Peasant Bread

Don't be scared. I know you saw the word "bread" and wanted to go hide behind a pillow. I know. I really do. I've been there. I've spent entire days devoting myself to a bread recipe, kneading until my wrists caught fire, punching down the dough, letting it rest, letting it rise, letting it rest again, giving it positive affirmations, singing it songs, rocking it to sleep. And most of the time, when all is said and done, it doesn't taste much better than what I could have gotten at the grocery store on a 10 for $10 sale. But I promise you, this bread recipe is, quite possibly, the easiest bread recipe I have ever tried, and, more importantly, it is divine. Yes, DIVINE. I promise. The only teeny, tiny hitch is that you have to plan ahead. Say, two days ahead. To really improve the flavor of the bread, you have to let the dough sit in your fridge for 24 hours (the recipe says 12-24, but I highly recommend the 24). But it's just sitting there! I swear, you don't even have to lay a finger on it. Then, after the time spent in the fridge, the dough has to rise a room temperature for 18 hours. But, again, you don't have to do anything to it! You don't even have to look at it if you don't want to! As long as you have the time, this is the easiest recipe ever. You combine the flour, salt, yeast and water, until it looks like a lump of goo.

Looks wrong, I know, but just trust me. After the time in the fridge and the 18 hour rise, it'll look like this:
And then, after you bake it (in a dutch oven, which I love!), it looks like this:

I know!!! It looks like something you'd get at an artisan bread bakery. And it's not all looks, either. It is so good. So much flavor; nice and dense (kinda like me). I was blown away. And after being blown away, I promptly made eggs:

Goat cheese, free-range eggs and chives from our garden. Yes, I am a domestic goddess. (Actually, I'm not, I just really like to stuff my face.)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour (I used King Arthur bread flour)
  
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• All-purpose flour, for dusting

Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 11/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky). Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap. If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread.

Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 18 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.

Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, seam-side down, and sprinkle with more flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.

Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, lift up the parchment and quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Honey, Garlic & Sage Pork Sirloin Roast

It's getting to be that time of year where I absolutely refuse to turn my oven on, lest I will just burst into flames and leave a large me-shaped crater in the kitchen floor (and for those who know us, you know our poor kitchen floor has already endured enough this year). So last night I swallowed my fear of being blow up by our garbage-picked gas grill, and cooked us up some good eats on our breezy back porch.

I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the wet rub that went on this pork roast.


A lovely combo of lemon, garlic and sage. However, I should note that this recipe called for the roast to go in the oven, not on the grill, so unfortunately I had nothing left of the delish rub when all was said and done. The next time I make it on the grill, I may actually make a second batch of the wet rub and let it simmer in a pot on the grill while the roast cooks, just to have some of the yumminess at the end.

Half way through cooking the roast, you bring in the honey, which really balances out the acid of the wet rub, and gives the roast a beautiful color.

Of course, this isn't all about looks. It's got to taste the business, too. My honest opinion? I need serious Bobby Flay lessons on how NOT to destroy pork. I should have pulled it at 145 degrees and let it creep up to temp as it rested, but I let it go a little too long and several of the pieces tastes like a deliciously seasoned shoe. But, had it come off the grill as it hit prime loveliness, it would have been perfect. I served it with a couple grilled potatoes and huge salad (with mounds of blue cheese...just cuz).

(And, just a side note - I urge anyone who is a meat-a-saurus like me to seek out a local sustainable farm in your area that offers organic beef, chicken and pork. It's better for the environment, better for your local economy, and most of all, better for you!! If you're in Michigan, I highly recommend Creswick Farms - they deliver almost everywhere. You can also check Local Harvest for a list of farms in your area.)

Here's the recipe:

1 Pork Sirloin Roast, 2 to 3 lb.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
or 2 teaspoons sage, dried and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons honey


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line shallow roasting pan with foil. Place pork in foil-lined pan.
Stir together oil, lemon juice, garlic, sage and pepper in small bowl; brush over top and sides of pork roast. Roast pork 30 to 45 minutes; brush honey over top and sides of pork. Roast 20 to 30 minutes more or until done (internal temp 155°F).

Yeast Waffles

Wow...it's been ages since I've blogged! Don't let that fool you into thinking I haven't been cooking or baking. My ever growing cankles and love handles would argue otherwise. No need to bore you with the details of where I've been (in the kitchen) or what I've been doing (eating). Let's just dive right in, shall we?


There have been many a weekend morning where my family and I have enjoyed waffles, but this past weekend I tried yeast waffles for the very first time. First, I must say a word about waffle makers. No matter what kind of waffle recipe you have, having a GOOD waffle maker makes all the difference in the world. That being said, I do not have a good waffle maker. I have a bottom of the line, crap-tastic, "barely a waffle and more like a squishy blob" waffle maker that hubby and I registered for seven years ago for our wedding. No matter what I did, no matter what recipe I tried, I could not get crispy waffles. Ever. Until now! I have found a new way to waffle, people, and it's all about the yeast! It's also about NOT having to beat the heck out of egg whites or honing your "folding" skills. This recipe couldn't be any easier. The only slight trick is remembering to prep it the night before. Then the batter sits out at room temperature overnight, and in the morning you add the eggs, baking soda. Here is the recipe I followed:

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine milk, yeast mixture, butter, salt, sugar and flour. Mix thoroughly with rotary or electric mixer until batter is smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
3. The next morning, stir beaten eggs and baking soda into the batter; beat well.
4. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

These are definitely a new staple in our household. They were delicious - crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. And they are not sweet waffles on their own. I suppose you could add more sugar if you wanted them sweeter, but the bonus is that these waffles could be used for savory dishes as well.

Now, if I could just convince hubby that we need to spend $100 on a new waffle maker...