homemade

Green Chile Bread

~ rphootman ~ Leave a comment

At the end of summer, I order 25 pounds of fresh green chiles grown in Hatch, New Mexico to roast at home. If you’ve ever had Hatch chiles, you’ll understand.SONY DSC

Twist the basic no-knead bread recipe by adding fresh roasted New Mexico green chiles and ground chipotle flakes. Perfect for making green chile and grilled cheese sandwiches or dipping in fresh red chile pod sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle flakes or powder.
  • 3 New Mexico green chiles, diced.
  • 1 3/4 cup whey.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt, chipotle powder. Add the whey and green chiles and stir until blended. The dough will be a bit rough and sticky.

Cover bowl with plastic cover or plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 to 18 hours at room temperature. (Our house is around 76 degrees. Around 70 degrees is considered optimal.)

Dough is ready when bread has more than doubled in size and bubbles will appear on top.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.

Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal.

Return dough and towel to clean bowl (it’ll help keep its shape) and cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

About half an hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. I use cast iron and lightly coat the inside with shortening, just enough for a shiny patina and add a light sprinkling of kosher salt.

When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Remove towel from top of dough and turn dough into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for approximately another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

Remove from pan and cool on rack.

A Different Kind of Pumpkin Bread

~ rphootman ~ 2 Comments

You’ll fall in love with this bread. It makes great turkey sandwiches and is a great side for butternut squash or pumpkin soups. Chop it up into small cubes and stale it out in the oven to make wonderful croutons for soup.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (non-bromated)
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon yeast (quarter of a packet, if using packets)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups whey (from making strained Greek yogurt or Yo-Cheese)
  • 1 can (15 oz.) Calabaza pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 cup pecan pieces
  • 1 cup dried cranberries (not pictured, they missed the photo shoot)

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In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt, spices, pecan pieces and dried cranberries. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and whey. Add to dry ingredients.

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Stir until blended. The dough will be a bit rough and sticky.

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Cover bowl with plastic cover or plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 to 18 hours at room temperature. (Our house is around 76 degrees. Around 70 degrees is considered optimal.)

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Dough is ready when bread has more than doubled in size and bubbles will appear on top.

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Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.

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Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal.

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Return dough and towel to clean bowl (it’ll help keep its shape) and cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

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When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

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About half an hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. I use cast iron and lightly coat the inside with shortening, just enough for a shiny patina and add a light sprinkling of kosher salt.

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When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Remove towel from top of dough and turn dough into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

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Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for approximately another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

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Remove from pan and cool on rack.SONY DSC

When cooled, cut a slice and spread some of the Ginger and Honey Yo-cheese on it and then top with a dollop of my cranberries. Heaven!

Tonight I used the bread to make open-faced turkey, bacon and warm Gruyere cheese sandwiches that were topped of with my cranberries. I melted the Gruyere cheese under the broiler on top of the bread, then placed a couple strips of bacon on top, then a couple slices of turkey, then a dollop of my cranberries. Again, Heaven! 

No-Knead Bread – The Basics

~ rphootman ~ 2 Comments

This recipe was inspired by Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery, New York City. “It requires no kneading. It uses no special ingredients, equipment or techniques. And it takes very little effort — only time. You will need 24 hours to create the bread, but much of this is unattended waiting, a slow fermentation of the dough that results in a perfect loaf.”

This is my basic bread recipe. It’s a little larger and denser than those made by Jim Lahey, but the process is basically the same. This is a good everyday bread.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (non-bromated)
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon yeast (quarter of a packet, if using packets)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 3/4 cups whey (from making strained Greek yogurt or Yo-Cheese)

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In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add the whey

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and stir until blended. The dough will be a bit rough and sticky.

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Cover bowl with plastic cover or plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 to 18 hours at room temperature. (Our house is around 76 degrees. Around 70 degrees is considered optimal.)

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Dough is ready when bread has more than doubled in size and bubbles will appear on top.

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Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.

Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour or cornmeal.

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Return dough and towel to clean bowl (it’ll help keep its shape) and cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

SONY DSCSONY DSC When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

SONY DSC About half an hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. I use cast iron and lightly coat the inside with shortening, just enough for a shiny patina and add a light sprinkling of kosher salt.

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When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Remove towel from top of dough and turn dough into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.

SONY DSCCover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for approximately another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

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This is the basic bread recipe. Feel free to jazz it up by adding various spices, nuts or dried fruit. Suggestions anyone?

Cut it up in chunks and serve with olive oil blends. Slice it up and serve with softened butter or a Yo-Cheese spread or your favorite jam or jelly.

 

 

Homemade Yogurt. It’s Easier Than You Think!

~ rphootman ~ 8 Comments

I’ve been making my own yogurt since the dark ages. It’s an easy process and doesn’t require a special “yogurt maker.” I have experimented with a number of “yogurt makers” for one reason or another and have always returned to the original format I learned from a traditional maker of yogurt and now share with you.

I’ve captured each step of the process in platinum black and white photos. I felt the look was appropriate for the age of this recipe.

I make a gallon of yogurt at a time. You can make smaller batches by reducing the ingredients equally. The time it takes to turn into yogurt will remain the same.

Materials needed are:

  • A double boiler pan (I use a large steamer/soup stock pan and a smaller stock pan set inside it)
  • Cooking thermometer
  • Assorted canning jars
  • Whisk
  • Ladle
  • Wide mouth funnel for canning

Ingredients needed are:

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  • Gallon of milk (I use non-fat. I find it sets firmer)
  • One cup of real organic yogurt (Once you get the process started you can use your own. Occasionally, you’ll need to “refresh” your batch by adding some store bought organic yogurt. Again, I use non-fat.)

The process is:

  1. Fill up the steamer pan with enough water that it will go half way up the side of the smaller pan when it is set in side it.SONY DSC
  2. Sit the steamer on the stove top and place the smaller pan in the water bath.SONY DSC
  3. Add the milk.SONY DSC
  4. Heat using a medium heat setting on the range.SONY DSC
  5. Place the lid on the pan holding the milk.SONY DSC
  6. Occasionally check the temperature and whisk the milk.SONY DSC
  7. When the temperature reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit, cover and remove from heat.SONY DSC
  8. Immediately place inner pan with milk in an ice bath.SONY DSC
  9. Remove lid and whisk occasionally until the temperature drops between 118 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.SONY DSC
  10. Remove from ice bath and whisk in yogurt starter. It should be completely blended into the milk.SONY DSC
  11. Ladle mixture into canning jars (sizes of your choice).SONY DSC
  12. Place lids and rings on jars.SONY DSC
  13. Empty the hot water out of the larger steamer pot and remove the steamer stand and place the filled canning jars in the pan.SONY DSC
  14. Place the lid on the pan.SONY DSC
  15. Wrap the pan in a fluffy towel or blanket for insulation and leave it alone on your kitchen counter for 6 to eight hours. SONY DSC
  16. Check to see if the yogurt has set (around 6 hours) by tilting one of the jars to the side slightly. If it is firm, it is set.SONY DSC

Our indoor temperature hovers around 76 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent humidity. I’d suggest wrapping in a nice and thick blanket if your indoor temperature runs a lot cooler.

Q: Why did I choose to share the yogurt recipe with you first?

A: It’s a beginning and it is used for other recipes that will follow, such as  strained Greek yogurt and Yo-cheese.

It’s your turn to make some yogurt. Go ahead, it’s pretty easy!

Share with me your yogurt making stories. Successes or failures. Past experiences or how it went when you followed my process. Can’t wait to hear from you!