HAVE SOURDOUGH, WILL TRAVEL - OAT PORRIDGE BREAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS

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Two weeks ago, I flew to Columbus/Ohio, to visit my daughter. In my carry-on I had a freezer bag with sourdough, hoping it wouldn't cause suspicion and confiscation at the airport security.

Valerie had asked me to show her and her co-workers at "Two Caterers", how to bake a high hydration bread à la Chad Robertson of Tartine fame.

"Tartine"-breads are known for their "holyness", and their excellent taste. They are great favorites of mine, and I bake them in all possible variations (Brewer's Bread, Acorn Levain)

The next day I walked to a nearby "Giant Eagle"-supermarket to look for ingredients. I wanted to bake a porridge bread (the grain mush makes it especially moist). And it should have nuts in it.

The fancy salad bowl was barely big enough for mixing the flours

The different flours I needed were easy to find, and, also, rolled oats for the porridge. For the nuts I opted for almond slices. Fortunately, my daughter owned a scale. A polka-dotted salad bowl and a large pot at my little studio Airbnb could serve as mixing bowls.

I made use of all vessels my Airbnb had to offer

I cooked the porridge, toasted the almonds, mixed the dough,  and carried the whole shebang to the kitchen of "Two Caterers", where, for the next two days, I baked bread with baker Zeek, pastry chef Cheryl, and manager James. And had the chance to peek into pots, pans and woks of all the cooks. 

Cheryl making desserts

Sampling Cheryl's delicious dessert creations was, of course, strictly for continuing education purposes! 

Cheryl and Zeek proudly present their loaves

The two breads turned out to be a great success! One loaf, still warm, was quickly devoured - everybody in the kitchen wanted to try a piece. (The second bread was carried off to a safe place before it could vanish, too.)

Everyone wanted to try a piece, and one loaf was gone in no time

Soon as I got home from my trip, I baked another Oat Porridge Almond Bread for us - it was so delicious.

I tweaked the basic formula from "Tartine: Book No. 3" a bit, the original contains less sourdough (only a third of the starter, the rest is supposed to be discarded - something I would hate to do) and very mild. I prefer a slightly tangier bread, and use the whole amount. 

From Ken Forkish ("Flour Water Salt Yeast") I learned a few tricks: later additions to the dough can be better incorporated by "Pinch and Fold", instead of just folding it (see Einkorn-Hazelnut-Levain.)

We can never wait for the bread to cool completely

OAT PORRIDGE BREAD WITH TOASTED ALMONDS  (adapted from "Tartine: Book No. 3")

Feeding (2 x the day before)
10 g of starter (discard rest, or use for other purposes)
20 g of flour blend (1/2 bread/1/2 whole wheat)
20 g water (80-85ºF/26-29ºC)

Levain
10 g/1/2 tbsp. matured starter (discard rest, or use for other purposes)
50 g bread flour
50 g whole wheat
100 g water (80-85ºF/26-29ºC)

Oat Porridge
69 g old-fashioned rolled oats (or cracked oats)
181 g water
1 g salt

Final Dough
250 g high-extraction wheat flour (or 103 g bread flour + 147 g whole wheat)
250 g all-purpose flour 35 g wheat germ (raw)
430 g water, divided
210 g levain (all)
14 g salt
250 g cooked porridge, cooled to room temperature
100 g almond slices, toasted
rolled or cracked oats, for coating

DAY 1
Feed starter 2 x daily (to increase activity).

DAY 2
6:00 - 8:00 am: Mix levain. Cover, and leave for 6-10 hours at warm room temperature, or until a teaspoonful starter floats in water (swim test).

Swim test: the starter should float in water

For the porridge: cook oats with 3/4 of the water over low heat, stirring constantly until all water is absorbed. Add remaining water and salt, and keep stirring, until porridge is creamy and soft. (Adjust with a bit more water if needed). Let cool.

Oat porridge

12:00 - 18:00 pm: When levain is ready, transfer it to a large bowl, add 400 g of the water, and whisk to dissolve. In a second bowl, mix flours and wheat germ.

Dissolve levain in water...

Mix flours

...then stir flour mixture into dissolved starter (I use a Danish dough whisk)

Add flour mixture to dissolved levain and stir (Danish dough whisk, large spoon, or hand) until all flour is hydrated.

Cover, and let rest (autolyse) for 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours) in a warm place.

Folding and pinching the dough to incorporate additions

Add salt and reserved (lukewarm) water to the dough. Pinch and fold to combine: using your hands, pull up dough around the bowl, fold it over to the center, then pinch it several times. Repeat pinching and folding procedure until most of the added water is incorporated.

Working in porridge and almonds

Cover, and let dough rest for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold it, leave it for another 30 minutes, then add porridge and toasted almonds, pinching and folding 4-6 times, until roughly incorporated (see above).

Ferment dough for another 2 hours, stretching and folding it 4 more times at 30 minute intervals. (In the end the dough should feel billowy, with 20-30% increase in volume. If not, let it rise for another 30-60 minutes.)

Dough after 3 times S&F

Transfer dough to floured work surface. Lightly flour top. Using oiled spatula(s), work into a round by drawing the spatula(s) around it in circles to create surface tension, while rotating it. (Dough ball should be taut and smooth).

Pre-shape dough into a round

Lightly flour dough ball again, cover (I use the mixing bowl), and let it rest for 20-30 minutes (it will spread out again).

Generously flour rising basket (a 50/50 wheat and rice flour mixture works well to prevent sticking.) Sprinkle the bottom with rolled oats (killing two birds with one stone: the bread will look nice, and, even more important, it will not stick to the basket.)

Prepeared rising basket

Using floured, or oiled bench knife, flip dough around, floured-side down. With floured hands, fold up the bottom side by a third, then pull and fold both sides to the center, and the top down to the middle, gently pressing seams to seal.  Finally, fold bottom up over top fold, leaving the seam underneath.

Folded dough package (here an ancient grain loaf)

With floured hands, rotate dough ball until taut, dusting it with more flour if necessary. Place it into the rising basket, seam-side up.

Gently lift dough edges a bit and slide more oat flakes between dough and side of basket (to further prevent sticking). Sprinkle top of dough with flour.

 Shaped bread (here an ancient grain bread)

Place basket in plastic bag, and refrigerate overnight. (No warming up necessary).

Risen bread

3. TAG
Preheat oven to 500ºF/260ºC, with Dutch oven in the middle. Keep a large piece of parchment paper and scissors at hand on your counter.

With an energetic smack, turn (cold) bread out onto parchment paper (if you are too timid, it might stick to the basket.) Cut paper around bread, leaving two longer handles to make a sling (Uncut, it will crinkle in the pot.)

The paper sling ensures a painless transport to the Dutch oven

Score bread about 1/2-inch/1-cm deep in a # pattern (or as desired.)

Take hot pot out of the oven, remove lid (I place my oven mitt on top so that I don't forget how hot it is) and transfer bread with paper sling to Dutch oven. Replace lid.

Bread in Dutch oven

Bake bread, covered, for 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 450ºF/230ºC, and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove lid, and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes, until loaf is deep golden brown and registers at least 200°F/93ºC.

Take bread out of Dutch oven (tilt pot, grab paper handle and slide loaf out onto wire rack.) Peel off paper. Let bread cool completely before cutting it (if you have more self-discipline than we do!)

Freshly baked Oat Porridge Bread

ROYAL TREATMENT FOR LEFTOVER PANCAKES - KAISERSCHMARREN

My husband and I love pancakes! At least once a week we have them for lunch, made with all kinds of different grains, nuts and fruits. And, of course, our traditional family recipe, my Omi's German Pancakes.

Emperor Franz Josef loved Kaiserschmarren

I always cook a whole batch of them, even though we are only two, and I could just halve the recipe.

There's a good  reason:: leftover pancakes can be easily recycled into an (almost even more delicious) dish: Kaiserschmarren!

A famous Austrian dessert, Kaiserschmarren ("Emperor's Mess") is made from twice-fried pancakes.

First you bake regular fluffy pancakes, then you mess them up by ripping them apart, creating a "Schmarren" -  a mess in Austrian dialect. After that, you refry the torn pancakes in butter, together with raisins and other add-ins.

Emperor Franz Josef I, to whom the royal "mess" was dedicated, supposedly loved this rich dessert.

His Empress Elisabeth, anxiously watching her famed hourglass waistline, most likely not so much.

But since those painfully strait-laced days of yore are past, we can follow His Majesty's example, happily indulging in refried pancakes - and with a good conscience to boot, since we are thrifty recyclers!

Typical add-ins for Kaiserschmarren

LEFTOVER PANCAKE KAISERSCHMARREN  (2 servings)

2 servings of leftover pancakes, any kind (4 to 8, depending on size)
1-2 tbsp butter, for frying
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins (or to taste)
powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

Tear leftover pancakes in small pieces

Using two forks (or your fingers), tear pancakes in bite-sized pieces.

In large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Add pancake pieces, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are warmed through.

Cook pancake pieces with almond slices and raisins, stirring often

Stir in raisins and almonds, and fry until pancakes are crisped, and almond slices are starting to brown.

To serve, dust the pancakes with powdered sugar. Or sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar, like I do.

We like the faux Kaiserschmarren with maple syrup and lingonberry preserve. (The classic accompaniment for this dessert is plum compote.)

Finally we have spring after this long, cold winter!

DUTCH RONDOS - TENDER LITTLE CAKES WITH ALMOND FILLING

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In 2016 we Avid Bakers have a new challenge for breads and pastries: Weekend Bakery.com from the Netherlands.

This is especially interesting to me, since Amsterdam is one of my favorite places.

I have traveled there several times, and love what it has to offer, amazing art, a beautiful, walk-able city, and lots of good food.

Hanaâ, our "head baker", chose rondos, buttery pastry filled with almond paste - very appealing to a marzipan fan like me!

The little cakes, very popular in the Netherlands, are supposed to have a texture like Dutch apple pie - I never had one, so I can't comment on that, but they are certainly delightful.

Dutch bakers have special pastry rings to make rondos (or kanos, if they are ovals). Lacking these, I used my (slightly larger) English muffin rings (the other option would have been baking them in a muffin tin).

There are two choices for the marzipan filling, either the traditional almond paste that needs to be prepared a day ahead, or a same-day frangipane, equally nice - but with more butter.

A tender-crumbly little cake with marzipan filling

Not to stray from my good intentions for the New Year , I piously opted for the slightly slimmer almond paste (the rondos didn't need more calories, anyway), reduced a sugar a bit (this could have been more, as it turned out),  and exchanged some of the white flour for whole wheat.

The rondos turned out as delicious as described, a tender, almond-y little cake, crisp on the edges, with a hint of lemon (now I really have to check out Dutch apple pie!) They were still a tad too sweet for my taste - next time I would reduce the sugar in the dough even more.

Alas, I had to eat them all by myself - my husband being on a trip to Vietnam - but life is hard and requires sacrifices....

A great sacrifice - I had to eat them all by myself!

DUTCH RONDOS (adapted from Weekend Bakery.com)

(8 -10 cakes)

Dough
160 g/5.6 oz pastry four (or Italian Tipo 00)
40 g/1.4 oz whole wheat pastry flour (or all white pastry flour)
5 g/0.18 baking powder
1 pinch of salt
150 g/5.3 oz  cold butter, cut in 1/4-ich/1/2 cm cubes
70 g/2.5 oz light brown sugar (down from 100 g/3.5 oz)
almond paste or frangipane (see recipes below)
8-10 whole almonds, for topping
egg wash for brushing tops (egg beaten with some water or cream)

Almond Paste
75 g/2.6 oz blanched almonds (or almond meal)
60 g/2.1 oz sugar (down from 75 g/2.6 oz)
1/2  lemon, zest
water
1 small egg, beaten (added just before baking)

Frangipane 
50 g/1.8 oz butter, melted
50 g/1.8 oz sugar (I would reduce the sugar here, too)
1 egg
70 g/2.5 oz finely ground almonds /almond meal
1/2 lemon, zest

Almond paste

MAKE 1 DAY AHEAD
Almond Paste (must rest 24 hours for flavors to meld)
In food processor, grind almonds together with sugar to a very fine powder consistency. (Or use almond meal).

Add lemon zest and some water until you have a smooth and stiff paste, neither too wet, nor too dry. Store in fridge until needed (up to 2 weeks)

When ready to use, slowly mix egg into paste, until mixture is very smooth, and can be easily piped with onto dough rounds, but still hold its shape.

Spoon almond paste in piping bag and put it in fridge until needed.

OR
Frangipane (can be made the same day)
Whisk sugar, egg and lemon zest until creamy. Slowly add melted butter while continuing to beat. Add almond flour and mix well. Put in a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.

The dough is quite crumbly, use the plastic wrap to press it into a disc

Dough
 Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in food processor bowl. Pulse to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse, until clumps form (don't overmix!).

Divide dough into 2 halves, wrap both pieces in plastic wrap, pressing dough into flat disks. Refrigerate dough disks for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 10 rondo baking rings (or 8 English muffin rings on the paper, with a small distance between them (or use a non-stick muffin pan).

I used English muffin rings to cut out and hold the dough rounds

Remove first disk of dough from refrigerator. Roll out to a thickness of 4 mm/0.15 inches (cover the dough with plastic wrap, before rolling it out, so that it doesn't stick to the rolling pin.)

Cut out 10 rounds with a 7-cm/2.8-inch cutter (I used an English muffin rings to cut out 8 rounds). Re-roll and cut out leftovers

Place dough rounds in baking rings. Use the second half of chilled dough to cut out the top rounds.

Almond paste filled rondos

Remove piping bag with almond paste or frangipane from the fridge. Pipe equal amounts of filling on bottom dough rounds inside the rings. Then top with remaining half of dough rounds. Press edges together to seal.

Brush each rondo with a first coating of egg wash. Place an almond in the middle of each cake and lightly press down to attach it. Brush rondos a second time with egg wash.

Brush rondos with egg wash

Bake rondos for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Immediately remove baking rings (protect your fingers with a kitchen towel). Leave cakes to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer rondos to a cooling rack.

Bar Harbor in January - no snow yet, but cold!

FUDGY, FUDGIER, FUDGIEST - GLUTEN FREE, NO-BUTTER BROWNIES

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This year the Avid Bakers aspire higher baking education by delving into Christina Marsigliese's blog. Though her recipes might be "scientifically sweet", they are not overly sugary - a great plus in my opinion!

I find Christina's scientific approach interesting - she explains, why she adds certain ingredients, and what their properties are. For example, using powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar makes the cake batter moister because it dissolves faster into a syrup. 

But the concept of gluten and dairy free brownies, baked without butter or oil, almost kept me from joining our April project.

My first thought was: "Yuck!" Even my favorite vegan cupcakes (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World), are made with canola oil.

Luckily, the promise of "fudgy", and my curiosity won me over - the Fudgy No-Butter Brownies are among the best (and fudgiest!) brownies I've ever tasted.

Christina emphasizes on the importance of using the ingredients her recipe specifies - they are there for a reason: natural cocoa for a more intense chocolate-y experience, salt to enhance the flavor, and an extra egg white for structure.

And, though the brownies are not made with butter, they are not really lacking fat: almond meal, the gluten-free substitute for wheat flour, contains enough oil for a smooth bite.

The brownies are really easy to prepare - Christina could have also added no-fuss to her description!

Fudgy, fudgier, fudgiest - among the best brownies I've ever made

The only changes I made to the original recipe: the addition of a bit espresso powder - to boost the flavor even more - and a crunchy almond topping instead of more chocolate pieces. The batter is really loaded with chocolate, and doesn't need more.

My brownies needed quite a bit longer baking time: 40 minutes (instead of 25 - 30).


FUDGY NO-BUTTER BROWNIES  (adapted from Christina Marsigliese's blog "Scientfically Sweet")
(16 pieces)

300 g/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
56 g/ 2/3 cup natural cocoa powder
200 g/2 cups almond meal
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg white
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso powder
142 g/2/3 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I used Guittard)
almond slices, for topping

Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Line an 8 × 8-inch/20 x 20-cm pan crosswise with 2 stripes of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides.

In large bowl, sift confectioner's sugar and cocoa, then stir in almond meal and salt, until combined.

Add wet ingredients eggs, egg white and vanilla

 Add eggs, egg white, water and vanilla, and mix until batter is thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate.

Fold in chocolate

Transfer batter to prepared pan, using rubber spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with almond slices.

Ready for baking

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until a shiny crust forms, and a needle comes out clean except for a few moist chocolate bits (my brownies needed 40 minutes).

Easter - and still no sign of spring :(

BETTER THAN BAKED APPLES - BAKED APPLE MUFFINS!

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Karola B. Lütjen (Herzensköchin blog), a nurse and nutritionist, doesn't only cook from the heart, but, also, for the heart - a healthy one!

Her Bratapfelmuffins had been on my to-bake list since last December. The late fall with its drizzling rain, intermingled with wet snow flakes, made me crave the comfort of something cinnamon-y, with apples and almonds - Baked Apple Muffins seemed an excellent choice.

To make the muffins taste even more like baked apples, I sautéd the apple cubes in butter and toasted the almond slices. I also reduced the sugar amount a bit and used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean.

I like Honey Crisp or Cripp's Pink for baking

Those wonderfully moist muffins with crispy almonds surpassed all my expectations! My husband found them: "Much better than baked apples", and I couldn't agree more!

Better than baked apples!

BAKED APPLE MUFFINS  (12)  (adapted from Karola B. Lütjens' Bratapfelmuffins)

3.4 oz/100 ml apple cider, hot (I used hard cider)
0.9 oz/25 g raisins
0.9 oz/25 g dried cranberries
2.6 oz/75 g almonds slices, toasted
1 1/2 - 2 apples, cored, and cubed (9 oz/265 g net)
3.5 oz/100 g butter, softened + 1 tbsp. (1 stick)
2.6 oz/75 g sugar in the raw
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

5.6 oz/160 g all-purpose flour
1.4 oz/40 g whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
5 oz/150 ml milk (whole or 2%)


In a small bowl, pour hot cider over raisins and dried cranberries and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 355ºF/180ºC. Line cups of a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a skillet without fat, toast almond slices until light brown and fragrant. Transfer them to a small bowl.

Cook apple in butter for a few minutes

Wash apples, quarter, core and cut into 1/4-inch/1/2-cm cubes. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the (now empty) skillet and sauté apples until al dente - they shouldn't turn into mush!

In a large bowl whisk together flour and baking powder.

In mixer bowl cream remaining 3.5 oz/100 g butter until fluffy, then mix in vanilla, cinnamon and sugar until well blended. Add flour mixture in portions, alternating with the milk, until everything is just combined.

Mix raisins, cranberries and apples with almond slices

Drain soaked raisins and cranberries in a strainer (use soaking liquid for another purpose). Add with apple cubes to the bowl with toasted almond slices, and mix to combine.

Fold 2/3 of the fruit mixture into the batter

Fold 2/3 of the apple mixture into the muffin batter. Distribute evenly among the paper liners (3/4 full). Sprinkle muffins tops with the remaining fruit-almond mixture, then press gently down a bit to attach.

Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes, until tops are light brown, and a needle comes out clean. (Don't wait for them to turn really brown, then they will bake too long!). Let muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Baked Apple Muffins fresh from the oven

TIP:
Baked Apple Muffins taste best a bit warm.Thanks to the whole wheat and the juicy fruits they keep fresh for several days (in a cool place).To warm them up, zap them briefly in the microwave.

Even Ruffi, the Roamer, likes it better indoors now!