I really did not intend to go into bake mode this week, but one thing just seemed to lead to another. My plan for the week was to make No-Knead Oat Bread, that was it. (I was anxious to bake bread in my new small cast iron Dutch oven.) But on Saturday Wayne and I went out scouting for a place to take some good sunrise pictures. There was a veggie stand on the side of the road, and I just had to have some of those creole tomatoes, and oh look fresh peaches. I’ve never made a fresh fruit pie, but I’ve always wanted to, and I do love peaches. On Saturday afternoon I thought, “You know, I haven’t made biscotti in quite a while. I think I’ll make some, now.” Hence day one of bake crazy, Pistachio Cherry Biscotti recipe on King Arthur. Wait, I don’t have enough cherries - eh, I’ll just throw in some cranberries. Ugh, not enough pistachios - ah ha almonds. Still not enough - okay pecans. So I made Pistachio Almond Pecan Cherry Cranberry Biscotti. Day two, again a King Arthur recipe for Summer Time Peach Pie, sorta a rustic peach pie instead of a two-crust pie. Day three, No-Knead Oat Bread, what a great fragrant loaf of bread, but I’ll get to that. Those mean people at King Arthur just had to highlight a recipe of Cinnamon Raisin Apple Challah. Day four, yummy ‘licious challah. Running low on bagels hence day five of bake crazy. I’ll skip the details on the biscotti and bagels.
I am absolutely convinced the best breads for beginning bread bakers are focaccia and no-knead breads. The focaccia doesn’t require a lot of technique and, it makes a great presentation. It can be topped with just about anything you like, or left plain for dipping and sandwiches. No-knead breads are great because they are easy. The most difficult part is dealing with a somewhat wet dough, but there are so many great no-knead recipes that show it’s so easy even a kid can do it. Long before I became a fan of oatmeal, and long before I began baking my own bread, I was a fan of oatmeal bread. I think oats add a certain tenderness to bread. This recipe was a really straightforward no-knead bread - not much yeast, a long fermentation, and the ability to cook it in a covered vessel in the oven. My brother had given me a gift certificate for my birthday, and I finally used it to buy a pre-seasoned medium sized Lodge Dutch oven. I shaped my bread into a boule, placed it in the pot, used a very sharp knife to slash it, sprinkled it with some oats, and into the oven it went. Of course, the first way we ate some was an hour after it cooled to sample it. Wonderful! We then had it with corned beef and hot pepper cheese sandwiches. Really good, hearty bread.
The Summertime Peach Pie was a great first fruit pie. It is a rustic pie, so I did not have to make a double crust. It also did not require the peaches to be cooked ahead of time. The only change I made to the recipe is I substituted a ½ tsp of Fiori di Sicillia for the vanilla extract. (I have love of fiori.) The hardest part of making the pie was the same as the hardest part of baking bread, the waiting to eat it. For bread it is usually and hour wait; this pie required an overnight wait. My brother said he would have had it for breakfast. I thought we should at least wait til brunch time. Anyway, as usual, I digress. The crust was an oversized circle that was folded in quarters and placed into the pie pan. After unfolding the crust, the filling went in, the extra crust was folded over, the crust was brushed with cream, and sprinkled with coarse sugar before baking. The aroma was maddening. You could smell the wonderful peachy goodness throughout the house. The pie was everything I hoped it would be. The crust was flaky, and the filling was so many soft peaches and just the right amount of sweetness. My next pie will be a classic apple pie. When I make it, I’ll let you know it turns out.
The cinnamon raisin apple challah was a real treat. It is not your typical challah in that it is not braided. It is made in a spiral to signify the circle of life. My Kitchenaid tilt head stand mixer “Little Red” started stalling last week when I made bread. So with a minimum of encouragement from Wayne, I bought a Kitchenaid 600 stand mixer, “Big Blue.” I wanted to give my new mixer a work out, so I made a double batch of this bread, knowing one of my neighbors would be more than willing to take a loaf off my hands (really good neighbors and wonderful people). The bread is filled with lots of apple and raisins. The rope is rolled in cinnamon sugar before being formed into the spiral, and placed in the cake pan to rise. Right before baking, the loaves were brushed with an egg wash and generously sprinkled with more cinnamon sugar. When I say the loaves were gorgeous, I am not exaggerating. They almost looked like cake. Instead of having it just as a snack or for breakfast, I thought we should have it for lunch. Today I sliced some for sandwiches. I made a honey creole mustard that went on the bread, I then put some thinly sliced Asiago, slices of grilled chicken, and some sauteed red onion. The sandwiches were then wrapped in foil and toasted in the oven. The sweetness of the bread was a great contrast to the sharp cheese, grilled chicken, and creole mustard. Sometimes you just have to think beyond your instincts and try something different.
I’ve made bagels before, so you’ve seen bagel photos, and let’s face it biscotti are not that photo worthy. Now I have to start thinking about next week. I think I want to use my sourdough starter. I’ll have to see what bread is in my future.
In a bread frenzy are we? The Challah bread sounds wonderful.
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