Ciabatta

Ciabatta 

There are times in your life when you need courage and well courage is what I needed to switch from dry yeast to fresh yeast. Well this is mostly because storing fresh yeast can be very problematic but the trick is to cut it into small pieces and wrap it in cling film and store it in the freezer. Well anyway I have been wanting to make an antipasti for which you need the delicious Italian bread called 'Ciabatta' which is a kind of Italian cousin of the very famous Baguette.

Well its actually quite easy to make . What you need is just a bit of planning ahead because you need to create the 'poolish' or starter the night before you want to bake the bread and once you bake this amazing crusty bread with a delicious flavour you can create a fantastic sandwich , tasty appetizers or you can simply sip it in olive oil and it tastes superb.

Anyway moving on to the recipe :-

This makes two medium sized ciabattas and one large ciabatta

The source of my recipe are a few Italian blogs thanks to Google translator and BBC Food

Here is what you need for the overnight poolish

250gm all purpose flour
15gm fresh yeast
190ml lukewarm water
Pinch of sugar

For the final dough

250gm all purpose flour
190ml lukewarm water
10gm fresh yeast
12gm salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
Milk for brushing
Extra flour for sprinkling

For the overnight poolish

Proof the yeast by dissolving the sugar with 4 tbsp lukewarm water (Remember that yeast beign a living creature can die if the water is too hot. Ideally the water should feel just mildly warm where you can dip your fingers and comfortably keep it dipped) and then adding the crumpled yeast . Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes to 10 minutes. It will form bubbles which is the sign that it will work and you can move ahead . Mix the yeast with the flour and then slowly add the lukewarm water and mix with your clean hands . The dough will be wet and stick and it is supposed to be that way. Keep working with the dough till you see a shine and then cover with a cloth and let it rise for 13 hours to 18 hours.

After 18 hours of rise 

For the final dough

The dough once it has been transferred to an oiled bowl 

Proof the yeast and then add the yeast to the flour and then add the poolish and then slowly add the water and finally the salt and make a dough. It will be sticky and its supposed to be that way. keep kneading till the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and then oil your hands and grease a bowl with olive oil and knead the dough and transfer to oiled bowl and let it rise for another hour and then gently transfer this on to a heavily floured work surface and let it rise for another half an hour and then cut it into three equal pieces and gently stretch with your hands and transfer onto the baking tray lined with parchment paper and sprinkle some flour on it .

Before the loaf goes in the oven 

Let it rise for another half an hour and brush with milk (this helps in browning) and then preheat oven to 240 C and bake for half an hour reducing the temperature to 220 C after 15 minutes of baking. If you have a convection oven bake at 220C for half an hour. Take it out of the oven and then cool on a wire rack. You must let the bread cool completely before you slice it.

Milk Bread

Milk Bread 

My father has always maintained that no other bread tastes as good as the humble milk bread. While I do not accept his thoughts on bread because I love whole wheat bread and some other breads as well on a hot summer's day I make a batch of milk loaves for my father who loves fresh soft milk bread with copious amount of butter spread on it and sugar sprinkled on it. And it becomes a heavenly  treat with fresh cream on top

The truth is that, once you start making bread it is only through your experience that you come to know of certain important aspects which no recipe talks about.

 

For instance the first time I had baked a bread I had thoroughly searched the internet for recipes and most of them scared me until I stumbled upon Dan Lepard's artisan bread. It was well explained and my bread had come out perfect, yet after my experience with a couple of other breads it was only practice which made me realize that while the success of a bread baked at home depends largely on the right recipe so does some other factors. So, most people face a problem of the bread not rising but did you know that is bread is proofed beyond requirement it will rise and then start expanding but you need not worry because there is a solution. You simply punch it down knead and let it rise :)

Milk bread is one of the easiest breads one can bake and the ingredients are very easily available and stocked by most homes and so it usually saves you the trouble of going out to gather ingredients.

Here is what you need for the recipe :-

For the recipe I followed Dan Lepard's recipe to the tee but cut the recipe down to suit my requirements

312 gm all purpose flour + a little extra for kneading
1 tsp instant yeast
50ml cold water
188 ml warm milk
38 gm salted butter
13g castor sugar or honey (I had used honey)
Extra butter for greasing and kneading
1 tsp salt
Though not mentioned in Lepard's recipe I used extra milk to brush the tops before baking

Start by bringing the milk to a boil and letting it cool down to a lukewarm stage when you add the cold water and the yeast. Remember that the liquid must not be of a high temperature else it shall kill the yeast.

Next mix the flour, castor sugar or honey, salt and then melt butter and pour in in the dough. Use your clean hands to knead. Remember it will be sticky but you must not add extra flour else your bread will come out hard. keep kneading the sticky dough for 10 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes covered with a wet cloth. After 10 minutes grease your hands with butter and knead it till it forms a super soft dough and let it rise for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Before the final rise 

Here is the tricky part. Dan Lepard works in a cold country and I stay in a tropical one , so my bread was done in 50 minutes and then I punched it down and added flour to knead it and shape it. I  divided it in three balls and shaped them like sausages by rolling them and placed them side by side. I covered it with the cloth and let it rise for the next 20 minutes.

Ready to be baked 

Now preheat the oven to 180 C and bake for 40 minutes to 50 minutes in a well greased tray or a loaf pan. Do not forget to brush the dough with milk before baking it for a beautiful brown yet soft crust else your crust will blacken.

It is important to let the bread cool completely before slicing it up. It takes a bit of practice to get it out of the tray. Simply use a blunt knife to gently but firmly bring it out after 10 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

P.S. When baking the bread always use a tray of boiled water beneath the rack on which the bread is beign baked. This keeps the bread moist while it is baking.

Enjoy the soft slices buttered well . Indulgence is a luxurious necessity. In the end my father might have shown his mock anger and said, 'The daughter is doing nothing but baking . Why don't you open a  bakery?' but his chewing on the buttered slice of milk bread said otherwise . Now I can happily go off to sleep and wake up to a delicious breakfast :)

Bacon Garlic Cheddar Bread

Bacon garlic Cheddar Bread 

A lovely lady had told me that bread-making can be addictive and she was extremely right. You see bread-making is one of the easiest dishes to be made in the kitchen. Once you find all your information and the right recipe there is no looking back. So in my first post for bread I have jotted down what one should do when making bread. Now let me clarify from before these bread are rustic yet soft and fluffy on the inside and you can just about use any stuffing which catches your fancy. Well garlic , bacon and cheese are three ingredients which have , is and always shall catch my fancy and so here I present my Garlic Bacon cheddar bread.

The recipe of bread-making has been written in the  post, Cheddar Bread  and follow everything except the stuffing part

For the stuffing :-

350gm lean bacon
70gm to 100 gm cheddar cheese
5 to 6 large sized garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil

While the yeast works its way in your bread mince your garlic finely and chop the bacon into bite sized pieces and cube the cheddar but in small cubes. Fry the bacon and add the garlic and saute till the bacon is well fried and the garlic is softened and crisp gives out the aroma but make sure not to brown it.

So instead of stuffing the dough with cheddar you put in the garlic bacon mixture and then add the cheddar. Now press them down and cover it well with the dough from all sides and then bake at oven which has been preheated to 220C and bake at 220 C for 45 minutes in case you have convection oven or for 35 minutes to 40 minutes for regular ovens.

Cheddar Bread

Cheddar Bread 

There are certain pleasures of life which makes you feel that life can be beautiful and my recent venture into the bread-making arena has left me feeling that life is sweet. Alright I have to confess that the perfect outcome of my first ever bread has left me a little more joyous than ever. You see first-time successes are nothing to feel great over because if you really do your research well and know what to do and what not to do then chances are you will not fail.

Now there are plenty of recipes out there in the virtual world but choosing the right one is your key trick. For me I like the lengthy ones which explain every bit of the process and after my immense first time success with Dan lepard's Dundee Cake I decided he was my man for my first White bread as well. Now even with a good recipe I was terrified and here is why. You see the first time I had followed Mary Berry's recipe my cake had a mildly zinc like taste which I later found out was due to the amount of baking powder. I learnt a valuable lesson that the strength and usage of baking powder can geographically vary. So a reduced amount of baking powder later I have since made perfect Victorian sponge cakes and so I was a bit scared about using yeast since I felt the geography could come between me and my perfect loaf but then I closed my eyes read his recipe and compared it with another well known one and finalized on his well explained one. This one is just how I liek my bread to be rustic in its look and feel and taste and soft and cheesy inside.

So bread-making is the easiest of all culinary projects. Here are a few tips I have gathered from Mr.Lepard :-

1. Take your time and work a bit , so he suggests letting the yeast salt, flour and wet ingredients work for 10 minutes and then giving it a light kneading with buttered or oiled hands leaving ti for 10 more minutes and repeating it twice more. 
2. He suggests using yogurt for half the amount of water specified in a recipe for softer bread without a milky taste. So if a recipe asks for 300ml water you use 150ml water and 150gm yogurt which has been whipped.
3. Always place a tray of water beneath your rack which is baking the bread since that helps in keeping it moist. 

So I bravely added cheddar to my first bread and its  success overwhelmed me and so here I present my very own Cheddar bread since Mr.Lepard's recipe was only for a white bread :P 

Serves 4 to 5 

400gm all purpose flour 

1 tsp instant yeast 

1 tsp salt 

150ml lukewarm water 

150gm yogurt which has been whisked 

100gm Cheddar cheese cubed into very tiny cubes 

Kitchen towel 

Butter for kneading 

Extra flour for kneading 

Mixing the ingredients with the wooden spatula 

Start by placing your flour in a bowl. Add the yeast on one side of the flour and the salt on the other side . If you mix the salt and yeast it apparently hampers the yeast in its work. Slowly add the curd and mix with a wooden spoon. Then add the water bit but bit and mix well with the wooden spoon. You shall have a sticky consistency and wrap it in your kitchen towel and leave it for 10 minutes. 

After the third kneading with butter 

Oil your palms very well and the work board you shall work upon and knead the bread gently and put it back in the bowl and repeat this process twice more with a 10 minute interval where you wrap the dough in the kitchen towel. After the last kneading in which you make sure every side is covered with butter leave the dough to rise for 45 minutes (that is exactly the time I required) to 50 minutes and in the meantime cube the cheddar , wash and pat dry your work-board and flour it well, use plenty of flour on your hands and then knead the dough and do it fast so that the dough does not stick to your hands. 

After the last kneading with butter and letting the dough rise for 45 minutes 

Cheddar being added 

Add the cheddar in the middle and cover it with the dough from all sides and pinch it to make sure nothing is sticking out. Leave it with the kitchen towel wrapped around it for another 45 minutes to 50 minutes and then preheat oven to 220 C. Make a pattern on your bread with a knife before baking if you want to. 

Before the patterns 

Final dough ready to be baked 

Bake your bread with the tray of water beneath the rack for 45 minutes to 50 minutes if using convection oven or 35 minutes to 40 minutes for regular ovens. 

Enjoy this hearty bread with some soup, all by itself or with some cold cuts or make a hearty sandwich the choice is all yours