Roasted Garlic Bread

This bread was my first experiment with yeast breads in the toaster oven, the results were delicious. I mean, put together freshly made french bread and roasted garlic... what could possibly go wrong?

Most people, I think, are a little afraid of making bread. They think that it's complicated and takes forever. Well, it's actually pretty simple, but it does take a few hours, though you're pretty inactive during most of it. Also, nothing smells as good as yeast bread when it's rising and baking.

So, we start off with a very small number of ingredients.

Just flour, olive oil, garlic, dry active yeast, and water. You'll need two bowls, one big and one small, and some aluminum foil.

First thing we need to do is roast the garlic. So, take three cloves from the head, chop off their tops, and put them on your sheet of aluminum foil.

 

Pour about 2 teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil over the cloves and I added just a little salt. Fold up the foil in to a nice packet, just like I did. Put it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, we need to activate the yeast. Take 3/4 of a cup of "tepid" water, which means just warm to the touch and put in your small bowl, then add in about half of the package of yeast and stir it up.

 

Half of a package is about 1 1/4 teaspoons. Now, add in a pinch of flour to feed those yeast and let it sit out for a while. I mean, you're hungry when you wake up, so are the yeast.

The reason it is REALLY important to use tepid water is that yeast are most active at just above body temperature, they evolved that way. So, if the water feels warm to the touch (but not hot), then it's probably good. Too hot and you'll kill the yeast, too cold and they won't all activate. Plus, we're prepping the yeast so that they multiply and make the bread rise so be nice to the little guys.

To make sure that I do the water right I put in the water in three stages, changing from cool to warm, then warm to warmer... but not quite hot. I'm also just neurotic about the temperature at this stae.

So, put the yeast aside for the half hour until the garlic is done. Easy enough.

When the garlic is done, take it out and let it cool.

 

You're going to be handling and mashing it in a little bit.

We get together our dry team. First comes flour and salt.

Then add in about a tablespoon of olive oil, for good measure.

 

Mix it around really nicely, and then make a big crater in the center of the bowl, like so.

Now the fun part, pour in the yeast/water combo. Right before I pour, I just give it a little stir.

Stir it up, with a wooden spoon or your hands, then mash in the garlic, using your fingers to squeeze the clove out, then crushing it between your thumb and forefinger. I also pour in the extra oil in the foil. When you're done, it will be a big sticky mess, that means it's time to knead. I think everyone is afraid of kneading, but I think it's tons of fun (for the first two minutes or so)

First thing's first. Sprinkle flour all over a wooden board, or whatever surface you'll be kneading on. Then, turn the dough out of bowl onto the surface. Flour your hands, the top of the dough, everything in sight. This dough could be really sticky. Also, keep a knife nearby, just in case.

 

To knead, place the butt of your hand in the middle of the dough ball and push away from you. Do it gently, you don't want to rip the ball, just work it a little bit. 

After the push, fold the ball over on itself and repeat the process.

Working the dough like this produces a net of gluten in the bread, and also mixes in more flour. Basically, every time you push out and fold over, sprinkle the top of the ball with flour again, to stop it from sticking to you, and to add more to the mix. Also, the more gluten in your bread, the more structure. Too much and the bread will be tough though. So, you want to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it makes a nice elastic ball, like this.

 

The outside of the bread is smooth and the ball is holding together, but it has small imperfections that suggest that it hasn't been overworked. I'm patting myself on the back for this one.

 

Oh, I forgot about the knife. If the dough sticks to your board, use you knife to scrape it up, that's really all it's for.

I wash out my mixing bowl at this point, oil it and put the dough back in. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it sit in the warmest part of your kitchen for an hour. I put it on top of the toaster over where I just roasted the garlic, that's pretty warm. The dough should about double in size in this time and look like this.

Now everyone's favorite part. Turn the risen dough out on to your board and punch it down.

 

You're basically knocking some of the air out so that you can form a loaf. If you're cooking miniloaves, cut the flattened dough in half.

Now, using the butt of your hand, push the dough in to a rough rectangle.

Then, fold in the long sides of the rectangle and pinch off the seam.

 

Fold under the excess on sides and then slide that baby right in to a greased loaf pan. This will give the top of the loaf that nice shape we all expect from our bread and make sure that it takes up the whole loaf pan. You could also try braiding the dough, but I've never done that, and I wasn't about to try this time around.

Put your loaf pans back under a dish towel in the warmest part of your kitchen again and let them rise for another hour. The bread will rise again!

 

Great! These loaves look like they've risen a whole lot. Let's bake them in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes now, until the tops are browned. It will smell delicious, you just have to control yourself though.

When they come out, flip the loaf pan upside down to get the bread out, then let it cool (just for a minute) before eating. Warm bread is really the best though, so don't let it go for too long.

Look at them, just beautiful. Delicious with a meal that involves some marinara sauce. I want more of this bread NOW! Too bad I have to work and go to class and stuff. If I don't succeed as a Mathematician, baker may have to be my career path. I'd get so fat though...

Roasted Garlic Bread

3 cloves garlic

2 cups flour, plus more for kneading

3/4 cup tepid water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

1. Roast the garlic by wrapping up the cloves of garlic, with tops cut off, in aluminum foil with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Put it in a 400 degree oven for 30 miuntes.

2. Prep the yeast by combining the dry active yeast with the tepid water an a pinch of flour. Stir until the yeast dissolves.

3. When the garlic is done, combine the flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp oil in a large mixing bowl, creating a crater in the center.

4. Add in the yeast mixture and stir, using a wooden spoon. When the ingredients are just combined, mash the roasted garlic and mix in.

5. Knead the dough for 5 - 8 minutes, adding flour as needed.

6. Let rise for an hour in a warm place, then punch the dough down and form in to loaves

7. Let the dough rise in the loaf pans for another hour, then place in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

 

Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

It sounds so fancy, doesn't it. I mean "white wine and lemon reduction". It's definitely the sort of thing that would catch my eye on the menu. It sounds refined, and it kind of is. It makes a good impression on a first date, that's for sure. It's the kind of simple recipe that will help you impress your friends, or the important person you invite over for dinner. Just remember to say the name.

So, it all starts with some boneless, skinless chicken cutlets. I get two from the grocery store and cut them in half. To do that, put one hand down on top of the cutlet and slice about half way down. It will be like butterflying the cutlet, but then cutting it all the way through.

Next up is some thyme. Thyme typically comes in bunches at the grocery store. Try to buy a bunch that looks very green. It's also not too difficult to grow English Thyme in a home garden, the seeds are pretty cheap too. If you grow LEMON THYME, that's really the best. In fact, let's be friends.

We need to get those thyme leaves off the stems. The trick is to hold the top of each stem and, using your thumb and forefinger, pull against the grain of the leaves. They'll come right off. Then, just give them a little chop to break down any woody pieces left over.

 

Thyme that is allowed to mature will have many off-chutes on one large stem. You may have to rip those off before using the method above. You can then do the same thing to the smaller stems.

Now it's time to bread the chicken.

I typically have a five station set-up for this. You need three bowls and a plate. In two bowls put in flow, salt and pepper. In one of those (the last one) add in a whole lot of thyme. The third bowl get the egg wash.

Now, step 1 is to drag a chicken cutlet through the bowl with just flour, salt and pepper.

 

Next, it's time for a nice bath in the egg wash, which is just an egg with a tablespoon of water.

Finally, dunk that cutlet right in to the final bowl, which has all the thyme in it. Seasoning each bowl with salt and pepper ensures that each cutlet is adequately (and evenly) seasoned. It's really important.

 

Great, now that's done. Sorry I didn't take a picture of all the breaded cutlets,  I was working with my camera phone, and the battery went low.

Some people may recommend patting the cutlets dry before you start dredging them. It's a good idea, I think it's supposed to make the crust crispier. I don't typically do it for chicken though. Beef usually gets a good pat down from me though.

Okay, so now heat some olive oil in a pan (just a 2 tablespoons) and put two chicken cutlets in (unless you can fit more... I couldn't).

Cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, or until the flour on the bottom starts to brown. Then flip them and do another 4-5 minutes on the other side.

 

It looks really good. Look at all of those flecks of thyme embedded in the crust. That's going to be so good.

Now it's "reduction" time. Remove all of the cutlets to a plate lined with paper towels (not shown). Grab some butter and flour and throw them in the pan (more butter than flour). Cook it over medium heat for a minute or two until the flour just starts to brown.

You definitely want to keep it all moving. You need the flour to cook, not burn.

Now is the fun part. Take a quarter cup of either Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio and deglaze the pan.

Basically, pour it in to the hot pan, it will sizzle, and start stirring to try to get all of the chicken goodness up from the bottom of the pan.

Look at all of that steamy goodness. Sorry about the blurriness. It's my first try at an action shot. Really scrape up all of those bits from the bottom. It will color the sauce and make it taste like chicken.

Let the wine reduce over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add in chicken stock, juice from half of a lemon, salt, pepper and thyme. Let the sauce reduce until it is the desired consistency, which is a loose sauce that you can ladle.

 

GREAT! So, serve it up. Chicken cutlet first, then spoon the sauce over it. I served it with some mashed cauliflower and a spinach salad. The sauce was really good over the cauliflower also.

I mean, it just looks elegant. I told you, really impressive for guests, but not that hard.

I'm leaving the recipe below so that you can try it out on your next first date. Like I said, it really worked out for me.

Oh yeah! I want to take some requests for meals you would like to see cooked, without an oven. Leave some ideas in the comments!

Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

2 boneless skinless chicken cutlets, cut in half lengthwise

2 tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped

2/3 cup flour

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup stock

1/2 - 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put half of the flour in each of two bowls. Season each bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Season one bowl with the fresh thyme. Beat together the egg and water in a third bowl.

2. Dredge the chicken cutlets by placing them first in the bowl of flour without thyme, then the egg wash, then the bowl with thyme. At each step, make sure the cutlet is fully covered in the contents of the bowl.

3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute the cutlets over medium high heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cutlets.

4. Remove the cutlets after cooking, and add in the butter and a pinch of some of the seasoned flour. Cook over medium heat until the flour just browns.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then let reduce for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

6. Add in chicken stock, then season with thyme, salt and pepper and let reduce over medium heat until it is the desired thickness.

7. Serve with a starch by spooning the sauce over both the chicken and the starch.

Enjoy!

Not for the weak of heart, or high of cholesterol

Hi all,

Sorry for the long delay between posts. The holidays had me stuffed and busy and I couldn't think of a good recipe to share.

Today, I'm sharing a great winter recipe: chili! YAY! Not just any chili though, there's bacon in it. Brace your stomachs, it could be a pretty rough ride.

Firstly, I need you to take a look at this glorious chunk of pork I got from my butcher.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is called slab bacon. It's basically smoked and cured bacon with the skin left on. Most butchers will have it in a "secret compartment", but just ask for it, or get to know them well and they'll just offer it to you. That chunk right there is about twice the amount we will need. If you can't get it, or aren't interested, just sub in some bacon slices, but let me tell you: slab bacon is worth it.

So, cut the skin off the bottom and cut the bacon into small cubes.

You actually want the bacon about half that size, I cut it further. Now, throw it in a big pot with just a little olive oil. 

Let the bacon render its fat and crisp up for you. It can take a few minutes. While it's going, or before that, you need to chop up some onions, garlic, pablano and jalapeno. Notice the fine dice on the jalapeno, that's important, biting in to a big chunk of that pepper would not be pleasant. Remove all the seeds to, it will stop your eyes from watering when you're eating.

When the bacon is crisp, remove it to a plate with a paper towel on it, to allow the bacon pieces to drain. Throw in all of those veggies (except the garlic) and let them cook together with some salt and pepper.

When the onion starts to get tender, put in the garlic and some cumin, then let it go on medium heat for just a few minutes. It should smell like cumin, garlic and wonderful.

Perfect! Now it's time for some ground beef. I used 100% ground chuck, but you can use whatever is most available to you. You could even substitute ground turkey, but only if you actually care about your heart.

Make sure to season again at this point. That means more salt, pepper and cumin. I'll give you a good idea of how much at the end. Seasoning here comes in three stages.

If you don't want the beef drippings in your chili, feel free to cook the beef separately, or cook it first, then take out the beef, pour out the drippings, and then start the bacon. It's all up to you here. I personally like having the beef and pork drippings together, it screams unnatural.

So, once the meat is browned up, it's time to add in the liquid and beans.

I used two big cans of crushed tomatoes and two cans of red kidney beans. They're fancy. You can use whatever kind of red or black bean catches your eye. White beans would be fine too, but I think red is the best here for color purposes.

So, open the cans and pour those babies in. Just like before when we added something in, we season again. Salt, pepper, cumin. You know the drill by now. I promise, your patient seasoning will be rewarded. I also add in about a tomato can's worth of water, just to clean all of the red goup out of the cans.

Yum! It looks so good, and it hasn't even simmered yet. I would leave the heat on medium for about 15 minutes at this point, just to get those tomatoes boiling. COVER THE POT, or you will be covered in tomato! Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for an hour and a half. Leave the cover on for maybe the first 15 minutes, then remove it. These flavors need to, need to, need to marry for your chili to be perfect, and the only way to do that is to cook it low and slow.

After about 45 minutes your kitchen will smell so good that you will hardly be able to wait. I mean, you haven't even added in the good stuff yet.

YES! After the hour and a half is up, dump that bacon right in there and try not to drool in to the pot.  This is the part where I make rice and grate some cheese. When I'm done with that, it's been about 15 minutes and I turn the chili off.

Scoop some rice in a bowl, pour a ladelful or two (or three) of chili on top with a dollop of sour cream and plenty of sharp cheddar. You'll be in heaven, I promise. Every bite of bacon you encounter will be like angels singing directly above you. I had to close my eyes and shiver every time. I can only imagine how good the leftovers will be.

It photographs beautifully too. Make sure you do some cardio the day after, I don't want any doctors after me.

Here's the recipe so that you guys can enjoy it on your own.

EDIT: I forgot which spoon I used, and just realized that all of the measurements in the recipe were in teaspoons, not tablespoons. 3 tablespoons of salt is WAY too much.

Heartstopping Bacon Chili

1 lb ground chuck

1/4 lb slab bacon, cut in cubes (or 2-3 slices of bacon)

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 pablano pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, diced finely

2 cans crushed tomatoes

2 - 14 oz cans red beans, drained

about 28 oz water

3 tsp salt (divided in thirds)

1 1/2 tsp pepper (divided in thirds)

about 3 tsp cumin (divided in thirds)

1. Put olive oil and bacon in a pot and allow the bacon to render over medium heat. It will take about 3-5 minutes, make sure you are watching. When it is finished, take out the bacon, leaving the drippings.

2. Cook peppers and onions in the drippings until the onions are soft and the peppers are fragrant, adding the first round of salt and pepper during the process.

3. Put in garlic and first round of cumin and let cook for about 3 minutes.

4. Add in ground beef and the second round of salt, pepper and cumin. Cook until meat it browned, but not over done.

5. Pour in tomatoes, drained beans and water. Season with the third round of each spice. Let cook, covered, over medium heat for about fifteen minutes, then reduce the heat to low.

6. After an additional 15 minutes, you may remove the lid. Let simmer for another 90 minutes.

7. Add in the bacon, which is now drained and let simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy! I know you will.