Lavash Crackers

I've always wanted to make thin crispy crackers but the work involved discourages me from doing so. Besides, why bake when I can buy them cheap from the stores. However, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 17, Lavash Crackers, compelled me to bake them. I used to buy soft lavash before but I have never heard of lavash crackers. Well, now I have and can say that they are very yummy, super crunchy, and totally addicting. I love these crackers!

It was difficult at first to roll but after a few tries and letting the dough rest for 5 minutes between rolling as Peter suggests [and with a little bit of patience] I was able to roll the dough as thin as I wanted. I divided the dough into 3 portions because I wanted to use different toppings and found a smaller dough is easier to handle. I rolled the first one on the kitchen counter but when I transferred it to the parchment, the edges folded back into itself. I had to re-roll on the parchment paper which was very frustrating because the paper bunches up and won't stay put. I managed to keep the very thin dough and trimmed the folded edges which I twisted and made into bread sticks. Also very good. After that minor mishap I eliminated the step of transferring to the parchment and rolled the next pieces of dough directly on the pan. I think rolling the dough on an inverted pan or a cookie sheet without sides would be even more convenient and practical.

I did a combination of rolling, waving, and stretching to make the dough very thin

let the dough relax for easier handling

I rolled the first sheet really thin then sprinkled the top with sesame seeds. I passed a pastry roller on top of the dough a few times to embed the seeds so they don't fall off. Because I have a sweet tooth, I cut a small portion of the very thin dough and sprinkled coarse raw sugar on top, very very good with ice cream. The other 2 pieces of dough were rolled just thin enough but not as thin as the first one and I sprinkled one with flaked sea salt and ground sumac, and the other one with flaked sea salt and chipotle powder. I didn't want to add strong flavors like cumin nor strong colors that stain like paprika so I stayed away from those. I'm satisfied with these two flavors which are mild but very tasty. Both came out very crispy all throughout without any soft spots.

I will definitely make these crackers again and for a yummy healthy crunchy snack I will substitute chickpea flour for some of the flour. And with this experience I have gained enough confidence and will try rolling out thin dough such as strudel or filo. This is why I love this challenge, I learn and eat something new every week.

topped with sesame seeds

topped with coarse raw sugar

with flaked sea salt and ground sumac

perfect with chili

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 4
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 29
Average: 4.8

BBAC And The Washington Post

The Bread Bakers' Apprentice Challenge is one of the featured virtual baking/cooking clubs in this week's Food Section of The Washington Post. You can read the full article here written by one of us BBAC bakers, A Tiger In The Kitchen.

A photo collage of baked goodies from 8 BBAC bakers are included on the front page of the section, the shortened version here is from their website, and there are several larger beautiful photos of breads inside the pages.

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge is created by Nicole of Pinch My Salt.

Wasabi Ice Cream

wasabi ice cream and a ginger thin

One of the ice cream flavors in an Ice Cream parlor in Singapore that G over at Kitchenmaus mentioned is called Wassup Babe which has, you guessed it, Wasabi. I like wasabi with Japanese food but never imagined it will taste good in ice cream. I have made Black Pepper ice cream before which is not unusual and wasabi doesn't sound any more weird than chicken wing, crab, or octopus ice cream.

The wasabi flavor is distinct and surprisingly really good but the wasabi sting is absent. Maybe it cools off immediately on the tongue or I should have doubled the amount of wasabi powder. I like it with ginger thins and I'm also thinking of making it into an ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookies. What do you think will go well with wasabi ice cream, candied eel?

Wasabi Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons green wasabi powder
1 extra-large whole egg or 2 small
½ cup sugar, more or less to taste
2 cups heavy cream

• In a medium saucepan mix milk and wasabi powder, heat the mixture to scalding. In a small bowl, beat the egg and sugar. Add the hot milk while stirring continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, without boiling until custard coats the spatula. Strain into a 4-cup measuring bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir in the heavy cream. Process in an ice cream maker. Transfer into an ice cream container and freeze until firm.

Kaiser Rolls And Smoked Home Cured Bacon

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 16: Kaiser Rolls.

I can't remember the last time I bought these sandwich rolls which used to be a favorite in our house. I have forgotten about them after I started baking all of our bread almost two years ago. I never thought they would be so much fun to make and they're very yummy too. I love its chew and the crunch of the crust when toasted, excellent for BLT or simply smeared with whipped cream cheese.

The dough is very easy to work with but shaping the rolls using the traditional folding method takes a bit of practice. After the shaped pieces have risen for 10 minutes I had to re-shape them because the design disappeared. I remedied that by dusting the bottoms with lots of rye flour and pressing harder in-between folds. Sorry I didn't take photos of the process but you can watch this [rather fuzzy] video of a baker applying karate chops on the dough.

I folded 4 of the rolls and the other 5 dough balls I shaped into knotted ropes. I like the looks of the baked folded rolls better, they are prettier, more rounded and even. Two of the knotted rolls were misshapen, they came out sort of oval-triangular and one has a slight bump on one side. I don't know if I should get a stamp for easier and faster shaping next time I make these, all you do is shape into rounds and press. The stamp also retains the round shape of the rolls. On the other hand, I love the rustic appearance of the rolls.

folded

knotted

Although I love poppy and sesame seeds, I didn't bother to top the rolls because they will just fall off and get scattered all over when they are sliced. I also prefer the clean look of the rolls without them.

For my first taste of the roll, I fried thick slices of home cured bacon, sliced yellow tomatoes from my garden, and baby romaine lettuce. Simply delicious! I could have this everyday for lunch. Okay, maybe not the bacon.^__^

bacon, lettuce, and tomato

drool worthy

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

Here's my recipe for smoked home cured bacon. It's very rare to find where I live whole slabs of pork belly so I used thick pieces instead. I used Twinings® lapsang souchong tea available at most grocery stores. The tea gives a smokey flavor without being overwhelming. Soaked applewood chips are also very good with bacon.

Smoked Home Cured Bacon
three 1½-inch thick pieces of skinless pork belly
3 tablespoons dry cure (mixture of 1 pound kosher salt, 8 pounds of sugar, and 2 ounces of pink salt, recipe from CHARCUTERIE by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn)
2 tablespoons maple sugar crystals or syrup
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
6 lapsang souchong teabags
aluminum disposable deep roasting pan and small metal rack

• Mix the dry cure, maple sugar, and garlic powder. Spread the cure on the pork belly evenly. Place the pork pieces in a gallon freezer bag and refrigerate for 5 days, turning the bag every day to cure evenly.
• Rinse pork under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Open the teabags and place all the loose tea leaves in the middle of the roasting pan, discard the bags. Place the rack on the pan and the pan on top of the stove. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, place the pork on the rack, cover tightly with aluminum foil and smoke for 1 hour. Remove the pork, let cool, and store in the freezer. Slice and fry until crispy.

the best part of the fried bacon is the silky crispy melt-in-your mouth fat