovered, for 5 min.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 2 min.  The dough should be smooth, supple, and tacky but not sticky.

Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for about 1 min more, then transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the blowl with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.  If the dough feels too wet and sticky, do not add more flour;  instead stretch and fold it one or more times at 10 min. intervals before putting it in the refrigerator.

On Baking Day:

Remove the dough about 2 hours before you plan to bake.  Gently transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, taking care to degas it as little as possible.  Divide the cold dough into baguettes that will fit in your oven.  Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap, and proof at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours, until increased to 1 1/2 times its original size.

About 45 min. before baking, preheat the oven to 550ºF (288ºC) or as high as it will go, and prepare the oven for hearth baking.

Score the dough just prior to baking with a serrated knife or razor.  Transfer the dough to the oven, pour 1 c of hot water into the steam pan, then lower the oven temp to 450ºF (232ºC).

Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15-20 min., until the crust is a rich golden brown and hollow when thumped.  Cool if you can stand it, have some yummy butter ready and serve!!

Challah Bread

I thought these loaves looked so picturesque in my new bread book.  Challah bread is something I see in Whole Foods but have never actually picked up a loaf.  In my Artisan Breads Every Day cookbook, Peter Reinhart uses this bread as his cover photo.

Making this bread was fun and very gratifying.  I haven't tried "braiding" bread before and I was surprised that it wasn't that difficult.  What did surprise me was how HUGE the loaves became while "proofing" and how big they were once baked.  The recipe makes 2 loaves and lasted us more than a week.

I would definitely recommend this bread for people like me who are learning how to bake breads.  The process is easy, braiding is fun, and the final loaves are so wonderfully pretty!

Here is the "how to":

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c (18oz/510g) lukewarm water (about 95F or 35C)

1 1/2 Tbsp. (.5 oz/14g) instant yeast

8 to 10 egg yolks (6 oz/170 g), depending on weight

5 Tbsp. (2.5 oz/71 g) vegetable oil

6 Tbsp (3 oz/85 g) sugar, or 4 1/2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp (.75 oz/21 g) vanilla extract (optional)

7 1/2 c (34 oz/ 964g) unbleached bread flour

2 1/2 tsp (.66 oz/19 g) salt, or 4 tsp coarse kosher salt

1 egg white or whole egg, for egg wash

2 Tbsp water, for egg wash

2 Tbsp poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a combination, for garnish (optional)

Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to dissolve.  Add the egg yolks, oil sugar, and vanilla and whisk lightly to break up the egg yolks, then add the flour and salt.  If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes.  If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 minutes.  The dough should be coarse and shaggy.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue to mix by hand using a large, wet spoon, for 4 minutes.  Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.  Lightly kneed for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking (I definitely had to do this).  The dough should be soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Immediately refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days (I didn't have time to refrigerate overnight.  I took the dough out after 5 hours and it baked just fine).

When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours and 10 minutes before you plan to bake.  Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and cut it into desired number of pieces.  (I used the 3-braid option).  Make sure all of the pieces are the same weight (I eye-balled it.)  Flatten each piece with your hand, then roll the pieces into a cigar or torpedo shape.  After doing this with each piece, return to the first one and roll it out into a rope 10 to 14 inches long.  Line up the 3 long pieces of dough next to each other (put some space inbetween them).  Take the outer right braid and cross it over the middle strand.  Then, take the outer left braid and cross it over the middle strand.  It take doing and re-doing the first overlaps a few times but it isn't hard to get the hang of it.  Pinch the braids at the tops and bottoms and fold them under so they look pretty and tucked underneath.

Make an egg wash by combining the egg white (or a whole egg) and the 2 tablespoons of water and whisking briskly until thoroughly combined.  Brush the entire visible surface of the loaves (don't get it in the creases because it doesn't show off the braiding as well once baked if it is too browned)  and then refrigerate any remaining egg wash.  Let the loaves rise, uncovered, at room temperature for about 1 hour;  they won't rise very much during this time.  Brush with the egg wash again, then sprinkle on the optional seeds.  Let the loaves rise at room temperature for about 1 hour more, or until increased to about 1 1/2 times their original size (Note!  They were huge.  I had them side by side.  I had to get a separate baking tray for the second loaf because they were rising into each other and onto the counter top.)

About 15 min. before baking, preheat the oven to 350F (177C), or 300F (149C) for a convection oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 30 min. until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is about 190 F (88C).  The crust of the loaf will seem hard when it first comes out of the oven, but it will soften as it cools.