Buttermilk Bread

Lately I've been enjoying one of the first things I taught myself in the kitchen:  yeast breads.  When I was a sophomore in college, my roommate convinced me to join a cookbook club.  We each got two free books and had to order and pay for two books.  I've long forgotten what the two paid-for books were, but I still have the two free ones, both bread-baking cookbooks.  My very first excursion into yeast-bread baking was a success, and I was hooked.  In fact, I was so in love with homemade bread that for ten years I made all (and I do mean all) my own bread:  rolls, buns, loaves, pita, and all the sweet yeast breads like donuts and coffeecakes, and every non-yeast bread you can think of as well.  

I love everything about yeast breads: the yeasty fermenting smell of the yeast as it proofs.  Mixing the ingredients together and seeing the gluten begin to form stretchy threads.  The physical feel of the bread in my hands as I knead and feel it take on a smooth texture, and of putting my shoulders into turning and folding.  Seeing it rise, not once, but twice, as the yeast does its magic. Smelling the warm aromas as it bakes.  And finally, slicing it and tasting it, still warm from the oven.  

The slow process of bread baking is part of the attraction for me.  I know many people prefer to rush through it, using bread machines, fast-rising yeasts, and other shortcuts.  For me, it's like a lot of things: it's not the destination as much as it is the journey.  I like the connection I have with my food when I take time with it.  I like the journey of bread baking; it satisfies something much deeper than just my hunger.

Although I don't bake as often as I did during that ten-year period, I so dislike paying too much money for too-often poor-quality store-bought bread that I tend to make my own bread frequently.

Here's a loaf that makes great sandwich bread.  It has a fine grain and a slightly-nutty, slightly-tangy flavor; it slices well and makes great toast.  And yes, it's from one of those two original books.

BUTTERMILK BREAD

adapted from A World Of Breads, Dolores Casella

Ingredients

• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 1/2 t. salt
• 1/3 c. butter
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 T. yeast
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 6 c. flour (unbleached or a mix of unbleached and whole wheat)

Method

Gently heat the buttermilk with the butter until the butter is melted.  Stir in most of the sugar and the salt.  Set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Proof the yeast in the warm water with the remaining sugar (1 t. or so is plenty).

Combine half the flour and the baking soda.  Add cooled buttermilk and yeast and stir until smooth and you can see the gluten begin to form.   Add as much more flour (ideally not more than 3 more cups) and knead until smooth and elastic.  

Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp (not wet) dish towel.  Let rise in warm place until doubled.  Punch down, form into two loaves, and place in greased bread pans.  Let rise again.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or so.

Remove from pans, cool on racks until you can't stand it any more, then slice and enjoy!

Variation

I think this would make a great cinnamon raisin bread, with coils of cinnamon, butter, and golden raisins.  

Notes

If you aren't familiar with bread-baking, there are plenty of good resources on the internet.  But if you really want to know about the journey of bread-baking, pick up some of the older cookbooks, make a cup of tea, and settle in for an evening. You might find that the journey is worth it.  

It's all part of cook, eat, dance, love!

Date Nut Bread

Recipes for date nut bread -- like recipes for almost anything, any more -- are all over the internet.  I don't know how this one compares to what's popular right now.  I just know it's one I've been baking for 40-plus years, and it's stood the test of time, at least for me.  The recipe is from "A World Of Breads," Dolores Casella, one of two bread cookbooks I've had since the early '70's.  I still use both of those cookbooks regularly.

To get right to it:

DATE NUT BREAD

Ingredients

• 2 c. chopped, pitted dates
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 2 c. boiling water
• 2-6 eggs (depending on how rich a bread you want.  I use 2-3)
• 1 c. brown sugar (note:  this is a decrease from the recipe in the book)
• 1/2 c. soft (not melted) butter
• 3 c. flour
• 1 c. nuts (I use pecans when I'm giving this for gifts but I like walnuts, too)

Method

In a bowl, combine dates, soda, salt; pour boiling water over all, stir, and set aside to cool.

Beat eggs until well-blended.  Add sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy.  Stir in flour; add date mixture and nuts.  Blend.  Batter will be on the liquid side.  Pour into two greased loaf pans.  Bake 350, 55-60 min.

Slice and enjoy!

Variations

You can add vanilla or almond extract (2 t.).  Or, use 1 c. orange juice in place of part of the water.  Try different dried fruit (cranberries with the OJ would be good).  Experiment!

Notes

I like this warm with butter but it doesn't need any spread at all, it's moist and full of fruit and nuts and just really good.  It's also good for cream cheese sandwiches (add some chives or fresh herbs of your choice) or with other cheeses (like goat cheese) or peanut butter.  Good with tea and coffee.  Good for breakfast or a snack.  Good with savory soups.  Heck, it's just good!

Cook, eat, dance, love!

Mom's Southern Vegetable Soup

My mother grew up in the south, and she grew up poor.  Beef wasn't common in the south then anyway and, with little money available, when her family did eat meat it was more likely to be pork or poultry.  So the vegetable soup I grew up on and love is a pork-based vegetable soup, not the beef-based many know.  As far as I know mom never wrote down her recipe but I watched her make it several times growing up and have been making it on my own for 40 or so years.  Here it is, as best as I can remember.

MOM'S SOUTHERN VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients

• ham shank (optional) (most of the ingredients are optional, actually)
• vegetable stock (homemade preferable)
• carrots
• onions
• celery
• green beans
• corn
• peas
• okra
• black-eyed peas
• lima beans
• potato
• tomatoes (peeled, canned or fresh)
• herbs (I use basil and rosemary)
• imagination
• love

Method

If you're making stock, make it first, using your own favorite recipe.  I like to make it with lots of celery tops, a quartered onion or two, a couple of bay leaves, and a couple of carrots cut into large pieces.  I let it simmer at least an hour.  Taste and season if you like.  I don't add salt if I'm using a shank because the shank will add a lot of salt anyway.  When the stock is done, strain it over a large bowl or pot and discard the cooked veggies.  

Mom always threw her ham shank into the pot and added the canned and not drained tomatoes and most of the veggies and let it simmer.  After a few hours she would pull the shank out, cut off the meat, add the meat back to the pot, and announce dinner.  I like to cook the shank in the broth first because I like to skim as much of the fat off as possible before I add the other ingredients.  Up to you.  If you do cook the shank in the stock, let it simmer slowly an hour or more, then remove the shank; allow it and the stock to cool.  Skim the fat off the stock, shred the meat from the bone, and add it back to the stock, along with all the other veggies.  Simmer at least 30 minutes or until all raw veggies are done.  

Serve with cornbread or a crusty loaf of bread.

Notes

OK, now on to the imagination part:  you don't have to use a ham shank.  You can use a ham hock but be forewarned they generally have very little meat on them.  You can use chopped ham but you'll lose the smokey flavor from the shank.  I tried it once and never again.  However, it's also very good as a vegetarian/vegan soup with no meat at all.  Vegetables can be of your choice but the tomatoes are part of the base of the soup so I wouldn't omit them.  I also think celery, onion, and carrots are pretty basic, but there are no rules here.  Amounts are what you have on hand and like.  Okra isn't required and it's not my favorite veggie but throwing a handful in thickens the soup a bit, which is kind of nice on a cold winter evening.  It's better with fresh veggies (mom almost always made it late summer) but you can used canned -- but use as many fresh veggies as possible.  Better the second day.  Freezes great!

Have fun with it, and cook, eat, dance, and love!

Hoosier Corn Fritters

It's getting towards the end of the season but local corn may be available a few more weeks.  Although  not everyone has a love affair with fresh corn on the cob, my father, who farmed in the Midwest growing up, passed just such a love on to at least some of his children.  Add to that the fact that I grew my own corn for over 20 years, and you've got a real corn snob on your hands.  But even someone who truly loves fresh corn on the cob, to the point that no off-season corn in any form is worth eating, appreciates eating fresh corn other ways than just on the cob.  These fritters are a great way to capture the corn flavor of summer with a bit of zing.

Corn fritter recipes are all over the Internet; many are exact copies of each other.  My recipe has been tweaked it over the years; it's not drastically different than what you'll find elsewhere, but to me it's a bit better than most.  It's not yet perfect but it is oh-so-delicious.  Go out and pick a few ears from your garden and give this a try.


HOOSIER CORN FRITTERS


Ingredients

• 2 ears fresh local corn, shucked, and kernels cut off cob
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. 2% milk (other milk may be used, or even water)
• 3 T. yellow corn meal
• 3 T. whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 1/2 T. baking powder
• dash salt
• pepper to taste
• a dash of cayenne pepper, or cumin

Method


Whisk eggs with milk in large bowl, then add corn and onion.  Stir together corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spice.  Add to corn batter and let sit 15 minutes.

Heat a thin sheet of olive oil in a non-stick skillet (medium heat).  Drop batter by small spoonfuls -- about 2 T. each -- into oil; fry until browned on each side, and drain on paper towels. 

Serve while warm with plain yogurt, sour cream, and/or a little homemade salsa.

Notes


Frozen corn will also work well for this, especially if it's corn you've cut off the ears and frozen yourself.  Don't bother with canned corn -- it simply isn't as good (I'm a corn snob, remember?  Or as I prefer to say, I have a highly educated palette).  The whole wheat flour adds just a bit of earthy flavor and the onion plays well with the corn.  They can be a bit crumbly (one of the things I'm trying to perfect) so make them small, not large, unless you don't care if you get lots of corn fritter chunks instead of fritters.  These fritters make a great side for a Thanksgiving dinner; substitute rosemary for the cayenne pepper or cumin.


And cook, eat, dance, love!

Blueberry Pudding Cake

Blueberry Pudding Cake is a recipe from epicurious.com.  I made it with only small modifications and wanted to be sure to credit the source.   If you're interested in the original recipe, check out the link; I'm posting as I made it. Very moist, flavorful, and a good way to highlight summer blueberries.

BLUEBERRY PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. plus 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 10 oz blueberries (2 cups)
• 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 3/4 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. lowfat milk
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 t. vanilla

Method

Mix 1/4 c. sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; add blueberries.  Bring to simmer and maintain, stirring as needed, for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 c. sugar.  Separately, mix egg, milk, butter, and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Pour batter into greased 8x8 pan, then pour blueberry mixture evenly over batter.  The sauce partially sinks and makes a fun, spider-web-like design.

 

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature, ideally with a vanilla topping like ice cream, whipped cream, or  vanilla yogurt (my favorite, lighter than ice cream, but still adds the creamy, vanilla-y goodness).

Notes

I liked this but did find it pretty rich because of all the butter so if you try it, be forewarned and consider smaller servings than you might dish out.  I used less sugar than the recipe called for and was pleased with the not-sickening-sweet result, especially because of the richness.  It was very moist, more like a sponge cake, and the blueberry sauce also offset the richness and was a nice foil to the buttery cake.

Next time I'm going to add 1/2 c. more blueberries, a heaping T. or more of lemon zest, and perhaps sub lemon extract for the vanilla.

And when I do, I'll cook, eat, dance, love!