Showing posts with label Sourdough. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sourdough. Show all posts

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwich


Today has been a sequence of good things. I woke up. Naturally. This never happens. Then, I convinced myself to exercise. Once again...a rare occurrence. Afterwards, I was all full of endorphins and decided to try a new recipe.

I love grilled cheese.


Tim has a slight obsession with marinara sauce, and dipping things in it. We go through about 3 cans of it every week, regardless of whether or not we have an Italian dish that requires it.

Have you ever been to BJ's Pizza? West-coasters, you know what I'm talking about. East-coasters, if you don't know what I'm referring to, I am so, so sorry. I admit that I took one bite of this before packing it for Tim's lunch, and the finished product tastes like a BJ's pizza.


It's a cheesy-gooey (yet crispy) mess-of-a-dish. When I pulled it apart, the cheese stayed in tact for well over 2 ft. It's that cheesy!

This is also easily pack-able for a quick lunch. And it's the perfect comfort food for this cool, fall day.

Ingredients (1 sandwich)
  • 2 slices sourdough bread
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • Italian seasoning
  • Salt/pepper
  • 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, or 2 slices mozzarella cheese
  • Marinara sauce

Directions:


Combine the egg, milk, Italian seasoning, and a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk together.



Pour the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.



Add the butter and wait until melted.



Dip one slice of bread in the egg mixture.



 Place in the pan, keeping it on medium heat.



Top with mozzarella cheese.



Dip the second piece of bread in the egg mixture and place on top. Cook each side for about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it.



Serve with marinara sauce.


Love and warm, fall recipes,


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Sourdough Pizza Crust


I've found that very few things satisfy like homemade pizza. It fits all moods: rainy, sunny, happy, depressed...there is never a situation in which pizza is not appropriate. Now, before you succumb to Domino's takeout menu, let me explain why this is better.

First, there's the obvious satisfaction that comes with preparing something from scratch. But you don't care about that, do you? Me, neither; however, what I do care about is the taste. And this sourdough crust...this sourdough crust...I'm in tears. It's tangy and delicious and it brings a whole new life to pizza. I will never regret trying this.

I've taken this recipe from King Arthur's website, because I'm scientifically challenged and don't understand much, including the complexity of sourdough. They've held my hand through this entire thing.

And there are plenty of hands to go around.

Ingredients:
    •    1 cup sourdough starter, unfed (straight from the fridge)
    •    1/2 cup hot tap water
    •    2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
    •    4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional but delicious

Directions
  •  Stir any liquid into the sourdough starter, and spoon 1 cup starter into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the hot water, flour, salt, yeast, and Pizza Dough Flavor. Mix to combine, then knead till smooth and slightly sticky, about 7 minutes at medium speed using a stand mixer with dough hook. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased container, and allow it to rise till it's just about doubled in bulk. This might take 2 to 4 hours; it might take more. A lot depends on how vigorous your starter is. For a faster rise, place the dough somewhere warm (or increase the yeast). To slow it down, put it somewhere cool.
  • For two thinner-crust pizzas, divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a flattened disk. Drizzle two 12" round pizza pans with olive oil, tilting the pans to coat the bottom. Place half the dough in each pan. Cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. Gently press the dough towards the edges of the pans; when it starts to shrink back, cover it, and let it rest again, for about 15 minutes. Finish pressing the dough to the edges of the pans.
  • For a thicker-crust pizza, drizzle olive oil into a jelly roll pan (10" x 15") or half-sheet pan (18" x 13"), or similar sized pan; or a 14" round pizza pan, tilting the pan to coat with the oil. Shape the dough into a flattened disk or oval. Place it in the pan, cover it, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Push the dough towards the edges of the pan; when it starts to fight back, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes. Finish pushing it to the edges of the pan.
  • Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's as thick as you like. For thin-crust pizza made from fairly fresh starter, this may only be an hour or so. For thick-crust, using an old, little-used starter, this may take most of the day. There are no hard-and-fast rules here; it all depends on the vigor of your starter, and how you like your crust. Once you make it a couple of times, you'll figure out what time frame works for you.
  • Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F.
  • For a thicker crust, pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes before topping. Top, then bake till toppings are hot and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. For thin crusts, bake for 4 to 5 minutes, then top and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or till toppings are as done as you like.
  • Remove from the oven, and loosen the edges of the pizza with a table knife or heatproof spatula. Carefully lift it onto a cooling rack; you can serve it right from the pan, if desired, but a cooling rack helps keep its bottom crisp. Serve hot.
    • Yield: one 14" round, or rectangular thick-crust pizza; or two 12" round thin-crust pizzas.
    • Be aware of some sourdough dynamics here. The less-used your starter, the more liquid on top, the more sour it's likely to be; using a starter that hasn't been fed for weeks will yield a pizza crust that rises slowly, and tastes quite tangy. This type of crust is handy when you want to make dough in the morning, and have pizza ready for dinner. On the other hand, a starter that's fed regularly will yield a less-sour crust, one that will rise much more quickly. This is a great "weekend" crust, as you can shape it at 8 a.m., and have pizza for lunch.
Love and pizza...because it's just that good,

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Figuring out homemade sourdough


We all have friends (at least, I hope that's the case). It's just that one of mine, Rebekkah, is a new found expert in the world of sourdough bread. And lucky for me, she came down to my level and laid it all out. A few times, actually, because I'm easily confused. I have previously looked into getting a sourdough starter, but it always lasted a whole 5 seconds. Once I started reading the instructions, I was completely turned off to it. Who has the time, right?

So like I said, I'm completely clueless about this kind of stuff, but this is actually so much easier than it looks. Rebekkah referred me to some amazing websites, so here they are, in the order you'll be needing them:

Getting your starter:
Rebekkah and I split this King Arthur Flour sourdough starter, so we each paid a little over $3. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Now the great thing about this starter is that it can provide you with what you need to make sourdough for as long as you feed it (instructions on how to do that will be in the next link). And you know what the best part about this is? It's cultured, unlike myself. The website says that "it’s descended from a starter that’s been lovingly nurtured here in New England since the 1700s." That, my friends, is some mature starter. Clearly I'm out of my league here, but sourdough has something to do with bacteria and yeast and beer-smelling goo. But it turns out to be that glorious chunk of carbs shown at the top of this page.

Feeding your starter:
Since I'm an amateur,  I'm going to copy the dummy-proof directions that Rebekkah wrote on my wall last week after I harassed her enough. I was genuinely scared to touch my starter, but this helped me a lot:

You need to get your sourdough starter out of the container. Put it in a bowl and add 1/2 cup water and 1 cup flour (Rachael here-I actually ended up adding equal parts water and flour because it was more of a paste, and it's supposed to be liquidy). Mix and cover. Leave it that way until it starts bubbling. The bacteria and yeast keep reproducing in your starter, turning the entire mixture into starter. You can infinitely keep adding the water/flour mixture to make an infinite amount of starter.

Once you get the amount of starter you want to keep - a few cups worth - either use some or put it in the fridge. If you are going to use refrigerated starter, take it out and feed it a few hours before you plan to use it. Every time you use some starter, feed it again to keep it at an even amount. If it's been unused in the fridge for a week, take it out, stir it, discard a cup, then feed it again.

Baking the bread:
The picture at the top of this blog is of King Arthur Flour's Extra-Tangy Sourdough. This is actually the first sourdough recipe that I've made, but there are hundreds of different variations out there. But hey, if it's not broke, why fix it?

So before you run away screaming, I'd just encourage you to take one step at a time. You don't have to do this all in one day—just grab the starter and take if from there.

Also, if you are in the Seneca/Clemson/Greenville area and would like some free starter, just comment on here or message me on Facebook. I'd be happy to get you some of mine so you can start making your own bread without going through the hassle of ordering it. Because remember, I have to keep feeding it indefinitely, and you're supposed to get rid of some of it every time you go to feed it. Better it end up in your kitchen than in my trashcan!

Love and bread-'n-butta,
Rachael

Sourdough breakfast casserole

I have to admit that while I'm definitely a meat and potatoes kinda' girl, I really love carbs. I don't understand why naturally thin people don't eat bread and cheese all day long. I would. Unfortunately, I didn't win the genetic lottery and gained 3 lbs just from writing that last sentence. My favorite kind of bread is, without a doubt, sourdough. I love that it's nice and chewy and is a little tangy. I was definitely spoiled by the sourdough you get in Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. They just don't make it like that in the south, but the incorporation of sourdough into a breakfast casserole is what I would consider to be a teeny tiny miracle. Tim — who is normally extremely picky about leftovers — ate this without one word for the past three mornings. Okay, I changed my mind — that is a miracle.

Ingredients:
  • 6-8 slices sourdough bread
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • 8 oz. block of cream cheese
  • 10 eggs
  • 1/4 stick butter
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 3/4 tsp dried mustard
  • 8 slices of bacon
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Directions:
  • Butter a 13x9 baking pan
    • Didn't know butter was a verb? It is in this blog.
  • Tear the sourdough bread into medium to large-sized chunks
  • Throw 'em in the pan
  • Top with half the cheddar cheese
  • Cut the cream cheese up into small pieces (the smaller the better, because it will melt easier) and place evenly on top of the cheddar cheese.
  • Peel the potatoes and using a grater, grate them like you would hashbrowns
  • Toss the grated potatoes on top of the cream cheese
  • Cook the bacon, crumble it and throw it on top of the grated potatoes
    • I don't know about you, but I didn't have the time or inclination to cook the bacon on the stove. I buy the pre-made stuff and just warm it up in the microwave. It's less mess and fewer dishes, so don't judge.
  • Crack all the eggs and pour them into a large bowl
  • Whisk until smooth
  • Add the milk and whisk until combined
  • Add the dried mustard and whisk some more
  • Add as much salt and pepper as you'd like
  • Pour the egg mixture evenly over everything in the 13x9 baking dish
  • Top with remaining cheddar cheese
  • Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. 
    • This can take more or less time depending on your oven and the pan. Just keep an eye on it. You want to be patient with this, because no one likes soggy eggs.
  • Once it's cooked thoroughly, take off the tinfoil and bake for another 15-20 minutes to get the top nice and crusty.
Every evening, I'm motivated to get up early and cook my man a hearty breakfast. Realistically, though, it never happens. Ever. Never a chance. But this was amazing because I made it the night before, and my early-rising hubby just had to spoon some on a plate and pop it in the microwave the next morning. I'm telling you guys, this is something special.

Love and miracles,
Rachael
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