Homemade Crusty Bread

Okay ....   Enough already , Ill write the recipe !!  hahahaha I must have had 20 requests for this bread recipe :)   So here it is :)  

I must add this has become my favourite bread of all time ...   nothing Ive made or had can beat the crunchy crust with the chewy soft interior , and as a bonus its a very flexible recipe , can be made with or without a blender with equal success.

This post outlines , my first attempt at making this , almost a year ago now ...  since then I have made well over 50 loaves , using a wide variety of flours and flavours :)

Ingredients for a double batch :)

12 Cups of Flour , can be a variety of combinations for this one it was 10 cups AP, 2 cups 12 Whole Grains  , if using Whole Wheat I use 8 AP , 4 WW
2 Teaspoons Dry Yeast
7 Teaspoons Sea Salt
6 Cups Warm Water

The rest is optional ...  for this batch I used

4 Cloves of garlic, Minced
1 Large pinch of dried basil
2 dutch onions , minced

Mix all the dry ingredients first 

Stir in water

I did this batch by hand , using two wooden spatulas , took about 5 minutes ...   A stand mixer will do the same, in about the same time ...  should be a sticky mess

Cover with plastic wrap , and leave on counter for 18 - 24 hours 

Should at least double in size over night  - At this point you will want to put your dutch ovens into a oven , preheat t 450F ( about 20 minutes or so )  

On a well floured surface , divide into whatever sized loaves you like ..  this will require a bit of effort ...  you do not want them sticky ..  

Drop the dough into the HOT dutch ovens ...  no oil required, just a hot pot!  

Cover and into the 450F oven for 30 minutes...   Just for fun I tried one in a silicone bread pan , with tin foil as a lid , remove the lids after 30 minutes , and continue cooking for another 15 minutes 

After 45 minutes ... you will have something like this !!!  Mmmmmm

This is my 6.5 Q dutch oven, makes a really nice big oval bread !  

The silicone pan worked out just fine 

Thats it ... let them cool on a rack , as long as you can , and then grab some butter and dig in ! 

Nice bonus, if done right ...  no clean up!!  Just a quick wipe of the pot!  

I hope you try this out, and come to love it as much as I do ...

Peace, Love and Good Food!

Less Words, More Food 9

Playing a little catch up again with my posts, I have lots photographed .. its writing the recipes that gets me.   As some of you know I don't follow recipes when cooking , I simply grab a handful of goodies and start making dinner.   Okay , enough talking this is a LWMF post !

Making a batch of chicken stock for the freezer, ended up with 7L worth, all for basically nothing. 

A couple of different 12 grain whole wheat bread loaves.
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/10/garlic-and-onion-12-grain-foccacia.html

Well, that was an interesting year :) Bring on 2011!!

Happy New Year Everyone :) Best wishes and dishes to all ! 

For me, like most people , 2010 was a bit rough. Times are tough , prices keep going up and salary's never keep up. So what did I do ??  LOL I quit my job !  I'd had enough of the office life , it was time to move on.  And that's just what I did, without a plan or a direction I found myself a little lost .   That was until I ran into a farmer friend who offered my some temporary work building a greenhouse.... I think I have found my calling .  I love working hard, getting dirty and most of all I LOVE food!!  Especially local organic & free range kinda food. So to be a part of that process is fascinating and exciting!! :)  Sadly tho, the growing season is over up here, at least until we get closer to March.  But Ill be back there finishing the greenhouses, and helping with the planting soon enough.  This month I have the privilege of taking care of the chickens, feeding , cleaning and egg collection duties.  So very cool.  I think the chickens are getting to know me finally , as no longer run away from me , and have even tried pecking at my shoe laces or gloves. 
Here I go babbling away again , when all I wanted to post today was a quick recap of the 6 most popular posts from last year ... two of which are related to working on the farm :) Which I am so happy about!! As that is the direction I wanted my Good Food Revolution to go in !! 

#1 http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/11/very-vnteresting-day-for-garlic-lover.html

 #2 http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/11/roasted-double-stuffed-pork-tenderloins.html

Click the link below to see the rest :)

Less Words, More Food 2 :)

Its been a strange week for food for me,  a few days of cooking like a mad man ,  then a couple of days surviving on cheese and toast :)  Also,oddly enough it started with meatballs, and ended with meatballs :)

Here is a quick look at what has been coming out of my kitchen :)

Grass fed Beef Meatballs with Garlic Latkes

More free range beef, all from a local farm :) Today was -20C a good stew was needed .

Crisp 12 Grain Pizza Crust - Making Pizza 2 of 3

I had a hard time deciding which step came first , the sauce or the crust, as when I'm making everything from scratch I usually start both at about the time.  Both steps require about an hour to produce, but no fear, that is almost all resting/simmer time.  If you are pressed for time, both can be prepared ahead of time.

Just a quick comment before we get started on this easy to make crust .  I've recently changed how I upload my photos to the web album, then onto here.  It has an option for a large file size, which limits it to 1600pixels,  instead of the 4mb original shot which was around double that.  So please , if you see a drop in picture quality let me know.  Either by posting a comment or sending me an email, the link to which is on the right hand column , near the bottom.  Thank You. 

So , now on to bread making .   I should note I prefer a crispy crust, so that is what this will produce.  I'm working on a couple of other styles, and will be posting them sometime in the, hopefully, near future:)  You will need

• A large mixing bowl, and wooden spatula 
• 1 cup 12 grain flour - no additives, just the whole grains ( some ground , some whole )
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour - If you don't have any just add some of either above
• 3 1/2 tsp of yeast
• Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper,   
• Basil, and a clove or two of garlic ( You can add almost anything you like here ) 
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• Pizza Stone or Baking Sheet

Please keep in mind, all the above ingredients are quite flexible ..  I rarely use any thing other than a mug a Teaspoon for measuring, and never follow my original recipe ( Thanks Jean :) anymore. 

 

I recommend assembling everything before you begin, photos are optional :))

Add all your dry ingredients, and give it a good stir to blend everything.

Make a well in the middle of your flour. Then add a couple of glugs of olive oil , and a cup of water to start

I do all the mixing in the bowl now. Just with a spatula, just keep stirring it around ,  adding a bit of oil if its sticking too much.  Keep going until its a consistently thick.  Usually 5 - 10 minutes. Then place a clean tea towel over the bowl and leave it to rest.

 You can do things,  a couple of different ways here. Usually I let it rest for 30 minutes , twice knocking it back down ( remixing ) with a spatula.  

 I forgot about it for an hour,  and it had risen right to the top of the bowl!!

 If your going to be cooking this right away, now would be a good time to preheat your oven, and pizza stone.  360F is where I cook mine,   I go for the slow and lower method ( partially due to my oven not holding high temps well ) 

After it has risen,  I give it one last mix, more oil maybe required,  and divided the dough ball in two ,  saving half for the next day.  This should make 2 nice 12" pizzas...  I say should , as well...  see for you self :)

The dough will be very elastic, and a little unwieldy..  I have two methods,  this one is way more fun :)  I simply stretch the dough as far as I can in my hands, and then flop it onto the stone,  The spread it out by hand , until Ive reach my desired thickness.  

Or as in this one ( same batch , next day )  I flopped it onto the hot stone , and rolled it out .. nice and even. 

Once your crust is cooked , almost all the way ( approx 20 minutes depending on the thickness, I like to check at the 10 & 15 minute marks ) Remove it from the oven.  

 If your saving it for another day , place it on a rack to cool for about twenty minutes. I have a large freezer bag that I keep handy for flat breads, and such.  Other wise : 

Add your sauce and toppings...    and away you go.

I realize a lot of you are thinking.. this is not how to make pizza :)  Well your right,  but this is my way of making pizza , and I love it.  It allows a lot of forgiveness, its super easy , and can be all be prepared ahead of time, and even frozen if that's the way you like to do things.  :)  Please check back soon , for part 3. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking :)

Rich

Baking

Garlic and Onion 12 grain Focaccia bread

Earlier this week I made my first hand made bread. I've made a few in my bread maker before, and have bought the dough from my local bakery and made many things from them, but I have not tried one from scratch before.  That one was a little bit of a mess to start off with , but in the end it was great!! So much so that it only lasted 2 days, and here I am 5 days later making another one!

The ingredients:  An organic red onion, local garlic, yeast , sea salt , and a half a bowl of whole wheat flour, mixed with 12 grain whole wheat flour ( 5 parts WW to 1 part 12grain )

I've got to say, I followed a very cool recipe in Jean Johnson's Hippie Kitchen. With great instructions, and almost no measuring.  The only one you need to know is 1 cup of flour to 1 teaspoon of yeast.  The rest is all up to you , or me in this case. 

A good pinch of sea salt and dried basil. For the next step you will need a cup or two of lukewarm water





I start by adding about a cup of water , stir then keep adding water till its consistent. Use a wooden spoon at this point, not your hands. 

Click the link below to see the rest :)