recipe

March 7, 2021March 7, 2021

Sourdough Baguettes – a study

This article is from The Perfect Loaf. I did not write this. I wanted to grab it for later reference and share with my friends.

July 30, 2018
• 17 min read

I’ve fallen hard for these pointy sticks. Their beautifully exaggerated shape starts with a thick center and transitions into dangerously sharp instruments at the ends. Colors stretching from the periphery of black to almost-too-light; contrast that elicits stares. A creamy and tender interior that’s so porous it soaks the butter inevitably spread thick during moments of eager anticipation. Pure sourdough baguettes are a tricky thing, I think, but when everything lines up just right all your past shortcomings discovered in testing vanish in an instant. All the trials and tests and tweaks fade away, leaving only a sense of accomplishment — that feeling of satisfaction that only comes when expectation and end result align.

These beautiful baguettes do take concerted effort and practice but the results are absolutely worth the work. Ok, technically these are demi-baguettes given their shorter stature and perhaps reduced dough weight, but the nature of this bread holds to the ideal. The slender shape, thin-crust, and delicate interior simply exude baguette, even if their specs are a little skewed.

I’ve been working on this recipe relentlessly, and if you follow me on Instagram you know this, but all the work put into these revolves around the simple fact baguettes are just plain challenging. I find that beyond the required fermentation attention, flour selection, hydration adjustments, cold versus warm bulk decisions, and seeking that correct proof point, there’s the matter of coercing the dough delicately into the correct shape. As with many things, they simply require practice.

Their challenge stems from the fact that even small shaping mishaps will show themselves quite clearly in the end result. There’s a reason why many bakers consider baguettes to be one of the hardest breads to make… A benchmark of sorts. But even if the shape or the interior isn’t exactly perfect, they’re always delicious and incredibly rewarding to make. Plus, the more you make them, the more the process slows down internally, the more all the small adjustments add up to large improvements.

Because shaping these sourdough baguettes can be frustrating at times, I’ve written an entire guide to shaping baguettes—complete with a video (which is also included below) to help illustrate things in real-time. I plan to flesh the guide out even further with alternate shaping methods as I experiment and work at these into the future. But as-is, the guide is a concise reference point for shaping sourdough baguettes.

Let’s talk about flour.

Flour Selection

In my early iterations of this formula, I worked in 10% white spelt flour (that’s spelt flour that has some percentage of bran/germ sifted out). My intention was to introduce more extensibility in the dough along with the classic, and wonderful, flavor of spelt. After many trials I decided to drop the spelt due to a few reasons:

at 73% hydration, this dough had plenty of extensibility
while whole grain spelt flour has an amazing flavor, 10% white spelt just didn’t contribute enough to the end result
white spelt flour can be hard to obtain

In the end, I substituted out the spelt for a higher protein white flour (in this case Central Milling High Mountain, 13% protein). This formula could easily be adapted to be 100% lower-protein white flour, omitting the high protein flour entirely. If you take this path, know that the dough might be a little more extensible and sticky, potentially requiring a longer mix time.

Sourdough Baguettes

Similar to my Kamut demi-baguette recipe, I utilized a short warm, and long cold, two-step bulk fermentation for this dough. When I tested cold proofing these baguettes in shape the results always yielded a slightly thicker crust compared to a warm final proof. Further, a cold bulk also adds to the flexibility and convenience of this dough.

This flexible dough can be warm-bulked for same-day baguettes or cold-bulked overnight for baguettes fresh the next day.

The entire process is split up over the course of two days. This affords you the option to bake the baguettes the next day when you want them — for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner.

Vitals

The following sourdough baguette formula results in 6 demi-baguettes. I baked these in two batches of three in my home oven. When baking the first three, the remaining three were rested in the fridge on a proofing board.

Total Dough Weight	2100 grams
Pre-fermented Flour	4.00%
Hydration	73.00%
Yield	6 x 350g sourdough baguettes (appx 14″ long)

Total Formula

This is a roll-up of the entire formula for this dough. Read on to see the levain and the dough mix broken out into two separate tables.

Note: Going forward this will be how I list dough formulas here to help avoid confusion. The Total Formula table below shows a snapshot of the overall percentages of each ingredient, their weights, and a description of the flour. Each subsequent table (Levain, Dough Mix) shows only what you need to mix for that component (Levain and Dough Mix), independently.

For an in-depth explanation on how I use Baker’s Percentages below, see my beginner’s sourdough post.

Weight	Ingredient	Baker’s Percentage
1056g	White bread flour, malted (Giusto’s Artisan Bread Flour, ~11.5% protein)	90.00%
117g	High protein bread flour (Central Milling High Mountain, ~13% protein)	10.00%
856g	Water	73.00%
24g	Salt	2.00%
47g	Starter (100% hydration)	4.00%

Levain (liquid & mild)

One of my goals with these sourdough baguettes was to keep the flavor profile mild and just-barely-sour. Utilizing all white flour in the levain, high hydration, and using it before it becomes overly ripe all ensure acidity is kept low. These properties eventually transfer over to the final dough itself. See my discussion on what a levain is and how to adjust the flavor profile for more information.

Weight	Ingredient	Baker’s Percentage
47g	Mature liquid starter (100% hydration)	100%
47g	White bread flour, malted (Giusto’s Artisan Bread Flour, 11.5% protein)	100%
47g	Water	100%

This is a fast levain build: we go from feeding to maturity in only 3 hours. The high inoculation percentage and warm temperature expedite the maturation of this levain. If you’d like to stretch this time out a bit, to better fit your schedule, drop the inoculation down to 50% mature starter and it’ll be ready in around 5-6 hours.

At 100% inoculation my levain was ready to be mixed into the dough after 3 hours when kept at 77-80°F (25-26°C).

Above you can see a picture of my levain right before mixing it into my dough. Plenty of bubbles on top and the sides, and if you look closely, you’ll see it just starting to fall at the edges.

Dough Mix

The target final dough temperature (FDT) is 79°F (26°C).

Note that the table below shows the weights for the ingredients only for the final sourdough baguette dough mix. In other words, the weight of the flour here will be less than the Total Formula lists above because some flour needs to be used to build the levain, above.

Weight	Ingredient
1009g	White bread flour, malted (Giusto’s Artisan Bread Flour, ~11.5% protein)
117g	High protein bread flour (Central Milling High Mountain, ~13% protein)
810g	Water
24g	Fine sea salt
141g	Mature, but mild, liquid levain (see above)

Method

1. Liquid Levain – 10:30 a.m.

Build the levain (everything listed in the Levain section, above) and store somewhere around 78°F (25°C) ambient until ripe, about 3 hours.

2. Autolyse – 12:45 p.m.

Add the called for flour, and all but 100g of the called for water to a mixing bowl. Mix by hand until fully incorporated. Cover the bowl and let autolyse for 1 hour.

See my guide to the autolyse technique for more information on its benefits and why I used it with these baguettes.

3. Mix – 1:45 p.m.

To the mixing bowl, add the liquid levain, salt, and the rest of the reserved water.

Mix in the bowl for 5-8 minutes until the dough starts to smooth out some. Alternatively, you could scoop the dough out to the counter and slap/fold (French fold) the dough until you see medium development (my preference and it took me about 5 minutes of mixing).

At the end of mixing, the dough won’t look incredibly smooth or firm; it’ll still look shaggy and feel slightly slack. Further strength will be imparted during bulk fermentation physically (through stretch and folds) and organically (through fermentation itself).

Transfer the dough to a tub or thick-walled bowl for bulk fermentation.

4. Warm Bulk Fermentation – 2:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

During this phase (of the two-step bulk fermentation phase), give the dough three sets of stretch and folds, starting 30 minutes after the beginning of bulk (i.e., 2:30 p.m.). After the last set, let the dough rest untouched for 15 minutes.

This warm bulk fermentation will last a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes. The dough will clearly show signs of fermentation activity: it will be smoother and show some small bubbles on the surface.

5. Cold Bulk Fermentation – 3:45 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. (next day)

At this point, you can choose to cold-bulk the dough until the next day (as I do in this post) or continue to bulk ferment the dough on the counter for a same-day bake. Same-day baguettes tend to have an even more mild flavor profile. This pushes the flavor of the grain itself forward, resulting in reduced acidity and sourness.

If you choose to make same-day baguettes, proceed with bulk fermentation on the counter until the dough looks ready to divide, likely 1-1.5 hours more. Then, shape them and proof in the same way as described below.

If you choose to proceed with a cold bulk fermentation, place the covered bulk container into your fridge until the next day.

6. Divide & Preshape – 11:00 a.m. (next day)

I chose to remove the dough from the fridge at 11:00 a.m. the next day, but this time is very flexible. I’ve removed it a few hours early, and up to 5 hours later, and the results were equally great. As I said earlier, this dough is very flexible.

In the image above you can see the top of my cold-bulked dough right when pulled from the fridge. Plenty of activity, but not exceedingly gassy or risen. Relaxed and active.

Gently scrape the dough from the bulk container to an un-floured work surface. The dough will feel cold, slightly damp, and firm. Divide into 350g pieces and preshape the pieces of dough into rounds (my preference) or rough tubes. Because the dough is cold and firm, very little bench flour is needed to pre-shape. Let the preshaped dough rest for 30 minutes, uncovered.

7. Shape – 11:30 a.m.

Prepare a board with a kitchen towel or proofing linen (couche) to proof your shaped baguettes. For further instruction on this, head over to my Kamut demi-baguette post to see pictures of my couche ready for dough.

After the preshaped rounds have rested 30 minutes, shape each piece into a long baguette, approximately 14″ long for a home oven.

Proof the pieces until they pass the poke test, about 1 hour and 45 minutes at room temperature. I shaped these baguettes in my typical way, as seen in the video to the side. For more in-depth information on shaping check out my guide to shaping sourdough baguettes.

Shaping baguettes are something that requires practice. Try not to get discouraged when shaping, take it slow and focus on one motion at a time.

8. Proof – 12:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Try to keep your proofing board away from drafts as the dough can quickly develop a crust on the outside. It may help to drape the edges of your linen over the shaped baguettes or cover them loosely with plastic. If you cover with plastic, be aware the dough may stick.

9. Bake – Preheat oven at 12:45 p.m., bake at 1:45 p.m.

Preheat your oven with baking stone/steel for one hour at 500°F (260°C).

One challenge with these baguettes is you’ll likely have to bake these in two batches. If you have two racks each with a baking stone (or Baking Steel), you could utilize both surfaces and bake all six simultaneously. My method is to break the bake up into two sessions: in the first, three are loaded and baked. Then, the remaining three baguettes are left on the couche, folded up gently, and placed into the refrigerator until it’s time to start the second baking session.

To start the first baking session, ready a pizza peel lined with parchment paper. I use one large piece to cover the entire peel, which is the same width as my baking surface.

Grab the right end of the couche and pull it out, moving the piece of dough away from the rest. Then, using a dough transfer board (a smaller pizza peel or a small cutting board could also work), place the board to the inside of the baguette (the side closest the rest of the dough pieces). With the hand holding the couche, quickly flip the dough onto the peel by tugging up and slightly over the transfer board. The baguette should now be seam side down on the transfer board.

Slide the dough off the transfer board and onto the prepared pizza peel with parchment paper, seam side down, and continue until you have three pieces.

Once all three baguettes are on the parchment paper, score each with three slashes. Each slash should be reasonably shallow to the dough, and the beginning of one should overlap about 20% of the previous.

Slide the parchment paper with dough onto your baking surface. Due to the smaller mass, these baguettes will take less time to bake than a large hearth loaf. Once you load the dough, steam the oven and turn it down to 475°F (246°C). Bake for 20 minutes with steam. Then, remove the pans used for steaming, vent the oven, and turn it down to 450°F (230°C). Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until done.

Cool on a rack and repeat for the remaining three baguettes from the fridge.

I steamed my oven in my usual way, described here in my post on how to steam your home oven for baking.

Conclusion

These sourdough baguettes taste rich, exquisite, delicate, and yet, they have an exposed rough side. The brittle crust grounds the eating experience and gives body to the otherwise tender bread. It’s through this contrast that the bread is elevated to the next level—a baguette with a soft, flimsy crust would be a sad baguette indeed.

The only downside to making these baguettes is also what makes them so unique: because of their small circumference and thin crust, they’re best eaten on the day you bake them. After the first day, they begin to lose their texture, and the crust either becomes overly hard (if in a dry climate) or soft (if in a humid environment). This puzzle is easily solved, however: invite your friends over, slice every baguette, and stand back as they’re gone before the end of the night.

Crust

The golden, dark crust on these baguettes is just thick enough. Thick enough to provide great mouthfeel and structure, but not overly thick as to diminish one of the defining characteristics of a baguette itself. A commercially yeasted baguette may yield a thinner crust, but I dare say these come close. Plus, it’s hard to deny the exciting flavor from natural leavening and overnight proof.

Crumb

The interior is tender, open, and glossy. I love the contrast between the extremes: when cut the crust wants to shatter like a cracker, and the crumb wants to stretch and tear like cotton candy.

Taste

Even though they’re comprised of 100% white flour, they have depth and richness that seems to defy logic. These sourdough baguettes taste like they have a very light spread of butter even without a trace of the stuff. Perhaps it’s the supple texture of the interior playing tricks on me, maybe its the grain, or perhaps it’s the magic of sourdough and fermentation. Whatever the cause, I’ll take it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it a million times more: fermentation is a mysterious and beautiful thing. I hope you try this recipe and you show up to your next gathering with an armful of exquisite, and incredibly delicious, pointy sticks.

Sourdough Baguettes Troubleshooting

Why are these scaled to 350g?

One (of the many) reasons I like to do a cold proof with almost all my other doughs is because scoring is much easier. When the dough is warm, it’s easy for your blade to drag and get stuck. The best advice I have here is to use a new, super sharp blade and make your cuts as smooth and fast as possible. If you notice you didn’t cut through the skin of the dough sufficiently in the first pass, lightly drag the blade inside the cut to give it a little help.

June 29, 2019August 21, 2019

Walnut Levain

I used the recipe below, starting it with my sourdough starter.

I also referenced this article for the process.

https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/classic-sourdough-bread-pain-au-levain

June 29, 2016August 21, 2019

Rustic Bread with a sponge

THE SPONGE (BEGIN THE NIGHT BEFORE)

227g cool water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
142g King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
14g King Arthur Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour
7g yellow cornmeal
11g semolina flour

THE DOUGH

227g cool water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
14g granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
419g King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

Instructions

To make the sponge: Place all of the sponge ingredients in the bucket of your bread machine. Program the machine for dough or manual, press start, and let the machine run until everything is thoroughly combined. Close the lid, cancel the machine, and let the sponge rest at room temperature overnight, or for 8 to 12 hours.

The next day, add all of the dough ingredients to the sponge in the bucket. Program your machine for dough or manual, and press start. As the dough begins to mix it should form first a soft mass, then eventually a ball that’s soft, but not overly sticky. Adjust with additional flour or water as necessary.

When the cycle is complete, remove the dough from the machine. Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes. If you want to leave the dough all day, place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and refrigerate it.

When you’re ready to work with it, deflate the dough gently and form it into a round ball, Place the ball, seam side-down, on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.

Cover the dough lightly. Let it rise a second time until it’s puffy and about 30% to 40% larger, about 1 hour (or longer, if the dough has been refrigerated). Don’t let it rise too much, since it rises some more in the oven and, if it’s over-proofed initially, it’ll collapse as it bakes.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Make several 1/4″ to 1/2″ slashes or crosshatches in top of the loaf. Using a clean plant mister, spritz the loaf with water. Spray some water into the oven, and place the bread on the lowest rack.

Spritz the oven walls every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Lower the heat to 425°F (this reduction in heat mimics the “falling oven” used by brick-oven bakers, and will give your bread an incredible crust), and continue to bake until well-browned, about 35 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should register at least 190°F on a digital thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store, cut side down, on a counter (do not cover). Yes, this really works; your bread will remain fresh but not soggy for several days. (See “tips,” below).

April 7, 2016April 25, 2020

Making Sourdough

Sourdough can be pretty easy, and can get more complicated. The easiest form of sourdough is starter + flour + water + salt. Getting the starter going is a bit more complicated and and the type of flour you use can add complexities to the baking process.

Here’s the easy recipe:

Ingredients

Ingredient	weight in grams	bakers %	cups
starter	230	40%	1 cup
flour	575	100%	2.5 cups
water	375	65%	1.5 cups
salt	14.2	0.024%	0.5poz

Explanation
The ingredients listed above are by weight. I included cup measurements in case you don’t have a scale. The cup measurements are approximate. I’ve tossed in the percentages just because I’m geeky that way.

It’s important that you use “bread flour”. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all purpose flour. It’s the proteins that help form gluten which helps the bread taste better and rise and all that. You can find bread flour at any grocery store.

You can use whole wheat, rye or spelt flours too, but be sure that you only substitute 25% or less of the bread flour with the hardier flours. Otherwise the bread won’t rise as much. You can play around with it later, but if this is your first time, stick to bread flour. I’ve done a 50/50 split with whole wheat before and it rose ok.

Making the dough

Mixing
In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients together till a sticky dough forms. It’s ok if it’s sticky, but should definitely not be soupy and spread easily. It shouldn’t be super dry either. If it’s flakey or tears it’s definitely too dry.

Once you have a the dough made, you have to knead it. If you have a bread mixer attachment for your mixer, great. Mix it on level 6 (just above 1/2 way) for about 5 minutes. If you don’t have a mixer, then knead it by hand. It should take maybe 10 – 12 minutes.

You’ll know when it’s done when you take a hand full of dough and stretch it. If it gets super thin without tearing you are done. Here’s an image of what it should look like.

You don’t want to over knead the dough. Just stop when it gets to the point mentioned above. That’s important.

Once you have the dough done, then put it in an oil sprayed container at least twice the size of the dough, slap a lid on it, and toss it in the fridge over night. Refrigerating the dough over night slows the rising process, and enhances the flavor of the bread. You could bake the dough in the same day, but waiting over night significantly improves the flavor of the bread. It’s worth the wait.

The next morning, pull out the dough and let it sit in the container on the counter for a few hours to bring it up to room temperature.

First Proofing
Take a big bowl, spray the inside with spray oil so the dough doesn’t stick, toss the dough in, and spray the top of the dough with spray oil again. It’s best to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or something. That helps keep the outside of the dough from drying up.

This is the first proofing. You want it to double in size. If your sourdough starter is quite active, this will happen in an hour or two. If it’s not so active, it may take all day. If it takes more than 4 hours, then move on to the second proofing.

Second Proofing
Once your first proofing is done, punch down the dough. Literally push the center of the dough down with your fist. Then fold over the four sides of the dough onto the center and then flip it over in the bowl. Re-spray the top of the dough with spray oil, cover it, and let it sit for another hour or more until it doubles in size again.

Forming
Once you are done with your second proof, you’ll need to form it. I usually form it on a counter sprinkled with flour, then toss it on parchment paper for the final rise. I use the paper just cause it makes it easier to move around into and out of the oven. You can skip it though. Don’t spray the top, just cover with a cloth. It’s ok if it dries out a little bit. FYI, I have a pizza spatula to help move the bread around. It can get tricky without some sort of flat thing to move the bread.

So, forming means shaping. You can shape the bread any way you like. You can make a long baguette/batard shapes, or a round boule (bowl) shape, or whatever floats your boat. Here’s a funky little post about it with pretty good photos.

So let it rise on the counter till it doubles in size again. Or at least larger. You don’t need to spray or cover with plastic now. It’d be good to toss a cloth over the top to keep the flies off. It’ll be another 30 minutes to an hour. It could take longer or go super fast, depending upon how active your starter was.

If you want to get fancy, and get a crustier crust, you can slice the top of the bread just before you put it in the oven. three diagonal slices on a baguette works, or a cross hatch on a boule. Just think about the good bread you can buy at an actual bakery and slice it the way they do it. You’ll need a razor blade or extremely sharp knife to do this. FYI, slicing actually helps with the final rise inside the oven.

Baking
About 1/2 way through the rise, pre-heat the oven to 550 degrees. If your oven only goes to say 450 + just push it as far as it’ll go. You want it higher than 450 as you’ll be dropping the temp down to 450 once you start baking. The rack should be at it’s lowest position, but not on the floor of the oven. If you have a pizza stone, toss that on the rack to pre-heat as well. Finally put a baking tin, or cast iron skillet under the bottom rack to pre-heat as well. Basically any sort of oven proof metal container.

Boil a few cups of water. You’ll need this to steam the bread.

Put the bread on a baking sheet then into the over or directly onto the pizza stone. Again, I leave my bread on the parchment paper in the oven. It just makes it easier to move around. Take a 1/2 cup of the boiled water, toss it into the baking tin or skillet under the bread and shut the oven door for about 1.5 minutes to let the steam hit the bread. After 1.5 minutes take about an 1/8th of a cup of the water, open the oven, and toss it onto the side of the oven and shut the door to steam it for another 30 seconds. Repeat that last step one more time. Be sure not to throw the water onto the light inside the oven. It’ll break it 🙂

Steaming helps develop the crust into something extra wonderful, as well as helps the bread rise.

Once steaming is done, reduce the heat to 450 and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. If you have two loaves, you might need to flip them around half way through to cook them evenly.

The bread is done with the top is golden brownish (darker or lighter depending upon your own taste), and when the bread makes a good hollow thumping sound when you tap the bottom (yes flip it) with your finger.

YOU MUST LET THE BREAD COOL BEFORE EATING IT. The cooling process actually condenses air inside the bread and enhances the flavor. Don’t skip this step. It’s pretty important.

There you go. Enjoy 🙂

March 12, 2016March 10, 2021

Thai Red Curry

This Thai red curry recipe is so easy to make at home! It’s much tastier than takeout and healthier, too. Feel free to change up the vegetables (you’ll need about 3 cups total) and skip the kale if you want a more traditional Thai curry. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy. Recipe yields 4 servings. INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
Pinch of salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
1 yellow or green bell pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch wide rounds (to yield about 1 cup sliced carrots)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste*
1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
1½ cups packed thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first), preferably the Tuscan/lacinato/dinosaur variety
1½ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium tamari)**
1½ teaspoons rice vinegar
Garnishes/sides: handful of chopped fresh basil or cilantro, optional red pepper flakes, optional sriracha or chili garlic sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring continuously.
Add the bell peppers and carrots and cook for until they are fork-tender, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and kale to the pan along with ¾ cup water and 1½ teaspoons sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers, carrots and kale have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the curry from heat and season with rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add salt (I added ¼ teaspoon for optimal flavor), to taste. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you’d like. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.

NOTES Recipe adapted from my Thai green curry recipe.
*RED THAI CURRY PASTE: Look for it in the Asian section of the grocery store. I like Thai Kitchen brand.
**MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Courtesy of Cookie and Kate

June 25, 2015November 25, 2020

Challah recipe

This recipe will make three small loafs, two medium loafs, or one huge loaf. You can do a full ring with this much dough. If you are baking the same day, then you’ll need to give yourself at least 6 hours to do all this (or two days). That can change depending upon how fast your bread rises in the proofing stage.

You can also mix the dough the night before, and put it directly into the fridge in a sealed container over night. Beware, make sure the container is double the size of the dough, as it might rise a lot. Just pull it out about 4 – 5 hours before you want to eat it.

Yeast prep

In a smallish container mix:
1 1/4 cup warmish water
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
(if you have instant yeast, use the same amount as active dry yeast, but put it directly into the dry ingredients instead of these wet ingredients)
1 pinch of saffron

Let sit until bubbling then mix with wet ingredients.

(if you use instant yeast, no need to wait for it to bubble. Just put the yeast in with the dry ingredients)

Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients:
900 grams bread flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients:
3 full eggs
1 egg white (save the yolk in the fridge for the egg wash just before baking)
1/8 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

Prepare the dough

If using active dry yeast, when yeast is bubbly, mix into the wet ingredients, then toss in the wet ingredients and mix. There should be around a quarter inch or so of foam as seen in the terrible picture below :).

If using instant yeast, skip this step and mix directly into wet ingredients

Mix all wet ingredients with dry ingredients, mix, then knead.

Knead till it passes the onion skin test. It should take about 6 or so minutes with a mixer on low, otherwise, do it by hand till your hands fall off 🙂

First Proof

It’s best if you can put the dough into the fridge, covered, over night. This over night slow proof adds a complexity to the flavor of the bread. It’s not necessary, but will dramatically improve things. Truthfully, any bread will do better with a slow refrigerated proof.

That being said, this bread is so tasty, it doesn’t really matter all that much. I mean, how can you go wrong with 5 tbps of sugar and 1/8 cup of honey?

If you need to bake this same day, then proof in covered bowl. Place dough in a large bowl that has been dusted with spray oil, then spray cooking oil over the top to keep it from drying out, and cover bowl with plastic wrap.

When it doubles in size, punch down and proof again. When it doubles in size, it’s time to shape the loafs.

Shaping

Three loafs:
You’ll cut the dough into three equal parts for three loafs. Each part is then cut into three equal parts for a three strand braid. It’s easier to do one loaf at a time to avoid confusion. Roll each of the three parts into long strands, maybe about 12 to 16 inches. Then braid them. Pinch and tuck the ends under the loaf and place on a baking sheet.

Two loafs:
You’ll cut the dough into two equal parts for three loafs. Each part is then cut into three or six equal parts for a three strand braid. If you want to do a six strand braid, you should google how to do it. It’s easier to do one loaf at a time to avoid confusion. Roll each of the three or six parts into long strands, maybe about 12 to 16 inches. Then braid them. Pinch and tuck the ends under the loaf and place on a baking sheet.

One loaf:
I’d suggest you google this. There are a ton of videos out there on how to do large challahs. You can do a full ring of three braids, or a super-sized 8 braided loaf. Or get creative?

Second Proof

Now that the loaves are shaped proof again till the loaves doubles in size.

Then do an egg wash and toss in the oven. An egg wash is just the yoke plus a dash of water. You mix it well, then brush it on the loaf.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 450 with a bread stone low in the oven. Not at the bottom, just lower than center.

Immediately after putting loaves in oven, steam* the oven, and then drop down to 380.

Bake for 15 – 30 minutes until it starts to brown on the top, and isn’t burnt on the bottom. You can use a thermometer to test as well. Just google how to do that, as I don’t know how 🙂

*Steaming the oven helps develop a thicker crust. To steam an oven, put a small cake or other tin on the floor of the oven when preheating. This way, it’s super hot when you go to put the bread in. Take about a 1/8th to a 1/4 cup of boiling water (or just hot from the tap) and toss it into the tin and quickly close the oven door to trap in the steam. Wait about a minute or until the water is steamed off, then toss a tablespoon of water in the side of the oven, closing the door quickly. Tip: don’t throw the water on the light bulb in the oven. It’ll blow! You can stop here or do one more side steam.

November 11, 2014August 21, 2019

BBQ Chicken

Ok, it’s not baking, but I need a place to toss this BBQ chicken recipe:

The rub:
(makes 2 cups)

1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/4 cup chile powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 tablespoons cayenne (or less to taste)

The Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon magic dust (recipe above)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste
Prepare the barbecue sauce by putting all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bringing them to a boil. Turn down the heat so that it just bubbles a tiny bit and simmer it, whisking once in awhile, until it’s dark and thickened, 10-15 minutes.

The Chicken:
Rub the chicken and refridgerate for 2 – 24 hours.
Start the grill only on one side, leaving the other side off.
Put the chicken on the cool side of the grill for about 30 minutes till the chicken is 150 or so and golden brown.
The baste the chicken with the sauce and put closer to the hot side. Baste and turn till crispy on the outside. A little black is ok, but not too much.

December 1, 2012August 21, 2019

Sourdough Starter – It’s alive!

Yup, it’s official, I’ve got it back 🙂 All this time later, I finally created a yoghurt/milk/flour version and it’s cooking along quite well 🙂

Yogurt Sourdough Starter

1 cup milk–organic is best
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup flour

Mix the milk and yogurt in something other than a metal container and put a lid on it but don’t let it completely seal since if things work right, the biproduct of this happy union will be gas–CO₂–and you don’t want your container to explode or anything; that would be messy. Let that sit on your counter for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, dump in the flour and give it all a good stir. You’ll stir your starter everyday for the next 3-5 days. If it bubbles and smells a bit like bread and beer then you’ve succeeded! If there are no bubbles then it’s failed.

November 24, 2010August 21, 2019

Pie Shells

How To Make The Perfect Pie Crust

Check out Linda’s favorite recipes for the Perfect Pie Crust and favorite Pie Recipes (All your favorite pie recipes plus lots more).

There are three basic ingredients in a pie crust: fat, flour, and liquid.

You can come up with numerous variations just by changing your basic ingredients and their ratios. Check out favorite recipes for the Perfect Pie Crust.

Cold ingredients and limited handling are the key to preparing a wonderful pie crust.

The colder the better. All ingredients (even the flour) should be ice cold before mixing. It is especially important for the fat you are using (butter, lard, and/or vegetable shortening) to be very cold. Professionals say pie dough should never get warmer than 60 degrees F. If you are making the dough in a food processor you can even freeze the fat before using it.

Fats: The type of fat you use will affect flavor and flakiness, while the amount affects tenderness. Flaky crusts result when bits of un-melted fat are layered between layers of flour and melt away with baking. They can be made from a variety of solid fats such as butter, vegetable shortening, and lard. Check out Pie Crust Recipes using various types of fat.

Butter, lard, and vegetable shortening must be chilled prior to use. If it is too warm, the flour will absorb too much of the fat and produce a tough crust. If using butter or margarine, cut into small pieces prior to adding to the flour.

Tip: Cut the butter into small (about 3/4 inch) cubes. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until frozen solid, at least 30 minutes. Butter Tip: Shred the frozen butter into the flour with a cheese grater.

Liquids: For a tender crust, you want just enough liquid to moisten the flour without drenching it. Liquids should be well chilled (actually liquids should be ice cold). The mixing, after water is added, is critical in making a pie dough – water should be added gradually to the dry ingredients and not all at once.

Mix by hand with your fingers or a pastry blender Use a minimum amount of liquid and handle the dough as little as possible. Overworking the dough will make it tough. NOTE: If too much water is added, the dough will have to be mixed with more flour thus becoming overworked and tough. If too little water is added, it will cause a dry crumbly dough with poor handling qualities.

Tip: You can use the pinch test to see if your dough has the right amount of liquid. Pick up a small clump of dough and gently squeeze between your fingers. When the dough justs sticks together with small dry cracks, your dough is perfect.

Flour: To promote tenderness in your pie crust, choose a low protein wheat flour such as cake flour or pastry flour. All-purpose flour is readily available and works well for pie crusts. Unbleached flour is more tender. Always sift the flour before measuring it. In fact, all dry ingredients need to be sifted together.

Pastry-Type Flour: To make a pastry-type flour from all-purpose flour, place 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or other non-gluten flour in the bottom of the measuring cup for every cup of flour you measure.

If you want to use a whole grain flour to make pie crust, allow extra time. You will have a much more tender crust if you refrigerate the pie dough overnight before baking to allow the bran to rehydrate thoroughly.

Grandma Hagerman's Apple Pie Perfect Pie Hints and Tips:

If you roll out the dough on wax paper or parchment paper, it makes cleanup easier. To keep wax paper from slipping, sprinkle a few drops of water on the countertop before arranging the paper. When rolling dough out, always start from the center and work your way out in all directions. Use a heavy rolling pin for rolling piecrust.
Pyrex glass pie plates are the best choice for baking your pies, as this type of pie pan conducts heat evenly, which allows the bottom crust of the pie to bake thoroughly. Also you can see when the bottom crust of your pie is browned. If using a glass pie plate, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Do not oil or grease pie plates. Thin, aluminum pie pans are a poor choice because they cook unevenly. If you have to use them, double them up and use two. Dull metal pie plates are better then shiny metal pans for making pies. The shiny metal pans keep the crust from browning properly.
Hints to prevent bottom crust from getting soggy: Always chill pastry dough before rolling and cutting. Chill it again rolling and before baking, to further relax the gluten. Refrigerate the dough (in the pie plate) for 15 minutes before adding the filling.
If pie has only a bottom crust, you can blind-bake (see #4 below) the crust and then moisture-proof it. You can brush it with a bit of egg white two or three minutes after it comes out of the oven.

A good way to keep pie crust from becoming soggy is to sprinkle it with a mixture of equal parts sugar and flour before adding filling.

Another way is to brush the unbaked bottom crust of a pie with a well-beaten egg white before filling. This keeps the berries and other fruits from making the pie bottoms mushy.

Baking a frozen pie is also a help, as the crust begins to bake before the heat thaws the filling, and the entire pie bakes for longer than it would normally.
Blind Bake the Pie Crust:

To prevent sliding by blind baking, first line the pie plate with aluminum foil. Take a piece of aluminum foil long enough so that when folded in half, it covers the pie plate. Fold it in half, then shape it on the counter by pressing your hand down in the middle and pulling up on the sides (making sort of a bowl shape.) Now put the foil in your pie shell and gently press it so that it evenly covers the bottom and sides of the pie dough. Now put your pie weights in (you can use beans, rice, rock salt – virtually any small, heat-proof items to weigh the crust down so that it neither puffs up nor slides down). Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Take out the aluminum foil and pie weights, and continue baking until lightly browned.

Another trick to weigh down the dough is to place empty pie pans on top of the dough in the pie plate. This is called double panning.

Two-Crust Pie: Brush a little water around the edge of the bottom crust before placing the top crust. This helps create a good seal once the two are crimped together.

Tip from Sarah Macsek of Bethlehem, PA: Before placing double-crusted pies in the oven, loosely wrap aluminum foil around the pie crust edges. This will help the edges from browning too quickly. Remove the aluminum about 10 minutes before pies are ready to come out of the oven so the crust is properly browned.

Fruit Pies: Always make deep slits in the top crust of fruit pie. If you do not do this, the filling will be soft and soggy. To prevent the crust from getting too dark, you can cover it with a strip of aluminum foil or a pie shield. You also have the option of reducing the oven temperature if you notice things getting too dark.

Egg Wash: My mother, Dorothy Hagerman, taught me these tricks for achieving a nice golden brown top crust.

1 tablespoon heavy cream, half & half, or milk
1 large egg yolk

In a small bowl, beat cream and egg yolk together. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the top pie crust. Bake according to your recipe.

NOTE: My mother also uses just cream or milk on the top crust.

Cooling Baked Pies: Cool baked pies on a wire rack set on the counter. The rack allows air to circulate under the pie, preventing it from becoming soggy from the steam remaining it in.

Storing Prepared Pie Dough: Pie dough may be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Frozen, up to 3 months.

High-Altitude Baking: When making pies at high altitudes, pie crusts are not greatly affected. A slight increase in liquid may help keep them from becoming dry. Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the dough.