Sourdough Jalapeno Cheddar Loaf

With the madness of the holidays finally over, I had some time to bake full fermented loaves again.  The Hubs wanted something savory, so we settled on this recipe from SueBee Homemaker.  

I didn't stray from her recipe much, so click the link if you're interested in trying this one.  We used slightly less pickled sliced jalapenos than what the original recipe called for because it was all we had on-hand, so I chopped them up to make sure the jalapeno flavor was distributed throughout the loaf. We shredded up some extra sharp cheddar.  The jalapeno was mild enough that even our "Everything's Too Spicy" 8 year old enjoyed eating it.

I tend to prefer using a loaf pan to more free-form, oblong loaves...mainly because I don't have an oblong pan (like this Challenger bread pan) to cook them in, so they would have to be just baked on our pizza stone, which doesn't allow for trapping in steam during the initial part of the bake, which is where you get a lot of really nice rise from.  At least with the loaf pans, there's some structure to help them rise UP rather than just out in every direction.  They're also a lot easier to slice using my new slicing guide.

We made this when it was still pretty chilly outside, so we served this alongside some hearty beef stew and chili.

I rubbed butter on the top of the loaf before baking, which added some flavor but not a lot of shine like egg wash would have.

Sourdough Rye Bread & Homemade Reubens

The reuben sandwich holds a special place in our hearts and stomachs.  Our favorite pre-kid hangout had a killer Reuben on their menu, and it's something that if we're traveling and looking to split an entrée, Reuben is an easy "yes" from either of us. 

After my flaxseed bread from a few weeks ago turned out so well, I spent some time perusing the other recipes from that bloggers page, "Pants Down Aprons On" (bonus points for clever risque name).  I saw two other intriguing recipes:  A rye bread...and a traditional kvass beverage made WITH some of the rye bread (which appealed to my husband the homebrewer). That's a two-fer, and I'm sold.

I did not deviate from the OG poster's recipe, so hop on over to that link if you want to check out the ingredient list. Note: this will make two sandwich loaves.  We ended up freezing one for later.

Step 1 was to acquire all the extra crap I would need to make this, like whole coriander, caraway seeds, and molasses.  For the former I hit up the bulk section at our favorite local whole foods store (Mama Jeans FTW!). However MJ's price on molasses was too high, so I bought that at Wally-World.  Ideally, I would have loved to sub in some Steen's cane syrup but I don't have any on-hand.  Since I stopped working on the project that used to take me back down to Louisiana once a quarter, the Cajun section of our pantry is sparse. Guess I need to schedule me a visit...

Step 2:  Pre-ferment.  This is not a step I've done on other recipes, and honestly, it totally threw me off guard. I pulled my starter out of the fridge the night before I planned to bake, to let it get up to room temp and become nice & active...then woke up, ready to bake, and discovered I'd skipped a step.  Thankfully I was making this on a week while we were on stay-cation, so I ended up just postponing my bake by a day...but still, disappointing.

Step 2b: Rescue a dog.  This is not actually a required step, but did end up being the thing we did that day rather than baking bread.  There was a sweet puggle listed at our local Humane Society. It'd been about 6 years since our last pup passed away, Lil' Man is at a good age to help, and has finally gotten over his fear of dogs from getting bit when he was little...and there she was. It was fate. 

Step 2c: Have your life partner smoke a brisket.  Because you'll need that to make a Reuben. 

Step 3: MAKE THE DOUGH in your largest bowl, because this is two loaves.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the pre-ferment and mix, do some stretch & folds, then cover.  It should look a bit like brownie batter but smell nothing like it. This was a VERY wet and sticky dough, but the recipe noted as much so I did most of my mixing with a spatula.

Step 4: Go run some errands like taking your new dog to the vet and groomer, and then come back to see THIS MONSTER.  Divide into two greased loaf pans, add some extra caraway & coriander, cover and let proof overnight in the fridge.

Step 6: Bake, then remove from pans and let cool.  

Step 7: Find things to eat with rye bread.  I usually end up eating a lot of my sourdough slices toasted with some butter, but this bread has BIG flavor, and American butter is pretty tame in comparison.  Thus, the reubens, and the tub of salmon cream cheese spread in my fridge.  

Ruebens also require Russian dressing and sauerkraut...links take you to the two recipes I used for those.  And if you're going to have sauerkraut around the house... might as well grill up some brats for your sis-in-law's birthday party.

Kvass recipe and results to come soon...

Sourdough Pita Bread & Dehydrated Starter

This week's mission: pita bread!

The Hubs & I recently got back from an anniversary trip down to the Yucatan Peninsula.  After a week of drinking and eating as much as we want, we decided we probably needed to make some healthier choices once we got home. After some brief discussions of keto and a 21 day Daniel Fast, we landed on the more sensible, sustainable choice of The Mediterranean Diet.  More fresh fruits & vegetables, simple ingredients, more fish, less red meat. 

This much deliciousness, 3 times a day, for 7 days: time for a reset.

 But then, the question came up: what do we do with the sourdough starter?  We both acknowledged that we'd been eating a lot more bread since I started making sourdough--which has been delicious, but probably also needs to be moderated as well. Bread definitely isn't forbidden with the Mediterranean Diet, and homemade sourdough bread which has been slow fermented and is more easily digestible makes more sense than store-bought bread with more processed ingredients.  But all of the sweet discard recipes we've been making for breakfasts and desserts? That should probably be ratcheted back.  I also had been meaning to dry out some of my starter for safe keeping, just in case something happened to it.

Sourdough Insurance.

Like most Americans, when I think about Mediterranean breads, pita is the first thing that comes to mind.  And it also seems pretty simple: make some dough, let it rise, then roll it out in to some flat tortilla-like rounds and toss in the oven to puff up.  We used Farmhouse on Boone's recipe. Ingredient-wise we didn't vary from this so you can click over there if you want to try it.

Unfortunately, my dough ended up very wet and sticky--likely because of high humidity here since it's summer.  I added a fair bit of flour when I was rolling these out into rounds...but then I also ran out of space to be able to flatten them out to 1/4 inch as in the recipe.  

When I went to try to get them off the cutting board after a 30 minute rest, they were all stuck solid.  After much scraping and cursing, what ended up on the pizza stone were irregular, oblong flatbreads, rather than pita.

Many choice words were flying around this kitchen...

After fighting with the first three, I balled all the remaining rounds up together with a little extra flour, kneaded, and then started pulling off smaller dough balls. With the main mass of dough over on one side of the board, I then had space to flour the surface and roll them out to 1/4 inch.  So I ended up baking these one at a time.  Not really ideal, but with the reworking & additional flour, they did finally start puffing up like beautiful little pita breads.

Final result was a little dry (probably because of adding so much flour on the back end just to keep them from sticking) but good flavor. Some were a little too thin and crumbly to use for pita pockets--they broke easily and leaked, but all in all, not terrible for a first attempt.  Will I try again??? TBD.  As you know, I like trying new recipes, and as it turns out, there's a TON of Mediterranean breads that aren't pita.  In the meantime, it was delicious with hummus and worked fairly well as a pita pocket for these deviled egg salad sandwiches inspired by my friend Jo. (Basically, regular egg salad but with less mayo, more mustard, and diced homemade dill pickles in it.)

Adventures in Sourdough, Episode 5: Honey Oat Sandwich Bread

 We recently polished off the last of a loaf of store-bought wheat bread, so the Hubs requested this week's loaf be some sandwich bread.  And I'm just going to go ahead and say....this is definitely the PRETTIEST bread...and perhaps the most BREADIEST bread, I've made since getting my starter.

I had pinned this maple oat bread on Pinterest...but then discovered we had no maple syrup. Or milk.  But...we can improvise.

I fed the starter after breakfast on Saturday, and then pulled off 3/4 cup for this recipe....but let it sit covered in a bowl on the counter until about 3pm when it was really nice & bubbly.  I suspect I've been a bit too impatient with previous batches and started working with them before the yeast was really awake and active.  

Oats soaking in water before being mixed into the dough. It called for rolled, I had quick. It still tastes good.

I used up the rest of my fancy organic whole wheat bread flour, plus the last of a bag of AP flour, for this batch. I think I'm finally starting to realize how much of a difference the bread flour makes when it comes to texture and the ability rise well.  This recipe also called for a lot more folding than previous batches, but I think it added some good structure.  The dough started out super sticky but as I continued to come back and fold, it was noticeably less so.  The folding also ate up some time prior to the bulk fermentation, which timed out well--I had folded it three times by 7pm, then covered it up and let it sit on the counter overnight.

Compare smoothness of the dough here to the previous picture. The addition of the oats probably also helped soak up some of that moisture. This photo was from roughly 7pm, at the beginning of the bulk fermentation...

And at 8am, post-bulk fermentation.

I then turned it out onto a floured cutting board and did a bit more folding, then more resting....then more folding, and another rest, before placing it in a greased loaf pan.

Once it was in the loaf pan, I covered it and we headed off to church.  And upon getting home 1.5 hours later...

MAGIC.  That's some happy dough right there.

I'm really thrilled with the way this came out.  If I had a complaint, I think I let the top crust get a little too toasty--I tented it with tinfoil about 25 minutes into the bake but maybe could have done it sooner.  The crust is a little bitter in the darker spots.  But otherwise, I'm super happy. It cuts nicely, it's soft and not too dense, has a very light sweetness from the honey, a nice chewiness from the oats.  And with the little decoration of oats on top, it just LOOKS. SO. PRETTY.  I would definitely make this recipe again.

Made excellent cinnamon-sugar toast!

This loaf totally looks like it should be in a fancy play kitchen.

World's Best Grilled Cheese

Well...at least that's my humble opinion.

I was packing myself a lunch for work when this sandwich occurred to me.  We had some cinnamon swirl bread that needed to be used up--apparently I wasn't going through it fast enough just with breakfast nomming.  And then I saw the pepper jelly, and had an A-HA moment.

Sweet sauce?  Sweet bread!  Makes sense!

INGREDIENTS:
2 slices cinnamon swirl bread
2 slices Swiss cheese (provolone or pepper jack would also go really nicely)
2 oz deli-sliced chicken (I like the Rotisserie Seasoned from Oscar Meyer)
1 Tbsp Tabasco pepper jelly
1/2 Tbsp light mayo (NOT Miracle Whip)

DIRECTIONS:
Slather the mayo on to one side of each of the slices of bread.  You're using this instead of butter for frying.  Just...trust me.  Seriously.

Place one slice of bread in the skillet, mayo-side down, then add cheese, pepper jelly, chicken, the other slice of cheese, and the other piece of bread (mayo-side up).  Flip once golden (about 3-4 minutes), and cook until the other side matches. (Note: my second side always seems to cook faster than the first--anyone else notice this?)

Let rest briefly so that the cheese can bond with it's fellow sandwich-mates, and then cut in half (if you desire. I won't force you.  I like triangles myself).  Serve with a side of...well, whatever! Maybe chips and a pickle, maybe just a variety of veggies.  It's totally up to you.

The end result is a sweet, salty, slightly spicy, crispy sandwich that will having you wishing you'd made two.

NutriFacts:
Calories: 399
Fat: 14.3 g
Fiber: 0.8 g
Carbs: 45.8 g
Sodium: 1253 mg
Protein: 16.1g

The Grilled Club (An Inside Scoop recipe)

This was probably the most popular sandwich we had on our menu--which is understandable since it was super-tasty. I still make them at home on occasion.  We initially introduced it as a "Special of the Month" early in Year Two, and it sold so well that we made it a permanent addition.

This is easiest to make if you have a George Foreman grill, panini press, or similar.  If you don't, you can still make it in a skillet or on a flat top like a traditional grilled cheese, but with all the fillings it can be tough to flip.  It will also cook faster in a grill/press, which is nice if you're in a rush or have several to make.

INGREDIENTS: (per sandwich)

• 2 slices good bread (we like Orowheat 12-Grain, but anything more substantial than typical thin sandwich bread will work)
• 1 Tbsp Herb Mayo
• 2 slices provolone cheese
• 4 slices Black Forest ham
• 2-3 slices tomato
• small handful fresh baby spinach
• 2 small slices bacon, or crumbled bacon 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat up your grill/press/skillet/flat top; then spread half the herb mayo on the OUTSIDE of the first piece of bread.  Yes, you read that right.  You're using it to "butter" your bread.  Just trust me. (Sciency bit--the smoke point of mayo is higher than butter, so it's less likely to burn the bread before the guts of the sandwich get melty & hot.  And the oil & egg in mayo make for crispier, more evenly grilled bread.  And the fact that we're using the herb mayo gives a HUGE wallop of flavor.)

Lay that piece down, then begin assembly: 1 piece of cheese, ham, spinach, tomato, bacon, other piece of cheese, and then the last piece of bread, with the rest of the herb mayo facing OUT.

Grill until golden and the cheese is melty.  Serve warm with chips.

NutriFacts:

Calories		423.7
Total Fat		17.5 g
	Saturated Fat	7.5 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.0 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.0 g
Cholesterol		70.0 mg
Sodium		1,230.9 mg
Potassium		41.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		38.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	6.2 g
	Sugars	7.0 g
Protein		28.2 g

Eggplant Caponata & Sausage Sandwiches

Aaaaand I’m back.  The Scoop is closed—for good, rather than just the season.  We decided it was all just too much—juggling our full time jobs plus trying to make sure our business ran well & didn’t fall into disrepair.  There are so many things I wish we could have done with it—more recipes, more branding, more promotions, more fundraisers… but there was just never enough time.  And given that we’d like to start a family soon, that would be WAYYYYYY too much to juggle. 

Closing up shop for the last time.

It’s a little bittersweet… I mean, yes, it definitely ran us ragged and most people just went all “O_o” when we told them we had full time jobs in addition to running the Scoop, but at the same time…it was our baby.  We have a lot of pride in our ability to have even attempted owning a business while still holding on to our “day jobs”, and the fact that it was also SUCCESSFUL (in a town with 899 other restaurants, and the home of Andy’s frozen custard) feels good too.  And we had some truly awesome employees who we won’t get to see every day anymore, and I’ll miss chatting with our regular customers…not to mention the look on every kids’ face when you hand them a giant ice cream cone, so they can cram their face-hole full of sugar & sprinkles… that little twinkle that says, “no nap for me today!  MUahahahahAHAHAHahahah!!!!”

This load of cuteness brought to you by my sis-in-law’s womb. Yes…we stuff them full of ice cream, AND buy them 100-piece toys for Christmas.  She’ll get us back one day.

So, now that I theoretically have some “free time” again, it’s time to get caught up on some posts!  Because I haven’t stopped cooking!

First up, this tasty sandwich.  Our local farmers market had these gorgeous white eggplants on sale & I couldn’t resist.

I’m usually not too versatile with eggplant, typically making baba ganoush or eggplant parm, but I wanted to mix it up a bit.  These sandwiches on Pinterest looked awfully inviting, so I ran with it & was very pleased with the results!

This also makes a really delicious dip to have with crostini; or you can toss it with a bit of pasta!  It makes a good sized batch, so you can be versatile with it—make a few sandwiches one night, have the dip the next night, etc.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 8-10 sandwiches)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes, about 4 cups total
4 chicken sausages (I think these were sundried tomato & mozzarella)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (NOTE: if you have a hubby like mine who doesn’t care for olives, you can alternately just add about 1/4 cup of the brine from the jar to get the saltiness & a hint of the flavor, without it tasting too much like olives for them)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
French Bread
Provolone, Swiss or mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat,  then add the eggplant, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper (lightly—you can always add more later, but it’s going to cook down quite a bit so you don’t want it to get too salty). Cook for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Add the olives (or olive brine), tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and oregano, and stir well so that the tomato paste coats everything. Season again with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking, and add a tablespoon or two of water if the mixture is too thick and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

While that’s going, cook your sausages according to their package directions.  Once they’re done, allow to cool for a bit & then slice at an angle to make about 1/2 inch slices.

Allow caponata to cool slightly, but serve warm.  Spoon onto your bread, add the basil, sausage, & cheese.  I didn’t let my cheese get melty enough before taking pics, but if you like, you can place the sandwich open-face beneath the broiler before serving to make sure it’s good & melty.  If you have some fresh mozzarella, that would also go nicely with this sandwich.