19 Jun 2009

Foodblog event juni: creatief met aardappelen

Deze keer eens geen Engelse tekst maar meteen mijn bericht in het Hollands. Lekker lui en tussendoor wel zo leuk.

De koek, tortilla (of hoe je het dan ook wil noemen) is eigenlijk ontstaan omdat ik geen zin had om boodschappen te doen en eerst eens op onderzoek in de koelkast ging. Pas toen het klaar was, realiseerde ik mij dat ik dit recept best wel als antwoord op de oproep van Gabriella van de weblog Gabriella's creatieve keuken kon gebruiken. Gelukkig geeft de oproep geen aanwijzingen; alleen maar creatief zijn met aardappels.


Aardappelkoek
2 eetlepels olijfolie
kort voorgekookte aardappelplakjes
1 rode puntpaprika; in kleine stukjes
1 gesnipperde ui
1 geperste teen knoflook
5 champignons in kleine blokjes gesneden
3 eieren
3 eetlepels verse peterselie fijngesneden
vers gemalen zwarte peper
zeezout

Verwarm de oven voor op 180 graden C. Vet een ronde vorm van ongeveer 25 cm. doorsnede in met iets olijfolie. Druk er daarna een rond stuk bakpapier als bekleding in. Door de olijfolie blijft het nu beter zitten.

Neem een grote koekenpan, verwarm op het gas en bak de ui, paprika stukjes en knoflook ongeveer 3 minuten. Voeg de aardappel plakjes en champignons toe en bak alles (af en toe opschuddend) tot de aardappel schijfjes gaan kleuren. Schep alles in de met bakpapier beklede ovenschaal.

Meng in een kom de 3 eieren, peterselie, peper en zout. Verdeel dit gelijkmatig over de inhoud van de ovenschaal en bak de aardappelkoek in ongeveer 35 tot 40 minuten goudbruin. Dien het op met een lekkere salade erbij.

17 Jun 2009

Nettle bread

There are so many different kind of breads with grains, flakes and all kind of ingredients. Every weekend I'm surprised by the variety of bread and rolls showed in the weekly Yeast spotting of the weblog Wild yeast. You'd almost get the impression that every possible combination has been tried already.

You can imagine my reaction when I heard a new colleague talking about a bread filled with stinging nettle. His girlfriend used to buy this at the local bakery but the baker doesn't bake this bread any more and they missed it so much. Reason enough for a quick search on the internet; it shows that although nettlebread is known in different countries, it's not so well-known.


It's a little too late in season to use fresh nettles because they're in bloom at this moment. However, the dried nettle is available in healthstores and can be used as a subsitute. Next spring I'll be the first to pick fresh nettles, blanche them and use them for a real home-baked nettle bread.

This recipe must be a look-a-like for my new colleague and his girlfriend.

Nettle bread

Soaker
3 tbsp. whole wheat grains
3 tbsp. hot water

Breaddough
250 gr. wholemeal wheat
250 gr. bread flour
340 - 350 ml. water; lukewarm
2 tbsp. dried nettles
10 gr. fresh yeast
10 gr. salt

Make the soaker the evening ahead and leave it covered.

The next morning: combine in a big bowl the wholemeal wheat, bread flour and crumble the yeast in it. Add the water and the dried nettles and mix it just enough to make all the ingredients wet. Leave it 20 minutes covered for autolyse.

Add the salt and the soaker to the dough and knead it 5 tot 7 minutes till you get a nice (a bit sticky) dough. Put the dough in a well oiled container, cover it and leave it 50 - 60 minutes. Take the dough out of the container and put in on a oiled working surface. Give it a double businessletter turn and put it in the container again for 50 - 60 minutes. Repeat the double businessletter turn again and put it for the last time in the container till doubled in size.

Take the dough out of the container and handle it gently. Form a batard, a tight ball of put it in the clay pot for the final proof. This time it's ready for baking as it's almost doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 480 dgr. F. (250 dgr. C.). Bake the bread 10 minutes in the hot oven, lower the temperature to 425 dgr. F. (220 dgr. C. ) and bake it for another 30 minutes. Using a clay pot you have to take of the lid after 20 minutes of baking.

Take the bread out of the oven and leave it for cooling down on an iron rack.

11 Jun 2009

Rye bread with Guinness and pastis

Do you like beer?

I don't; but our two little partners in crime do.

It's as if they just know it when there's a bottle almost empty.



You don't have to like beer, or more specific Guinness, for making this delicious bread. The recipe came from the book Dough by Richard Bertinet. The ryeflour came from Denmark and looks like a mixture of ryeflakes, course rye and the flour itself.
The only thing added was some broken rye soaked in water.

Another good reason to make the trip to Denmark more often.


Ryebread with Guinness and aniseed (R. Bertinet)

Soaker
4 tbsp. broken rye
3 tbsp. hot water

13 gr. fresh yeast
350 ml Guinness, roomtemperature
125 gr. dark rye flour
375 gr. white bread flour
10 gr. salt
1/2 tbsp. pastis (Pernod)

Make the soaker at least 8 hours before you make the bread dough.
Take a large bowl, pour the Guinness in it and whisk the yeast in it till it's completely dissolved.
Add the ryeflour and 250 gr. of the white bread flour and whisk till there's a thick batter. Cover the bowl and leave it for two hours.

Add all the other ingredients to the batter and knead app. 5 minutes till you get a souple and elastic dough that's not sticky anymore.
Form the dough into a ball and leave it one hour covered in the oiled bowl or container.

Take the dough out of the bowl and give it a double businessletter turn and put it back in the bowl again. Repeat this after another hour.
Put the dough back in the bowl for another 45 minutes.

Take the dough out of the bowl and lay it on an oiled working surface. Form it onto a tight ball and lay this (seamside up) in a floured banneton till almost doubled in size.
In the meantime: preaheat the oven to 480 dgr. F. (250 dgr. C.). Turn the banneton onto a bakingsheet and slide the sheet onto a hot bakingtray in the oven. Reduce the heat after 10 minutes to 425 dgr. F. (220 dgr. C.) and bake the bread for another 18 - 20 minutes till it sounds hollow when you tapp on the base.

Let the bread cool down on a iron baking tray. This bread tasted delicious with the fresh new herring but it will also combine with cheese, salmon and even jelly.

10 Jun 2009

The very first new dutch herring!

You just hate it or love it. I don't think there's anything between. The bread was freshly baked with Guinnes and rye. Beautiful rye flour from Denmark.



This very blue Bernagie always surprises me

1 Jun 2009

Farmer's bread

Not only to late for the Bread Baking Babes but for the Bread Baking Day 20 as well. But you've got to admit; if I'm doing anything I'm doing it allright, that includes being to late.

This time there is a plausible excuse; It wasn't unitil the end of May that I read about the new challenge on the weblog of Lien. Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen had the honour of announcing Bread Baking Day 20: multi grain bread. Baking multi grain bread is exciting and the results are always surprising.

This bread is made of spelt, wheat and corn and the soaker includes buckwheat. The buckwheat gives the bread a very special taste.


My Farmer's bread

Soaker
3 tbsp. broken wheat berries
1 tbsp wheat berries
1 tbsp. buckwheat
4 tbsp. hot water

Dough
200 gr. wholemeal spelt
50 gr. cornmeal
250 gr. bread flour (wheat)
1 tbsp. flax seed
10 gr. fresh yeast (or 5 gr. instant)
340 ml. water, lukewarm
10 gr. salt

Make the soaker app. 8 hours ahead by combining the ingredients and leaving them (covered) for one night.

The next morning: combine in a big bowl the spelt, cornmeal, bread flour and flax seed. Crumble the yeast above the flour mixture with the tip of your fingers.Add the water and knead it just long enough so there are no dry ingredients any more. Leave it covered for 25 minutes for the autolyse. At this point the dough is very sticky and it may look too soft but wait until you've add the salt. The salt will make the dough more firm.

Add the salt and the soaker to the dough. Knead the dough for 7 minutes. Leave it in a well oiled container and leave it 50 to 60 minutes to rise. Give it a double businessletter turn and place it in the container again for 50 to 60 minutes. Repeat the double businessletterturn and leave it till doubled in size.

Place the dough on an oiled working surface and handle it carefully. Don't slam the air out of it but press it softly into a rectangle and form it into an oval bread or a banneton. You can put the dough in the Clay pot (Romertopf) of on a baking sheet for the last proof until almost doubled in size. In the meanwhile preheat the oven till 480 dgr. F. (250 dgr. C.).

Slash the dough as you're used to and bake it in the oven until well coloured. After 10 minutes, lower the heat till 425 dgr. F.(220 dgr. C.). and bake the bread for another 30 minutes.


The Italian knots of the Bread Baking Babes

It's june already and despite the fact that I've baked those Italian knots a few weeks ago, I'm too late for the round-up of the Bread Baking Babes.


Well, it doesn't mind; I've had my fun and still want to share my experiences with making those knots. This time the challenge came from Ilva with her wonderful weblog Lucullian delights.

Italian knot bread
Biga
200 gr. bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
170 ml water; lukewarm
Combine the flour, yeast and water quickly in a big bowl or container. Leave it , covered, for 15 to 24 hours.

Dough:
250 gr. biga
500 gr. italian flour (type 00)
200-260 ml. water, handwarm
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
25 gr. olive oil (extra virgin)
30 gr. soft butter
12 gr. honey
12 gr. salt
2 tbsp. dried mixture for bruchetta

In a big bowl, crumble the butter with your fingertips into the flour. Add the yeast, olive-oil and honey. Combine the water and the biga and add it with the salt to the doughmixture. Knead the dough for app. 7 minutes until it is smooth and doesn't stick. Leave it into a big oiled bowl (covered) and leave it to rise until it has doubled.

Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal parts and roll them into long strands. Lien described and showed how you can make those knots:


1. Roll out the dough into snakes and lay them out on a flat surface. (at this point I rolled some of the strands through the dried bruchetta mixture)
2. Make a semi-circle with the dough strands.
3. Twist the two ends together like in the photo.
4. Bring the two ends towards the upper part of the circle.
5. Lift/fold the top part over the twisted part.
6. Take the two end and join them together under the actual knot, this will make the knot part come out more and it hides the ends.


Put the knots on a baking sheet or a baking tray and leave the for the last proof until almost doubled in size. Pre-heat the oven till 390 dgr. F. (200 dgr. C.).
Bake the knots in app. 25 minutes.

The remaining biga was just added to the dough of a bread with yeast. This became a very tasteful and airy bread. My knots didn't look as nice as I'd hoped for but I promise I'll never join the navy.