Rustic Rye Bread

But truthfully, even though I have baked for forever, there are times when I think, “I just can’t clean the mixer tonight.” That’s when I turn to this easy new approach which is perfect for experienced and novice bread-makers alike!

The technique comes from one of my fellow local bloggers.  Molly, from Peanut Butter and Dill Pickles, has done a number of  variations on the basic technique, in which ingredients are mixed up in a bowl by hand, left to sit for 12-18 hours, then baked in a enameled cast iron dutch oven.  The advantages include skipping the heavy kneading (just a light knead at the end),  no real forming of loaves and an easy cleanup.  The one disadvantage is the long lead time, which is perfectly fine with me because it requires no (as in zero) attention during the wait.

I’ve done of few of these breads myself now and wanted to try making a loaf with the flavor of old-fashioined German rye rolls—the dark fragrant rounds studded with caraway and topped with chunky salt.  In my first attempt, I put coarse sea salt on the outside of the loaves before baking (just like the rolls) and discovered a strange sight the next day.  Overnight, the salt absorbed water and each crystal now looked like a damp spot of mold–nooooo!  So for my next try I put a generous dose of salt inside the bread. The taste was virtually identical–whew!

This bread is the 4th recipe in my Kitchen Cupboard Spring Cleaning Challenge. Back… well, I can’t even remember when, I bought a 25 pound bag of rye flour and it seems like it’s lasting forever.  These loaves disappear quickly, so this should help a lot!

Rye Bread Cut

(Almost No Knead) Rustic Rye Bread

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Note: the directions are for a standard round loaf, but my baker is oval so the pictures won’t quite match.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus extra for final knead
• 1 1/2 c rye flour
• 2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 c  water
• 1 1/2 T molasses
• 1 1/2 T caraway seeds

Directions

1.  Whisk together the 3 cups of flour, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the water until a dough forms and no flour remains in the bottom or sides of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap (or a bowl lid) and let sit overnight or 12-18 hours.

Easy Rye Bread Mixed

2.  Preheat oven to 450°.  When oven is preheated, place an empty enameled cast iron Dutch oven (with lid) into the oven.  Set your timer for 30 minutes.  While pot is heating up, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface and lightly knead the dough until smooth, incorporating enough additional flour so it is not super sticky.  Re-cover with plastic wrap (or lid).

Rye Bread Rising

3.  Once 30 minutes has passed, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and drop the dough ball in to ungreased pan (or if you are chicken like me, drop it in on parchment paper).  Put the lid back on and place back in the oven.  Bake for 30 minutes.  (Note: the Dutch oven must be hot or the bread may stick).

Rye Bread in Oval Dutch Oven

4.  After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 5-10 minutes more until the bread is golden brown and crusty.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Rye Bread Browning

5.  Eat warm or cool.

Rye Bread Cooling

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Since the Kitchen Cupboard Spring Cleaning Challenge was part of my inspiration for this and I am one contribution behind in documenting my attempts to use one “rotting in the cupboard” food every other day, I am going to add another quick “recipe”.  But first some background…

I had two packages of beef liver in my freezer from my last two beef purchases which I figure counts as really neglected.  In all honesty, I am not fond of beef liver–even if it is organic and grass fed.  And I don’t even want to consider how my kids would react if it appeared on the dinner table.

So I brought it over to my much-less-picky mother who will cook it up with bacon and onions. Yes, it almost sounds good that way (but not quite).

Beef Liver

Ingredients

• 1-2 pkg frozen beef liver

Directions

1.  Remove beef liver from freezer.  Place in grocery bag.

2.  Drive to mother’s house.  Put in mother’s freezer.

Expedient, right?

 *     *     *

Kitchen Cupboard Spring Cleaning Challenge Tally So Far…

1. Vegetable (Hearts of Palm) Dip
2. Super Simple Sugared Nuts
3. Blueberry Lemon Sugar Muffins
4. Rustic Rye Bread
5. Beef Liver

Blueberry Muffins

And that is how I came to have a lovely jar of blueberry jam sitting around my refrigerator.  For months.  I wasn’t going to toss anything that healthy.

When I decided to do my Kitchen Cupboard Spring Cleaning Project, I thought, “what could I do with some unloved-but-really-nutritious blueberry jam?”

I did my usual internet blog search and located this creative and tasty recipe that I adapted from the Damn Delicious site.  This original recipe calls for making your own jam by cooking down blueberries and sugar, but I figured I’d just warm up my jam to soften it and use that instead.  With 2 cups of blueberries in a dozen muffins you get some serious fruit in these!

The jam goes on the tops of the muffin along with sprinkles of lemon sugar resulting in a muffin that is especially attractive and a great candidate for a festive event.  Hmmm, Mother’s Day is coming up!

Blueberry Lemon Sugar Muffins

 Blueberry Lemon Sugar Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups blueberries, divided or 1 cup blueberries & 6-8 oz jam
• 1/2 cup sugar (and 1 T additional sugar if not using prepared jam)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 T lemon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the lemon sugar topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick spray; set aside.

2.  If not using prepared jam, make homemade jam as follows:  In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup blueberries and 1 tablespoon sugar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes.

If using prepared jam, warm jam until softened.

Warm Blueberry Jam

3.  To make the lemon sugar topping, combine the sugar and lemon zest, rubbing the zest into the sugar with your fingertips; set aside.

Make Lemon Sugar

4.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon juice, butter, eggs and vanilla.  Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until moist.  Add 1 cup blueberries and gently toss to combine.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

5.  Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Top each muffin with a spoonful of blueberry jam, swirling into the batter but letting it peel through. Sprinkle with lemon  sugar mixture.

6.  Place into oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

7.  Cool then serve.

Muffin Close Up

Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti

This week, however, the idea of baking biscotti is back in the forefront.  You see one of my kids is performing in the school musical–and the final week is a killer.  The request went out for sustenance to get the performers, crew and teachers through the upcoming marathon and of course I signed up.  But the restrictions are fierce–no nuts (kids with allergies) and no chocolate (tough on costumes).

Last year I made apple streusel muffins (which I’ll repeat) and scones, but I wanted to shake it up a little.  No self-respecting food blogger would make the identical food twice!  So I’m going to pull the idea of biscotti out of the archives–and plan to make at least two versions.  No chocolate or nuts may up the challenge, but that’s just part of the fun!

Today’s biscotti recipe calls for fresh cranberries which I fortunately had frozen from fall’s CSA.  If you can’t get them, I am confident that dried would be delicious as well!

Perfect for dunking

Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti

originally from Best Ever Cookie Collection

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

Directions
1.  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2.  In large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed until the sugar dissolves and the eggs become pale yellow and foamy. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and stir to blend.  Add the butter and stir until well combined.

Blend liquid ingredients

3.  Gradually stir in the flour mixture until the dough comes together in a ball, then blend in the chopped cranberries.

Add chopped cranberries

4.  Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dough will be sticky. Lightly dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a 4 inch wide by 1 inch tall log (it will probably make 2 logs–if so, space logs to allow for rising or use 2 baking sheets).

5.  Place the baking sheet on the center rack of your oven and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until the top of the log is golden brown and feels firm when you press it with your finger.

6.  Allow the log to cool to room temperature, then cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Cut biscotti log

7.  Place slices on the baking sheet and bake another 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are crisp.

Lay biscotti slices for second bake

8.  Allow the biscotti to cool completely on the sheet.

Pumpkin Cranberry Biscotti–Served

Honey Whole Wheat Loaf

I have been baking this wholesome loaf for decades.   Back in my college days, I had a classmate who worked for Red Star Yeast and they had just published a bread cookbook.  They were giving away “2nds” (with recipe typos covered by stick-on corrections) and when she found out I was a fledgling baker she brought a copy for me.   It has been the source of many wonderful recipes over the years including the one that this is adapted from.  I no longer remember her name, but her thoughtfulness is still appreciated!

I started making this bread in fashionable round loaves.  As my kids got older they  wanted to use it for sandwiches and I discovered that rectangular loaves work beautifully as well.  Surprised to see this tagged as both a bread and a snack?  We don’t have candy and chips in our house, so when my kids get home from school, they grab a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.  The only downside is that I am now baking six loaves at a time (yes, they freeze well)!

Round Loaf of Honey Whole Wheat Bread

100% Whole Wheat and Honey Bread

Makes 2 round or 2-3 sandwich loaves

Ingredients

• 8 c whole wheat flour (approximate)
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/4 c oil
• 2 t sea salt (optional)
• 3 c water, approximately 115 degrees
• 2 packets active dry yeast (or 2 scant T)

Directions

1.  Combine warm water, honey, oil and yeast.  Stir to dissolve yeast.  Let stand to “proof” (until it gets a bit bubbly)

Watch for Bubbles to Proof Yeast

2.  In a separate bowl (or freestanding mixer) combine salt and wheat flour (Note: I always use the full or slightly more than 8 cups of flour, but while you are getting a feel for this recipe, you may want to start with 7 cups and add the remainder in more slowly)

3.  Add liquid mixture to flour.  Stir to combine, then knead on floured surface (or in mixer with dough hooks) about 5-8 minutes until dough becomes hard to knead and  “pushes back” (I always knead by hand a few times after mixing in my mixer).

Freestanding Mixer

4.  Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with a damp dish towel.  Let rise in warm place until doubled.  (In winter, when our house is in the 60s, I use the microwave with the light on. )

5.  Punch down dough and form into 2 round loaves or 2-3 rectangular loaves.

6.  Let rise again in a warm place until indentation remains after touching, about 20-30 minutes (bread will continue to rise a bit in the oven).

7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from baking dish and cool on wire rack.

Money saving tip: If you are (or would like to be) a frequent bread baker, those little packets of yeast really add up.  I now buy 2 lb bulk bags which I store in the refrigerator.  There are also 4 oz jars  for those with a lesser commitment.  A scant tablespoon is equivalent to one packet.