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BBB ~ Ksra (Moroccan Anise and Barley Flatbread)

Just drop dead simple/easy and oh my so very good.  Our kitchen of the month is Kelly from A Messy Kitchen who found the recipe in the New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day … and then further adapted by me because I always just can never leave well enough alone.

I topped my loaf with extra anise seeds and some black sesame seeds and totally poked it full of holes; when I took it out of the oven, I brushed the top with a little butter … yes really I did because it just is such a beautiful smile that way.
As simple as this is, it is gorgeous baking, wonderful warm and cooled, toasts like a dream, delish plain and lovely with butter or a touch of jam, great to sop up broth based soups, really any soup or stew.
This is definitely in the keeper file.  Thank you much Kelly.

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Yield: 2 round loaves 8 inch

Ksra (Moroccan Anise and Barley Flatbread)

Something of a STARTER
1/8 teaspoon yeast
130 grams sprouted spelt
120 grams water
DOUGH
340 grams Lukewarm water (100ºF or less)
1 teaspoon yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole anise seeds

30 grams ground flax seed
25 grams wheat germ
50 grams barley flour
120 grams sprouted spelt
380 grams White Whole Wheat

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Something of a STARTER:

Mix flour, water, yeast to combine. Cover and left out on counter 6 hours.

MIX DOUGH:

Mix together the yeast, salt, anise and water in a large bowl or container. Stir in the remaining ingredients and all of the something of a starter with a large wooden spoon, dough whisk, or in a mixer with the paddle. Mix until the flour is incorporated fully.

Cover and rest until the dough has fully risen and collapsed back down a bit, about 2 hours. Mine then went into the refrigerator overnight.

You may use the dough after the initial rise but it’s easier to work with cold. Dough will keep up to 10 days in the fridge.

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BAKE :

Divide the dough in half, dust with flour, and shape each portion into a ball by stretching the sides down to the bottom of the ball and folding under. You may also work with only one portion of dough if you like, the other will keep in the fridge for another day. I shaped only one loaf; returned the remaining half of the dough to refrigerator.

Flatten the dough ball into a ¾” thick round and let rest covered on a parchment lined or cornmeal dusted pizza peel for 20-30 minutes. Optional to brush the surface with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds or more anise seed. Also optional to poke the dough with a skewer in a few places prior to baking.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place a baking stone near the middle of the oven and a metal pan or broiler tray on an unused oven rack and heat a cup of water to use for steam while baking. (If you do not have a baking stone, you can use an inverted baking sheet, a cast iron pan, a pizza pan, or the grill on high!) (If you use a grill, you will need to flip the dough periodically.)

Slide rested loaf directly onto hot stone. I baked my round loaf in the pre-heated lid of a cast iron dutch oven; worked perfectly. Pour 1 cup of hot water into the metal pan or tray for steam and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until richly browned and firm.

Baked for 30 minutes. Considering all the whole grains in this, I will allow 35 minutes for the next bake.

Allow to cool before cutting into wedges to serve.

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Seriously, after you read Kelly’s post and catch the waffle recipe I don’t really think you can stop yourself baking this bread!
We would love for you to try out this recipe and join in as a buddy baker this month!  This is a wonderful bread to quickly bake up to go with any meal. You don’t have to have a blog to participate, a picture will do.  Just send a picture or your post of your finished flatbread to Kelly at eleyana (AT) aol (DOT) com, along with a photo and your baking experience by Mar. 31st and be sure to put BBBuddy in the subject line. You will receive a Bread Baking Buddy graphic to keep or add to your post, and be included in our Buddy round up at the end of the month. New recipes are posted every month on the 16th. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants’ baking results during that time.
Enjoy the BAKE!


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Red Pepper Coques ~ BBB

Red Pepper Coques

Red Pepper Coques

Feta makes it dinner!

Yes it may be pizza like in vision but this is crunchy very unlike a pizza crust.  Like pizza it comes from the Mediterranean but from Spain.
So it’s different than pizza altogether but then it’s decidedly just as enthralling in flavor and interest.
It’s simple to mix, the only special thing is an overnight in the fridge and that’s easy.
This fits in my favorite category of mix it days ahead of time and put it together like a magic trick for company.  That’s what I did with half the dough, I made this for a big family dinner.  “The Littles” (two girls under 10) said that was really good bread … but then so did all the adults. 

Two nights later, I baked a quarter of the dough and served it with a salad and called it a light dinner.  Four nights later, I served the last quarter dough round with fresh veggies and a guacamole hummus dip and called it dinner.   The dough that keeps on giving!

Yes, Karen (Karen’s Kitchen Stories) our kitchen of the month, this is very simple to do by hand, no food processor here.

Red Pepper Coques

Dough
268 grams bread flour
200 grams white whole wheat flour
30 grams ground flax seed
2 teaspoons sugar, omitted
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
10 2/3 ounces ice water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons table or fine sea salt
Red Pepper Topping
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
2 cups jarred roasted sliced red peppers
3 tablespoons sugar, omitted
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, Fini Reduction of Balsamic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, fresh basil

1. Dough
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and yeast about 5 times. Turn the processor on, and slowly pour in the ice water and process for about 10 seconds. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

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2. Add the oil and the salt to the dough and process for 30 to 60 seconds, until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the the processor, and knead by hand for a few seconds, and form it into a ball. Place it into an oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, and up to 3 days.

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3. Topping
Heat three tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12 inch non stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, red peppers, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes over medium low.
Remove the lid and continue to cook, stirring regularly, for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and stir in the vinegar. Cool completely before using. You can make the mixture in advance and refrigerate overnight.


4. To Make the Coques:
Deflate the dough and divide it into four equal sized pieces. Shape each piece into a tight ball and place, seam side down on your work surface, and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rest for an hour.
Place oven racks in the upper and lower third positions and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Brush two half sheet pans with 2 tablespoons of olive oil each.

5. Place one dough ball on your work surface, and roll it out to a 15 inch by 5 inch oval. Place it on the baking sheet, lengthwise. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls, two per baking sheet. If the dough springs back, let it rest for another 10 to 20 minutes, and re-roll. Dock each about 15 times with a fork. Brush each oblong piece of dough with the rest of the olive oil.

6. Bake the dough for 8 minutes, switching the pans at the four minute mark.
Remove the pans from the oven, and spread them with the red pepper and onion mixture. Sprinkle with the pine nuts. Place the baking sheets back into the oven, and bake for 16 minutes, switching and rotating the pans at the 8 minute mark. Continue to bake until the flatbreads are golden and crispy.
Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on the pans for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley, and transfer to a cutting board to slice and serve.

Red Pepper Coques

Feta makes it dinner!

There is simply no way you should not bake this … it is just delightful. Too good to pass up and so simple to put together.
If you want to bake along, email Karen your photo or blog link to karen.h.kerr@gmail.com and she’ll feature you in a follow up post and send you a really cool badge.


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10 Years Bread Baking Babes

The Bread Baking Babes have a cloudy past. You have your choice as to where and who all the histrionics originated with. There could be some case made that it started with Karen of BakeMyDay. There could be some case made that it started with Ilva. And there could be some case made that Ilva put a name to it while we were baking a Daring Baker challenge over what was then Skype. Out of those clouds the Babes emerged. We’re Beautiful, Boisterous, Brilliant, Bold, Buxom, Busy, Bewitching, Brash, Bourbon Basted, Bread Baking Babes, that’s 12 B’s. And, as you know, B-12 is one of the essential nutrients that’s found in….bread! (I believe Lynn put those altogether for us.) We’ve rallied at the opportunity to be called Babes. I mean, when you get to be my age, you never pass up an opportunity to be called Babe!

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That’s how my first post for this bread started 10 years ago.   And since then?  We have been baking, oh Babe have we been baking! This month’s recipe was chosen by Karen from BakeMyDay 10 year ago.  I believe Lien is the only Babe to have managed every bread we’ve bake, one every month.  Yes, even I think I can do the simple math on that one 10 years times 12 months gives you 120 loaves of bread.  I’ve missed several but I’ve tried not to count.  Even so, it’s a lot of bread but the fun has been so much more than the bread.  I’ve loved every minute AND I’ve loved ever Babe.

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Over those 10 years, we’ve all baked a LOT of bread. A number of Babes have retired for many and varied reasons. But, once a Babe always a Babe.

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Karen, golly wow 10 years, so many breads, so many good times. This bread was a stunner to me 10 years ago and it’s still a thrill to take it out of the oven.  Many folds, LONG rises but so glorious.  Thank You so many times for so Much.  Check out Karen’s BakeMyDay for the recipe write up because I’m not going to put it up here just right yet.

Lien, gracious what can I say. You are a wonder. 120 breads and all our badges for Babes and Buddies. Never forget.  You can retire, take a break BUT: Once a Babe, Always a Babe.  Thank you for everything.

I am so happy you baked again with us Sara.  I understand entirely that the flour on the top matters not because this is just wonderful bread.  It was a joy and stunning the first time around 10 years ago and is again every time I’ve baked.  Yes, I loved that Dan’s Garlic as well!

Cathy. Awe struck I am. Yeast water and grows her own grains.

Karen yes we have two. Karen talks about being a newbie and this being a surprise. I agree this is always a glorious surprise when I take it out of the oven but you know by the holes in the crumb Karen is not a newbie, she’s a Babe.

Judy this bread wants/tries to be lazy but the oven seems to give it that oven spring go and you get those lovely holes! Babe Success.

Elizabeth Truly for the Babes this has proven to be an iconic bread. I thought is thrilling the first time and then every time since taking it from my oven. Pinto Bean soup and this bread buttered, glorious breakfast! Really Elizabeth you were a Babe from the start and only became more so after the invite ;-). Glorious bread, lovely color. Wonderful times, glorious bread.

Pat Oh, Pat I love the anniversary photo with the dough streaking down. Your bread is glorious. Now I need another loaf to make avocado toast with! Super to have you with us Babe.

Kelly Only with us 2 years! Ha, from the looks of your bread it’s been forever and you did it without bread flour? Oh, only part Spelt and Kamut, more challenging flours. That’s definitely a Babe.

Aparna Great crown for our 10th! Difficult to know how different flours will behave until we try them all. I appreciate that only two to eat the breads is tricky, I found it much easier when there were more friends and family around to share.

The hardest part about this bread is to know where to start telling you about it. You see I baked it three times in the last three weeks (10 years ago). In the last ten years I’ve baked this bread I would guess at least once a year and some years more. This time around I’ve only baked it once …  But the year is young.

I will follow tomorrow with the recipe here but you can know I used sprouted whole wheat for 30% of my flour and of course I added some flax 30 grams.

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If you would like to become a Bread Baking Buddy, here’s how it works:

  • The Kitchen of the Month (Tanna this time!).
  • Email me with BBB 10th anniversary in the subject line, with your name and the link to the post.
  • Post your “baking the bread” experience on your blog mentioning Bread Baking Babes with a link to the MyKitchenInHalfCups.com.
  • The Kitchen of the Month will put up a list of our Bread Baking Buddies at her site and send you a neat BBB award for this bread that you can then add to your post on your blog.

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I need to bake again so I can dip it in olive oil and pepper.


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Tootmaniks Gotovo Testo ~ BBB ~ Bake Me!

 


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Late to the Party ~ Asparagus Salmon

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We found this extraordinarily impressive.

Asparagus Salmon

Recipe By: Michel Richard
Serving Size: 4

CUT BEFORE BAKING otherwise the cuts flake the fish and it looks ragged.
I cut the salmon from the end,  laid the salmon on one half and then folded it over.  Directions below describe a much more complicated process.  I think if i had a knife with double shape edges, the tunnel idea would be easy to execute.  Short of that, I’ll try either a boneing knife or a fish knife and try for a tunnel.
We really enjoyed this.  Without the asparagus stuffed, this is just ordinary excellent salmon.  Stuffed it is ordinary excellent salmon with WOW presentation.  Well worth the minimal effort if you knead or just desire WOW.

This is the first I’ve heard of Michel Richard who died in 2016.  Thomas Keller wrote the forward for this book.  Keller has tremendous praise for Michel Richard, so much so that I’m very sorry I didn’t come on to him much sooner.  The book is full of doable recipes that are WOW presentations, it also has many recipes that I would never attempt. But I love the book and would rate it 5 starts.

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* FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
* 4 asparagus spears, peeled, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
* 1/4 cup water
* 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional to brush the salmon
* 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* Pinch sugar
* Salt
* FOR THE SALMON
* 20 (24 ounces) equally sized asparagus spears, peeled
* 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped tarragon
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (20 ounces) 8- to 9-inch-long skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut, pin bones removed

Directions:

1. For the vinaigrette: Combine the asparagus pieces, water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool; transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Place in a bowl and add the mustard, lemon juice, sugar and the remaining olive oil. Season lightly with salt. Whisk until emulsified.

2. For the salmon: Have a large bowl of ice water ready.
I microwaved the asparagus for 3 minutes with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.  When it is ready,  place it in the ice water to stop the cooking.
When cooled, remove from the ice water and lay the asparagus on a long piece of heavy plastic wrap. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon, then season lightly with salt and pepper, rolling the spears to coat evenly with the seasonings.
If you make a tunnel through the salmon:  Bundle the spears so that half their tips point one way and half the other, and encase the asparagus in the wrap. Tie one end of the bundle with kitchen twine, and tether it to a table knife along its length.

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3. Place the fillet on a work surface and use a long, thin knife to cut a center pocket through to the other cut side. Work slowly and carefully. Essentially, you are cutting a tunnel through the length of the fillet, leaving at least a 1/2-inch wall uncut on each side.

4. Using the tethered table knife as a guide, carefully pull the asparagus bundle through the pocket. Unwind the ends of the plastic, slide the wrap from around the asparagus and discard. The salmon should now look like a stuffed log. Place it on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.

5. Carefully cut the stuffed salmon log into four equal cross-sectioned pieces. If the log pieces are not tight, tie each one around the circumference with kitchen twine to hold it together. (Be sure to remove the twine after the fish is grilled.) Brush each piece with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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6. Bake the salmon 30 minutes at 400°.

7. Spoon some of the vinaigrette on the center of each plate. Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the salmon pieces to individual serving plates. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.


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Jachnun ~ BBB ~ Questions of BREAD ~ 12 hours baking

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What makes it bread?  Is it one or more ingredient? Is it how we use/eat it?  Is there any one thing about bread that makes it bread?  The Babes have danced around this question in various ways from time to time.  Coffee cake? Does it qualify as bread because it uses yeast … because we eat it like bread … or because we eat it drinking coffee for breakfast?  Does a quick bread using no yeast but baking soda qualify because it’s named bread?  What qualifies bread to be bread?

Lien  brought us to the kitchen table with this introduction and question and her answer to the question:  This recipe was stuck in my head for a while. I guess the 12 hour baking time did that. Then I wondered is this a bread? No yeast, but baking powder?! No yeast can still make real bread, think flatbread, wraps and so on. But baking powder is linked to pastry in my brain. Things like banana bread (with baking powder/soda) is called a bread in English, but for me that’s a loaf cake and absolutely not a bread. So I let it sink in for a while to decide if it was bread worthy or not. It is not sweet, not eaten with sweet things, even if it is a breakfast item. And it’s function is a bread… I can see it like that, and so it is, and that’s what we’re baking. … It feels like an adventure…

What makes bread BREAD?  Not sure I have the answer but this is bread by any qualifying test I can come up with.  What do you think?

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Jachnun ~ BBB

Serving: 9-12

500 g bread flour, 100 grams of the 500 white whole wheat
45 g date syrup, recipe called for 20 of honey
pinch of baking powder, generous
12 g fine salt
300 ml water to make spongy dough
60 grams butter, melted

*Zhug
1 teaspoon chili flakes, or 1 red fresh chili pepper (or 1 tsp chili flakes)
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander, ground
4 medium garlic cloves
Pinch of cardamom, ground
Pinch of cloves, ground
½ teaspoon salt
30 g coriander leaves (or parsley if you dislike coriander)
Olive oil, enough to make a sauce-like consistency

Place all ingredients in a bowl and crush it to a sauce in a blender or with a stick blender.
Place the Zhug in a clean jar and refrigerate.
(Fridge shelf life about 2 weeks)
Serve with:
8 eggs, poached
1 large tomato (or 2 smaller ones)

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1. DOUGH
Mix the flour, date syrup, baking powder, salt and water together to form a sticky wet  dough and knead for a few minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes to let the gluten relax.  Next time: use at least half white whole wheat flour.  I think using the bread flour probably gave this the gluten needed to give this dough needed stretch so I’ll stick with bread flour for at least 50%.

To develop gluten you now start to knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place it in a lightly greased bowl and give it a stretch and fold like this: Lift up the side of the dough and fold it over, turn the bowl and repeat this for about 7 or 8 times.
Cover with plastic and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Or leave your dough until evening.

2. PAN & OVEN
You can use a (ovenproof) cooking pan or springform (about 20 cm in diameter). Given an ill equipped kitchen, I used a skillet with lid.

Fold a long piece of parchment paper lengthwise and place it in the pan, so the ends hang over the rim of the pot.
Preheat the oven to 105ºC/225ºF and place a rack in the lowest position in your oven.  I might try one notch up from the lowest position to see if it would reduce toughness on the bottom of the rolls OR I wonder if lining the bottom of the pan with bread would influence that.

I mixed my dough early in the morning and didn’t shape it until 6 in the evening.

3. SHAPING

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Divide the dough in 6 more or less equal pieces, shape them into a ball and leave to rest 10 minutes before the stretching begins. I divided the dough into 6 pieces and rolled three that size. But the last 3 pieces I divided in half which gave me 6 smaller jachnun.  I liked the smaller size best.  Next time I will divide the dough to make 12 rolls.
To shape these rolls you have to stretch them using butter, oil or margarine.  Butter, flavor … I used butter.
Grease your work surface, place one piece of dough on it, grease the top and start working to make it the thinnest possible, while greasing it constantly. It is best to do this by hand, other methods (rolling pin) do not give the thinness.
When the dough is very thin (preferably like fillo or strudel dough) fold 1/3 of one side over onto the dough, repeat with the other side (like a business letter). You now have a long strip, keep buttering/greasing the top, while you roll – starting at the narrow edge- the dough in a tight cylinder.

This video will show you how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oygxy4i3u30

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When I shaped the first roll, the video rolled in my head and I found myself patting the dough flat and lifting around the edges, stretching it out.  I didn’t get the nearly perfect rectangle that she did in the video but the defects pretty much didn’t bother the final outcome.

4. Prepare for the oven
I placed my rolls in a single layer which allowed them all to color evenly and dark golden brown.  NOTE: Would a layer of bread on the bottom of the pan prevent the hardness on the bottom of the rolls?  Would just moving the oven rack from the very bottom rack up one would solve that issue?
Traditionally eggs are cooked in the pan with the rolls, I skipped that part but I did have one of the rolls warmed with a poached egg the second morning.  It’s perfect breakfast.
Take a double layer of aluminum foil, cover the pot, securing the edges of the pan. Use a lid or a sheet pan to place on top of the foil. (or use a lid if available to keep it tight).
Place it on the rack in the oven and bake for 12 hours.

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5. You should understand you have to plan the timing of this… or get up in the middle of the night.
Mixing the dough in the early morning, leaving it out on the counter during the day, shaping the rolls and putting them into the oven at about the same hour in the evening that you want to take them out in the morning worked beautifully for me.  A twelve hour bake at 225 F worked perfectly.

The next morning you take out the pan, place the jachnuns on a plate and serve it with eggs around them. Serve with grated tomato and Zhug (a spicy and hot dipping sauce) for breakfast.  Reheat well.

I’ve marked this a laminated bread because of all the butter plastered on the dough and stretching it thin and folding and rolling AND because the aroma when I took this warm from the oven reminded me of croissants.

The book “Breaking breads” has a slightly different recipe for Jachnun.  It calls for all purpose flour.  My feeling is you’ll get better gluten development and crumb using bread flour but I did not try all purpose.  Experience/intuition tells we this would traditionally have been bake using whole wheat flour and butter.   I might try this with all white whole wheat just to see what it does, it would be better for me health wise but I wouldn’t want to lose the gluten the bread flour seems to add.

Cafe Liz has  interesting points on Jachnun and is worth checking out as well.

And Zhug … don’t miss it. WOW glorious. Too strong for you, reduce the hot stuff and/or miss in a little goat cheese.
Lien I will forever be grateful for this “bread”.

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You can see the crumb here is very bread like … no yeast can be bread?  Now go dip that in a poached egg will you?  Well, it’s my idea of a little roll of heaven and it’s bread.  So, yeast does not define BREAD.  What defines bread as BREAD?  I’ll keep baking…

Bake with us … help define BREAD … be a Bread Baking Buddy.   It is an adventure bake. Wanna give it a go, be Brave and become our Bread Baking Buddy. Shape, bake, sleep, taste, take a picture, tell us about it and sent it to the Kitchen of the month (that’s me this time: notitievanlien(at)gmail(dot)com) subject: BBBread february. And I’ll send you the Bread Baking Buddy Badge in return, to add to your post if you like ánd I’ll add you to the BBB Round-up, which will be on around March first. Deadline 29th of this month. Have fun baking!

By the way, this is Gorn’s latest love.

 


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RUSSIAN CHRYSANTHEMUM BREAD ~ BBB

This month’s bread is visually stunning, looks fancy and like it could be fussy.  But it’s not … fussy that is.

Lien, our Kitchen of the Month for November, introduced this bread as savory.  I changed around Lien’s suggested filling slightly but the lamb sounded good and I’m always in for savory.  We really really enjoyed this over several days, for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.  I would absolutely bake this again just as I’ve written it below.  I would absolutely recommend you get in the kitchen and bake it too.

Russian Chrysanthemum Bread

Recipe By: Lien:  adapted from: http://www.stranamam.ru/post/8536219/
Yield: one large round loaf; or two smaller

DOUGH
350 grams bread flour
100 grams sprouted wheat flour
50 grams white whole wheat flour
7 grams dry instant yeast
20 grams ground flax seed
20 grams chia seeds
125 ml milk, lukewarm
125 yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
90 ml olive oil
GLAZE, I omitted this
1 TBsp milk
1 egg yolk
Equipment Needed
1 round cookie cutter 2 1/2 inches in diameter
large shallow pie dish 28 cm in diameter
My FILLING
450 grams lamb ground, sauted
½ red pepper, seeds removed, chopped fine
1 poblano chile, chopped fine
3 garlic clove, chopped
1 red onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon all spice
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
80 grams grated smoked gruyere cheese, grated for topping/garnish
water, to give moisture or tomato sauce

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1. DOUGH I omitted sugar called for in Lein’s recipe and mixed yeast and salt with the flours, flax and chia seeds.  I mixed yogurt, egg and oil together.  Then I mixed the dry ingredients with the wet.  Knead into a supple dough.

2. Shape into a ball and let rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered with plastic foil. Let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled.

3. FILLING I made this several days before baking.
Glaze the chopped onion and garlic in a frying pan. Leave to cool.
Mix the ingredients except the cheese for the filling well. Set aside.

4. SHAPE & FINAL RISE Lightly grease your pie dish.
Work with about ⅓ of the dough at the time.  I didn’t read this and divided the dough in half; really divide in 3 parts would work much better.

Roll it out to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter.
Place 1 tablespoon of filling on each round and sprinkle with some cheese. Fold the circle in half, and fold the two point together. It now looks like a petal.

Place in the pie dish, starting around the border with the point of the petal facing to the center. Repeat until there is just  a little space left in the middle. Make three slightly smaller circles, fill and fold as the others and place them in the middle. Cover with lightly greased plastic  or foil and leave to rest and rise for about 45 minutes.

5. BAKE Preheat the oven to 180ºC  (356°F)

Whisk egg yolk and milk for the glaze and brush the bread with it. I sprayed mine with water.
Place the bread in the oven on a rack and bake for 25 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 170ºC (340°F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden.
When the loaf is done, take it out of the oven and the tin, place on a wire rack and brush with some melted butter. Let cool or eat warm.

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Notes:

Divide dough into three parts for easier handling.

Recipe makes enough dough for more than one 8 inch pie plate or perhaps I rolled my dough too thin.

Place small round baking dish in center if a dip is desired.

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Sometimes stunning can seem like a limit.  By that I mean, at least for me, when Lien introduced this as savory for some reason all I could think of was a meat filling (even though she suggested a bean filling as a meat substitute idea).  Now, that I’ve baked this I’m struck with how fabulous these little pull apart bites are and how incredibly versatile this bread could be.  Perhaps it started when Karen put up her Pizza Chrysanthemum Bread.

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Now, I have a constant running loop of “fillings” for this bread and they are not all savory: Peanut Butter & Jelly;  Garlic Butter;  Pepperoni Pizza;  Chicken Enchilada;  Refried Black Bean & Salsa;  Cinnamon Sugar;  Chocolate Chip with Peanut Butter;  …  and with the holidays coming up how about some traditionals like Mince Meat;  Pumpkin Pie; … well let’s just go with Pie as in Apple Pie …  Are you catching my drift?  This is a stunning shape for a bread.  The small bite size makes it perfect for so many different meals and snacks, it’s absolutely a natural for a party of any sort.

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Yes, we really did have it for breakfast.  Much better than an egg mcmuffin.

Go BAKE, Be a BUDDY.  Tell me you love me … well, just tell me you love BREAD will be good.

As Lien says it:  Become our Bread Baking Buddy, bake, blog, post, tell us about it and you’ll be added to the round up post on my blog (begin of December) ánd you’ll receive the Bread Baking Buddy Badge that you can add to your post if you want. So get baking and sent you details to notitievanlien (at) gmail (dot) com. Subject: BBBuddy. Deadline is the 29th of November. Have fun baking!


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A Simple Little Thing with Consequences

Most of us try to eat healthy.  Most of us try to cook with a variety of grains.  I’m a very firm believer in variety is good for the body and soul on so many levels.  I really do enjoy barley … but it hardly ever appears on my table except in soup and a rare risotto.  I had a half used package of prosciutto … yes I know prosciutto is a ham and not barley but just come along for a little will you, humor me … it was time to finish the package of prosciutto.

Enter from stage right:  Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, a new book recently appearing on my book shelf.  “Before it sits there so long it gets old and forgotten, perhaps it will have the perfect recipe using prosciutto.”  And so it did … well it had one … a very simple thing – it’s one exotic ingredient (truffle oil) I was just out of.  Without the truffle oil I determined it needed a little increase in flavor.

In addition to the bay leaf and rosemary called for in this, I used chicken stock to replace the water to cook the barley.  So I cooked a cup of barley.  Then it called for Prosciutto to be crisped in a little olive oil.  When ready to serve mix it all together.  No truffle oil to finish the dish with … ah, ha a teaspoon of butter.  That’s simple.  OK but that’s not really dinner is it?  The flavor was excellent.  Prosciutto and barley needs veggies!  What’s in the refrigerator … I wish I could ask what’s ready in the garden but the answer wouldn’t really help since there’s jalopeno and herbs?  In my refrigerator on this day there was asparagus and broccoli.  Both went in for the last 8 minutes the barley simmered.

Barley w Crisped Prosciutto … Asparagus and Broccoli

Now, perhaps you may think that because I really redid the recipe, the book might be a waste.  I would disagree.  Without the book, I don’t think I’d ever have gotten to this dish.  Any cookbook that provides me with a jump into new territory is good with me.

The consequences: the next morning it became a wonderful breakfast;-)

Barley w Crisped Prosciutto ... Asparagus and Broccoli ... with an egg = breakfast!

Barley w Crisped Prosciutto … Asparagus and Broccoli … with an egg = breakfast!

Stay tuned for further barley consequences …

Barley w Crisped Prosciutto
Ancient Grains for Modern Meals p 140