SWABIAN RYE FLOWER - SCHWÄBISCHES ROGGENBLÜMLE (WORLD BREAD DAY 2016)

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Just in time for Zorra's 2016 World Bread Day event, I received my copy of Stanley Ginsberg's The Rye Baker in the mail.

I met Stanley several years ago at the The Fresh Loaf forum, when he looked for test bakers for his first book, "Inside the Jewish Bakery". Though, at that stage, some recipes still were a bit rough around the edges (my husband complained about feeling like a guinea pig!), the book was well worth it, and his Onion Rolls are still a great favorite with my customers.

Last year, I was happy to help with the translation of some German recipes Stanley considered for his newest book, devoted entirely to rye breads.

Leafing through the The Rye Baker, a cluster of spiral shaped savory rolls caught my eye. Not only because the "Swabian Rye Flower" looked so attractive - it was made with a laminated rye dough!

I had never even heard that such a thing existed.

The filling was easy: Trader Joe's Prosciutto (lightly smoked), and French Comté cheese were already in my fridge, and for the herb topping I snipped off fresh thyme in the garden.

The cottage cheese for the filling had to be rinsed and drained to make it, mixed with cream cheese, dry enough to emulate quark (what they would have used in Germany).

Filling ingredients

10 grams of instant yeast seemed a lot, I reduced the amount to 9 grams (and would try 8 next time), and it rose just fine.

Laminating the dough was a bit more challenging. The recipe requires vegetable shortening for the fat layer.

I had made croissants before, and if butter and dough are sufficiently chilled, the fat stays put during the rolling and folding process.

Soft shortening is more difficult to contain. I should have straightened the edges of the rolled dough with a knife before folding it. This step from croissant making could have prevented a raggedy seam where fat can be squeezed out.

Too late: on this day neither my hands, nor the rolling pin or work bench needed any more lubrication - Crisco took care of it! Fortunately, most of the shortening behaved, staying within the dough, and the fat leakage during baking was not more than to be expected.

Stanley chose shortening because of the water content of butter - shortening doesn't have any - that could make the sticky rye dough even stickier. His advice: if you want to laminate with butter, you should mix it with some flour (1 tbsp flour/200 g butter).

We loved the hearty rolls! The laminated rye layers came apart and had a satisfying crunch, and the filling was delicious. The pretty flower shape, though, prevented the crisping in those places where the rolls touched. Being a sucker for crispiness, I would sacrifice form for function next time, and bake the spirals separate from each other.

But I will definitely make the Swabian Rye Rolls again!

One of these tasty rolls are a meal!

SCHWÄBISCHES ROGGENBLÜMLE - SWABIAN RYE FLOWER (adapted from Stanley Ginsberg: The Rye Baker)

(7 Rolls)

Starter
102 g/3.6 oz white rye flour
93 g/3.25 oz water  (105ºF/41ºC)
5 g/0.2 oz rye mother starter

Final Dough
200 g/7.05 oz starter (all)
153 g/5.4 oz medium rye flour
245 g/8.65 oz all-purpose flour
218 g/7.7 oz cold water
10 g/0.7 oz salt
10 g/0.7oz instant yeast (I used only 9 g)
3 g/0.12 oz bread spices

Lamination
200 g/7.05 oz vegetable shortening, at room temperature (68-72ºF/20-22º)

Filling
125 g/4.4 oz dry cured ham (like country ham or prosciutto) (I used Trader Joe's Prosciutto)
125 g/4.4 oz onion, chopped
2 tsp vegetable oil, for sautéing
125 g/4.4 oz hard cheese (like Gruyere, Parmesan etc.) (I used Comté)
85 g/3.0 oz cottage cheese, rinsed and drained
42 g/1.5 oz cream cheese, softened
black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste (I didn't add any - ham and cheese had enough salt)
chopped parsley, dill, or chives, for topping (optional) (I used fresh thyme)

The rye starter is made with white rye

DAY 1 
3:00 - 6:00 pm:
For the starter, mix ingredients in small bowl until all flour is hydrated. Cover, and leave at room temperature overnight (ca. 15-18 hours - it's ready when small bubbles appear on the surface, and it has a spongy structure underneath.)

Sautéing ham and onion

For the filling, in medium skillet over medium heat, sauté ham and onion in oil, until onions are translucent. Let cool to room temperature.

In medium bowl, mix all three cheeses, until well blended. Stir in ham, onion, and season with pepper to taste. (I did not add extra salt). Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Tasty ham and cheese filling

DAY 2
6:00 - 9:00 am:
For the final dough, mix ingredients at low speed (KA 2, dough hook)), until dough pulls back from sides of bowl, 5-6 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For laminating, transfer dough to lightly floured work surface, keeping extra flour and a pastry brush at hand.  

Always lightly re-flour work surface as needed, to prevent sticking, and brush off any excess flour from dough before folding!

It's easier to roll out the dough under a piece of plastic wrap

1. Turn:
Roll out dough into a rectangle (45 x 20 x 1.25 cm/18 x 8 x 1/2 inches). Spread 1/2 of the shortening in an even layer over left 2/3 of dough (leave a 2 mm free rim along the sides, since the soft shortening spreads a bit when rolled). 

Starting from the right side, fold rectangle into thirds like a business letter. Using a bench knife, straighten and square edges, so that layers are neatly stacked. (You can put cut-off pieces on top of dough, so that they are rolled in at the next turn)

Spread shortening over 2/3 of dough - I should have left a small free rim

2. Turn:
Turn dough 90 degrees, re-flour work bench as needed, and repeat rolling, greasing (with remaining shortening) and folding. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Wrap dough package in plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes

3. Turn:
Roll out dough to the same size, and fold into thirds again.

4. Turn:
Roll out dough to a rectangle (60 x 20 cm/24 x 8 inches). With bench knife, straighten and square short edges as needed (to get an even seam). Fold rectangle into fourths, bringing left and right side towards center, the fold in half, like closing a book. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

If I had remembered to straighten the edges, my folded dough package.....

.......could have looked like this (croissant dough) - no smearing of grease!

Roll dough out into a 20 x 45-50 cm/8 x 18-20 inches rectangle (1.25 cm/ 1/2 inch thick), short end facing you. With rolling pin, taper dough on near side (so that it's easier to seal the seam later).

Spread filling over 4/5 of the dough rectangle

Starting 2.5 cm/1 inch from far edge, spread filling evenly over ca. 4/5 of dough. Roll dough towards you into a log, like a jelly roll. Moisten free bottom edge with water, and press to seal.

Cut log into 7 slices with a sharp knife

Using sharp knife, cut log into 7 even slices. Place one slice in center of a parchment lined baking sheet, and arrange others around it so that rolls touch each other. Sprinkle with herbs. (If you want your rolls all around crispy, forgo the pretty flower shape and place them separately.)

Assembled "flower"

Cover, and proof rolls at room temperature for 20-25 minutes. They will not have grown much in size, but the spaces between the rolls will have shrunk a bit.

Preheat oven to 410ºF/210ºC, adjusting a rack in the middle, and place a steam pan on bottom or top rack (I use a broiler pan.)

Place rolls in oven,  creating steam by pouring a cup of boiling water into steam pan. After 5 minutes, remove steam pan, and continue baking for another 17-19 minutes (rotating baking sheet 180 degrees after half the baking time for even browning). Rolls should be medium brown, and the cheese melted and bubbling.

We loved the hearty rolls!

Serve warm or at room temperature.

STORAGE: The rye rolls can be frozen, individually wrapped in plastic, then placed in a freezer bag.
Thaw, then re-crisp for a few minutes at 400ºF. Or microwave frozen rolls, until halfways thawed (not fully!) then finish in the oven.

Reprinted with permission from "The Rye Baker" by Stanley Ginsberg, copyright © 2016. Published by W.W. Norton & Company

DAN LEPARD'S ALE-CRUST POTATO PASTIES

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Three years ago, my lovely stepdaughter, Cat, convinced me to join twitter. As if I didn't spend enough time already on my computer!

But it's fun to follow Dalai Lama (whose tweets are not about food, but food for thought), or the The Onion ("Lucrative New Oil Extraction Method Involves Drilling Directly Into Gas Stations!")

Usually I look at tweets from baking buddies, food-magazines, and renowned chefs and bakers like Dan Lepard.

Brown Ale tastes good in and with a pasty!

For many years the author of Art of the Handmade Loaf und Short & Sweet published his recipes in the Lifestyle section of the  Guardian (alas, no more!)

When I saw his Ale-Crust Potato Pasties, I jumped on my bicycle (yes, at the end of November! In Maine!!!) to get local brown ale, sharp cheddar and white onions.

Pasties are meat and vegetable filled hand pies, originally the (easy to carry) lunch staple of Cornish coal miners.

Meanwhile they spread to other places, even Mexico, possibly due to a popular British Comedy-Show about the pasty munching, Newcastle Brown Ale slurping Geordies.

Like with many of Lepard's breads, the dough is minimally mixed, without much kneading. Hands, a spoon or rubber spatula suffice - the butter cubes should remain visible and not melt.

The beer dough is rolled and folded several times, and chilled in between, like croissant dough, to make it nice and flaky.

I spruced up the potato onion filling with a little bacon. The filling would have been enough for nine pasties, so I reduced the recipe amounts accordingly. 

The pasties tasted very good, we were especially pleased with the wonderful ale crust.

These don't last long!

ALE-CRUST POTATO PASTIES (adapted from Dan Lepard's recipe)

 (6 Pasties)

DOUGH
325 g bread flour, plus extra for rolling
175 g spelt flour, or whole wheat (I used spelt)
10 g salt, (2 tsp.)
300 g cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm (0.4") cubes
250 ml Newcastle Brown Ale, or similar

FILLING
2 slices bacon, cubed
265 g white onions, chopped
¼ tsp. salt
15 ml olive oil
65 g water
salt and pepper, to taste
50 ml heavy cream
350 g potatoes, cooked and diced
70 g sharp cheddar, grated
egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Mix the dough only until it's clumping

CRUST:
Stir together flours and salt. Toss butter cubes through flour mix. Pour in beer and mix to rough lump (the butter pieces will still be visible).

This is what the dough should look like

Transfer dough to floured worktop and roll out into a approximate rectangle, about 1 cm (0.4") thick.

Even after rolling the butter pieces remain visible

Fold it like a business letter, roll it out, and fold it again into thirds. Wrap dough package in plastic foil and freeze it for 30 minutes. Repeat this double rolling and folding 2 x more at 30-minute intervals. Chill the dough for 1 hour in the fridge.

The dough package needs chilling after each turn

FILLING:
In a saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Using slotted spoon, take out bacon bits, place on paper towel, and set aside.

Add onions, oil, water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Cook until all water has evaporated, and onions are very soft.

Stir in cream, let thicken a bit (mixture should not have too much liquid). Remove from heat, add potatoes and reserved bacon, season well with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool.

Roll one half of the dough into a rectangle, then cut in thirds

Divide dough in halves. Return 1 piece to refrigerator. Roll other half into rectangle of ca. 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13"), then cut into thirds (a pizza cutter works well), each about 23 x 11 cm (9 x 4 1/3").

Place filling on one half (this is a filling with Christmas dinner leftovers)

Brush dough stripes with water, spoon filling towards one end, covering about half of piece (leave edges clean, otherwise you can't seal them!), and sprinkle with cheese. Fold other half over filling, and seal edges with a fork.

Repeat with other pastry sheet. Chill pasties until firm, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC.

Brush pasties with egg before baking

Brush pasties with egg, and trim cut sides, if necessary (and if you are a neat freak). Place on parchment lined baking sheets and slash tops.

Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate sheet 180 degrees for even browning, and continue baking for another 15 - 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Freshly baked pasties

LEFTOVER RECYCLING

Pasties work really well for leftover recycling of holiday dinners. After Christmas I filled pasties with our roasted goose-, red cabbage and potato leftovers including gravy. They tasted great!

FREEZING
Unbaked pasties can be easily frozen (before applying the egg glaze). You don't have to defrost them, just brush them with egg before they go in the oven, and bake them a little longer.

Ale-Crust Pasty with leftovers from our Christmas goose dinner!

This post, first published December 2011, has been completely rewritten and updated.

LITTLE BITES - MUSHROOM CHEDDAR TARTS

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Time flies, it's March, and we Avid Bakers are rising to our monthly challenge: a savory pastry from King Arthur Flour: Mushroom Cheddar Tarts. For me, a welcome change after all those holidays sweets (some sticky meringues are still uneaten!)

Like many other reviewers, I halved the recipe, since there was no big party to supply. Also, the best of all husbands left me to my fate, eating everything I bake by myself (to the detriment of my waistline), while braving a 29-hour flight and a rickety bus to visit Cambodia and Angkor Vat.

Exploring ruins instead of helping me eat - I'm left alone with my tarts!

I used my recently purchased mini-muffin pan (a bargain from HomeGoods, my home-away-from-home). Fellow bakers made regular muffin sized tarts with half the dough, but needed the whole amount of filling. For my tiny bite sized tarts half the filling was enough.

For the Hi-Maize Natural fiber in KA's recipe I used the more interesting natural fiber, contained in Einkorn flour, and Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese powder. Otherwise I followed the recipe.

Don't be intimidated by a crumbly dough - it will come together

Except for one thing: "Cook's Illustrated's" secret weapon for a foolproof pie crust.

Instead of adding more (gluten enhancing) water to keep the crumbly dough from falling apart, I used Vodka!

The little tarts turned out really nice, and, left to the task of eating them alone, I "forced" myself to dine on half of the batch - a great sacrifice!

Next time (and there will be a next time!) I might try them with another vegetable, leek or tiny  broccoli florets. And perhaps some fresh herbs, too.


MUSHROOM CHEDDAR TARTS  (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
(24 mini tarts)

Crust
113 g/1 stick cold butter, cubed
120 g/1 cup all-purpose flour
34 g/1/4 cup Einkorn flour
28 g/1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/16 tsp. cayenne pepper
43 g/3/8 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup ice water
1-2 tbsp. Vodka (doesn't taste, but moistens the dough without enhancing gluten formation)

Filling
57 g/1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tbsp. butter
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
3/8 cup milk or half-and-half (I used half-and-half)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
28 g/1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

A food processor makes cutting in the butter a cinch

For the crust: combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until an unevenly crumbly mixture forms (with pea sized butter pieces.)

Vodka - secret ingredient for a foolproof pie crust

Transfer mixture to a bowl, sprinkle with cheddar and water, and, using a rubber spatula, mix and press, until dough is cohesive; add 1-2 tablespoons Vodka, if necessary (more water makes the dough less tender!)

The dough will be crumbly and have a marbled look from the butter pieces

Pat dough into a disk, wrap in plastic foil, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling: saute mushrooms and red pepper in butter until the water is evaporated and vegetables are browned. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and thyme. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200ºC.

Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut rounds

Roll dough into a 10" x 13"/25 x 33 cm rectangle, and, using a round (2 1/2"/6 cm) cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds for mini-muffin pans (re-roll dough pieces, there will not be much leftovers.)

A tamper is a great tool for fitting the rounds in the mini muffin cups

Fit rounds into cups of mini muffin pan (using a tamper helps!)

Place 1 teaspoon each of sauteed mushroom mixture and shredded cheese into each cup. Then fill with egg mixture (about 2 teaspoons).

Ready for the oven!

 Bake tarts for 18 - 22 minutes, until they are golden, and the crust browned.

Allow tarts to rest for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Serve warm. (Or refrigerate and reheat for 10 minutes in a 375°F/190ºC oven.)

Great for a party buffet, or just for Sunday brunch

If you would like to participate in our monthly baking challenge, here is the link to the Avid Bakers.

BACON-CHEDDAR-CHIVE SCONES - A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

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This time Hanaâ picked savory scones for our Avid Bakers' June challenge. I wasn't too smitten by this idea: scones, okay, but salty ones? Not for nothing I put up the sign: "Life is Uncertain - Eat the Dessert First" in my old kitchen in Germany (sadly it didn't survive the move.)

When I read King Arthur's recipe I was, also, shocked by the amount of bacon that the recipe called for, half a pound! No wonder some reviewers complained about the scones' saltiness, and, though I love bacon (who doesn't?) I was sure they had a point.

Crispy bacon - who can resist it?

But I had a lot of chives in my garden, and, also, a good local cheddar cheese in my fridge, so I decided to give the savory scones a try. To be on the safe side (in case we didn't like them) I made only half the recipe.

The bacon shrank, of course, to more manageable proportions through the cooking, leaving much of its grease in the pan and on the kitchen paper towel. And I reduced the amount of salt in the dough by half, since there was also the salt in the cheese to consider.

Three colorful add-ins: cheddar, bacon and chives

This seemed a good opportunity to use some of my white whole wheat flour, so I exchanged 42 g of the AP flour to King Arthur's white whole wheat (about 17%).

Several reviewers reported problems with the crumbliness of the dough, so I added the whole amount of cream at once, and, using my favorite round bowl scraper, pushed and squeezed it, until the dough came together without falling apart again.

I find it easier to handle sticky dough on a lightly oiled, or slightly wet work surface, than on one that is sprinkled with flour. If you don't like your scones tough, you want to avoid getting more flour into the dough!

Instead of the recipe's large or miniature scones, I made medium sized ones.

Whether in his twenties, or sixties - Richard is dead for the world when he plays guitar

The kitchen already smelled good, when I cooked the bacon. But when the scones were baking, it started to smell so tantalizing, that even my husband, normally deaf for the world with his headphones and guitar, came down from the third floor to investigate.

The scones looked very appetizing, so we had one, soon as they were cooled down a bit. We looked at each other, bliss in our eyes - and had another one...

 What a pity that I didn't make the whole batch!

Fresh from the oven

BACON-CHEDDAR-CHIVE SCONES    (adapted from King Arthur Flour)
(8 large, 12 medium, or 16 mini scones)

200 g/7 oz all-purpose flour
  42 g/1.5 oz white whole wheat flour
   1/4 tsp. salt, (down from 1/2 tsp.)
    1 tbsp. baking powder
      2 tsp. sugar
  57 g/2 oz cold butter, cut in small pieces                 (1/2 stick)
114 g/4 oz cheddar, very coarsely grated or cubed    (1 cup)
  15 g/ 1/2 oz chives or scallion tops, snipped            (1/3 cup)
226 g/ 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
200 g/7 oz heavy or whipping cream (more as needed)
more cream for brushing

Preheat the oven to 425°F/220ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

Some larger pieces of butter should remain

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work butter into flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some larger pieces remaining. (Using a food processor is more clean-up than useful, the amount of butter in the flour mixture is so small.)

Mixing add-ins into flour mixture

Mix in cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.

Add cream, stirring to combine. Using a bowl scraper or your hands, squeeze dough together; if it's not cohesive, add a little more cream until it comes together.

I used a round bowl scraper to squeeze the dough together

Turn out dough unto lightly oiled work surface. For large scones, pat into a 7"/18 cm disk about 3/4"/2 cm thick. For medium and mini scones, divide dough into 2 equal pieces, and pat into 6"/15 cm disks.

For medium scones, cut dough disks into 6 wedges

Using a bench knife, transfer disks to prepared baking sheet. For large scones, cut big disk into 8 wedges. For medium or mini scones, cut the 2 smaller rounds into 6 or 8 wedges each.

Before they go in the oven, brush scones with cream

Spread wedges a bit apart on the pan. (At this point you can also refrigerate them overnight, or freeze them.) Brush scones with cream.

Bake for 22 - 24 minutes (large scones), 20 - 22 minutes (medium) or 18 - 20 minutes (mini), until they are golden brown.

Cool scones on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.


TO MAKE AHEAD:

To bake the next morning: Place shaped, but unglazed (!) scones with the baking sheet in a big plastic bag, and refrigerate them overnight (don't brush them with cream!) When you bake them cold, they will take a little longer.

To store them in the freezer: Put shaped, but unglazed (!) scones on the baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, place them in a freezer bag.

If you are ready to bake them: Place frozen scones on baking sheet, brush them with cream, and bake in a preheated 425°F/220ºC oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are golden brown.