Sourdough Semolina & Fennel Seed Crackers

The cracker bug hit me earlier this year. I started experimenting with different types of crackers, and haven’t stopped yet.  I’ve been making them at least once a week for the past several months.

In the midst of my cracker-making craze, I ran across a recipe for sourdough whole wheat crackers. I’ve been testing this recipe for several weeks.  I’ve tried other methods, but I keep coming back to this one.  The addition of sourdough gives the crackers a somewhat cheesy flavor.  They taste so good! 

So far, I’ve made sourdough crackers using einkorn, spelt, rye, a mixture of spelt and rye, and whole wheat. I enjoyed each variation, but I continued to look for the perfect flavor/texture combination. I think I found it in these Sourdough Semolina and Fennel Seed Crackers.

 

I had been using butter or coconut oil in the sourdough crackers, and although each batch was really good and very addictive, the texture wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I was looking for a crispy and light cracker that melted in your mouth.

When I made the Semolina Olive Oil bread last month, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to try the same formula but use different types of flours. In the midst of all of the bread testing, it occurred to me that semolina flour and olive oil would make a tasty and crispy cracker.

I was right!  I made these crackers with my apple starter, semolina flour, and olive oil.  And, to make the crackers even more interesting, I topped them with fennel seeds. Oh boy!  I took one bite and knew this was it.

The fennel seed version tastes divine, but feel free to try other variations.  I made a different batch of these crackers and sprinkled some with sesame seeds and some with chili powder. We couldn’t decide which version we liked better. They all taste great.

 

 

Sourdough Semolina & Fennel Seed Crackers

Adapted from: Kitchen Stewardship’s Sourdough Thin Wheat Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup discarded or fed sourdough starter * (I used my apple starter)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup Semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fennel Seeds, or sesame seeds

* I’ve tried this recipe using discarded sourdough and recently fed sourdough.  It works great with either one.

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter and olive oil.

2) Add about 1/4 cup flour and the salt and mix thoroughly. Depending on the hydration of your sourdough starter, you might use all of the flour or you might have some left over.  Just add as much as necessary to make a stiff and workable dough.

 

3) Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a lid to keep it from drying out and let it rest at room temperature for at least 7 hours. I let mine rest on the counter for a few hours, then I placed it in the refrigerator overnight to develop the flavor.

4) Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit before rolling. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces and place each ball on a greased or floured piece of parchment paper, or a nonstick baking mat. 

 

5) Roll the dough out very thinly. Brush it with olive oil, using a pastry brush or your fingers, and sprinkle it with fennel seeds.  Press down lightly on the fennel seeds to help them stay on.

 

6) Cut the dough into squares or diamonds using a pizza cutter.

 

7) Bake the crackers in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes until just golden brown. Bake them in batches, rotating the baking sheets if you are baking two at a time. If you want crispy crackers, let the crackers cool down completely in the oven. If you want to do this in an electric oven, leave the door slightly open so the crackers don’t keep baking while the oven is cooling down. 

 

8) Transfer the crackers to a wire rack. They will shrink some in the oven and come apart on their own so it’s easy to separate them.

 

Enjoy!

 

My youngest son said these were the best crackers I had made. He’s been away at school and hasn’t tried all of my creations, but he’s right. This is my favorite cracker by far. The key ingredient is definitely the olive oil, but the semolina puts it over the top.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Cinnamon Crunch Swirl Bread

Bread Baking Day (BBD), established by Zorra in 2007, is celebrating it’s 6th anniversary. The theme for BBD #60 is Glazed Bread. 

In honor of this special occasion, I made Cinnamon Crunch Swirl Bread.  My oldest son loves cinnamon so I made this loaf for him. He doesn’t like raisins or nuts in his bread so I omitted them. If you like raisins and/or nuts, feel free to include them for additional flavor and texture.

 

Adding a glaze or wash to the crust of a loaf serves different purposes, depending on the type of glaze you use.  A glaze or wash can be used to provide a crusty exterior, soften the bread or to give it a beautiful color and sheen and to provide added flavor. There are a number of ways to add a glaze to breads. Some of the most common types of glazes are egg wash, melted butter or oil, milk, a mixture flour and water, or plain water.

I used melted butter on the top of these loaves.  To get the distinctive swirls, the dough is rolled out, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Once the loaf is baked and before it cools, the cinnamon crunch topping is added by brushing the top with melted butter and sprinkling it with additional cinnamon sugar. The topping gives the loaf an extra burst of flavor and added crunch. Simply delicious!

 

 

Cinnamon Crunch Swirl Bread

Adapted from the Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Makes: Two Medium Loaves

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons raw sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (or shortening)
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature (I used almond milk but you can use buttermilk or whole milk)
• 3/4 cup filtered water, at room temperature
• Additional butter for brushing the loaf
• Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on the dough and on top

 

Directions:

1. Mixing the Dough

Stir together the dry ingredients: flours, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the egg, butter, milk, and water.  Stir with a large wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk until the ingredients come together to form a ball.  Add flour or water as necessary to make a workable dough that isn’t too sticky or dry and stiff.

 

2. Kneading the Dough

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (or bowl) and let it rest for 15 minutes.  After the dough has rested, knead the dough until it is smooth and supple, about 10 minutes.  Add flour as necessary to achieve the desired texture.  If you want to add a cup of raisins and/or walnuts, knead them in during the last 2 minutes of kneading and distribute them evenly.

Clean and wash the bowl and lightly oil it.  Place the dough in the bowl, roll it to cover it with oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.

 

3. Bulk Fermentation

Let the dough ferment 2 hours, or until it is doubled in size.  In this hot weather, my dough was ready in an hour and a half.

 

4. Shaping the Loaves

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out to an 8 x 5-inch rectangle and about 1/3-inch thick.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Roll the dough into a tight sandwich loaf (jellyroll style).

 

Pinch the seam closed with your fingers.

 

Lightly oil two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans and sprinkle the bottom and sides of the pans with cinnamon sugar.  Place the loaves seamside down in the pans.  Spray the tops lightly with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap.

 

5. Final Proof

Proof the loaves at room temperature for about 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough crests above the tops of the pans.  It should be nearly doubled in size.

 

6. Preparing the Loaves for Baking

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. with the oven rack on the middle shelf. 

Brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

 

 

7.  Baking the Loaves

Place the loaves on a baking sheet.  Make sure they aren’t touching each other.  Carefully slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven.

 

Let the loaves bake for 20 minutes. Then rotate them about 180 degrees for even baking.  Continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes depending on the oven.  The baked breads should be golden brown on top and lightly golden on the bottom and sides.  The loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

 

8.  Cooling and Serving the Loaves

If you are using glass pans, let the loaves cool in the pans on a wire rack about 10 minutes before removing.  If you aren’t using glass pans, you should remove the loaves immediately after removing them from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.  Let the loaves cool for at least an hour; 2 hours if you can manage it before slicing and serving.

 

Be sure to check out the BBD #60 roundup on Zorra’s blog.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Try these Whole Wheat Buns for a Cookout

A visitor to my site recently asked me if I had a good recipe for hamburger buns. Well, now that you mention it, I do. And, since the 4th of July Holiday is right around the corner, I decided now was the time to share it.

If you’re looking for an easy way to make hamburger or hotdog buns for your next cookout, you might enjoy this one.

These Fuss-Free Whole Wheat Buns are made using the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes method. The HBin5 method takes a lot of the guess work out of the bread baking process. With this method, it’s really easy to scale the dough and plan ahead. And, did I mention, there is no kneading involved.

These sandwich buns are healthier for you than store-bought ones because for one thing, you know what’s in them. My version includes home-milled whole wheat flour, but you can use your favorite brand of whole wheat flour if you don’t mill your own flour. To keep the buns from being too heavy, the dough also includes some all-purpose flour.

Another neat thing about making homemade hamburger buns is that you can make them any size you want. If you like to make big burgers like my son does when he grills out, then you can shape them bigger, but if you’re trying to utilize portion control, then you can make the buns smaller.

Please join me on the Grain Mill Wagon to learn how to make these Fuss Free Whole Wheat Burger Buns.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Making Nan e Barbari | Persian Flatbread

Nan e Barbari is a Persian Flatbread typically served for breakfast with feta cheese and a cup of tea. It has a beautiful golden color and a distinctive odor.

The secret to the lovely color and unique aroma is in the sauce. The sauce, or Romal as it is referred to in Iran, is a mixture of baking soda, flour, and water that is brushed on the dough during the shaping process and again prior to baking.

 

Elizabeth of Blog from OUR Kitchen, the host kitchen for the Bread Baking Babes this month, chose Nan e Barbari as the featured bread. This sounded like an interesting bread so I joined in the group bake as a BBB Buddy.

We seem to have a theme going with the types of breads we’ve been making recently. We had to beat the Whipped Bread into submission last month and this month’s bread is a slacker as well.

It is a high hydration dough which means it is very wet and slack. When I read the comments from the other bakers, I wondered how I would fare with this dough. It seemed that some of them actually cursed the dough because it was so wet and tricky to handle.

On the day I made this bread, I was not in the mood to deal with a slacker so I made a couple of changes to make the dough more workable.

The first change I made was to hold back some of the water while I was mixing the dough. I ended up adding some of it back but I didn’t use all of it. I also used home-milled whole wheat flour which absorbs more water than commercial wheat flour. Another variable that affected the hydration was the humidity the day I baked this bread. The dough absorbed more water and it was a delight to work with.

 

Nan e Barbari

Adapted from Blog from OUR Kitchen, adapted from 1001 Recipe

This bread doesn’t take long at all to make.  I made it in an afternoon. I halved the original recipe and made two mini-loaves.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 tsp instant yeast
• 150 mL (2/3 cup) warm water, about 90 degrees F.
• 30 gm (~1/4 cup) 100% whole wheat flour (I used home-milled flour)
• 180 g (~1 3/8 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• black sesame seeds (and/or nigella seeds, blonde/brown sesame seeds or poppy seeds)

Romal (Sauce)

• 1/4 tsp flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 cup water

 

Directions:

1. Mixing the dough 

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

 

2. Kneading the Dough

Elizabeth’s method for working with slack dough:

(Watch her Working with slack dough video for more details.)

Turn the dough out onto an un-floured board. Wash and dry the mixing bowl. Using both hands on either side of the dough and thumbs resting on the top in the center, lift it up and flip it over in the air before plopping it back down on the board. Fold the dough in half away from you as you plop the dough down. Keep repeating until the dough is smooth. Every so often, use the dough scraper to clean the board. Stretching the dough is desired on the turns. But this won’t start happening right away. When the dough is smooth, place it in the clean mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave in a draft-free area to rise to double.

 

My method for kneading this dough:

I’m still dealing with tennis elbow so I didn’t utilize the same method as Elizabeth did for kneading the dough. I used Chad Robertson’s method from Tartine Bread. Basically, you do a series of turns and folds in the bowl.

Refer to my Tartine Bread post for a photo tutorial on performing the fold-and-turn method.

 

3. Proofing the Dough

Cover the bowl with a plate. Let it bulk ferment for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. Perform the fold-and-turn process a few times during the first 1/2 hour of bulk fermentation.

 

4. Prepare the sauce

Whisk flour, baking soda and water in a small pan. Bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

5. Pre-Shaping

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour. Cut the dough in half. Form each piece into a ball and place well apart on the baking sheet. Cover the rounds with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a draft-free area for about an hour, or until double in size.

 

6. Final Shaping

Brush each round with the sauce.

 

Dip your fingers in the sauce and dimple the rounds down to form two ovals with lengthwise furrows.

 

7. Final Proof

Brush the ovals with the sauce again and sprinkle with the seeds of your choice. Let the ovals rest for about 45 minutes.

 

8. Baking the Loaves (in a conventional oven)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a baking stone on the middle rack. Before placing the loaves onto the stone, pull each oval with your hands to lengthen it. Wet your hands so they won’t stick to the ovals and pull the dough from the bottom with your palms facing downwards. I forgot to do this part so my ovals didn’t get lengthened.

Place the loaves onto the hot baking stone (on the parchment paper). Spray the loaves with water. Bake the loaves for about 15 minutes. Rotate the loaves and remove the parchment paper part way through the bake cycle.  Bake the loaves until they are golden brown. 

Grilling the Loaves: If you would like to grill these loaves instead of baking them in a conventional oven, refer to Elizabeth’s post for directions on grilling this bread on your gas grill.

 

9) Cooling and Eating the Loaves

Remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool slightly before enjoying. 

I enjoyed one loaf with dinner and the other with lunch and as a snack the next day.

 

This bread turned out to be fairly easy which was nice because I had some mishaps earlier in the day (not related to bread), and I wasn’t in the mood for anymore mess ups. Baking this bread was a good stress reliever and it was delicious!

Thanks BBBs for another fun and tasty bread!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

BreadStorm™ Bread Formula Software

I was catching up on what’s been going on with the Chicago Amateur Bakers, and I ran across this neat software for managing bread formulas. The program is called BreadStorm™.

They are currently looking for beta testers who use a Mac computer. I don’t use a Mac so I’m unable to test the program, but I’m sure there are a lot of bakers out there that might want to try it. I’ve included some background information as well as the contact below if case you are interested in becoming a beta tester.

BreadStorm™ (http://www.breadstorm.com/) is the software for managing your bread formulas, designed by amateur bakers Dado and Jacqueline Colussi. BreadStorm supports pre-ferments, soakers, and Detmolder builds. Enter any formula in weights, and BreadStorm automatically calculates the baker's percentages for you. Now the baker can create and edit formulas without doing any calculations or defining any equations (as one must do in a spreadsheet). BreadStorm is currently accepting beta testers for Mac OS X 10.6+. If you are interested in testing the software and providing feedback, please email Jacqueline at jacqueline@breadstorm.com.

Olde-Style Pumpernickel in Pullman Pan

The bread of the month for the Artisan Bread Bakers is Pumpernickel. The formula, from David of Hearthbakedtunes, is an olde-style pumpernickel that utilizes stale bread, rye berries, rye chops, rye meal and bread flour.

The timing couldn’t have been better for making this bread. I have been experimenting with a new Einkorn bread recipe and after several (less than successful) attempts, I had plenty of old bread to work with. The test breads tasted fine, they just didn’t look very good. When I found out we were making this bread, I knew I could put the leftover bread to good use. It made a unique addition to this bread.

The method for making this bread is similar to the Volkornbrot the Mellow Bakers made a couple of years ago, with a couple of variations. The Volkornbrot utilized a flaxseed soaker and a rye chops soaker, but this bread utilizes an old bread soaker and a rye berry soaker.  This bread is leavened with sourdough but due to the weight of the soakers, the rye chops and rye flour, it also includes some dry yeast to give it some lift. 

Even though this was a heavy dough, it rose really well during the bulk fermentation and the final proof in the pan. If I hadn’t had the lid on, it probably would’ve risen right over the top of the pan.

 

Olde-Style Pumpernickel Bread

Makes: 1 Pullman Loaf

Adapted from: Pumpernickel Bread on the Artisan Bread Bakers FB page.

I used rye flakes instead of rye chops because that is what I had. I also used whole rye flour that I milled in my grain mill instead of using rye meal. Rye meal is a rougher grind of pumpernickel or rye flour, but you can substitute whole rye flour.

Ingredients:

Sourdough Build:

• 9.6 oz Whole Rye Flour
• 9.6 oz Water
• 0.5 oz Rye Culture (I used this rye levain)

 Rye Berry Soaker:

• 6.4 oz Rye Berries
• Water, as needed

Old-Bread Soaker:

• 6.4 oz Old Bread (I used some stale Einkorn bread)
• Water, as needed

Final Dough:

• 8 oz Bread Flour (more for sprinkling if necessary)
• 8 oz Rye Flakes (or Rye Chops)
• 12.8 oz Water (if needed)
• 0.6 oz Kosher Salt
• 2 teaspoons Instant Yeast
• 1.3 oz Black Strap Molasses
• Berry Soaker (all of the above)
• Bread Soaker, drained (all of the above)
• Sourdough (all of the above)

 

Method:

Making the Rye Berry Soaker:

Place the rye berries in a bowl and cover them with water by an inch or so.  Soak the berries overnight. 

 

The next day, rinse and drain the berries. Cover them in three times their volume in water.  Bring the berries to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let them cook for about an hour, until they are soft and pliable.  The berries will increase significantly in size.

 

Sourdough Build:

In a small bowl, add the water, then mix the starter in the water.  Add the rye meal and mix with a wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk until it is thoroughly incorporated.  Let the sourdough rest for 14-16 hours at 70 degrees F.

 

Old Bread Soaker:

Take the stale bread, toast it in the oven until it is really brown, almost burnt, but not quite. 

 

Add water as needed to cover the toasted bread and let it soak for at least four hours, if not longer, until it becomes a sticky, gooey mess.  Be sure to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible before you use the soaked bread in this bread.  You probably won’t need to add any additional water in the final dough mix.

 

Mixing the Final Dough:

Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the water.  The bread soaker and berry soaker will absorb water in varying amounts so you might not need any additional water.  I didn’t.  Mix the dough on first speed for ten minutes. Add flour (or water) as necessary to get a dough you can work with, but don’t expect too much development with the dough since it’s mostly rye.

 

Bulk Fermentation:

Let the dough ferment for 30 minutes.

 

Shaping the Loaf:

Spray the inside of a Pullman pan and the lid with cooking spray and dust heavily with rye flour to keep the bread from sticking to the top and sides of the pan.  This will also help insulate the dough during the long bake.

 

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a floured work surface. Shape the dough into a log the length of the pan. Place it in the Pullman pan.

 

 

Final Proof:

Using your fingers, spread the dough out evenly in the pan and sprinkle the top with flour and a little more oil, if desired.

 

Slide the lid on the pan. 

 

Let the loaf proof in the pan, with the lid on, for about an hour, or until the dough is almost even with the top of the pan.  I took the lid off to make sure it had risen enough, then I slid it back on.

 

Baking the Loaf:

Note about the baking process: This bread was designed to be baked overnight in the oven while it was receding in temperature. This was so the baker could utilize the hot oven, while it was not in use.  In order to simulate this method in a home oven, you need to follow the steps listed below:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., with a baking stone on the bottom rack and the middle rack removed.

2) Place the loaf (in the covered Pullman pan) on the preheated baking stone and let it bake for an hour at 350 degrees F. 

3) Remove the baking stone, if possible (without breaking it due to temperature change).  This will prevent the bottom crust from getting over baked.  

4) Reduce the oven to 275 degrees F. and bake the loaf for 3 1/2 more hours. 

5) Turn the oven off for the remainder of the bake cycle.  Just let the bread rest in the oven while the oven cools down, about 10 – 12 hours.  My oven was cooled down before that time, but I just left the loaf in the oven the required time.

During the extended bake cycle, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. DO NOT PEEK! DO NOT TOUCH!  These were our instructions.  David said the Rye King would come after us if we peeked or touched it before the bake cycle was complete.

 

Cooling and Resting the Loaf:

Do not cut into the loaf until it has rested for 24 hours!  I let it cool on the wire rack until it was completely cooled.  Then I wrapped it in foil and let it sit for 24 hours.

 

Slice and Enjoy!

I baked this bread for a friend of mine who will be hiking part of the Appalachian Trail. This dense loaf is full of nutrients and has good keeping quality so it’s the perfect bread to take a long on a hiking trip. I know this because I’ve taken this type of bread with me on a hike before, and it was very satisfying for me and the other hikers.  The loaf is so big, there’s plenty to share.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy