Bread Adventures Brioche filled with Chocolate Ganache

Baking along with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Using up the leftover brioche dough.... I moved on to the next recipe: Brioche Filled with Chocolate Ganache

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What a hoot!  I made ganache!  A veteran wordsmith, I have been able to SPELL it forever... even knew what is was - sort of..   But the thought of little ol' kitchen-challenged me actually making something with that name?  Well... yes, I did....  Nobody ever told me it was just melted chocolate with some added ingredients.  How fun!

Of course this is the first time I had to create a double boiler..  see the photo :-)  Bowl in steamer basket over boiling water.  Microwave is an option but the last time chocolate, the microwave and I got together- it was not pretty... so I figured I had nothing to lose trying this :-)

And it worked just fine :-)

I rolled out the dough, spread half the chocolate on it and rolled it up jelly roll style..... then baked it!

 Obviously messed up somewhere because the dough ended up with a hole and chocolate oozed out!  But that is cosmetic, not taste - so it's all good so far for this adventure!

Poured the rest of the ganache over the top and it looks yummy!!

When I cut it open I realized that I hadn't let it bake quite long enough.  I still don't have the hang of timing.... but it was pretty enough to serve :-)

The chocolate itself was more bitter than we like.  If I make this again, I will use a milder chocolate than the bittersweet one suggested.... but we all had fun and enjoyed tasting something new!

Bread Adventures - Almond Brioche

I know it's been forever since I've shared my bread adventures....  I have 'catching up' on my To Do List but I think that today I will jump in and share where I am!

As some of those who've been keeping up with me for a while know, I have been slowly and methodically baking my way through Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francoise.  (See their website www.artisanbreadinfive.com)

It has definitely been an adventure for someone as kitchen- challenged as I am....  or should I say USED TO BE :-)  I have spent the last year or so working on different kinds of bread - using the simple methods in this book!  And I have become a bread maker.  At least I have been creating breads that people are actually eating.... and today I made something called Almond Brioche.

It uses make-ahead Brioche dough........ is rolled out in a flat rectangle.  I made a filling using almond paste (an item I went to my favorite go-to place on the internet for - www.nuts.com).    I spread the filling on the dough and rolled it up like a jelly roll.  Then cut in 8 pieces and put into a prepared cake pan to rise.

Before baking, it is topped with sugar, orange zest & almonds... and voila!

How does it taste?  Like a french pastry.... oh my goodness.... I never would have thought I could do this :-)

And my beloved husband... who neither complains nor praises food.... well, he said, matter-of-factly.... "I would pay money for this.  I would pull off the highway to buy one of these"

You'd have to know my husband to appreciate the high praise in that statement...

Unbelievable pastry!  Get the book... if I can create this, anybody can :-)

I'll leave it at that.

Bread Adventures - Naan & Swedish Flatbread

 Naan is a traditional Indian bread that I've had before. 

Basically it is usually prepared in a clay tandoori oven.  Not having one of those, I used a heavy lidded pan.  Using one of the bread doughs in the book, it is prepared somewhat like a large pancake.  I made mine a bit too thick but it was still good. 

I liked learning the technique because we lose power a lot!  We have a generator and can cook in small appliances but not the oven... so now I know we can have fresh homemade bread done in my electric skillet!

I'm not sure I like the flavor much.  It is somewhat bland (to my taste!)

With butter, though, it was a good accompaniment to our meals.



Below I share my foray into Swedish flatbread.  Not so successful!  I definitely got it thin enough but I think I pulled THIS one out of the oven too early.

To my understanding, this is supposed to be somewhat like the Ry-Krisp we buy in the store.  If that is true - I failed!

But I DID make soft rye-flavored wrap-type bread that did really well with a sandwich filling.....  that is - IF you like rye (which I do :-)

Bread Adventures - Lavash plus Sticky Caramel Rolls

   
     Baking along with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.

I have to apologize that it is taking so long to get through it but baking is a foreign p[roject to me and I have not had the time to devote to it.  Plus, as you probably know, I am fairly frugal so we eat what I cook...... I have to have an occasion to share OR we have to have eaten up what I already made... so it takes a little longer for me to move on to the next bread!


Trying lavash was a unique experience for me.  Like many of the breads in this book, I've never had it... I've never SEEN it... so I am going by description, following instructions!

To make this Armenian bread, you can use one of several types of dough from the book - I typically use the light wheat dough, though I really like the European Peasant dough as well.

The bread was soft and chewy - though obviously by the photo below, I should have left it to brown a little longer

But the taste was good.... my taste-testers tore it up and polished it off!  I suppose I might make it again but it is not enough like a bread we enjoy with our meals for me to repeat often.  I think it is a preference though.... I can see where it could be used well like a tortilla or wrap!


Ahh........ The Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls.......  (simply Sticky Caramel for us) I jumped ahead a little for this one!  When I made the Challah the other day, I had dough leftover and thought I'd look ahead at the enriched breads section and see what I could make with it.  Someday maybe I will be able to do this without a book - but not yet!

Anyway - What fun!  Another baking success story!!

No pecans per my husband's request.... but lots of butter as you can see! Overbrowned on one side but absolutely delicious!

Bread adventures! Montreal bagels

Pretty day ahead!!  I wore a coat on my morning walk and came back home ROASTING!  I hope that I can spend some more of my time outdoors today :-)

We will be heading out to the chiropractor soon... my beloved still can't drive (which he is not handling well).  My shoulders are still bugging me, but his need is the more urgent.  I do have to resist an urge.... men are so FUNNY when they are ill.  I need to bite my tongue to refrain from saying.... okay where WERE you these last few months when my shoulders have been acting up?  Because you, my readers - YOU know who got out the Christmas decorations and put them back.  YOU know who has been hauling boxes around... and you also know that many things simply haven't been done.

But I am chuckling about this - because I also know that he will do what I ask him to do - and I am NOT good about asking for help.  And I can't fairly PUNISH him because he IS good at it :-)  I AM discovering how blessed I am - because my DISHWASHING has doubled lately... I miss our walks together in the morning - but am enjoying my solitude too.  Changes, changes.... but all is well.

I will be working on the house this afternoon when I get back... tomorrow morning I will pick up my granddaughter for an overnight.  We are very excited but there is a good bit to catch up on after all the excitement of the week..... FLOORS to do when I get home!

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Bread Adventures

More bagels from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day!  It has been fun for me to have so many of you talk to me about this book :-)  I would be curious how many books have been purchased because of this blog... but I am having so much fun learning!  Within another month or so, I will be beginning to add in some of the recipes from the authors' second book - Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

In the grand scheme of things, this bagel project moved more smoothly than the first one.... in the midst of it, however.....

...The first batch of dough didn't rise well......  I thought it might be me!

I went to make another batch to see... and noticed a typo (maybe) in the book.  It calls for 1 tablespoon of yeast (which supposedly equals 1.5 packets).  What I noticed is that the 1.5 packet descriptor is on all the breads - and they all call for 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast.  I wasn't sure which was correct.... so I did an online search.  The answer is that a packet is approx 2/3 tablespoon (actually it is 2.25 tsp and 3 tsp = 1 Tbsp) 

And then I checked the FAQ on the website and it said that you actually could use a whole lot less yeast if you wanted - it just needed a lot more time to rise.   So after 2 days, that batch number one is still pretty small.....

I decided to make another batch with the 1.5 Tablespoons of yeast and see what happened!

The end result was that both batches reached the same size... much smaller than the other breads... so there ya go :-)  It was less dough than the other batches I have made but it was also firmer and easier to work with.

I still can't seem to get the size right for bagels - or maybe they are supposed to be a monster size :-)  I used about as much as a tennis ball.... and they ended up still larger than a hamburger bun.

This batch was definitely easier to do - and hence - more fun for me!

Beautiful, beautiful bread... two batches worth so I have plenty to share :-)

Taste testers concur..... this bagel tastes a LOT like a soft pretzel that you buy.... and since it is much easier to work with than the other dough.... IF I were inclined to go to the work of making pretzels..... I will use this dough!

Yep - this recipe is a keeper!

Bread - Prosciutto & Olive Oil Flatbread AND Thrive in Five Update Day 18

Next chapter in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - Flatbreads!   The first one is Prosciutto and Olive Oil Flatbread..... it was awesome!  I followed the recipe for the first loaf and it was beautiful!

I found the prosciutto on sale for about $5 for 4 oz. which made two loaves.  Inside the bread was prosciutto ham and rosemary - it smelled heavenly.

And then, because I didn't have more prosciutto on hand... it is lunch meat here!  We are such plebians....  we switched up the recipe using regular ham lunch meat and shredded cheddar

and it was the bomb!  This one we have made over and over..... like the strombolis, it has become a regular request.

The book is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzog and Zoe Francois.... and this unskilled cook is still baking away!

*****Thrive in Five Update Day 18*****

I had a MAJOR epiphany last night....  I have been thinking for several weeks now what my WHY would be to get motivated to really work on losing weight again.  Why do I want to be thin?   A slap in the head moment.... I DON'T!  Not thin per se...... losing 60 pounds 4 years ago was fantastic - but also frightening.  At my age, to all of a sudden be getting that much attention - and kinds of attention I don't really look for... well, it was disconcerting.  I did enjoy some of the compliments... but more than that, I enjoyed FEELING GOOD!  I enjoyed energy.... THAT is the key to my re-gaining some of what I lost - THIN is not enough.

 My life didn't change enough because of my focus on THIN.  The things I did with THIN as a focus could not last because the trade-off didn't work.  The work to STAY THIN wasn't worth the resultant changes.  Lots of small things changed, yes - but I encountered even more problems and changes..... Nothing that LASTED because my focus was in the wrong place.

Deep down inside, I don't care about 6-packs and race medals and new clothes.

I'm a mom and grandma with a sedentary lifestyle... I read, I craft, I write, I garden. It's what I like to DO and it's okay. BUT I can think of a bazillion reasons why I want to LIVE longer and be STRONGER and feel good when I wake up in the morning.

Focus shift to HEALTH and ENERGY (and I will find the THINness that is my birthright).  THIN now becomes a RESULT of my focus on HEALTH.

"THIN" feels like a vanity that isn't mine..... "HEALTH" feels like my birthright and I need to claim it!

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Seems like I turned a corner in my body yesterday.. 

Enough thinking and praying and listening and learning .... and the right actions will come to you.  You KNOW what to do... just like I do.

This morning I woke energetic and ready to greet the day... go figure...  I will remember this little victory!

Thank you, Hannah, for the insights and prayer!  Remember that the Thrive in Five program is on sale until the end of January - go to www.hannahkeeley.com and order it!  You'll be glad you did.... (okay, it's not expensive.... you've spent more than this on miracle products that don't work!)

Bread Adventures - Pretzels and Bialys / Thrive in Five Day 11

Beautiful morning!  Still walking my mile :-)  My husband had a business trip today so I saw him off and then my pup and I went for our walk.  She is not really happy with our morning mile.. but it is as good for her as it is for me..so she is just going to have to get used to it.
It looks like it will be mild weather today so I will make sure that I get some things done outside.  Last week was my "entrance zone" but I wasn't able to get out to work every day so I am glad that I scheduled ONE outdoor area each month..... but then I live in a temperate climate where this is feasible.

Off to make my morning rounds... one load of laundry (with a few squats, etc)... gather food items for dinner (wait, hubby won't be home...but I will take a couple of minutes to gauge the leftover situation and decide on a healthy dinner for ME!) ... pet maintenance... quick round through the bathrooms...  will be back in a bit!

I am still excited about the power of the 15-minute focus bits.... my 15 minutes outside my entrance cleared out the second of 2 garden beds & cut down a small tree.. (something I pass multiple times daily and say....'I gotta clear this up and cut that down').   GOOD changes!  This is a habit that is working FOR me!

For our bread adventures from Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day this week, I want to share my pretzels!  The story is similar to the bagels.... I struggled with the SIZE and the rolling and playing with the dough... mostly because I think I got impatient with it.  One of the pretzels below looks pretty good :-)  The rest - not so much!

But the process AFTER I created the shapes was the same as the bagels... boil in a pot of boiling water.....lay on dishtowels to drain..... peel them off, sprinkle with salt and get them to the pan & bake

What was funny - is that my sons wouldn't touch the bagels... but ate ALL the pretzels!  Funny to me because the process and the dough are the same... the only difference in composition was the salt versus sesame / poppy seeds.

I also made bialys according to the instructions but forgot to take photos!  Sorry :-(  But I can tell you about them.  First of all, I had no idea what they are.... and there was no photo in the book.. so I was kind of shooting blind.  At any rate, the process was similar to the bagels only you don't make a HOLE, you make an impression - like a little cup.  And, before you bake them you fill the impression with sauteed chopped onions.  Oh my, they were good!  And, since then I have googled them and found a photo at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/Bialy.htm

Of course - mine were nowhere NEAR as pretty as this since I didn't know what I was doing..... BUT as I keep saying... pretty is not as important as TASTY... and these recipes work!

*****Thrive in Five Update  Day 11*****

It gets harder to focus on what I am supposed to be doing... I am trying to make sure I get the proper food servings in - and am reducing the amount of non-nutritive stuff in my system.  This is when I start having a hard time keeping up with changes and need to start having more faith in the process.

Life gets busy and I don't focus on my own personal balance.  It is good to have a little audio reminder that MY health and well-being matters :-)  Because this body of mine... albeit overweight... is a marvelous creation that has kept me moving for more than 50 years.  It has born children... and MUCH life!  MUCH joy and MUCH pain... and it is still going strong.....  I am blessed.

I like the visual that the FAT is protection from toxins... but I also know that the FAT is a hated wall I hide behind.... a fortress and a prison.  It is MY time to shed both the THOUGHT processes AND the non-food toxins that are keeping me from my best life... the life God intends for me to have!

Don't forget... the Thrive in Five Program is available from www.hannahkeeley.com for the same cost as a couple of exercise dvds... seriously!

Bread Adventures - Bagels! and Thrive in Five Day 4

 Slow and sluggish getting up this morning... I think some of my problem is allergies - mental note: change air filters.... I need to make sure it happens monthly!    Itchy watery eyes (but NOT DRY :-), thank goodness... sneezing and sniffling... it was VERY hard to get out and walk the dog today.  Lately though, my husband has been going with me... how EASY it would be to just let him do it!  But I'm kind of proud of me, I didn't do that!

*****Thrive in Five**** .... Update Day 4

www.HannahKeeley.com

Taking charge of emotions.  uh-oh.....I am STRONGER than my emotions..... wow.... yeah, I know, I've been saying it for a while but it sure feels good to have somebody say it to ME!  Hearing Hannah's voice really helps me more than I thought it would.   I have been working a LONG time on loving myself... on NOT beating myself up.... on recognizing truth and deciding to make changes - rather than bemoaning my fate and whining about it. (Okay, I admit it - I still whine :-)

Much of the work we do on setting goals and living our best lives requires us to change up our thinking.  It requires us to be responsible for the direction of our thinking... NOT ignore our feelings - but recognize them for what they are - and CHOOSE how we wish to respond.

What I FEEL... what I DESIRE.. right now.... might not be the way I TRULY want to LIVE my LIFE..... it takes a little work and a little trust to figure that out... Join me and make the decision TODAY to live a healthy life.

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And...... on to my Bread Adventures as I bake my way through Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois  Bagels.... this is funny :-)

What a hoot!!

I am such a clown in the kitchen!  Making the dough was easy.... getting up the nerve to make the bagels took a few days!

First, you break off a piece the size of a small peach.... okay - well, that size is a moving target in my head.  I've had this problem before when choosing between a ball of dough the size of a cantaloupe... or a grapefruit.  Unfortunately (or not), I live in America, the super-sized... I have seen both of these fruits in various sizes.  It helped a lot when I knew that the batch of dough made either 3 loaves (canteloupe-sized piece) or 4 loaves (grapefruit sized piece).

In this case, my dough was supposed to make 20 bagels... but my 'peaches' only got 11.   More on that later......  I made some BIG bagels :-)  Lesson learned late!

After my little balls rose for about 20 minutes... I had to boil them..

Dropping them in the boiling water was problematic (because they were monster-sized).  But I marched onward.... they sure looked weird to me after boiling......

Then they had to drain on some dish towels sprinkled with flour.  I THINK the flour was supposed to keep it from sticking - didn't quite work well for me.  Or maybe I have the wrong kind of dish towel or something... anyway.. it was a tricky process and I ended up with some really gummed-up towels.

Then to bake...baking time increased substantially since they were so big (and I wasn't sure what they were supposed to look like)....

In the final analysis... they tasted like fresh bread out of the oven and that was all good.  They looked like small loaves of bread with holes in the middle... oh well.... I tried..  BUT I didn't have fun so I will probably not make bagels again..

...except..... oh no.... there are more bagels in the book.... maybe practice will make it easier :-) Because I AM going to get through the book :-)

I did enjoy the challenge of creating the bagels ....  I was told that these look like gourmet bagels that this person paid $8 for.  Maybe so.. I never saw an $8 bagel :-) (people pay $8 for a bagel?)

The same dough will make something called Bialys and also soft pretzels...

 The dough is already made and waiting for me.. so maybe Bialys tomorrow?  Hmmm.... wonder what THEY look like...

Bread Adventures - Getting Used to It - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Half of the fun I am having with Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day is using what I am learning to follow through on my own ideas....  I have been doing this long enough now to get a little comfortable!

I used the cheese dough to make cheese rolls...

I used the Broa (yeasted cornbread) dough to wrap hot dogs in for pigs in a blanket...

Not very pretty but they tasted great :-)

For Thanksgiving this year, I was able to offer potato bread and yeasted cornbread with cranberries (instead of Pillsbury crescent rolls :-)

I made both rye bread & onion rye bread for a potluck dinner...

Calzones are requested at my house most weeks .... my family is almost getting used to having fresh bread... how cool is that?

Somehow for me, this isn't just about making bread... it's about doing something audacious!  I've never felt comfortable in the kitchen.... coming up with meals is a real chore for me... so I've never felt able to cook.  Creating beautiful breads is liberating... and it's helping me grow and see myself in a new light.

FOCUS AREA Update:

I was SO tired when I came home yesterday evening ... knew I had to fix dinner (lucky I already had a few planned out of the pantry).. and was going to skip my 15 minutes of deep clean in the kitchen.. but.....go ME!!  I did not skip it.  I didn't have the mental fortitude to pull things out of cabinets (and get them back!) so I spent my 15 minutes with a spray bottle wiping down the outside of all the lower cabinets & the fridge...  Also pulled out one of the little baskets in the cabinet I cleaned out the other day and washed that ( 3 more to go for those).  THREE more days in the kitchen and I can move on....   (the good thing for me - I am such a scattered being that I have also gotten several things done in other areas but am MAKING myself come back for the specified 15 FOCUS AREA minutes.    Later I will share what I have done in the other January areas.. when I get there!

Also did well at the grocery store.... only bought what would supplement items I have already planned with the exception of canned pumpkin and black-eyed peas.  They were on a deep clearance and are a good addition to the pantry (to the BACK OF THE PANTRY)...