Artisan loaf bread

The Master Recipe: Boule

(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)

Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour

Mixing and Storing the Dough

1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

5. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

6. Place the ball on a pan. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

9. Put pan in oven. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.



From: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

Honey and Spice glazed pork chops

Cooking spray
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves


Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned.

While pork is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl; set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add honey mixture to the pork. Cook 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once.

Remove pork from the skillet and allow the sauce to boil until thickened and slightly reduced for a glaze, 3-5 minutes. Spoon glaze over the pork before serving.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Brown the pork as directed above and once browned, remove and allow to cool. Place cooled pork chops into a freezer storage bag. Add the remaining ingredients to the bag, seal and freeze. When reader to prepare, remove from the freezer and defrost, Transfer the contents into a crockpot, cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours. You might also like:

Cheddar and cracker chicken

16 buttery crackers (such as Ritz), crushed (about 3⁄4 cup)
6 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Heat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, garlic, scallions and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Pound the chicken to about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness with a meat mallet. Dip the pounded chicken in the butter, then in the cracker mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture on the chicken and drizzle with any remaining butter. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the chicken as directed above. After coating it in the cracker mixture, place chicken in a gallon sized freezer bag, seal and freeze flat in your freezer. When ready to prepare, place on a baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Bake as directed above from frozen until cooked through, possibly 30-35 minutes depending on thickness.

From: http://joelens.blogspot.com

No boil 3 cheese manicotti

Filling Ingredients (Place inside a gallon size freezer bag):
2 cups cottage cheese
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 ½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Combine filling ingredients and gently knead until thoroughly mixed.Clip a small corner, about 1/2"- just big enough to fit right inside the manacotti. The smaller the whole- the less the mess.

Remaining Ingredients:
1-8oz. package manicotti
½ cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Sauce recipe:

1 pound ground beef - browned with onion
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
2 cups tomato sauce
½ teaspoon basil
1 small onion, finely chopped.
Heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in each pan. Pipe cheese filling into manicotti. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/8 Parmesan cheese. Cover shells completely with sauce.

Bake covered with tinfoil at 375 for 1 hour.

If freezing: Thaw 24 hours. Bake covered with tinfoil at 375 for one hour until shells are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from momonamission.me

carrot cake

2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c grated carrots
optional- 1/2 cup raisin or 1/2 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8X6 pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.