Flemish Desem Bread-making The Desem Starter, Part 2 +
Ingredients & Directions 10 lb Or more of organic whole -part of the 10 lbs.) -wheat flour (to surround 1/2 c To 3/4 cup unchlorinated -the desem -water at room temperature 2 c Coarse stone-ground flour to -about 65 to 70 degrees F. -go into the desem (can be FIRST DAY: Put your 10 lbs. of flour in a container that is more or less as deep as it is wide. A very strong paper bag of the proper dimensions, an 8 quart bowl, or a bucket all work well. Take about 2 cups of flour and mix it with 1/2 cup of water. Add more water (or flour) if necessary to make a dough ball that is stiff but not an absolute brick. Knead it for a few minutes, make it smoothly round, and bury it in the flour. It should be completely surrounded by flour at least 3 or 4 inches in every direction. Smooth the top of the flour, and cover the cantainer to keep out insects and other intruders. Store at between 50 to 65 degrees, not over 70 degrees at any time, for about 48 hours. SECOND DAY: Maintain the temperature-no need to disturb it today. THIRD DAY: The top of the flour may show a split or crack. Things are happening! dig out the dough ball and, if there is a dry crust, cut it away with a sharp knife. Then cut away enough more so you’re left with half the amount you started with. If no skin has formed, just cut the ball in half-and throw the other half away. You now have half a ball of dough. With clean hands slowly work 1/4 cup of pure water into the dough to soften it.Knead in one cup of flour and add more water or flour as necessary to restore the ball to its original size and stiffness. Knead it smooth, round it, and bury it again in the container of flour. smooth and cover the flour, this time for 24 hours at the same cool temperature. FOURTH DAY: Repeat what you did yesterday. By now the desem should have a slight fragrance of fermentation to it-fresh-a little like sprouting wheat. If yours doesn’t have this aroma, make it somewhat softer this time by adding a little more water. FIFTH DAY: Repeat what you did yesterday. SIXTH DAY: Today, instead of discarding half the desem, soften the whole thing with 1/3 cup of water. Add 1 cup of flour. Add more water or flour as necessary to get the usual consistancy. This time do not bury the ball but store it in a closed nonmetal container. A glazed crock is perfect, but a glass or plastic container will work also. Just make sure there’s room for the desem to expand a little. If the container is glass, the lid should not fit airtight. SEVENTH DAY: Soften the entire desem with 1/3 cup water and add 1 cup flour to it. adjust the consistancy so that you have a medium stiff dough-slightly softer than on the previous days. Knead about 10 minutes or 300 strokes. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts, rounding one part and returning it to its container in its cool storage place. Combine the other 3 parts and cover. This combined three-quarters will be the starter for the bread you prepare tomorrow. Leave it to ripen overnight at room temperature, preferably at 65 degrees but not over 70 degrees. The smaller doughball is your desem, which will provide the starters for future bakings. The next portion of this adventure will be on baking bread with the new desem. From “The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book, A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking” MM format by Mary R. Yields 1 recipe
Frecnch Bread Mexi-melt
Ingredients & Directions 1 Loaf of French Bread, split -2 Onions, slice Yield: 1 ~ lengthwise 8 sl American Cheese, halved 1 lb Ground beef – triangles 1 pk Taco seasoning 1 cn Tomato sauce 2 Tomatoes, slice Brown beef, add tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Simmer 5 to 20 min. Spread mixture on bread. Top with lay of slice onions, tomatoes and cheese. Bake at 375 for 8 – 12 min. until cheese melts. Cut inot peices to serve. This can be broiled if you like it crispier. From the Bumgarner Family Recipes submitted by Veronic Bumgarner Grabner (This recipe came from Pam, a girl I work with. My son Teddy loves it.) Yields 1 servings
Pineapple Sweet Bread Abm
Ingredients & Directions 1/4 c Warm Water 1/4 Unsalted Butter; cut into -pieces 2 Eggs 1/4 c Sour Cream 1 ts Salt 1/4 c Sugar 2 1/2 c Bread Flour 1 tb Yeast 4 oz Dried Pineapple; chopped Place all the ingredients except dried pineapple in the machine, program for white bread and push start. Add the dried pineapple when the timer on Hitachi reads 3:41. The finished bread is feathery light with a solid texture. Yields 8 Servings
Michael's Mocha Halo Cakes
Ingredients & Directions 1 1/2 c Sifted cake flour 1/2 c Cocoa 1/2 ts Baking soda 2 ts Baking powder 1/4 ts Salt 1/2 c Shortening 1 c Sugar 1 Egg 2 Egg yolks 1/2 c Cold strong coffee 1/2 c Buttermilk -MOCHA ICING- 1 1/2 c Powdered Sugar 1 tb Coffee 1/8 ts Salt 1 Egg Yolk, Well Beaten 4 ts Cocoa 1/4 c Butter 1 ts Vanilla Flavoring Thought you might be interested in these two recipes for a birthday cake. Michael, one of my roommates, just had his big 5-0. He said he wanted a mocha cake so I hauled out a couple of fifty year old cookbooks and put together this cake. (Well, they were almost 50 years old++one was put out in ’46, the other in ’50.) The cake++the first I’d ever made from scratch++turned out great. It was nice and moist, if a tad on the heavy side. The recipe is actually for cupcakes, but I just made one big layer. The frosting is outstanding, a definite keeper. Sift flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt together 3 times. Cream shortening with sugar until fluffy. Combine whole egg and egg yolks, beat well and add to creamed mixture. Combine coffee and buttermilk. Add sifted dry ingredients and liquids alternately in small amounts, beating well after each addition. Pour into greased cupcake pans and bake in moderate oven (350F) for 20 minutes. Makes 18 medium or 12 large cupcakes. Frost with Fluffy White Icing. Melt 1 ounce (square) chocolate with 1 teaspoon butter and put a band around each cake with teaspoon or pastry brush. From “250 Classic Cake Recipes”, edited by Ruth Berolzheimer, Culinary Arts Institute. Consolidated Book Publishers, 1950. MOCHA ICING: Sift sugar. Cream butter. Add sugar. Beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Beat until well blended. From “The Searchlight Recipe Book”, compiled by The Household Magazine, Topeka, Kansas. Capper Publications, 1946. Yields 18 Servings
Jewish Bread Pudding
Ingredients & Directions 8 sl Stale white bread 4 1/2 c Milk 4 tb Butter 1/2 c Sugar 2 Eggs — beaten 1/2 c Sherry 1/4 ts Nutmeg 1/4 ts Cinnamon 1/2 ts Salt 1 c Raisins — seedless Cut the bread into small cubes (there should be about 2 cups). Scald the milk and add the butter; pour over the bread cubes. Let soak for 10 minutes, then blend in the sugar, eggs, sherry, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and raisins. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart buttered baking dish and place in a pan of hot water. Bake in a 375 degree F. oven 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6. This bread pudding is from The Art of Jewish Cooking by Jennie Grossinger. Yields 6 Servings
Crescent Cookies
Ingredients & Directions 1/2 c Butter 1 c Flour 1/4 c Sugar 1/4 c Nuts; ground 1/4 ts Salt Sugar, powdered 1 tb Extract, vanilla Cream together butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla, then add flour and ground nuts. Chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Form dough by teaspoons into half moon shapes. Bake for 12-15 minutes; roll in powdered sugar before cooling. Yields 6 servings
Stage Manager's Beer Bread
Ingredients & Directions 3 c Self-rising flour 2 tb Sugar 1 Bottle beer, (12 ounce) 1/2 Stick butter, melted Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. In a bowl combine flour and sugar. Add beer and stir until a dough is formed. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a loaf and fit it into the prepared pan. Brush top with melted butter. Bake for 55 minutes, or until cooked through. Yields 1 Servings
