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Nov 01, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
tried the Madeira inspired bread wrapped in cabbage leaves posted on the blog. i decided to use the pugliese from my book.
the cabbage leaves started to burn after about 20 minutes so at that point i removed them. they had already made their lovely imprint on the crust which turned a beautiful golden brown.
the bread was 2 1/2 inches high rather than the usual 3 inches and had smaller holes due to the absence of steam ( i decided to rely entirely on the moisture of the cabbage leaves). but it was worth the change in texture for the lovely flavor and here's what i did with the bread:
i cut the middle section into 4 slices and froze them. i made a pocket in each end and stuffed it with ham and swiss cheese and grilled it in my cuisinarts "griddler"panini maker. WHAT A DINNER!!! the crust was thin and crisp, the crumb spongy and flavorful. have i ever had a better sandwich!!!
the basic technique with the cabbage leaves is to use the outer leaves and place them in the oven to soften and become flexible for 3-4 minutes. then use one or two large leaves on which to set the shaped risen bread dough and another one or two on top--be sure to spray the leaves with cooking spray to keep them from sticking to the bread.
check the baking bread after 20 minutes and if the cabbage leaves are getting very dark remove them and continue baking the bread until done.
Nov 03, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Ingredients
Dear Rose,
What's the big deal with kosher salt these days? It seems that many of the TV cooks specify it rather than regular salt, in everything from vegetable dishes to baked goods. I seem to recall learning that kosher salt should not be substituted in cakes, etc., because it doesn't perform the same as regular salt. For example, a recent program called for kosher salt in the meringue for a lemon meringue tart. Any thoughts?
Debbie
Continue reading "Salt of the Earth" »
Nov 05, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in General
I've been using Rose's chocolate cake recipes for nearly two years, and always had the same problem - I weighed every ingredient carefully, had the oven spot on 350, and every time, the cake would bake perfectly, but would serve out dry and crumbly. The strange thing was that when I made yellow or white cakes, this didn't happen. Last week I figured out why.
When you use hot water to dissolve the cocoa powder, then let it sit to cool, some of the water evaporates. I stated measuring the water/cocoa mixture *after* it cooled, and found that I was loosing as much as two ounces of water, depending on the conditions in my kitchen! Adding a little room-temp. water, just before mixing the cocoa/water with the other ingredients has totally solved this problem. Just last weekend, I made a wedding cake with a 12-inch, two-layer middle tier of chocolate, baked and iced the day before the event. When served, the cake was soft and moist and the texture perfect.
Continue reading "Blogger Aaron Solves Dry Chocolate Cake Problem!" »
Nov 10, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
as i'm sure you've all noticed, i try to answer all your questions within about a week of your posting.
occasionally, however, a question slips through the cracks so if you don't see the answer posted on the blog following the thread of your original posting, please feel free to repost it but do give it about 10 days!
Nov 11, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
Rose’s Basic Hearth Bread
Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Bread Bible, W. W. Norton & Company, 2003
This is the recipe as it appears on the back of the flour bag but with a few additions, variations and lots of tips! (Note: to print the out, select the text and copy into a word document)
Makes: About 1 3/4 pounds of dough: An 8 inch round loaf, or a 9 inch sandwich loaf, or 16 dinner rolls, or 12 hot dog buns, or 8 hamburger buns
3 cups/1 pound Harvest King flour (measured by dip and sweep)
1/4 cup/1.25 ounce whole wheat flour
1-1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, bread machine or other instant yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1-1/3 cups/11.25 ounces room temperature water
1 teaspoon mild honey, such as clover
Optional for soft crust for sandwich bread or buns: 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour and yeast. Then whisk in the salt. Stir in the water and honey (and optional oil). Using a mixer with a dough hook or by hand, knead the dough until smooth and springy (about 7 minutes, or 10 minutes by hand). The dough should be soft and just sticky enough to cling slightly to your fingers. If it is still very sticky knead in a little flour. If it is too stiff spray it with a little water and knead it.
Set the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly spray or oil the top of the dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot. Allow the dough to rise until doubled, about an hour. (Stick a finger into the center of the dough and if it keeps the indentation it’s ready.) If baking it the following day, press down the dough and set it in a large oiled zipper type storage bag, leaving a tiny bit unzipped for the forming gas to escape, and refrigerate it. Remove it to room temperature 1 hour before shaping.
When ready to shape the dough, set it on a very lightly floured counter and flatten gently with your fingertips. Shape into a round ball or football. Set it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Cover with a large container or oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise until almost doubled and when pressed gently with a finger the depression very slowly fills in.
While the dough is rising, set the oven rack toward the bottom and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it. Set a cast iron skillet or heavy baking pan on the floor of the oven or on the lowest shelf. Preheat the oven to 475F. for 45 minutes or longer.
With a single edged razor blade or very sharp knife, cut one or more long, 1/4 inch deep slashes into the dough. Mist the dough with water, quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet, and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door and bake 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 425°F. and continue baking 20 to 30 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. (An instant read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210°F.). Halfway through baking, turn the pan halfway around for even baking.
Remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely or until just warm.
Continue reading "Harvest King Flour Tips and Recipes" »
Nov 12, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in FAQs
Bake Bread Instead!
i was browsing the internet yesterday and came across a lively discussion/dispute as to whether the "dough percentage" in my book was a percentage or a ratio.
technically, a percentage is based on the total, for example if the total weight of the dough were 100 grams and water used to make it were 40 grams the water would be 40% of the total. but NOT with the traditional baker's percentage in which the percentage of the water (or any other ingredient) is based on the flour whose value is given as 100%. this makes it easier for bakers to scale the ingredients up and down and to create new formulas (recipes).
so in this bread which weighs 100 grams (for clarity let's leave out the small weight of yeast and salt) if the water weighs 40 grams and the flour 60 grams, to get the baker's % you divide the weight of the water by the flour and get 66.6%
in my listing of the percentage of water i also included residual water, for ex. if i added banana or honey i included the amount of water contained in this ingredient. this information is not necessary to the success of the recipe. it is there to give a sense of what to expect from the texture of the bread. a bread of 66% hydration is average. 72% hydration will have a crumb with larger more open holes, etc. etc.
NOW: enough of this nonsense and BAKE THE ___BREAD!!!
Nov 13, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
Yes it Works!
Several people have contacted me regarding the article in Wed. Nov. 8, 2006 NY Times: "The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work." Although the techniques described in the recipe are not new to me, the combination of them was, so I stopped everything I was doing or planning to do Sunday late afternoon and threw myself into dough production. 20 hours later here's the report: The results are exactly as promised--very large holes in the crumb, light texture, thin crisp crust, and an absolute minimum of MIXING effort.
As far as putting the dough into an extremely hot and heavy pot, I think I'll stick with other equally effective methods such as a heavy baking stone that holds the heat and ice cubes tossed into a preheated cast-iron pan or perhaps the new device I'm testing that has a relatively light-weight metal lid that also gets preheated and a very effective steaming device to create steam contained by the lid.
The flavor of the bread developed during the long 12-18 hour fermentation (I gave it 15 hours) was indeed superior to a shorter rise with higher amount of yeast but not as good or as deliciously complex as when I add some of my old starter. Also, I would add my usual 7 to 8 % whole wheat or kamut flour for extra flavor and no compromise in texture.
I like the ease of minimal mixing coupled with long slow rise which develops the gluten more gently resulting in the larger holes. I also like the flavor and texture of bran instead of flour on the outside. I intend to try these techniques with my pugliese recipe which has a slighter higher 80% hydration and different mix of flours.
Two important caveats to the Times' recipe:
I watched the video on the Times' website and noticed that only 1 1/2 cups of water was used, not 1 5/8 cups as was listed in the printed recipe. The 1 5/8 cups, which is 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablesopons, constitutes an extra 2 tablespoons of water bringing the hydration to 82% as opposed to 75%. Using the 1 1/2 cups of water the dough will be much more manageable, especially for those unaccustomed to handling very sticky doughs.
Also on the video it was recommended that an oven temperature of 500°F. or even higher be used to bake the bread but in the printed recipe a more reasonable 450°F. was listed. I hedged my bets, used 475°F. and after 30 minutes of baking the bottom became slightly over browned toward the blackened stage. (Some people like their crust this dark.) Also, the bread was fully baked (210°F. internal temperature) and the top crust beautifully browned without the need to continue baking it for 15 to 30 minutes as was indicated in the recipe.
I usually wait a week before making any recipe from a newspaper to see if there are any corrections because a weekly paper is under such a heavy deadline pressure there are often little or big glitches! In this case my eagerness to try it overcame my good judgment but luckily someone sent me a link to the video. And that's the beauty of the baker's % and weight. Realizing that I had used too much water, all I had to do was rebalance the dough by gently stirring in the additional flour to bring it to 75% hydration and the extra yeast and salt to balance the extra flour. As you can see from the photos--no harm done!
Continue reading "Holy Bread!" »
Nov 14, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Press Mentions
Just got a wonderful holiday present in the mail--the advance copy of the Decemeber Woman's Day Magazine, soon to be on the stands. On page 136 is a terrific review, by associate food editor Ellen Greene, of my now SEVENTEEN year old book.
It was my wind-down, treat-to-myself book after the exhaustive process of producing "The Cake Bible."
Because of its seasonal name, it is rarely available in book stores but Jessica's Biscuit (800/878-4264) catalogue #D612 and Sweet Celebrations (800/328-6722) are both wise enough to know that these cookies know no season and always have copies in stock! (Though with this lovely mention their supply may run out quickly.)
Of course they are also available on amazon.com (there's a link from this blog under my books)
Nov 14, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
I just participated in a delightful round table at my alma mater NYU. The question came up about how food relates to various other areas of study which led to my promising to post the introduction I wrote to the Philharmonic Cookbook by June Lebell, who had been a host on WQXR, the classical radio music station for many years and also a former classmate at The High School of Music and Art, and still a dear friend.
Here it is now:
Continue reading "Food and Music" »
Nov 19, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Protecting the Pie Crust Borders from Over-browning
In the Pie and Pastry BIble I suggested making a foil band and setting it on top of the crust after it starts browning. I've since discovered that it is easier and better to apply the band at the beginning of baking. The crust will brown perfectly under the foil.
For those of you who don't have the book, to make the foil band, cut out a large circle of heavy duty foil and then cut a smaller circle in the middle to expose the top of the pie and cover only the decorative border. Bend the foil band at the edges to curve down over the sides.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 20, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Due to a Special Request:
I have signed tons of book plates and shipped them to jessica's biscuit 800/878-4264 so if you requested autographed books they now have them!
Nov 23, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Just in time for the holidays, the cake kits are now at home on their site www.coastalgoods.com (the link is on the blog as well under "sites I like." )
I hope you all enjoy them as much as I did creating them. It represents my first entry into the world of food products and I'm very pleased and proud with the outcome and with the fact that now I'm practically guaranteed of having my cakes come out of other people's oven looking and tasting the same as the ingredients will be the same quality and quantitty!
Thanksgiving may be pie time but all the upcoming holidays call for CAKE! Meantime, Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 30, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
first published in the April 2005 issue of Food Arts Magazine
It is a common misconception, which I have shared until very recently, that 100% whole wheat bread is by its very nature dense and bitter. On a trip to the Bay Area, while researching the story in this issue on the Bay Area bakeries, I was invited to an unusual bakery in Oakland: Vital Vittles, which specializes in kosher, organic, 100% whole wheat bread. They didn’t tell me why they had invited me until I tasted the bread and then Kass, the owner, admitted that it was to disprove what she had heard me say about whole wheat on the radio a year before when on tour for “The Bread Bible.”
To my amazement, the bread made with 100% whole wheat had the aroma of a new-mown lawn combined with freshly cut hay. Kass explained that the bitterness I had experienced was due to rancidity. It was absent in her bread because she used wheat berries ground the same day as baking the bread. A wheat berry can be decades old and if stored properly, will still be viable, the fats in the germ protected from oxidation by the bran, its outer coating. The moment the wheat berry is broken or ground, oxidation starts to take place. Most millers agree that once ground, the flour should be used within 3 days or held for 3 weeks due to certain enzymes that would render it undesirable for bread baking. Three months is the limit for shelf life of the whole wheat flour unless frozen. But for the best flavor, it is ideal to use it the day it is ground.
I immediately asked Kass for a few pounds of wheat berries and the day I returned home I started grinding and developing a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread. I discovered that the secret to lightness of the crumb was not only the freshness of the flour but also not allowing the dough to double during rising which tears the more fragile gluten. The result: This soft, moist, slightly chewy, crunchy with walnuts loaf that captures the true nutty-sweet multi-dimensional wheaty flavor of the grain.
Note: The average bread made with refined flour has about 66 percent hydration. This bread has almost 88 percent hydration due to the very absorbant bran. It is preferable to weigh the flour as no two flour mills grind the same, which would impact the volume significantly.
Continue reading "Rose Levy Beranbaum’s 100% Whole Wheat Epiphany Loaf" »
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