Feeling Like Myself Again

It has been a long time since I got to really hang out in the kitchen, in a kitchen that was my own, filled with our pots and pans and baking supplies. It feels so great.

Once we finally got unpacked (that was quite the process!) and I didn't constantly feel like there were things to be done around the house (which there always are) I got to finally just spend time baking bread and yogurt making as opposed to figuring out where things are going to go and hanging pictures on the wall.

It feels so good to be doing the things that make me feel like me again, like baking bread. Just wish I could go rock climbing with Ross over the weekend... we'll be able to do that in the fall. If we can stand to leave our little girl along for that long.

Ross also made popsicles!!! Just made a simple strawberry-banana orange juice smoothie and poured it into molds. It was surprisingly difficult to find a simple popsicle mold (the sis-in-law found it at Target)... apparently these apparatuses that will make instant popsicles are all the rage right now, but I didn't figure we needed another small kitchen appliance when we had a freezer. Seems a little ridiculous to be completely honest... a little patience was all it took.

And you know what else makes me feel more like me... blogging!!!! Soon I will have a couple of my recent recipes, some pictures of the nursery, and hopefully a much more regular routine again. Until we throw that all out the window in July and start a new routine with the little one! 

Blogiversary

A year ago yesterday was my first Blogiversary! 

My New Year's Resolution for 2011 was to go a year without buying bread. 

I made it... until September. Between recovering from surgery and morning sickness, in these past couple months I haven't the energy or desire to bake bread, let alone eat it. But I was happy with the alternatives we came up with - buying local, organic bread from an independent bakery.

Then I graduated (WAHOO!!! M.ED. Environmental Education), we packed up and moved, and I didn't have a kitchen or all my flours and tools with which to bake, though I did make some garlic knots for Christmas while we were in Minnesota.

However, it had been a fabulous year, and I have learned so much about bread, many types of breads, enjoyed the health benefits and had a lot of fun along the way. I've also grown in my faith and become connected to my food in ways I never imagined.

My favorites from the year: 

Bread with a Twist 

Whoops...

Calzones

Braided Loaves

Pita Bread

Beautiful Buns

 Swirl Rye Sourdough, Eh?

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

And my New Year's Resolution for this year? Find meaningful employment, a place to live, and keep myself as healthy as possible for our little one on the way, and prepare to bring the little one into the world in the best possible way. Lofty goals, right? 

Happy New Year! 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

Pumpkin has entered the kitchen - its recent pervasiveness in the blogging world is simply contagious. I can't wait to actually get a few ripe pumpkins in my hands! For now a can will do, and this bread is something I intend to make again. And again. And to go with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread 

From Artisan Bread in Five 

Makes 3 loaves

1 cup canned or fresh pureed pumpkin 

2 cups warm water 

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast (2 packets)

1 Tbsp salt 

5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter 

1/3 cup local honey 

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 3/4 cups unbleached white flour

3/4 cup rye flour

Optional: 

1 tsp cinnamon, ginger and 1/2 tsp nutmeg (I did add this!)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or cranberries 

Measure out the salt, yeast, honey, melted butter and mix it with the water in a large bowl. 

Then add the pumpkin - 

the oatmeal - 

-the flour

and mix with a wooden spoon. There is no need to knead the bread. Store in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. You can then either store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 9 days, or bake it immediately. 

Use greased 9x5x3 in loaf pans, or you can bake these free-form on a pizza stone. Dust a surface with flour and then divide the dough into 3 equal parts. (we saved the third part of the dough to bake later.) Using the flour for the dough into a loaf and then place in the pan or on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal. Let them rise for another 30 minutes. 

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown. (When using the pizza stone, I heated the oven at 500 to warm up the stone and then lowered the temperature for baking.) 

Let it cool, and enjoy! It is delicious! We ate both loaves the same day they were baked... though I did take one to work. And my co-workers ate it all. 

Then you can use up the rest of your can of pumpkin in Pumpkin Oatmeal!

I prepared the oats on the stove-top as per usual, and then added pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Topped with chocolate chips and almonds - yummy! 

I also tried a Teeccino Vanilla Nut Herbal Coffee and really enjoyed it! It is made with roasted organic carob, organic barley, organic chicory, dates, almonds, organic dates, natural vanilla extract, natural nut flavor, and figs. I love this - it's a great substitute for coffee and is naturally caffeine free. I also don't mind decaf coffee either. I gave up caffeine a couple months ago - I was tired of the caffeine headaches, however, this drizzly weather might have me going back sooner or later. We'll see! 

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! 

Brioche

Knowing that I am soon going to be working as a baker got me all excited - so I whipped open my favorite bread book and found a recipe that I hadn't tried before. 

Brioche, pronounced bree -osh, is a sweet bread made with eggs and butter. And it's heavenly. 

Traditionally it is baked in fluted pans, but as I didn't have any I went with a fancy way of forming bread that I thought would turn out well - braids. And it was a success!  

Brioche 

From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day 

Makes 2 loaves - you can easily halve or double this recipe. 

3/4 cups warm water 

3/4 Tbsp yeast (1 packet) 

3/4 Tbsp salt 

4 eggs, beaten 

1/4 cup honey 

3/4 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

3 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour 

Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 Tbsp water) 

Mix together the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter in a bowl. Then mix in the flour without kneading (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook). Cover and leave to rise for 2 hours in a warm place. Then chill the dough in the refrigerator for anywhere between 3 hour to 5 days. (Beyond 5 days you can freeze the dough to use later). 

When you are ready to bake dust a surface generously with flour, and then divide this dough into six even apple-sized pieces.  

Flour your hands and roll the dough into long cylinders. 

If they don't cooperate set the dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes, and try again. 

Once you have three strands of dough, you can braid! 

Here's a trick I learned - start in the middle and braid toward the ends. 

Then flip the dough over - and continue braiding to the other end. 

Then you have a beautifully braided dough loaf waiting to become bread. Repeat. 

Place them on a cookie sheet or pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal and leave to rest for an hour. 

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Right before baking brush the dough with an egg wash or - if you are like me and ran out of eggs - a little rice milk will do. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, and soon your kitchen will be filled with glory. 

Oh. My. Goodness. 

Eat as soon as its cool enough - alone, with coffee or tea, with honey drizzled on top - it's incredible! 

Beautiful Buns

You might get beautiful buns if you walk to the store rather than drive. 

But a sure-fire way to get beautiful buns is to make them at home! 

Italian Semolina Buns by Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

3 cups warm water 

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast

1 1/2 Tbsp salt 

3 cups semolina (durum) flour 

3 1/4 cups unbleached white flour 

Sesame seeds for top 

Cornmeal for pan 

Mix the salt, yeast and water together. 

Then add the flours and mix with a wooden spoon. No need to knead. 

Then set it aside to rise for 2 hours - covered, but not airtight. 

Never ceases to amaze! Use it right away, or you can store this dough in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. Have hot buns anytime! 

When you are ready to bake, dust a surface and your hands with flour, grab peach-sized chunks of dough and form into balls. Place on a baking sheet/pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Let them rise for another 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450F and make your cornstarch wash:

1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with a small amount of water to form a paste. Then add 1/2 cup water and whisk together. Microwave for 45 seconds until it appears glassy. It will keep refrigerated for 2 weeks as well - how convenient.  

Right before you are about to put them in, brush the buns with the cornstarch wash.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, slash the buns 3 times with a serrated knife, and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Aren't these buns gorgeous!?!?

Just in time for some 4th of July BBQing tomorrow. 

I'm feeling pretty good about my new camera too!!! Liking the photos and it is super handy to have while baking! I got this thing wet and covered in flour today and didn't have to worry about it at all! 

Happy 4th of July!!!