Wild Yeast Sourdough Bread

OK - So you've made your Seed Starter and your Barm. It's been sitting in your refrigerator for days. You have been caring for it, feeding it, and thinking about it while at work. Your friends have come over, you proudly show it to them, and they are worried about you. So just what are you going to do with this smelly, bubbling bowl of attitude?

You are going to use it to bake an incredible loaf of Sourdough Bread, of course!

Here is a recipe for a very basic Sourdough Bread that exclusively uses your Barm for leavening. The results are delicious, but this is not the big, tart, San Francisco Sourdough that you may be expecting. The flavor of this bread is not sour at all. It takes years for a Barm or Starter to develop the flavor that we usually associate with a loaf of Sourdough. Sadly, today most "Sourdoughs" are soured by adding citric or ascorbic acid. Read the labels.

This bread is rich and earthy, with an incredibly "creamy" texture. The crust is crispy and chewy. It will become your new favorite against which all other "white" breads are judged.

Patience is the key when working with this kind of a Starter. It does not work as fast as commercial yeast, and if you try to rush it, your results will be disappointing.

This recipe is adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

To make two 1 1/2 pound loaves
Starter:
2/3 cup Barm
1 cup unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
1/8 to 1/4 cup pure water
Dough:
4 1/2 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups lukewarm, pure water

Semolina or cornmeal for dusting

Combine the ingredients for the starter, adding only enough of the water to form a dough that can be kneaded into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a small bowl or a bag, place ball of dough within, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. After this time, the dough should have doubled in size.

Place the starter into the bowl of a standing mixer, add 1 1/2 cups of water and the salt. Mix with the paddle attachment until well combined and smooth. Switch to the dough hook and add the flour. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until the dough begins to come together. If the dough appears dry, add the remaining water. If still dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together and is smooth and no longer sticking to the bowl. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. You should hear a "slapping" sound as the dough is kneading.

Remove dough from mixer and ferment in the mixer bowl, covered, or in an oiled bag for 3 to 4 hours. Dough may also be fermented in the refrigerator overnight.

After this fermentation, remove dough from its container and gently knead on a lightly floured counter. Dough may now be formed into rounds, batards, or whatever shape you would like. Once dough is formed, allow it to ferment again in a floured banneton, or on a semolina or cornmeal dusted baker's peel, or a flat sheet pan. Be sure to cover dough with a clean cloth, and if fermenting on a peel or sheet pan, lightly oil the surface before covering. The dough should proof for 2 to 3 more hours. If dough was fermented in the refrigerator, this could take 4 to 6 hours.

While the dough is undergoing its final fermentation, prepare the oven. Place racks at highest and lowest levels. On lower rack place a baking stone. On the higher rack place a heavy, metal pan that can be used to create steam. Heat oven to 500 degrees.

After fermentation is complete and the oven is ready, slash the top of a round loaf in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Slash batards three times diagonally. Slide loaves onto hot stone, add 2 cups water to steam pan, and close the oven door. After 30 seconds, spray sides of oven with water from a mist sprayer. Close the door. Repeat 2 more times at 30 second intervals. After final spray, lower oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate loaves 180 degrees, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until done. The loaves should be a rich, golden brown, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
If you cut into it too soon, the bread will be ruined.

Food Trends: Salty Is The New Sweet

As a Private Chef I am responsible for all of the components of a meal, from first courses to desserts. The family that I work for loves desserts and little sweets that can be nibbled throughout the day. Luckily, I am strongly cross-trained in both savory preparations and pastry. I try to stay on top of all of the latest food trends, not easy in this fast paced world...

One of my favorite new trends is the pronounced presence of salt in sweet preparations. It seems like all of the top French Pastry Chefs are putting French Sea Salt into everything. There is something magical about this combination. The sweet tastes sweeter, and the salt lingers on the palate, tempting you to take another bite. These French Chefs are even baking and making candies with, dare I say it, SALTED BUTTER! You know, the butter we're not even supposed to think about using in our recipes. The master, Pierre Herme, makes caramels using the forbidden, "second rate" ingredient. The result... The BEST caramel that you have ever tasted!

When baking with salt it is important to use only the best. We are looking for the purest salt flavor without any funny aftertaste. The French are of course using Fleur de Sel and Sel Gris, but there are a number of fancy sea salts on the market today. Each salt is unique as they all have different mineral contents. Experiment with different options until you find your favorite. Just remember, the larger the crystal, the less it will dissolve in your preparations.

Commercial table salt is not a good option as it contains multiple ingredients to make it "flow". These ingredients impart strange flavors. Don't use it. EVER! FOR ANYTHING!

Back in July, the New York Times published a recipe for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie in New York. The best cookie in New York is French! The recipe was created by Jacques Torres, one of the world's best French Pastry Chefs. The recipe is loaded with French Sea Salt, and the results are wonderful. You can get the recipe from the NY Times, but by now it is all over the web.

The following Chocolate Chip Recipe is the one that I have been using for years with the addition of Fleur de Sel. The original recipe was good, but this one rocks. Try it!


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 sticks of softened UNsalted butter (I know)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 whole egg, large
2 egg yolks, large
2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
2 cups best quality bittersweet chocolate chips

Position oven racks to center of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees for at least 1 hour. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or use a Silpat.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to be sure that they are well blended. Add the whole egg and mix together, scraping the sides. Then add the yolks, one at a time, until blended. Add the vanilla.

Scrape sides again and add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed until just about incorporated. Finally, add the chocolate chips and blend until just incorporated and no more dry flour is visible. Allow dough to rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better to develop deeper flavor.

After dough has rested, scoop out scant 1/4 cup portions of dough and roughly form balls in your hands. Don't make them too smooth, the rough texture makes a better looking finished product. Place 6 portions per pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. For best results, bake only 1 pan at a time. When finished, remove cookies from pan using a spatula, and place on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pans. ENJOY!

Note: Fleur de Sel can be obtained at most specialty food stores, or from The Spice House.

Wild Yeast Starter

I love bread!

I love everything about it. The way it smells, the way it tastes, the way it looks, the way the dough feels in my hands, and the sound of the crunchy crust. I have been baking bread for years, ever since I was a child. Recently I have been baking bread using a Wild Yeast Starter, instead of commercial yeast. The results have been absolutely incredible. The bread looks better, smells better, and tastes better! I have used it in all of my baking recipes, from croissants to Miche. Of course the recipes have to be modified a bit to compensate for the extra moisture and flour contained in the starter, but that is part of the adventure. The final products are ethereal, almost too good to be true. The starter, also known as a Barm, is an amazing addition to any serious baker's repertoire. The following recipe is based on the recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice. It doesn't seem like it is going to work at first, but then something amazing happens. It's Alive, It's Alive!!!


First make a Seed Starter:

1 cup rye flour (I prefer dark rye)
1/2 cup pure water (bottled)

Mix together, place in a small bowl, cover with plastic, and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, add:

1 cup bread or high gluten flour
1/2 cup pure water

Mix into rye dough, incorporate completely, cover, let sit for 24 hours.

On days 3 and 4, proceed as on day 2.

After the 4th day, seed starter should be bubbly and active. Don't be put off by the smell, it's natural.


To make the Barm:

1 cup seed starter (give leftover seed starter to an understanding friend)
1 cup bread or high gluten flour
1/2 cup pure water

Mix together, cover, let stand at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. Then refrigerate overnight.
Barm should be bubbly and active, and have an almost sour cream smell.
If it is still not active, leave out at room temperature for another 24 hours.
The Barm is now ready to use.
I use 3/4 cup of Barm per recipe, and increase flour slightly to compensate for extra moisture.
There are great recipes in The Bread Baker's Apprentice.

I shall also be posting some of my recipes in the future, so there is time to get your Barm going. It develops better flavor with age!


Caring for a Barm:

Barms should be kept in the refrigerator until ready for use.
They should also be "fed" every few days with 1 cup bread flour and 1/2 cup pure water.
Feel free to give extra Barm to those special friends that are impossible to shop for!
It's a gift that they won't soon forget.

She Taught A City To Eat Locally

It was with heavy heart that the Chicago Culinary Community and supporters of the Chicago Green Market learned of the passing of Abby Mandel. Abby was the founding President and enthusiastic voice of the Chicago Green Market. She died Wednesday morning after an heroic battle with illness. She founded Chicago's Green Market 10 years ago and worked tirelessly to make it the overwhelming success that it is today. She taught this city to eat locally, to know our food, and to know our farmer. Thank-you, Abby. Your Market lives on! Thank-you. Chicago will miss you.

Everybody Loves Dumplings!

It is mind-boggling to think of all of the different Dumplings in the world! It seems like every culture has some form of these little bundles of joy. They range from savory to sweet, large to small, baked to boiled, steamed to fried... One thing they all have in common is that people go nuts for them! I love Dumplings, and as a Private Chef I have the chance to sample recipes as often as I like. When writing menus, I always try to include some form of Dumpling. They are always well received.

The Republic of Georgia has been in the news a lot lately. The following recipe is for Georgian Dumplings called Khinkali. They are beautiful little boiled bundles of caraway spiced meat that are traditionally served with yogurt.

Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

This is best prepared in a food processor because the dough is hot! Put flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor, turn on, and add boiling water until dough comes together. You may not need all of the water. Turn out on board and give a couple of turns by hand, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Dough should be soft and pliable, not sticky or dry. Wrap and let rest while preparing the filling.

Filling:
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo chile pepper
1 teaspoon toasted caraway seeds, crushed

Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

To make the Dumplings:
Roll out dough on floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out circles. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on each circle and bring edges up until they meet at the top. Squeeze together and give a little twist. Place dumplings on a lightly oiled tray. They can be frozen at this point.

To cook:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add dumplings about six at a time. When water boils again, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook dumplings about 5 to 7 minutes. They should float when they are done. Remove from boiling water with strainer and place on buttered dish. Bring water back to a boil and proceed with remaining dumplings.
Serve hot with yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley.

To serve:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

Recipe makes about 18 Dumplings.

Note: Aleppo chiles can be obtained from The Spice House.

Momos - Tibetan Dumplings

Today is 8/8/08, the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. To mark this momentous occasion for the people of the world I offer this recipe for the traditional Tibetan Dumplings called Momos. These are incredibly succulent and addictive. If you make them, be prepared to be a very popular person.
So why Tibetan dumplings? Is this a political site? The answer is simple. As the world comes together to celebrate China, we must remember that China is made up of many ethnic minorities. Each one of these peoples contributes to the beauty of this mysterious nation.

Tibetan Dumplings (Momos)

Dough:

2 cups organic all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1/2 cup warm water (about)

Filling:

1 pound ground lamb shoulder

2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce (I like Sambal)

5 scallions, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons ginger, grated

1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan salt

3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

To make the dough, mix flour and salt together. Add enough water to make a firm but not dry dough. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll into 4-inch circles. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of of each circle and pull up the sides until they meet at the top. Squeeze together and give a little twist. Continue procedure until all dumplings are filled. Keep finished dumplings loosely covered so they don't dry out.

To cook:

These dumplings are traditionally steamed, but they are also great fried.

To steam, oil a steamer basket and arrange dumplings so they are not touching each other. Cover steamer basket. Steam over boiling water about 15 minutes. Continue cooking in batches until all dumplings have been steamed.

To fry, heat a large pot with about 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Fry the dumplings in batches until they are golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve either steamed or fried dumplings with your favorite dipping sauce. ENJOY!

Serves 6 to 8 people.