The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 15: Italian Bread

After eating a few slices, I think I may have found our daily bread, it's The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge recipe 15, Italian Bread. I love everything about it, from the wonderful aroma to the slightly chewy crust and soft [milky] chewy moist delicious sweetish crumb, this is the perfect everyday breakfast or sandwich bread.

Although it takes 2 days, most of it while the biga is resting in the refrigerator, the whole baking process including shaping is super easy. I will tweak and experiment with this recipe perhaps using sourdough starter along with instant yeast, and maybe adding a little whole wheat or rye flour. I'll be making it regularly with or without milk until I get tired of it or another superb recipe comes along. For now, this is my favorite bread.

I was never interested in baking Italian bread before because the loaves I've had from grocery stores and bakeries were bland and the crumb dry and fluffy. Thanks again Nicole for creating this challenge because I never would have tried baking it on my own and would not have known that homemade Italian Bread is so very yummy.

I made six 4-ounce hoagie rolls and the rest of the dough into a 14-inch loaf. The rolls and loaf both had good oven spring.

Italian meatballs on a top-split hoagie roll, yum yum

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

S'more Macarons

sweet and crunchy graham cookies filled with spicy chipotle ganache

While browsing for recipes that have shishito peppers, I found one that uses the red mildly hot ones in a ganache filling for S'more Macarons. I adapted the recipe adding ground chipotle for extra zing. The cookies are crunchy, sweet and delightfully spicy.

unlike the regular green fruits these mildly hot but sweet shishito peppers emerge from the same plant early on with a red tint and becomes bright red when fully ripe, the fruits are shorter at 1 inch

S'more Macaronsmakes about 25 cookie sandwiches
macarons
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup confectioner's sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt

ganache
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 finely chopped red shishito peppers, optional
½ - ¾ teaspoon ground chipotle, more or less to taste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
¾ cup milk chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• Make the macarons: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with cinnamon and stir to combine. Place ground graham crackers on a cookie sheet and bake, stirring once, until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool, then put graham cracker mixture into food processor with confectioner's sugar. Grind to a fine powder, set aside.
• Finely grind brown sugar in a blender, set aside.
• In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Slowly add brown sugar, and continue mixing to a glossy medium soft peaks.
• Gently fold graham cracker mixture into meringue in two or three additions. Once combined, continue to fold until batter has deflated to a glossy, homogeneous mixture with soft peaks.
• Transfer batter into a disposable pastry bag, snip off the tip. On a parchment lined baking sheet/s, pipe even-sized rounds about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter and ¼ inch high, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. When baking sheet is filled, firmly bang cookie sheet on a flat surface twice. If any peaks are still sticking up, pat peak gently with a lightly moistened fingertip. Allow to sit for 60 - 90 minutes for the cookies to settle slightly. Bake cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 - 14 minutes until cookies are firm on top and just starting to brown on the edges. Cool on cookie sheets.

• Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolates in a glass bowl. In a small saucepan heat cream and spices to scalding and pour over chopped chocolate. [If using shishito, use 7 tablespoons of cream, heat cream, peppers, and spices to scalding then let steep for 30 minutes, reheat to scalding then strain cream before adding to chocolate.] Let sit for 3 minutes. Using a spatula, mix until cream and chocolate are combined. Leave on the kitchen counter for 1 hour or until firm with a frosting-like consistency.

• Assemble the cookies: Pairing cookies of similar size, create 2 rows of tops and bottoms. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie and place its partner on top. Refrigerate a few minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 14: French Bread

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 14: French Bread. This is the first BBA bread I baked a few years back. The recipe is not perfect by all means because the loaves it makes do not have the much preferred and coveted open crumb. But I come back to this recipe often because I love that it is flavorful, preparation is super easy and uncomplicated, and sometimes I want a more tender tighter crumb usually to make into French Toast. In my opinion this recipe not only makes the best French Toast but the best croutons and garlic bread as well. In other words I love this bread, tight crumb and all.

I could have baked a more open crumbed French bread by altering the method, for example, applying the French fold instead of kneading, or any other methods available online or in baking books. But that would mean NOT following the recipe as written which IMHO would defeat the purpose of this challenge.

the loaf may not have a more open crumb


but it makes the yummiest French Toast

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 4
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 29
Average: 4.86

For comparison this is PR's no-knead stretch-and-fold slack dough French bread recipe which makes delicious baguettes that have a more open crumb and thin crispy crust. The recipe requires half the time and effort as the BBA's. The recipe will be in his upcoming book Artisan Breads Everyday to be released end of October 2009.

Lychee Frozen Custard

Lasang Pinoy Sundays is a food photography meme, Filipino style, is hosted by SpiCes. I'm sprinkling some fun [and color] this week.

I don't normally put sprinkles on my ice cream or cupcakes but I keep a few containers of assorted colors and flavors including chocolate, butterscotch, and cinnamon.

The only ice cream I have in the freezer is lychee frozen custard and chopped candied ginger as topping would be best but they won't pop out visually since they have the same hue as the ice cream. Chocolate sprinkles don't match the flavor so I used the bright colored unflavored sprinkles. I feel like a kid again while eating the ice cream.


Lychee Frozen Custard
1 can lychee in syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons sugar
3 well beaten egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract, optional

• Drain and finely chop lychee, reserve the syrup.
• Combine the cream, milk, ½ cup of the reserved syrup, and sugar in a saucepan or double boiler; heat until warm and the sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of the cream mixture to the beaten egg yolks while whisking lightly. Gradually pour the egg mixture back into the cream mixture while continuing to whisk lightly.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the spatula is thinly coated with the mixture, about 8 minutes. Do not allow to boil or the custard mixture will curdle.
• Stir in the lychee and almond extract if using. Transfer into a container, let cool on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes, cover with plastic film, and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Churn using an ice cream maker.

Or for a lighter version:
Lychee Sherbet
1 can lychee in syrup
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup milk
1 cup very cold half & half
¼ cup sugar

• Drain lychee reserving ½ cup syrup. Finely chop lychee, leave to chill in the refrigerator.
• Sprinkle gelatin over reserved syrup and let stand 5 minutes. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, scald milk. Turn heat off and add soaked gelatin, and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add sugar and mix well. Let mixture cool in refrigerator. When cooled, add half & half and chilled lychee. Freeze in ice cream maker.