Sourdough Makes Everything Sweeter

While watching Food Network recently (my guilty pleasure), I heard about a pizza company somewhere in California that uses 500 year old yeast. That is some over-the-hill stuff. I mean, that stuff was old when George Washington was alive and its still working today. I'd say, if we decide we want to live forever and start searching for the elixir of youth, we should consult that particular batch of yeast.

Obviously, I don't know the details, but I assume that the yeast operates somewhat like a sourdough starter. It's probably fed a hearty diet of flour and water daily and kept at a warm and comfortable temperature at all times. Basically, it is some thoroughly pampered yeast. And why not? It's been producing delicious dough for five centuries. I think it deserves some serious TLC.

I love the idea of sourdough and sourdough starters, but I don't really have 500 years. In fact, I'm not even patient enough to wait a whole week. So, I searched the internet for an easy and relatively quick starter. I found one on What's Cooking America that only took me two days. I cheated a little by adding some yeast and sugar to start, but the starter smelled lovely after just two days sitting (covered, of course) out in the garage.

Then, I had to find some recipes to showcase my new creation.

 

Since the lazy days of summer are in full swing (and I only have about two weeks until I'm living the dorm life again), I decided to indulge in a homemade pancake breakfast. Even though the batter has to sit overnight, the sourdough pancake recipe I found on Joy the Baker is super easy and super satisfying.  Just be warned, the recipe creates A LOT of batter, way too much for just my mom and I to consume. I ended up with about 20 decent-sized pancakes and, since I don't have a griddle and have to cook them one at a time, it took me about 40 minutes to transform the voluminous batter into more appetizing, buttery pancakes. I didn't feel like using oil in the recipe so I substituted pumpkin that I had on hand for the two tablespoons of oil in the original recipe. Also, because I was going with the slight pumpkin theme and I love the smell of hot cinnamon, I added a generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon to the batter. The pumpkin flavor did not come through in the final pancakes beneath the prominent sourdough taste, but the cinnamon sure did! YUM! Overall, this recipe was easy, delicious and a great first use for my starter!

 

Sourdough Pancakes

 

Overnight Soaker:

1 cup starter (mine was fed)

1.5 cups warm water

2.5 cups flour ( I used 1.5 cups wheat and 1 cup AP)

 

Mix the starter, flour and water in a non-metal bowl. Cover and allow to sit in a warm place overnight.

 

Batter:

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp. baking soda

dash of salt

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

All of the starter mixture

butter or benecol for the pan

 

Whisk together egg, milk, sugar, puree and cinnamon in a small bowl. Combine with the starter mixture and whisk again. Heat a griddle or pan on medium-low heat and melt some butter for the pancakes. Scoop batter onto the pan/ griddle to desired size. Cook until you see the edges start to turn doughy and the large bubbles on the surface begin to pop, flip and cook the other side. Place the finished pancakes on a plate and enjoy your bountiful breakfast made from your own delicious sourdough starter!

 



This is the HUGE pile of pancakes that the recipe produced! Even though I didn't add butter/oil to the batter, I sure made up for it in the pan. You can tell by the brown edges that the outside of these pancakes were crisp and buttery while the insides were moist and gooey. (My favorite pancake textures!)

 

After being woken up by the smell of pancakes, my mom enjoyed her stack with a hot cup of coffee and a generous layer of maple syrup. I, not being the biggest fan of maple syrup, opted for some homemade strawberry balsamic vinegar jam instead. Either way, the delicious sourdough flavor was the true star of this pancake breakfast.

 

It seems as though sourdough and homemade starters can be kind of an addiction (Really, it's no wonder some people have used the same one for 500 years.) Once, I made the pancakes, I new I had to try my hand at some real, sourdough bread. This recipe from Key Ingredient was perfect. It was soft, airy and chewy on the outside with a crisp crust on the outside. It, like the pancake batter above, also produced plenty of product (meaning two generous sized loaves). I enjoyed my first slice as a PBJ with some chocolate peanut butter and more of my homemade jam. The sourdough flavor was still prominent, but a little less pronounced in this recipe. So, if you would like to try sourdough but aren't a huge fan of the super tart flavor, I recommend this sandwich bread.

 

*Note: The flowers in the background are the bouquet that I got for my 20th birthday! Aren't they pretty? I'd say your never too old for a little bright color in your life!

* Warning: This dough requires a lot of rising time! It's definitely worth the wait, but make sure you give yourself and the bread plenty of time!

 

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

 

2	cups active starter
1	cup milk
½	cup water
¼	cup oil or melted butter
¼	cup honey
2½	cup whole wheat flour
3	cup white flour
3	tsp salt



Mix all ingredients except salt for 2-3 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for about 20 minutes. After rest, add salt and knead dough for about five minutes. If dough is too sticky, add slightly more flour but dough should be soft and not dry and stiff. Place in oiled bowl and allow dough to rise for 3-4 hours or until nearly doubled in size. Divide dough into two pieces and shape into loaves and place in two greased bread pans. If a free form loaf is desired, place on greased baking sheet. Spray with oil and cover with plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. When dough has risen, slash the top of the loaf. If baking a free form loaf, you can use the roasting pan method for added humidity while baking. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. For even browning, turn loaves halfway through baking time. Variations: We really like this doughs for a multipurpose dough. Some of the ways we've enjoyed it were as cinnamon raisin bread and dinner rolls. 

Throwback to Fall

 

     People say time flies, but I'd say that's a pretty vague statement. Time doesn't simply fly. It doesn't flap its wings whimsically like a bird in springtime, slowly exploring the skies. No, time soars at jet speed. It has somewhere to go, better places to be... it goes plaid (Space Balls anyone?).

     I used this recipe in the fall during the Great Pumpkin Pinterest Epidemic (which had me dreaming constantly of a calm, early eveing walk amongst the gently falling leaves, sipping a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte). I recently uploaded pictures from my new camera onto the computer (from Spring Break incidently) and was looking through my disorganized folders and found these deliciously untouched photos in an album. I thought about the crisp fall morning at home when I made these. It was during the week of Thanksgiving break. Even though finals were only three weeks away, I was savoring the free moments in front of the stove, knowing my family was close by and thinking about what I was going to contribute to our upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. It was a glorious moment, filled with the smells of cinnamon and sweet, fall air. But it was SO long ago.

     



 

     So much has happened since that morning. After Thanksgiving break, I returned to school for the final three weeks of the semester. I made it through finals, just barely maintaining my 4.0 GPA (phew!) and returned, exhausted, home for Christmas. After a great Christmas with my family, I had the opportunity to meet my sister's boyfriend for the first time. Even though I only met him a few months ago, it already seems like he has been integrated into the family now.  When I returned to school, my THON committee was preapring wholeheartedly for hhe upcoming dance marathon. Though the weekend was long and exhausting, the over $12 million total for the children with cancer was worth the countless hours of effort.  After THON, I made the risky decision to leave my current program and apply for an early admittance program at Penn State Hershey Med School, leaving the comforts of my close-kint security blanket for bigger and broader opportunities. I also applied for (and got) a research position on a whim and am now excited to read about and take on my own project. I spent a lovely Spring Break week on St. Martin, visiting my brother in Medical School. Enjoying the heat (a little too much.. as indicated by my nasty sunburn), I got to reconnect with my brother and meet some of his awesome new friends. Now, two weeks after break, I am back in the crazy, rapid current that is college life. And now, as I think of that sweet pumpkiny, cinnamony smell, it seems like history, just a wisp of a distant morning. 

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze

Cinnamon Roll Dough (modified from Taste of Home )

- 1 package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)

- 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 cups AP flour

- 1/2 cup solid packed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin puree)

- 2/3 cup milk

- 2 tablespoons sugar

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 1 beaten egg

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Pumpkin Butter Filling ( from Skinny Taste )

- 1 29 ounce can of pumpkin puree

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 3/4 cup apple cider

- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

- 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

 

Maple Glaze

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 2 tablespoons maple syrup

- milk for consistency

 

To make the filling, combine the pumpkin, vanilla, apple cider, spice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir frequently.

 

To make the dough, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat pumpkin, milk, sugar, butter and salt until warm and butter is almost melted. Add the flour and yeast mixture as well as the egg.  Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for an additional 3 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Knead until smooth and elastic.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled, roughly one hour.  Roll into a 10" by 12" rectangle. Spread some of the pumpkin butter over the dough and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (you can add as much or as little as you like).  Roll jelly roll style, starting with the longer side. Cut into 12, 1 inch slices and place them cut side down in a greased 13" by 9" baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

To make glaze, combine sugar and maple syrup. Add milk to adjust the consistency. Pour generously over warm cinnamon buns. (Enjoy!)

 

 





Cookie Catastrophe

     I usually like to think of myself as being pretty adept in the kitchen. I can't say that I can slice, dice, chop and fry like a Food Network star, but I do know how to use a pan, a knife and a recipe with proficiency and at least some grace. Unfortunately, just when I start to feel confident with my developing kitchen skills, along comes a humbling experience. It just so happens that one notably humbling kitchen experience occured over Holiday break.

     When I got home from school, I was especially excited to blow off my finals steam with the heat of a nice warm oven. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to make some classic sugar cut outs for the family and me to decorate. The cookies came out quite well, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, spiked with the delicious smell of cinnamon . After letting them cool, I made some icing and my mom and I decorated the cookies while watching Christmas movies. Nothing could feel more cozy and Christmasy than a warm kitchen, a Christmas movie and decorating festively shaped cookies. To add to the enjoyment, my dad loved them! He ate at least 3 that night and within a day, told me that I would have to make more.  The recipe made three dozen deliciously decorated cookies, but, despite the joy they brought, there just wasn't any room for them. So, to try to save space, we stored the excess cookies on plastic Christmas plates in the oven for safe keeping (or so we thought).

A few days later, I was still in the mood for holiday baking, so I decided to surprise my mom with a breakfast of her favorite nut cookies, fresh from the oven. In an effort to complete the dough and bake the first batch before my mom woke up, I hastily gathered the ingredients, read through the recipe and preheated the oven. The dough came together quite easily, and it was ready to be filled and rolled within a half an hour of starting the recipe. It was my first time trying the recipe and I was ecstatic that everything was coming together so quickly and smoothly. But then, I smelled it...

It was that awful, burnt rubber kind of smell. I pealed myself away from my feverish dough-rolling and turned around to see smoke billowing out of the oven. I ran to the kitchen, opened the oven door and saw my dad's favorite cookies (burnt to a crisp) perched precariously on top of melted plastic. At the bottom of the oven, a small fire was burning. I was terrified. What if something else caught on fire and burned the whole house down. Like any logical person, I began to scream and shout a few unnecessary explitives. Instead of waking up to a lovely batch of nut cookies, my mom woke up to a smokey kitchen and a screaming daughter.

Thanks to my mom's amazing ability to stay calm in high stress situations (obviously, it's not genetic...) and some quick thinking, we managed to put out the fire, air out the house with countless open doors and windows, and clean up the sticky, plastic mess that covered the inside of the oven. The nut cookies were baked in my grandmother's oven (who conveniently lives right next door) and my house is still standing. A few days later, I even regained enough confidence to make a second batch of the sugar cookies without the tantilizing scent of melting plastic.

So, even though I was knocked down a few pegs due to my kitchen mishap, I certainly added an interesting story to my Christmas party small talk arsenal. And, despite the untimely death of countless sugar snowmen, stockings and Christmas trees, I enjoyed making both the first and second batches of the cut-out cookies. (Hey, anything is better than studying for an Organic Chemistry final...)

 

Christmas Cutouts

Dough

·         ½ cup margarine or butter (or 1 cup for thicker cookies)

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 egg

·         1 Tbs. milk (or cream)

·         2 cups flour

·         1 ½ tsp. baking powder

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ¼ tsp. white pepper

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

Icing

·         1 ½ cups XX sugar

·         2 Tbs. cream

·         1 ½ tsp. vanilla

 

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and milk and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, white pepper and cinnamon. Add to butter and sugar mixture. Chill, roll to ¼ inch thickness, and cut. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges.

                For icing, beat sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth. Separate into bowls and add color (optional).



Stranded at the Drive-In

“Summer sun, something’s begun but oh, oh those Summer Nights!” – Grease

When I was little, I thought that I should have been born in the 50’s. Somehow, I was convinced that I looked much better in a poodle skirt than I did in the colored leggings/ pants my mom used to dress me in (probably, because anything looked better than those leggings). Instead of following the boy band craze, my best friend and I would sing and dance to the oldies. I waited all year for the annual elementary school sock hop, just so I could spend one evening with a scarf in my hair, dancing and twisting to a little rock and roll. So, naturally, when my dad told me one day that there was a drive-in theatre only 45 minutes away in Dillsburg, I had to go! I thought about Danny from Grease, stranded at the drive-in, and I wanted to be there to.

We loaded up our car with chairs, radios and enough snacks to feed a pack of hungry teenagers, and took the drive on the highway to Dillsburg. When we arrived at HAAR's Drive In, it was everything I had imagined. We paid the minimal fee (two new movies for the price of one) and found ourselves a good parking spot in front of the giant screen. Just as we loaded our car, we quickly unloaded and arranged the gear so we had the perfect audiovisual perspective. Soon, the warm summer air began to cool as evening approached. In preparation for the start of the first movie at dusk, we divided up our snacks, bought any foods we may have forgotten at the bustling snack stand, and settled in with our blankets and chairs. Beneath the stars, surrounded by the authentic environment of an old-time drive-in theatre, I watched two movies late into the night with my family. On the car ride home at 1 AM, with my eyelids heavy with fatigue, I thought happily of the amazing night I had just spent and the memories I had created.

The movie theatre is now celebrating its 60^th anniversary. For six full decades, children and adults alike have been dazzled by the immense screen and the unique environment of HAAR’s. In honor of the unique memories and opportunities that the theatre has given to so many people I know, a close group of friends and I loaded up a van and decided to relive the excitement of the drive-in theater.  Arriving at the theatre at 6:30 (two and a half hours before the movie was scheduled to start), we picked a prime spot to set up ourselves near the projector. Once we set up our chairs and coolers outside, we huddled back into the air conditioned van to escape from the sweltering heat outside. We spend two full hours playing card games and telling stories, laughing about our summers. I felt like a kid again, just as excited as I had been as a little kid while waiting for the movie to start. Whether you’re 8 or 18, there are certain summer traditions, like going to a drive-in, that bring out the child in you and spark an unquenchable feeling of youthful excitement. 

So what does this have to do with food? As I mentioned about my first experience, part of the journey to the drive-in theatre involves packing the car with enough snacks to last for two movies. When I was younger, we packed enough food to “feed a pack of hungry teenagers.” This time, I had to bring enough food to feed an actual pack of hungry teenagers. I must admit, there is the added help of the AMAZING snack stand which sells countless mouthwatering concessions, including burgers, fries, snow cones, milkshakes, popcorn and Dillsburg’s famous Dill pickles. With such a low fee for the movie tickets, I’m convinced that the theatre makes most of its money from the continually crowded snack stand. Regardless of the aid from the stand, I had to bring snacks that were easy to pack, fun and satisfying. I chose to bring honey cinnamon bugles, sparkling grape juice jello and traditional whirly pop buttered popcorn.

Honey Cinnamon Bugles

(Modified from Farm Bell Recipes and Joy of Baking )

Ingredients

·         2 Bags of Original Bugles

·         Butter Pam (or similar cooking spray)

·         2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

·         ½ cup honey

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         1 cup packed brown sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.       Empty the bags of bugles into a large bowl with room for tossing. Lightly spray the bugles with pam and sprinkle two tablespoons of cinnamon on the bugles while tossing them.

3.       Measure the honey, vegetable oil and brown sugar into a medium sauce pan. Bring the ingredients to a boil, stirring constantly, so the ingredients dissolve and combine completely. Once at a boil, remove the pan from heat, add the vanilla and quickly prepare it for pouring.

4.       (This step may require 2 people) Slowly empty the contents of the pan over top the bugles, constantly tossing them at the same time. Toss the bugles until they are coated evenly, then spread them in one even layer on both pans. Sprinkle the bugles generously with cinnamon sugar.

5.       Place the bugles in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the bugles and return for the oven for another 10 minutes. (If the pans were on two separate racks, rotate them at this time. When the honey has browned, remove from the oven.

6.       Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. Before it cools completely, gently break the pieces apart with your fingers.

White Grape Juice Jello

(Modified from The Jello Mold Mistress)

Ingredients

·         2 packets Knox unflavored gelatin

·         ½ Cup sugar

·         1 ½ Cups sparkling white grape juice

·         2 cups boiling water

·         1 pint raspberries

Directions

1.       Set shot glasses or plastic Dixie cups (This is what I used, but they were a bit large and ended up with SOLO written across the top of them) in a glass baking dish.

2.       Combine the packets of gelatin with the boiling water and stir immediately. Add the sugar and the white grape juice and stir to dissolve and combine.

3.       Ladle the mixture evenly into the cups or glasses. (My liquid foamed at the top)

4.       Place the baking dish in the freezer or fridge for 5-10 minutes just to cool slightly.

5.       Wash and prepare the raspberries.

6.       Sprinkle the berries evenly into the jello cups and return to the fridge until the jello solidifies.

7.       To remove the jellos, poke a small hole in the top of the cups and run the outside edges of the jello cups under hot water. Allow them to wiggle and jiggle out with a little shaking.

The bugles came out very well, especially when fresh from the oven. The honey flavor was quite strong, so if you don’t like honey, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe. (If you want to try different flavors, you can experiment with other granola recipes. Bugles make a great blank canvas for sweet toppings). The cinnamon and vanilla added a unique flavor. The only downfall was, when left out in the air for too long in the heat, the bugles began to absorb the moisture and go stale quickly.

The Jellos were a little bit hard to handle. They were difficult to remove and difficult to eat in one bite (Though the latter complaint made for a very entertaining scene when my friend attempted and failed to eat the jello in one bite) the carbonation was not maintained within the jellos and most of the bubbles ended up on the tip of the cups. Regardless, the flavor was good (probably because I just enjoy the taste of white grape juice). I really enjoyed working with the unflavored gelatin. I’m excited to use it to make jello out of all my favorite fruits and juices.

Summer Lovin' from the Oven

Fall and Spring enchant me with their cool weather and interesting foliage, but nothing compares to the wonders and freedoms of Summer. Sure, summer still has the to-do lists, the work (along with the required procrastination), and the stresses, but the overall presentation is a little different, a little more leisurely. Beneath the consistent warmth of the summer sun, everything seems just a little brighter. Waking up isn’t so painful when you know you have a warm cup of tea, the daily paper, and a lovely view of a cool, clean pool waiting for you downstairs. Work seems easier when it’s done in the comfort of your own room to the tune of your favorite music.

Another way that summer amazes me is how it has yet to lose its proclivity for spontaneity. Longer days and warmer weather lend themselves naturally to openness to adventure. Since I’ve been home, I’ve spent a week as a camp counselor for energetic 5^th graders, perused the works of local artisans, ate sushi on a picnic blanket overlooking my home town, and heard the cannon roar of a civil war reenactment. And, the summer hasn’t even officially started. Like a child on Christmas morning, I eagerly await the new possibilities that each summer day brings. When I wake up, I love being able to ask, “What will I do today?”

The other day, when I asked myself that question, I decided to start my day by baking a fresh loaf of bread using one of my pinterest recipes. My insatiable love for oatmeal, cinnamon and bread made the oatmeal bread recipe an obvious choice. What goes more perfectly with a breezy morning than the sweet smell of baking bread? The recipe didn't actually call for any cinnamon, but my addiction to the scent of cinnamon made the addition absolutely necessary. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon when heating the oats and the mild, and I brushed the top of the loaf with butter and cinnamon suagr before baking. Despite my obvious bias, I felt the cinnamon lent itself to the warm flavors of the wheat flour and oats (my mom agreed as well).

The recipe was definitely a winner! Though the bread took a while to rise (as most do), the loaf turned out hearty, airy and worth the wait.

The Recipe was found at CookiesCakesPiesOHMY, but I didn't add the sunflower seeds.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup milk
(1 tsp cinnamon)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
1 Tbl sugar
1/2 cup white flour
1½ tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1½ cups wheat flour
1¼ cups white flour

For topping:
1 tbs butter/ benecol (melted)
cinnamon sugar

In saucepan combine oats and milk. Cook over medium heat until oats are soft about 5 minutes. (Stir in cinnamon) Remove from heat. Stir in sunflower seeds and oil; cool to lukewarm. In large bowl, dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water with 1 Tbl sugar. Pour oatmeal mixture into yeast. Add the 1/2 cup white flour, salt, and sugar, blend. Mix in remaining wheat flour and white flour to make a stiff dough. Knead. Turn into greased bowl, let rise about 1 hour. Punch down and make into one loaf. Put in greased bread pan, let rise 45 minutes. (Brush with butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.)  Bake in 350° oven for 38-45 minutes.

Look at that cinnamon sugar.... MMMM!