Whole Wheat Sourdough Raisin Pecan Bread

I make this bread for the sole purpose of toasting (just until it browns a bit around the raisins) and then spreading with a thin slice of butter.

I use an overnight starter for this bread. Other terms for this are poolish (French), biga (Italian), or sponge. Don't let the terms or the process turn you away. They are all just a mixture of flour, water, and yeast left to bubble in a corner of the kitchen for a day or two.


Day 1 - Evening

Ingredients:

½ cup whole wheat flour, less two tablespoons
2 tbsp. rye flour
1/16 tsp. instant yeast
¼ cup water

1     Stir together the dry ingredients. Add the water and mix gently to create a wet dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let sit in an undisturbed area of your kitchen overnight or no longer than 12 hours.

Note: Use room temperature water, not hot water. You want to discourage fast growth. Slow fermentation permits growth of wild yeast and bacteria that lend a distinct tanginess to the final product. Filtered water is preferred to tap water which, depending on where you live, may contain small amounts of chlorine or other chemicals that retard growth.

I add a pinch (less than 1/16 tsp.) of ascorbic acid to the flour mixture. Ascorbic acid promotes yeast growth. It's not necessary, just one more thing you can do to assure a healthy starter. (Available through the Baker's Catalog.)

The rye flour in this recipe adds sourness. I like a hearty, sour, non-sweet bread. It makes the raisins and the sweetness of the pecans stand out. If you don't have rye flour, or you like a loaf with a little less tang, you may replace the rye flour with whole wheat flour.

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Day 2 - Morning

Ingredients:

¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup water

1     Add the water to the flour to create a paste. Combine this paste with your overnight starter and stir gently but completely. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let sit in an undisturbed area of your kitchen no longer than 12 hours.

Note: Here you're just feeding your starter.

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Day 2 - Evening

Ingredients:

¼ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup water

1     Add the water to the flour to create a paste. Combine this paste with your starter and stir gently but completely. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Let sit in an undisturbed area of your kitchen overnight or no longer than 12 hours.

Note: More feeding.

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Day 3

Ingredients:

All of your starter
1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup rye flour
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. instant yeast
pinch ascorbic acid (optional)
¾ cup water
1 tbsp. honey (barley malt or rice syrup may be substituted)
1 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ginger
½ cup raisins
½ cup toasted, chopped pecans


1     Stir together flours, salt, yeast, and ascorbic acid if using.

2     Dissolve honey and molasses in water. (I warm the water in the microwave for 20 seconds to assist in dissolving.) Stir in oil. Add starter to flour, hand mix a few times, then add liquid ingredients. Hand-mix until there is no more dry flour in the bowl (1 to 2 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let sit (autolyse) in an undisturbed area of your kitchen for 30 minutes.

3     Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a small bowl. Chop pecans.



4     Sprinkle flour onto a work surface. Place dough onto work surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. Knead approximately 5 minutes, sprinkling spice mixture, raisins, and nuts over the dough and folding them in as you knead. Place dough into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let rise in an undisturbed area of your kitchen for 2 hours (less if the temperature of the room is greater than 75°F).



Note: All-purpose flour works best for handling dough.

5     Gently deflate dough and scoop out onto a flour-dusted surface. Slice dough into two equal pieces. Knead each piece about 10-15 times to reestablish a ball. Cover balls, and let rise for another hour.

Note: It's best to keep the dough moist for its second rise, so unless you own a proofing box you'll be at the mercy of plastic wrap ... that is, until you employ the trashcan liner trick. Place loaves onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Slide sheet into a clean, unused trash can liner. (I use a "tall kitchen bag" or 13 gallon size.) Prop up with a bottle. Billow the bag to fill it with air, and clamp shut with a clothes pin.

6     Place baking stone or tiles onto bottom shelf of oven (If you'll be using the steaming tip described below, place stone onto a middle shelf to allow room for a pan of water on the bottom.) and preheat to 490°F for at least one hour.

7     Remove loaves from bag. Gently deflate and shape into final form. (To make the elongated loaf as shown, I just roll the balls on the counter until they are about 6 inches long by 3 inches wide.) Place the shaped loaves onto parchment-lines cookie sheets and allow to rise uncovered for another hour.

Note: I place the loaves on cookie sheets instead of the counter because it allows me to move them around the kitchen and frees precious counter space. It also lets you hide them in the bedroom with the door closed if the kitchen becomes overrun with yeast-toxic cleaning fumes arising from the activities of well-meaning housemates. (Never complain when someone wants to wash the floor, even if it's during the final rise of your cherished raisin pecan loaves.)

8     Cut away parchment under one of the loaves, leaving about an inch of paper around the dough. Place the loaf with parchment onto a peel or paddle. Using a razor blade, lame, or very sharp knife, make three slashes about ¼ inch deep into the top of the dough. Using a spray bottle, mist the loaf with clean water. Slide the loaf onto the preheated stone. Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes until the outside is very dark or until the loaf gives off a hollow-sounding "thud" when tapped. Remove from the oven with a peel. Cool on a rack or other non-solid surface. Repeat for second loaf.

Note: Don't forget to bring the oven back up to 490°F. before baking the second loaf. Likewise, don't forget to reduce the oven temperature to 450°F as soon as you place the loaf in the oven.

Another technique that helps to mimic commercial bread ovens is to place a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven, underneath the baking stone, for the first 5 minutes of baking. I use a small cast iron pan for this. Just remember to remove the pan after 5 minutes or your loaf won't brown properly.

If your oven has hot spots (mine does), turn the loaf halfway through baking.

Enjoy!

Risotto

Simply, this is a creamy rice dish. Although it's made with ingredients similar to that which produces the dry, fluffy rice of Chinese Take-out fame, the manner of cooking and the particular rice used are responsible for the final pudding-like quality.

Risotto originated in Italy. It's actually an Italian term that describes a cooking technique used for rice. Kernels are first sautéed in a fat, usually butter. Hot liquid is then added in small batches. The rice is stirred with each liquid addition, absorbing it before more liquid is added. Starch from the rice is released into the liquid as it cooks and is responsible for the final creamy texture.

The Italians developed this dish using locally grown rice that was short-grain, plump, and very starchy. Italy's most exported of this type is called Arborio. Of course, any type of rice can be used, but starchier grains like Arborio work best.

Note: If Arborio is hard to find in your area, look for rice called short grain. Long grain rice performs poorly in this recipe.


Ingredients:

½ cup Arborio or short grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium shallot, sliced thin (Or 2 tbsp. diced onion)
1 clove garlic, sliced thin (Optional)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced parsley (Optional)
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (Optional)
¼ to ½ tsp. salt to taste

Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 people with big appetites.

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1    Bring broth to a very slow simmer in a small saucepan.

Note: Water, filtered vegetable broth, or white wine may be substituted for some of the chicken broth.

2     Preheat a medium-sized saucepan for one minute on low heat. Add the tbsp. oil, the shallot, and garlic. Sauté the vegetables slowly on low heat until they just begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the dry rice, stir to coat the kernels with warm infused oil, and continuing sautéing for an additional two minutes.

Note: Butter may be substituted for some or all of the oil. If butter is used, the shallot and garlic will brown sooner. Keep an eye on the vegetables and add the rice before much browning takes place.

3     Add about 1/4 cup of warm broth to the rice, or enough to just cover the kernels. Stir gently until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding small amounts of broth and stirring until the rice softens yet is still firm to the bite (al dente), about 20 minutes.

Note: The slow addition of liquid and the frequent stirring are vital to releasing the starch and producing a creamy product.

4    Remove the rice from the heat. Stir in grated cheese, minced parsley, pine nuts, and salt. Serve immediately.

Note: If the rice is left to sit it will continue absorbing fluid and become sticky instead of creamy. You can save this by stirring in a few tablespoons of warm broth right before serving. If it is left to sit too long (15 minutes or more), the rice will lose its firm texture and become undesirably mushy.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

Here's a gourd that cooks up true to its name.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, about 8 in. long and 5 in. diameter



Makes 4 cups spaghetti squash
For only 42 calories and 28 mg. sodium, a cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides:
     33 mg. Calcium
     181 mg. Potassium
     170 IU Vitamin A
     114 mcg. Carotene (alpha and beta)
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1    Preheat oven to 320° F.

2    Remove label from squash. Clean exterior with plain water to remove any dried mud, bits of leaf/vine, and desicated insects.

3    Place whole squash on a baking sheet. (You may also place this squash directly on an oven rack, but be sure to line the lower rack with aluminum foil to collect any drippings.) Cook for approximately 1 to 2 hours, turning every 20 minutes to ensure even heat distribution. Cool whole at room temperature for about an hour.

Note: The total cooking time will depend on the size and quality of your squash. Remove from the oven when it softens and gives easily when pressed. The squash shown cooked for 1.5 hours.

4     Slice off the top and bottom in cuts perpendicular to the squash. Make a cut down the length of the squash. Carefully scrape out seeds and discard. Use a fork to fluff out the squash fibers, first perpendicular (along with the grain) and then lengthwise (opposite to the grain) onto a serving plate.




5    Serve with traditional pasta sauce or by itself with salt, pepper, and a grating of good parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Sautéed Apples

Or as FRE calls it:
Apple Pie Without the Crust

Ingredients:

5 medium apples (4 cups sliced)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. butter

1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. all purpose flour
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 tablespoon honey (use more if your apples are tart)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (use less if your apples are tart)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. total any combination of:
      ginger
      nutmeg
      cloves
      allspice
pinch salt

Makes 2 cups sautéed apples, 4 half-cup servings

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1    Wash, peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slivers.

Note: Although tart apples such as Granny Smith are often recommended for use in pies, I like a sweeter apple such as Gala or Fuji. The natural sugars in the sweeter apples will caramelize better when sautéed.




2    Preheat a 3 quart sauté pan at medium-high for 1 minute. Add oil and butter. Add apples and toss to coat. Sautée on medium-high, stirring frequently, until apples begin to brown. Transfer apples to a bowl before they get too soft but still have a nice caramel exterior.

Note: If you choose to use butter for the entire sauté medium, your apples will brown sooner.

A stainless steel sauté pan is the best for browning. Darkened anodized aluminum will do an adequate job, albeit with less ability to brown. Don't use a pan with a non-stick surface. This type of pan encourages a steamed apple instead of a browned apple.

3    Place another 1/2 tsp. each oil and butter into the warm pan forming a puddle. Add 1 tsp. flour to the puddle and stir at low heat until mixture foams slightly. This is called a roux. Slowly pour apple cider into the pan, whisking the roux with the liquid as you do. Tilt the pan and whisk vigorously until roux is completely blended. Whisk in honey and lemon. Season sauce with cinnamon, salt, and spices. Simmer at medium heat until sauce is reduced by half (about 10 minutes).

Note: You can double or triple the amount of roux you make for a richer sauce.

4    Add apples to simmering sauce in pan. Stir to coat. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes on medium-high until apples soften slightly and sauce is almost evaporated. (Don't allow sauce to fully evaporate. This reduced pot liquor is really good.)

5    Transfer apples to a bowl. Cover when apples stop steaming, after about 15 minutes. May be eaten warm or refrigerated for several days. A microwave oven is ideal for warming apples before serving.

Enjoy!