Le Pain Lapin

Last weekend I visited Rabbit Island which my friend Rob bought from an ad on Craig’s List. You can learn more about it from the Kickstarter (they funded an Artist Residency) and from the website. A big group of us went out there to build various things - I made bread, a cobbler and helped with a big dinner for 22 of us. It was a fantastic experience and learned a ton from Kelly Geary, the founder of Sweet Deliverance and author of Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Reciped for the Modern Kitchen. Kelly got involved when Rob put out a post om search of recipes for his cookbook. She brought out two chefs from Madison, WI - Marc and Emily. They brought some Ramp Butter, which they put on top of the first loaf and that’s what made it glisten. I hope we have many more opportunities to cook together cause they ROCK! And I’m submitting this recipe for inclusion in the cookbook. Fingers crossed!

The kitchen on Rabbit Island consists of two gas burning stove tops (coleman’s) and a campfire. I made this bread in a dutch oven on the campfire. The photo above is the first of three attempts.  A few things I learned when making this recipe, let the bread rise as long as possible for the best texture (18-24 hours). You should put the dutch oven in the fire to heat it up before placing in the dough. Definitely put the oven on top of fire burning logs, and place two on top for even cooking. Get those gloves so you can reach right into the fire.  The shape of the dough when placed in the dutch oven is the breads final shape.

The photos below are my third attempt, and definitely my favorite. Also, I doubled the recipe and found that it had a better rise, and made two loafs back to back. They were eaten pretty quickly, but there were a lot of us out there!

Le Pain Lapin

(Makes 2 Loafs)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tspn regular yeast (I active yeast cause that’s all I could find)
• 2 1/2 tspn salt
• 3 cups water

Instructions 

Pt. 1. (day ahead)

1. Mix all the ingredients in a greased bowl
2. Form a ball and cover at least 18 hours

Pt. 2. 

1. Heat dutch oven in the fire (or oven if not camping).
2. carefully open lid and slide in half of the dough and place cover on lid
3. Cover the pot for 30 minutes and bake with lid off for an additional 15 minutes 
4. Repeat for second loaf or use a second dutch oven.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

I feel like I’m still just in practice mode before I really get serious about being learning pastry. And as I get more serious about this blog, I’m thinking of adding in a lot more types of posts from inspirations to equipment, not to mention everything I’m learning about the world of pastry.

But some days I’ll just want to throw an extra recipe together. Especially when I was on a roll for that Arty Party. I looked in the fridge and saw Blueberries and Lemon and thought, why not, this shouldn’t be too hard. And it wasn’t. Though I’d definitely categorize this a breakfast bread. It’s pretty sweet.

And being that passover is starting tonight at sundown, one last quick bread, might not be such a bad idea!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter,  room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
   
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In the bowl beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute).
5. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
   
7. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
   
8. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined.
   
9. Gently fold in the blueberries.
10. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
12. When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack.
    
13. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze.
    
14. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
    

Pretzel Rolls

I went to Switzerland over the holidays and just loved sandwiches on Pretzel rolls. I’ve been dreaming of them and decided to give them a try. This was way harder than I expected and took forever to make 8, though I could probably make 24 in the same amount of time if I had the oven space and pans. I based the rolls off of this Pretzel Roll recipe.

I don’t have many pictures, cause I was very focused but here’s how they turned out.

Ingredients

• *2 3/4 cups bread flour
• *1 envelope quick-rising yeast
• *1 teaspoon salt
• *1 teaspoon sugar
• *1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (about) hot water 
• *Cornmeal
• *8 cups water
• *1/4 cup baking soda
• *2 tablespoons sugar
• *1 egg white, beaten to blend (glaze)
• *Coarse salt

Instructions
Part 1

1. 1. Combine bread flour, 1 envelope yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar in food processor and blend.
2. 2. With machine running, gradually pour hot water through feed tube, adding enough water to form smooth elastic dough.
3. 3. Process 1 minute to knead. (I have a tiny food processor and made a total mess, but it worked)
4. 4. Grease medium bowl (I used Crisco)
5. 5. Add dough to bowl, turning to coat.
6. 6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel; let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 35 minutes.

Part 2

1. 1. Flour baking sheet.
2. 2. Punch dough down and knead on lightly floured surface until smooth.
3. 3. Divide into 8 pieces.
4. 4. Form each dough piece into ball.
5. 5. Place dough balls on prepared sheet, flattening each slightly.
6. 6. Using serrated knife, cut X in top center of each dough ball. (Be bold with this, other x will disappear)
7. 7. Cover with towel and let dough balls rise until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes.

Part 3

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. 2. Grease another baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.
3. 3. Bring 8 cups water to boil in large saucepan.
4. 4. Add baking soda and 2 tablespoons sugar (I accidentally added baking soda before water was boiling. Don’t do that. And I was nervous to roll in water but it was fine)
5. 5. Add 2 rolls and cook 30 seconds per side.
6. 6. Using slotted spoon, transfer rolls to prepared sheet, arranging X side up. Repeat with remaining rolls.
7. 7. Brush rolls with egg white glaze.
8. 8. Sprinkle rolls generously with coarse salt.
9. 9. Bake rolls until brown, about 25 minutes.
10. 10. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes.
11. 11. Serve rolls warm or room temperature. 

Love Potion: Pumpkin Lavender Bread

The rumor is that Pumpkin + Lavender is an aphrodisiac. I’m not so sure if it is true, but the rumor definitely got a lot of tasters lining up!

This recipe is super easy. Though my secret was hand making the lavender sugar, the night before.

Ingredients:

• *3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup from whole wheat pastry flour)
• *2 cups lavender sugar **recipe below**
• *1 teaspoon salt
• *2 teaspoons baking soda
• *1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• *2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• *1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
• *2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• *3 eggs, slightly beaten
• *extra dried lavender sugar crystals, for dusting

Instructions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. 2. Grease well, two 9” by 5” loaf pans.
3. 3. In a large bowl, with fork, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
4. 4. Add remaining ingredients and mix just until blended.
5. 5. Pour batter into pans.
6. 6. Sprinkle some dried lavender and sugar crystals on top
7. 7. Bake about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. 8. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on racks.

Lavender Sugar

(These two photos we graciously taken by Martina Fugazzotto)

Ingredients:

• *3 Cups of Sugar (1/2 cup separated)
• *1/2 cup of dried Lavender

Instructions:

1. 1. Place 1/2 cup of sugar and lavender in a mortar an pestle
2. 2. Grind until lavender is combined and aromatic
3. 3. Return lavender to 3 cups of sugar and let it sit at least over night.

Brioche or is it?

Bread has always been a challenge for me but I saw this recipe for Brioche and thought I’d give it  a try. It definitely feels like the beginners version. Thought it came out nice and definitely tasted more like brioche when I tasted the following morning and turned it into french toast!

The dough before it rises.

The dough right before it goes into the oven.

Ingredients:

• *1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• *3 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• *3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• *¼ teaspoon salt
• *1/3 cup milk, warm
• *2 ¾ oz unsalted butter, softened
• *2 eggs plus 1 egg, divided and lightly beaten
• *1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation:

1. 1. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Gradually add the warm milk, butter, and 2 eggs into the flour mixture; knead until the dough is smooth.
2. 2. The dough is ready to rise when it is completely smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. 3. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, or until it is doubled in size.
4. 4. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a floured work surface and punch it down a few times. Divide the dough into 3 equal-sized balls.
5. 5. Roll each ball into a 10-inch long rope, and then braid the ropes together.
6. 6. Tuck the ends under and place the braid in a greased 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan. 
7. 7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough covering, gently brush the loaf with the beaten egg, sprinkle with a small amount of sugar, and bake for 10 minutes.
8. 8. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the brioche is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.