The Quest for the Perfect Scone

I tweaked, and I tested, and I tweaked some more, and I found it! My go-to whole wheat, reduced fat, lightly sweetened scone recipe. Sounds about as appetizing as cardboard, huh?

Well, you would be wrong my friend. Trust me, if you don't believe that you can make scones without heavy cream, or a ton of butter, or mounds of white sugar, try it just once. These are amazingly light and the whole wheat flour gives them a great flavor. The agave nectar (or maple syrup if that's what you have) adds just a hint of sweetness, and if you want to guild the lily, the sprinkling of raw sugar adds a sweet outer crunch. They are infinitely adaptable to add-ins--like cranberries and orange zest in the fall, or more apropos for the coming months, blackberries with lime zest.



One of the most popular posts I ever wrote was about my all-time favorite scone recipe. (Although by popular, I mean my aunt made it and liked it a lot, but that is likely to be the height of my fame, so I'm going to go with it.) And that recipe is fantastic. Too good in fact, because it uses an entire cup of heavy cream and quite a bit of sugar. It's a recipe that I reserve for holidays. This recipe is for the other 10 months out of the year, when I'm doing penance for my holiday extravagances.

I started with this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, the hands-down ruling blog of natural cooking. I loved the whole wheat pastry flour and the oats but holy cow 11 tablespoons of butter! That put a kink in my "healthy" scone quest...

So I tweaked, and I tested, and I tweaked some more, and I found it. About half the butter, much more milk, and a little bit of egg later, and I had it.



Whole-Wheat, Everyday, Scones
Makes about 9 large scones or 18 little ones

Ingredients:
2 tbs. lemon zest (optional, but highly recommended)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/2 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 stick (6 tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg
1 cup 2% reduced fat milk*
1/4 cup agave nectar (or real maple syrup, preferably grade A)**
turbinado sugar (raw sugar) for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Zest the lemons or orange with a grater or use a vegetable peeler, then finely, finely chop the zest.
-Combine the zest, flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a course meal. The easiest way to do this is to dice the butter very small and make sure each piece is separated before you add them into the flour. The flour will keep them from sticking back together so shake the bowl before adding in more pieces. Then use two knifes to cut the butter pieces even finer. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
-If adding berries, nuts or other mix-ins, add to the dry mixture at this point.
-In another small bowl beat the egg, milk, and maple syrup together.
-Mix the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, just until combined. (There can be a few small dry spots, it will come together when you have it on the counter.)
-On a lightly flour surface, dump the dough out, knead it once or twice and press it into a 1 inch thick rectangle with your hands. (If it too sticky to do this just sprinkle it with a little more flour).
-Cut the dough into nine squares or cut each square into two triangles. (It helps if you put a little flour on the knife so it doesn’t stick.)
-Brush the top of each scone with a little milk if you want to sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
-Place the scones an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until they start browning on the edges.

NOTE: You can freeze the scones before you bake them, then bake them as you need them. If freezing, place baking sheet in the freezer after you shape the scones for at least one hour or until the scones are hard and frozen. Place the scones in a freezer bag until ready to bake. Defrost in the refrigerator on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a few hours then bake.

Variations:
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse (approx. in quarters) mixed with 2 tbs. sugar (or you can use dried cranberries, but don’t add sugar to them) and orange zest.

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a combination. (I like lime zest with the blueberries and the blackberries.)

*If you don't normally buy 2% milk, I've also used 1/2 cup heavy cream with 1/2 cup skim milk.
**I've tried both, both were delicious, but I have a slight preference for the agave. But this bit of information (found on allaboutagave.com) might be useful if you are deciding which to buy: "While the sweetness of agave and maple [syrup] is comparable (and agave's caloric count is higher), agave still has the lower glycemic index (between 11 and 30). The most daunting property of maple syrup may be its price. Because it takes approximately 40 gallons of raw maple sap to produce a single gallon of finished syrup, the cost of pure maple syrup can be easily twice that of agave syrup, making it prohibitively priced for regular use." So if you're on a budget buy agave.

Polenta w/ Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

I haven't cooked a lot of, what'd'ya call em...well-balanced meals, since Nic went to Egypt. I have mainly subsisted on bean burritos, tuna pasta salad (which I should really post about one of these days), and egg salad sandwiches. But when I was picking up some baking supplies at Whole Foods tonight (for an awesome scone recipe that is coming soon!), I impulsively purchased polenta. I think I was drawn in by the description:

I love that they use "also known as" on the label. Like the polenta is an 80s rock star trying to redefine its image. They wanted to draw in the southerners with the grits, but they didn't want to ostracize the northerners. What to do? Then a crafty marketer came up with the idea to throw on the fancy European term, "polenta." It's a twofer!

I came home, scrounged around in the fridge, pulled out a bunch of broccoli rabe my mom sent me home with after Easter and package of sausage that I needed to use, and I started to cook my first well-balanced meal in three weeks. Unless you count chasing bean burritos with ice cream sandwiches as well-balanced.

This is a fantastic combination of flavors--the sweet and spiciness of the sausage really balances out the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe, and the polenta and grated Pecorino Romano cheese complete the picture. [UPDATE: This is the most awesomely delicious leftover lunch I have had in a looooooooong time. So make enough for leftovers, mmmk?] Okay, enough food talk mumbo-jumbo, it is easy to throw together, and it makes for a pretty presentation if you cut the polenta into little squares or circles after it sets...or you can just glob it on the plate if you want to skip a step and you aren't worried about such vanities.

The most difficult part of preparing this meal is prepping the broccoli rabe, but it's not that bad once you get the hang of it. My mom taught me to cut about 1/2 inch off the stem end then pull it towards the flowered end to pull off the tough outer skin on the stem. Then, using a good paring knife, you get under the edge of the skin and pull it off in pieces, moving around the stem. Some of the toughest outer leaves will come with it. The skin will come off fairly easily, and it doesn't have to be perfect, but you want to get most of it off because it makes the broccoli rabe tough.

Polenta w/ Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Serves 6

Ingredients:
two large bunches of broccoli rabe (it shrinks when it's cooked)
1/4 cup of olive oil (give or take)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
6 Italian sausages, cubed (sweet or spicy, your choice)*
2 cups of polenta (i.e. corn grits)
2 tbs. butter
salt/black pepper
1 1/2 cups of grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan)

Directions:
-Put a large pot of salted water (about 2 tsp. salt) on to boil on high heat. Clean the broccoli rabe (see above for technique). When the water comes to a boil, throw in the broccoli rabe. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes in the boiling water, until the stems are softened. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.
-Using the same pot, bring 6 cups of salted water (about 2 tsp. salt) to a boil on high heat. Slowly pour in the polenta and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the polenta stirring often until it is very thick, about 25 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the polenta or it will stick and burn.
-While the polenta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and the cubed sausage and cook until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Add the broccoli rabe and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low to keep warm until the polenta is done.
-When the polenta is finished cooking, stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper, then spread in a glass baking dish. Let set for 10 minutes, then cut in squares or use a biscuit cutter (or the top of a glass) to cut individual servings.
-Place a serving of polenta on each plate, top with broccoli rabe and sausage, and garnish with a generous helping of grated cheese.

*Here I actually used spicy chicken sausage.

Lemon Curd Pie

This very, very lemony pie was a quick, spring-y dessert for Easter Sunday. It comes together so easily and with ingredients that I usually have in the pantry, so I'm sure I will be making it a few more times this spring and summer. The berries really sweeten up the tartness of the lemon, so next time I will probably cover the whole pie with berries.

Happy Spring!


Lemon Curd Pie
Adapted from Gourmet, May 2008

Ingredients:
Crust
7 (5"X2 1/2" graham crackers, broken into small pieces
3/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Curd
3-6 large lemons (depends on how much juice they make)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. fruity olive oil

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle. Butter a 9 inch pie plate.
-Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add graham crackers and sugar and pulse until they are a fine crumb.
-Transfer crumb mixture to a bowl and mix with melted butter.
-Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and side of pie plate.
-Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.
-Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.
-Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.
-Pour the lemon curd into the pie crust. Top with berries and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Easter Bread

Long time, no see! Or as my Grandmom Julie would have said... "Where you been all your life?"

I was thinking about my great-grandmother a lot today while I was baking this Easter bread. She never made it. She was too busy making cheese bread and hard boil eggs died shades of pastel I could never replicate. But it was one of the few things I remember my mom baking, and she got the recipe from Grandmom Julie's neighbor, Frances.

Frances scared the bejeebies out of me when I was a kid. She lived in the little row house next door to Grandmom Julie, and the only time I really remember seeing her was when she stood on the back balcony and shouted over it to talk to my grandmother in Italian while she hung her laundry on the line. I never understood why she didn't just come over, but she always sounded angry so I didn't say anything. Grandmom Julie and Frances were both immigrants, they both lived alone (for most of my memory), and they were the only people I knew who still hung their laundry out to dry. When I called my mom for the recipe and she told me she got it from Frances, I pictured the little old Italian lady shouting the recipe across the balconies to my mom.


I called this sweet bread when I was growing up, but after baking it myself I now realize it isn't actually that sweet. At least not on it's own. But then my mom and I remembered that it was supposed to have a powdered sugar glaze. And sprinkles. The little round rainbow colored ones to be exact. Unforunately I remembered the sprinkles too late, and so they didn't make an appearance on this year's bread. Next year though, I will be prepared with the sprinkles.

O, and a long time ago I mentioned that my mom made Easter bread shaped like bunnies. That was this bread, but apparently I did not inherit the dough sculpting gifts. After a failed attempt that looked more like a fat hamster, I went with braids. Which makes this look like challah.


Frances's Easter Bread
Makes 2 braided loaves, or apparently four bunnies.

Ingredients:
2 cakes yeast (or two packets active dry yeast, 4 1/2 tsp.)
1/4 cup lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs. beaten
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks, beaten to brush on before baking
powdered sugar
milk
rainbow sprinkles

Directions:
-Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with a pinch of sugar and set aside. It should froth up in 5 to 10 minutes. If it doesn't, either the water was the wrong temperature or the yeast is dead (expired).
-Scald the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave for 2 minutes.
-Pour the hot milk into a bowl (you can use the bowl of a stand mixer if you have one) and add the butter, sugar, and salt and mix. Cool to lukewarm.
-Add the flour a little at a time, enough to make a thick batter. Save the rest of the flour for later use.
-Add the yeast and two beaten eggs. Beat well.
-Add the rest of the flour a little at a time until the dough comes together into a loose ball.
-Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed. (This can also be done with the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, it takes about three minutes on medium speed.)
-Shape the dough into a ball. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, put the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let rise on hour and a half or until doubled in size.
-Punch down the dough. Let it rest in the bowl 15 minutes, covered.
-Shape into a bunny or another animal or just a braid and place on an ungreased baking sheet. (You can also put a hard boiled egg--colored or not--into the dough and lattice the dough in an X over the egg to hold it on).
-Cover the loaves with clean kitchen towels and let rise about an hour and a half.
-Brush with egg yolk before baking.
-Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
-Make a glaze by adding a few tablespoons of milk slowly to about a cup of powdered sugar. Add milk until you reach the desired consistency (about the thickness of yogurt). When the bread is cool, brush it with the glaze and sprinkle on the sprinkles while the glaze is still wet.

A Classic Cookie

I fought these cookies for a long time. I just couldn't come to terms with the thought of baking from the back of a package. I refused to believe that a recipe that public, that un-secret, could really be the best.




But since Nic is about to leave for a few months for work, I felt like I should indulge him and make the Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. I drew the line at making Bisquick pancakes though. That was asking too much.

I don't know if these are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had, but they are definitely a classic taste. I resisted the urge to alter the recipe this time, but I think that next time I would like to try to make them with a bittersweet chocolate chip for a richer taste or a little extra salt to balance out the sweetness.


Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the back of the bag.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or try the bittersweet chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
-In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
-Cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand). Add the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated.
-With the mixer on low speed (or your arm moving slowly), slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until completely combined.
-Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts if using.
-Let the dough rest for an hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator. (The package does not say you have to do this, but I think most cookies benefit from this little trip to fridge.)
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Scoop tablespoons of dough onto and ungreased baking sheet.
-Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are set in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
-Store in an airtight container. (If the cookies start to get hard, you can throw in a piece of white bread, they will get softer again. Again, the back of the package does not include this helpful hint. I include it free of charge.)

Eating Down the Fridge

If you've been following the food blogging trends as of late, you may have noticed this little challenge--to skip a week of grocery shopping and subsist on what you have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. From what I can tell, it started over at eGullet at the end of February, where it was called "national eat the stuff in our freezers and pantries week." I've seen it mentioned on quite a few other blogs, but when I saw that A Mighty Appetite (Kim O'Donnel's Washington Post food blog) was hosting an "Eating Down the Fridge" week starting March 9, I thought it would be fun to participate.

And by fun, I mean I thought that if I was participating in an external challenge, I might be able to control my urge to stop at the moderately expensive grocer on the way home every day. I have to say, having this food blog has certainly exacerbated my grocery shopping habit. I can't tell you how many times I go to the store just to buy one or two (or ok, maybe ten) things just to make a particular recipe I've been wanting to try.

So this week I've been saving some money, rotating out some long-stashed food, and putting together some creative, if not blog-worthy, meals. And I haven't been to the grocery store for anything.

Thus far I've made the two loaves of bread, a chocolate-stout cake (which I planned to post, until I destroyed it while frosting it--delicious but hideous), tuna pasta salad, and pulled pork. I defrosted half of a pork shoulder that I've had in the freezer since the fall, rubbed it down with a brown sugar and spice mixture, and dropped it in the crock pot to cook while I was at work. I used about half of the pulled pork on these bar-b-que sliders, served on left over dinner rolls from last week that were getting dangerously close to the crouton stage.

Next week we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming.

When Two Become One, Part 2

This is the follow up to yesterday's post. Using the basic off-white sandwich bread recipe I posted yesterday, you can add a few ingredients to get this awesome cinnamon-raisin loaf. And if you want a loaf of each, instead of two loafs of one or the other, you can do that too with a little alteration.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread
Adapted from the Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Makes two loaves.

Ingredients:
one recipe of off-white sandwich bread
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs. sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
one lightly beaten egg

Directions:
If you want to make both loaves cinnamon-raisin.
-Follow the directions for making the off-white sandwich bread. Mix in 1 cup of raisins when you mix in the milk-yeast mixture and the butter (after the starter is done fermenting).
-After the dough rises for the first time, fold it like a business letter once (see video here), then return it to its bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
-Combine the cinnamon and the sugar in a small bowl.
-After an hour, divide the dough in half. Return one half to the fridge, and roll the other half out until it is a 7 by 14 inch rectangle. Brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 3/4 inch margin on all sides.
-Starting with a short side of the dough, roll the dough up tightly. Brush the top of the dough with egg and squeeze the dough gently with each roll so it will adhere to the filling. When you get to the end, pinch the dough to seal in the filling. Fold under the sides and pinch to seal.
-Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 8.5X4.5 in. loaf pan.
-Repeat with the second loaf.
-Cover both loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise 1 to 2 hours or until the center is 1 1/2 inches higher than the sides of the pan. If you press the dough with your finger, it won't bounce back quickly.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with one rack in the lowest possible position, and the other rack just above it. Place a baking sheet on each rack. (If you have a pizza stone, place that on the top rack.)
-Set the pans on the top baking sheet. Toss 1 cup of ice cubes into the baking sheet on the bottom rack and immediately shut the oven door. Bake for 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the internal temperature is 210 degrees. Halfway through, rotate the pans.
-Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack until cooled. Remove from the pan and cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

If you want to make one loaf of cinnamon-raisin and one loaf plain.
-Follow the off-white sandwich bread directions until after the first rise. When you scrape the dough out of the bowl to fold it, divide the dough in half. With half of the dough, proceed with the off-white sandwich bread directions (fold like a business letter twice, return to bowl, rise again, etc.) With the other half of the dough, gently incorporate 1/2 cup of raisins into the dough while folding the dough like a business letter once, then return to the bowl. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
-Combine 2 tsp. cinnamon and 3 tbs. sugar in a small bowl.
-After an hour, roll out the cinnamon-raisin dough until it is a 7 by 14 inch rectangle. Brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 3/4 inch margin on all sides.
-Starting with a short side of the dough, roll the dough up tightly. Brush the top of the dough with egg and squeeze the dough gently with each roll so it will adhere to the filling. When you get to the end, pinch the dough to seal in the filling. Fold under the sides and pinch to seal.
-Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 8.5X4.5 in. loaf pan.
-Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise 1 to 2 hours or until the center is 1 1/2 inches higher than the sides of the pan. If you press the dough with your finger, it won't bounce back quickly.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with one rack in the lowest possible position, and the other rack just above it. Place a baking sheet on each rack. (If you have a pizza stone, place that on the top rack.)
-Set the pans on the top baking sheet (you can bake the off-white sandwich bread and the cinnamon-raisin at the same time). Toss 1 cup of ice cubes into the baking sheet on the bottom rack and immediately shut the oven door. Bake for 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the internal temperature is 210 degrees. Halfway through, rotate the pans.
-Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack until cooled. Remove from the pan and cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

When Two Become One, Part 1

I was never a fan of the Spice Girls, but I couldn't help but think that was a catchy title for this post. I was feeling crafty this weekend, so I decided to try to make two different kinds of bread from one dough: off-white sandwich bread and cinnamon-raisin bread. I mean if I'm going to work my way through four rises (including the starter), I might as well get as much out of it as possible.

I just started to get into baking bread, so I picked up some books at the library and decided to try a few loaves this weekend when I was relatively un-busy. I really liked the no-knead bread we made a few months ago, but I wanted to try something a little more practical. (And by practical, I mean something I wouldn't just tear chunks off of and eat while standing in the kitchen. Because now that I'm done marathon training for the time being, there is no excuse for that many carbs.) In the Bread Bible, I found a recipe for basic white sandwich bread, which made two loaves, that I figured I could adapt for the ingredients I had on hand (i.e. real not dry milk and active not instant yeast). After scanning through the rest of the book, I noticed that the cinnamon-raisin bread recipe was almost identical up until the point where you add the raisins (duh), so I decided to try to divide the dough and make both.




I was really impressed with the results, especially the sandwich bread--which became off-white because 1) I ran out of white flour, and 2) I always feel better about myself when I use a little wheat flour in my baking. The sandwich bread was amazingly soft, softer than any store-bread I have bought in a long time, but that might be because I only buy the whole-wheat stuff that is sort of like cardboard. It also has great flavor, due in part to that wheat flour I threw in.

The cinnamon-raisin loaf was also delicious, but my method for incorporating the raisins was a little flawed. Because I only wanted raisins in half the dough, I waited to add them until right before I formed that half of the dough into a loaf, instead of mixing them in between the starter and the first rise. I tried to just sprinkle them on with the cinnamon sugar and roll them up, but I think it would have looked better and the raisins would have been better distributed if I had kneaded them into the dough. So you go ahead and do that.

All-in-all, I think this is a pretty solid, basic bread recipe. The results were great, even if the process was a little fussy. I'll definitely use it again--next time I might try dried apricot and cardamom instead of the cinnamon raisin--but if I want to ever get to the point where I make all my own bread, I'm going to have to find a technique with fewer steps.

I'll post how to turn this sandwich bread into cinnamon-raisin bread tomorrow, along with instructions on how to make a loaf of each from the same dough.

Off-White Sandwich Bread
Adapted from the Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Makes two loaves.

Ingredients:
for the starter
1 3/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 tbs. plus 1 tsp. honey
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tbs. all-purpose flour

for the dough
2 cups plus 3 tbs. bread flour (you could substitute all-purpose, it will change the texture slightly)
1/4 cup skim milk, scalded (brought to a simmer), then cooled to 105-115 degrees
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
9 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 tsp. salt

Equipment:
twp 8.5X4.5 in. loaf pans, lightly greased with cooking spray
two baking sheets
stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook (this could probably also be done in a food processor, but I haven't tested it myself yet, you could also do it by hand but that's just insanity)

Directions:
-In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water and the honey, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast froths. If the yeast doesn't get foamy, dump it out and start over with new yeast.
-Add the 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tbs. all-purpose flour to the yeast mixture in the bowl, and whisk until very smooth to incorporate air, about two minutes. The starter will be the consistency of pancake batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-Sprinkle the 2 cups plus 3 tbs. bread flour (or all-purpose flour) on top of the starter. DO NOT MIX. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 to 4 hours. After the first hour, the starter can be put in the refrigerator to ferment overnight. The sponge will bubble up through the loose flour as time goes on, like in the picture above.

-After the starter is finished fermenting, take the scalded milk (105 to 115 degrees) and sprinkle the 3/4 tsp. yeast on top of it. Let it set for 5 minutes until foamy.
-Add the milk-yeast mixture and the butter to the dough and mix with the dough hook on low speed for 1 minute or until the dough is well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
-Add the salt to the dough and knead the dough on medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. The dough should be smooth, shiny, and slightly sticky. If it is not stiff, add a little flour. If it is not sticky, add a little water.
-Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. With an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into the bowl. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray (or lightly oil), cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at warm room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.

-When the dough has doubled, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Flour your hands. Gently form the dough into a rectangle. Try not to deflate it. Pull the dough out to make it into a longer rectangle, then fold it like a business letter. Pull the dough out the opposite way, and fold it like a business letter a second time. (This video demonstrates the folding process quickly.)
-Set the dough back into the container, oil the surface, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for another 1 to 2 hours, until doubled.

-When the dough is done the second rise, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half.
-Shape each half into a loaf by pressing it into a wide rectangle with the long side facing you. Press down on the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large bubbles. Fold over the right side of the dough to just past the center. Fold over the left side of the dough to just overlap it. Press the overlapped section to seal the dough.
-Starting at the top of the dough, roll it over three or four times until it reaches the bottom edge of the dough. With each roll, push the dough away from you slightly on the counter to tighten the outer skin of the dough.
-If the loaf is not as wide as the pan, roll it back and forth with your hands working gradually from the center to the edges to widen it. Tuck the sides under, and place in the loaf pan.
-Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover each loaf. Allow to rise until the center of the loaf is about 1 inch above the side of the pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When you press the dough with your finger, the dough will not spring back quickly.

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with one rack in the lowest possible position, and the other rack just above it. Place a baking sheet on each rack. (If you have a pizza stone, place that on the top rack.)
-Set the pans on the top baking sheet. Toss 1 cup of ice cubes into the baking sheet on the bottom rack and immediately shut the oven door. Bake for 50 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the internal temperature is 210 degrees. Halfway through, rotate the pans.
-Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack until cooled. Remove from the pan and cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

Stout Braised Short Ribs

All winter I have been looking at recipes for braised short ribs. On blogs, in magazines, everywhere. I kept intending to make them, but I kept putting it off. And the longer I put it off, the more my mind formed an idea of what these braised short ribs would taste like.

Now I know it is ridiculous, but I feel like braised short ribs tricked me. Don't get me wrong they were delicious, they just weren't what I was expecting. And what was I expecting exactly? Well, something closer to bar-b-que. Yes, I do know that this makes no sense. Yes, I realize that if I had simply looked at the ingredient list of the braised short rib recipe I decided on, I would have known that there was no way those ingredients were going to come together to form something like bar-b-que.

What can I say, I guess I just spent too much time thinking about these ribs before I made them. Luckily the people I fed them to hadn't thought about them at all before, so they seemed to enjoy them a lot.

Luckily, even though they weren't what I expected, they were delicious. The flavors in the dry rub bring a sweet and slightly smoky flavor to the meat, and the long braise really makes the meat very tender. The recipe suggested making them a day ahead, then reheating before serving, which really helps the flavors soak into the meat. This is also makes it easier to skim off some of the fat from the surface. These are great served with some fluffy mashed potatoes. (And you know, something green on the side, so you feel better about all the beef and potatoes.)


Stout Braised Short Ribs
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2007

Ingredients:
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbs. paprika (not hot)
1 tbs. curry powder (preferably Madras)
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp dry mustard or 3 tsp. dijon mustard
4 to 4 1/2 lb. beef short ribs, cut into 4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (2 cups)
3 tbs. olive oil
4 medium carrots, chopped (2 cups)
3 celery ribs, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1/4 cup chopped garlic (5 to 6 large cloves)
1 3/4 cups beef broth (14 oz)
2 (12-oz) bottles stout such as Guinness
2 (14- to 15-oz) cans diced tomatoes

Equipment:
6-qt heavy nonreactive pot with a lid (mine was smaller, and it barely fit)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Combine brown sugar, paprika, curry powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and mustard in a small bowl.
-Pat ribs dry and arrange in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan or a shallow dish, then generously coat all sides of ribs with spice mixture. Marinate, uncovered and chilled, 1 hour.
-Heat oil in pot over high heat until hot and quickly brown ribs on all 3 meaty sides (but not bone side) without crowding, in batches if necessary, about 1 minute per side. Transfer meat to a large plate.
-Add onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves to pot and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
-Add broth, beer, and tomatoes with their juice, then add ribs with any juices and remaining spices accumulated on plate and bring liquid to a boil, uncovered. Cover pot and transfer to oven, then braise until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
-Skim off excess fat from surface of sauce. Discard bay leaves.

NOTES: Short ribs improve in flavor if braised 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat, covered, in a 350°F oven until hot, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Soft Pretzels

These are my new favorite thing to make. I know this because I made them twice in one week. And I have every intention of making them again this weekend. They are that good.

If you are from a city that has good soft pretzels, you probably don't need to know how to make them at home. But if you grew up in one of these soft-pretzel-topias, then moved away, then this recipe is for you. These will satisfy your soft pretzel needs.

The first batch I made, I ended up eating 3/4 of the pretzels myself (I let Nic have a little bit) in three days. If you're wondering, that is about 2 large pretzels a day, on average. What I'm saying is, if you really love soft pretzels, then these are not something you want to make when you're on a diet.

I've made these pretzels two ways now. The first time I made them the suggested way, by dividing the dough in 8 pieces, and making 8 large, doughy pretzels. They were amazing. The second time I was making the pretzels for a get-together, and I thought something a little smaller would be more appropriate, so I divided the dough in 16 pieces, and made smaller versions of the pretzels. These were also good, but I think I preferred the larger pretzels because they had a better ratio of doughy inside to crisp outside, for my taste.

Either way they're great. Next time I think I am going to try making them into pretzel bites (ala the movie theater, with molten cheese on the side, mmmm.) I also have some big plans for hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough.


Soft Pretzels
Adapted from Alton Brown, 2007
Makes 8 large or 16 small pretzels

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tbs. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
22 oz. all-purpose flour (4 1/2 cups)
2 oz. unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
vegetable oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tbs. water
pretzel salt (or sea salt or kosher salt)

Equipment:
stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment

Directions:
-Combine the water, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. (If the mixture doesn't foam, throw it out and start over with new yeast.)
-Add the flour and butter to the mixer bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low until well combine. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes.
-Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and sit in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in side.
-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper, set aside.
-Bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an saucepan.
-In the meantime, turn the dough onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (or 16 equal pieces for small pretzels). Roll out each piece of dough into a 24 inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U to form a pretzel shape. Place on parchment lined sheet pan.
-One by one, drop the pretzels into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water with a spatula or a slotted spoon and return them to the sheet pan. Brush the top of each pretzel with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt. If you don't have pretzel salt, use sea salt or kosher salt.
-Bake until dark golden brown in colors, approximately 12-14 minutes (10-12 minutes for smaller pretzels). Transfer to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then serve warm.

NOTE: These can be flash frozen after the baking soda bath, then stored in ziploc bags in the freezer. Defrost before continuing with the recipe. They don't taste as amazing as they do fresh, but they're still great.