Rye Bread

I started this bread last night in the midst of the Friday Night Baking Event. This is too easy not to make. Just mix the ingredients and let it rise for 18 hours. The recipe is from the Jim Lahey book, My Bread. The week we will be having Corned Beef and Cabbage so this bread seemed to be the perfect match.

Like I said it is simple -
Mix together in a large bowl -
300 grams Bread Flour
100 grams Rye Flour
8 grams Table Salt
2 grams Dry Yeast

Next, add -
300 grams cool Water (55˚ to 60˚)

Stir using a wooden spoon until you have a wet sticky dough, about 30 seconds.
Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. The dough should double in size and the surface will be dotted with bubbles.

Generously dust a work surface (a wooden or plastic cutting board is fine) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the board in one piece. Use lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.

This is where I differ from the "recipe". I shape the dough into a boule and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about 1/4 inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn't, let it rise for another 15 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a covered 4 1/2–5 1/2 quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.

Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Very carefully place the dough seam side up into the pot. (Use caution—the pot will be very hot.) Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don't slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Let the Bread Baking Begin!

There was a nip in the air today. I left the house this morning and went back for a sweater. You know what this means? Bread baking season has begun. In the past my baking was sporadic because of weekend commitments. Well I have no more commitments so I plan on baking a lot of bread this year.

 

I started a loaf of Whole Wheat 18 Hour Bread. Mixed ingredients Thursday night and baked it off last night. I brought it over to my sister's house today.

 

 Last night I started the basic 18 hour bread and baked that today. It looks perfect!

On to dinner... Roasted Cauliflower and Braised Beef with Wine Sauce. The Cauliflower was tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, thyme and Cholula sauce. Baked for 45 minutes at 425 and stirring occasionally. I loved this. The Cholula added the perfect amount of heat to the dish.

And finally the meat. Braised Beef with Wine Sauce. The recipe was from Saveur. I do like putting meat in a pot and walking away for a couple of hours. The aroma was quite nice. The meat was tender and the sauce, well how could it be bad!

Ingredients -
2 slices bacon
1 clove garlic
1½ teaspoons sage leaves
1½ teaspoons rosemary needles
1¼ pounds beef for pot roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Kitchen twine
¼ cup olive oil
2 coarsely chopped onions
1 stick celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 bay leaf
2 cups Chianti Classico
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped basil
½ cup vegetable broth

Method -
Mince together bacon, garlic, sage, and rosemary. Make small incisions in the meat and fill them with the mixture, rub with salt and pepper, and tie the meat tightly with kitchen twine for braising.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish, sauté the onions, celery, and carrots briefly, add the meat and the bay leaf, and sauté the meat quickly over high heat until golden brown.

Pour in the wine and reduce for several minutes. Add tomatoes and basil, pour in the broth, cover, and braise over low heat for 2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Remove meat from the pan or casserole dish and strain sauce through a sieve. Slice the meat, dress with sauce, and serve.