JennaDish

No-Knead Italian Semolina Bread

 

No-Knead Italian Semolina Bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

This is the Master Recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I've made many versions of this recipe successfully.  To find those recipes, type Artisan Bread in the search feature of this blog. For this version, you will be using 3 cups durum flour and 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and adding sesame seeds to the top of the dough.  Use a cornstarch wash before baking rather than a dusting of flour.   Another successful no-knead recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Italian Semolina Bread

Compliments of JennaDish

from Artisan Bread in Five Mintues a Day 

3 cups lukewarm water (you can use cold water, but it will take the dough longer to rise. Just don’t use hot water or you may kill the yeast)

1 1/2 tablespoons ( 2 packets) granulated yeast (you can use any kind of yeast including: instant, rapid rise, bread machine, active dry or cake yeast*

 *If you use cake yeast you will need 1.3 ounces.

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt (use less salt to suit your taste or eliminate it all together)

3 cups durum flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Semolina Flour - No.1 Durum Wheat)

3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (recipes tested with Gold Medal and Pillsbury flour. If you use King Arthur or other high protein flour add 1/4 cup water)

1 to 2 teaspoons sesame seeds for sprinkling on top

Cornmeal for pizza peel

Cornstarch wash for the crust (mix 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with small amount of water to dissolve, then add 1/2   cup water - microwave 1/2 to 1 minute or boil until glassy - set in fridge to cool until ready to use)

In a 5 or 6 quart bowl or lidded food storage container, dump in the water and add the yeast and salt. Or put all ingredients (water through caraway seeds) in the bowl of a stand mixer.  It doesn’t matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together.

If you are using the fresh cake yeast break it up.

If mixing by hand in the storage container, to make things easier you can get a Danish Dough Whisk which I hear helps tremendously (and is cheaper than a stand mixer).

The dough will be wet. These pictures are from the regular master recipe.

Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut. You want the gases from the yeast to escape.

Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.  Dough will expand greatly.

This is what it will look like.  Very cool.

The dough will be flat on the top and some of the bubbles may even appear to be popping. (If you intend to refrigerate the dough after this stage it can be placed in the refrigerator even if the dough is not perfectly flat. The yeast will continue to work even in the refrigerator.) The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled.

The next day when you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you will notice that it has collapsed and this is totally normal for our dough. It will never rise up again in the container.

Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out.

Cut off a 1-pound piece of dough (grapefruit size) and form it into a ball. Do this within about 1 minute by stretch from the middle outward and turn a quarter turn then stretch to back, turn 1/4 turn, doing this a few times, adding a little flour to your hands as needed just enough to prevent sticking.  Place the ball on a sheet of parchment paper… or rest it on a generous layer of corn meal on top of a pizza peel. 

 

Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes, (although letting it go 60 or even 90 minutes will give you a more open hole structure in the interior of the loaf. This may also improve the look of your loaf and prevent it from splitting on the bottom. ) You will notice that the loaf does not rise much during this rest, in fact it may just spread sideways, this is normal.  Don't worry if it's a little flat.  It will rise much in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone or pizza stone or unglazed ceramic or porcelain tiles on the center rack, with a broiler tray on the bottom, which will be used to produce steam. (The tray needs to be at least 4 or 5 inches away from your stone to prevent it from cracking.)

I just bought these unglazed porcelain tiles at Lowe's for $2 each. They've worked perfectly for years. (Bread in photo below is rye bread made earlier, not today's semolina bread)

Just before baking, paint the surface with cornstarch was, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and slash the surface diagonally, using a serrated bread knife.

Slide the loaf into the oven onto the preheated stone (keep on parchment paper if used earlier instead of cornmeal) and add a cup of hot water (actually I need 2-3 cups because 1 cup dries up too quickly) to the broiler tray. Watch out for the sizzle. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until deeply browned and firm.

Allow the loaf to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. If you cut into a loaf before it is cooled you will have a tough crust and a gummy interior. It is hard to wait, but you will be happy you did! Make sure you have a nice sharp bread knife that will not crush the bread as you cut.

If you have any leftover bread just let it sit, uncovered on the cutting board or counter with the cut side down. If you cover a bread that has a crust it will get soggy.

 

Oven Roasted Red and Gold Beets

 

The weather will be warming up soon and we'll start seeing some Spring and Summer fruits and veggies soon, so I'm getting this root vegetable recipe in quick as I can.

 

 
Besides just eating beets as a side, you can mix them with rice, or cool them and place them on top of your favorite greens for a healthy salad.  Top the salad with cheese crumbles, like goat cheese, feta or blue cheese, and something crunchy, like pine nuts or candied pecans.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, oil, and your favorite fresh herb.

 

 
I had my Roasted Beets and Rice medley with Baked Salmon.  The sweetness of the beets are a great boost to the lightly seasoned salmon.

 

 

When you cut the red beets, your hands will become red-stained, so make sure you have a friend and a camera nearby so you can hold your hands up and make an evil face for the family photo album. 

Good Times.

 

Roasted Beets
Compliments of JennaDish

1 or 2 bunches of beets
olive oil (or canola oil) to toss and coat the beets, about 1-2 tablespoons
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

Wash the beets, cut off the greens and peel beets with a vegetable peeler.  (Many roast first and then cool, then rub the skins right off, but I find this to be messier.)

Cut the beets in even pieces for even roasting - my photo shows about 1" pieces.  Put the beets on the pan in a pile, drizzle with oil and a big pinch of salt, toss them to coat evenly - this can best be accomplished with your own clean hands.   Then quickly spread the oiled and salted beets in one layer across the pan so you can go wash your red-stained hands.

Place pan in the middle rack and roast until tender, about 25 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. 

Armenian Lentil Burger

 

Armenian Lentil Burger

This burger is so full of flavor, I couldn't stop taking bites of it, even before I got a decent photo of it.

The crisp outer crunch, and the complex layers of infused spices makes this hefty veggie burger irresistable.  

I can tell you that these burgers require an investment of time, but they are truly an artisan veggie burger. The point of my making these lentil burgers today was not only to taste test the recipe, but to test freezing the uncooked burgers for future use.  If they freeze well, making 8-12 veggie burgers at once and freezing them to use within a month or two would be worth the time spent.

This recipe states it makes four 4" round burgers.  That's a pretty big burger so I found a 4" round tin that holds round cookie cutters, set the cookie cutters aside, and used the tin to mold the burgers.  Turned out perfect.  Each burger is about 5 1/4 ounces, or about 3/4 cup.  The burgers stay together well.  I cooked one burger to see how it would hold up in the frying/baking process and it was sturdy, but you still need to be careful with it.  I used a cast iron skillet, and the lentils cooked into a nice, well-done burger, crisp on the outside.

Armenian Lentil Burger
Compliments of JennaDish

from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lucas Volger

MAKES FOUR 4" BURGERS (about 5.25 ounces or 3/4 cup each) 

LENTILS
1 cup French green lentils
1/2 onion, cut into two quarters through the stem
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 inch piece ginger, cut into two pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

BURGERS
4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 garlic cloves, mined

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 eggs

3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher) 

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. Cook the lentils: Pick through the lentils and rinse thoroughly. Stud each onion quarter with a clove. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion quarters, giner pieces, crushed garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Stir, then cover and cook for 1 minuted, until fragrant. Add the lentils and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the jeat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Discard the aromatics (the onion, giner, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf) and pour off any excess liquid.

2. Prepare the burgers: Preheat the oven to 375^oF.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion, allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and cayenne. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to caramelize, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook until the onion is fully cooked, about 5 minutes longer.

4. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooked lentils. In a food processor, combine the lentils and the onion mixture with the eggs and pulse until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the reserved lentils, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, and lemon juice. Adjust seasonings. Shape the mixture into 4 patties.

5. In an oven-safe skillet or nonstick saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 6 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.