Sourdough Rye Bread · Saturday May 21, 2022 by colin newell
Sourdough bread is, as history tells us, the World’s first bread.
Ingredients include water, salt, flour and natural yeast – and not the yeast that comes out of the jar – the stuff that is all around is at all times… in the air, on the ground, on our skin… yea, there too – everywhere. It is the natural leavening agent that has been with us forever.
It is also said that man cannot live on bread alone — while that is not entirely true, I think what they meant was that we need to mix it up a bit – as in adding darker flours, like rye and whole wheat! Now that is definitely better for you.
In this recipe we do not talk about sourdough starter, levain and such like… you need to research that in advance – this is a recipe for a moderately advanced baker. Need help – email me or get Googling!
Instructions
1.) Grab a bowl that will hold at least 1/2 kg of dough – that is 500G – so something medium sized.
2.) Add 100g of your ready sourdough starter to the bowl. (It is ready when a spoonful floats in water…)
3.) Add 10g of kosher salt – great salt can effect the flavour so don’t cheap out on this critical ingredient.
4.) Add 360g of warm water (not hot water!) 35 to 45 degrees © or 110 degrees (F) is probably OK but definitely not hotter than that.
5.) Mix the water, salt and starter well. Add a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses for some sweetness and depth of color. Add 1-2 tablespoons of caraway seeds.
6.) Gradually add 230g of white flour, 230g of whole-wheat flour and 52g of rye flour.
You can use a mixer. I do this by hand or with a bread mixing hook.
Work/knead the dough to form a sticky ball.
Stretch and fold – To develop the gluten in the dough, it is important to stretch and fold the dough twice an hour for the first 2 hours and then once more before putting in the fridge to develop/ferment overnight.
There are many awesome YouTube tutorials on the “Stretch and Fold” so find one you like and develop your technique. Note video below!
7.) You can let this all rise overnight (6 to 12 hours) or slow it down by putting it in the fridge. Fermentation keeps moving along even when your dough is tucked away in a cool area – it changes the flavour some. For keeping the dough “feisty” I tend to keep it out in the kitchen and work around its schedule.
Rule: Higher room temperature, faster “development” and fermentation of the dough.
8.) Assuming you are doing this overnight, in the morning the dough should have doubles in size – or more. Pull out the dough and toss it onto a floured bread board or surface you are happy scattering flour on.
9.) Here is another learning moment – (find a suitable YouTube video…[example below]) This is where you work the dough a bit and pull, fold and shape into a “loaf” and drop into a floured or parchment papered loaf pan.
Do consult the internets on technique because it is extra difficult to describe in words alone.
10.) Let rise for 4 – 6 hours… even 8 hours… or overnight again… in the fridge.
12. ) Transfer the dough into the pan. Cover and “2nd rise” for 4 to 6 hours. Dress with additional caraway seed. Slash with a razor (see the video below!)
13.) Bake for 24-28 minutes at 475 degrees (F) or until delightfully brown on top. You are looking for a core temperature of at least 190 (F)
14.) If baking in a Dutch Oven, bake for the first 17-20 minutes with the cover on -
and then for another 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees — or until core TEMP of 190 (F)
Colin Newell is a Victoria resident and pop culture writer – active on the internets since 1994! That is a long time. His features on pop culture, food and beverage things have been around here…. well… forever!
Happy New Year Shakshuka with Feta · Saturday January 1, 2022 by colin newell
Welcome to the New Year everyone – 2021 is behind us and ’22 is ahead.
Our New Year’s brunch tradition is Shakshuka.
Shakshuka is a Middle-Eastern dish that is not only perfect for breakfast and brunch, but also for a quick and delicious dinner.
Best of all, it truly easy to make. Let’s do this…
Ingredients Overview
Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Don’t scrimp on cheap olive oil!
Onion and Red Pepper –
Spices – Roasted cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
Tomatoes – Fire roasted, canned and chopped is best.
Eggs – Free range or organic if you have them.
Ingredient specifics
▢14oz / 389g Chopped (Fire roasted) Tomatoes
▢ 2 large Eggs
▢ 2 tbsp Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
▢ 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced or 1 TBSP minced garlic
▢ 1 medium Red Pepper, finely diced (optional)
▢ 1 small White Onion, finely diced
▢ 1 tsp Cumin
▢ 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
▢ 1/2 tsp Sugar
▢ 1.5 tsp Smoked Paprika
▢ 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, or to taste
▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
▢ Feta, crumbled to serve
▢ Fresh Parsley or Cilantro/Coriander, finely diced to serve
1.) Fry pepper and onion in olive oil until softened and beginning to brown. About 5 minutes.
2.) Add garlic and fry for a couple of minutes longer.
3.) Stir in spices.
4.) Pour in tomatoes and season (salt, pepper, sugar). Leave to simmer for 5 mins.
5.) Crack in eggs and cook. (see additional tips!)
The skinny of this is: You are cracking eggs into a “sauce” – there are many ways of approaching this, the quick way or the slow way. Many adherents suggest a long slow simmer to thicken the sauce. The problem with that is that you lose moisture and the sauce dries up. I believe in adding the ingredients after simmering the sauce for 5 minutes (medium heat) until it just begins to reduce. Make a divot in the sauce to hold two eggs. Crack in the eggs into the divots, turning the heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes. From there, cover the skillet and poach the eggs for an additional 2 minutes. Ideally, you want soft yolks, so there may be some practice required here.
Note: The feta cheese and parsley is actually sprinkled onto the serving plates — not into the pan!Colin Newell is an ancient 20th Century writer, photographer and electronics expert. He has roamed the streets of Planet Earth looking for genuinely good coffee and food. As always, if any of these recipes don’t seem quite clear, send me a note. Answers guaranteed!
December simple pasta - Aglio e Olio · Wednesday December 8, 2021 by colin newell
I love pasta. You love pasta. And this dish is as easy as it gets. After a hard day, when you are too tired to even think about fixing dinner, this is what you whip up.
At a mere handful of ingredients, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is a big bowl of comfort food that is simple and quick to prepare.
The hardest part, perhaps, is waiting for the salted pasta water to come up to a boil!
Pasta Aglio e Olio
Made with the pasta of your choice; spaghetti, linguini, etc… sauteed garlic, olive oil, crushed hot red pepper flakes, and chopped Italian parsley. Add your own discretionary amount (1 cup give or take) of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – which can be sprinkled on the top and mixed in to add a creamier texture.
Instructions…
Bring 3-4L of water to a boil over high heat in your favourite pasta pot.
Add a generous amount of salt to pot. “As salty as the sea!”
Stir the spaghetti into the boiling water. Cook your pasta according to package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil [5 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon of butter (optional)] in your favourite pan over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, watching carefully so the garlic doesn’t burn. Once the garlic is softened, remove from heat and add red chili pepper flakes.
Reserve or capture 1 1/2 cups of pasta water. This water is salty and starchy and adds flavor to the sauce.
Once pasta is cooked, drain, and then toss into garlic and olive oil mixture. Add reserved pasta water.
Toss with parsley and most of your freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Salt according to taste. If you like it hot, add a touch more red pepper flakes. Garnish with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano.
Serve with a big glass of red wine and some of my sourdough focaccia –Colin is a Victoria area resident and long time food guy, drinker of coffee, mixer of cocktails, baker of treats. He has written stuff since the early 1990’s.
Sky Valley Nutella Pie - Created and perfected by Mike Cherry · Monday November 29, 2021 by colin newell
This delicious, rich dessert is for lovers of Nutella & has a slight hint of peanut butter and chocolate. Although intended as a topping for toast, pancakes, waffles or bagels, Nutella makes the perfect ingredient to base a pie upon & I’ve spent the past 5 years perfecting this easy, no-bake recipe.
To compliment this decadent dessert with the ultimate companion beverage, we at CoffeCrew suggest a steaming, hot cup of coffee + Kahlua liqueur. Enjoy!
RECIPE
—makes two pies500 grams softened Cream Cheese
16 oz Nutella
1 cup ultra-smooth peanut butter
1 cup Dark Chocolate Milk*
1 – 1 litre tub Cool Whip frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 – 9 inch/23 cm chocolate Graham wafer crumb crusts or baked pastry pie crusts
GARNISH
Real Whipping Cream
Cleaned & chopped strawberries OR shaved dark chocolate curls or sprinkles
DIRECTIONS
1. Soften cream cheese to room temperature
2. Divide all ingredients into two mixing bowls – one for each pie
3. Spoon Nutella into 2 measuring cups with measured recipe amounts for each mixing bowl. Soften Nutella by microwaving for 30 seconds, remove & stir. Microwave another 30 secs, remove & stir. DO NOT microwave Nutella longer than 60 secs. Pour into mixing bowls. Beat until smooth with electric hand mixer.
4. Add cream cheese into Nutella & blend thoroughly.
5. Add peanut butter to mix & blend until smooth. NOTE: Do not use ‘natural’ style peanut butter. This must be a commercial product such as JIF, Planter’s or Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter.
6. Add Dark Chocolate Milk. *Substitute whilte milk mixed with 1/4 cup/60 ml Nestle Quick Chocolate Drink Powder. Blend until smooth
7. Add Cool Whip whipped topping, fold into pie filling with a wooden spoon, then mix with blender until smooth.
8. Spoon into two 9 inch pie shells; Spoon remainder into a pudding bowl. Cover and freeze a minimum of 2 hours until firm. Remove from freezer & refrigerate until serving.
Mike Cherry is a Salt Spring Island resident, now retired from an incredible career in broadcasting. An avid baker, he often pulls out divine ideas for dessert concepts out of thin air, cream, graham wafers and love.
