Cooking with Beer: Chicken

March ends on an up note with one last beer braised dinner for early Spring.  Either chicken breasts or thighs are fine for this.  Go with skinless since the cooked chicken will want to nestle into a tortilla or become a spicy chicken salad after it is shredded gently with a fork.  Use cuts on or off the bone, just remember the bone does add flavor to the cooking broth. 

Chicken Cooked in Beer
3 servings, easily doubled
Ingredients
2 large skinless chicken breasts (or 4 thighs)
1 cup beer
1 cup chicken broth
olive oil for browning
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash cayenne (up to 1/8 teaspoon)
salt and pepper

Method

1. Salt and pepper skinless chicken breasts.  
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken in a bit of olive oil on both sides.  
3. Drain any excess oil.  Lower heat and add 1 cup beer and 1 cup chicken broth to skillet.  
4. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cumin and a dash of cayenne.  
5. Cover skillet and simmer on very low heat for 30 minutes.  Chicken will be very tender and pull apart easy with a fork.  Continue cooking another 5-10 minutes if needed.  

Serve with roasted jalepeno peppers, sliced avocado, a scattering of black beans and a dollop of sour cream in a warm flour tortilla. 

Spicy Beer Chicken Salad
To make rough-chopped, spicy chicken salad, let chicken fully cool in the broth.  When cool, remove chicken pieces from broth and shred with a fork or chop into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. To the bowl, add the flesh of 1 avocado, roughly chopped, a large bunch of fresh, chopped cilantro (about 1/4 cup chopped), 1 chopped tomato plus 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil (try Goya), the juice of 1/2 lime and 1 squirt of hot sauce (like Cholula brand).  Taste for seasoning and add a bit of salt and pepper,  more hot sauce or a touch more lime juice as desired.  Serve in a roll, warm pita pocket or over chopped lettuce.  Sliced black olives, pickled jalepenos, chopped scallions—all nice garnishes.

Cooking with Beer: Lamb

This fast lamb chop meal is inspired by the Peruvian lamb dish called Seco de Cordero.  That famous stew flavors lamb shanks with beer, cilantro, onions and peppers.   Stripped down to cook in just dark beer and cilantro, these lamb chops take on an attractive gloss and slough off their fat in just half on hour.

Fresh mint is added at the end with some extra cilantro to really brighten up the flavor.  I like to remove the meat from the bone in chunks and serve it in a warm flour tortilla with some shredded lettuce and more herbs, plus a little mild goat or feta cheese.  The chops also do very nicely as is alongside a green vegetable and baked potatoes or salad. 

Beer-Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops
4 servings
4-6 thin shoulder chops (1/2 inch think)
salt, pepper, cumin
olive oil to brown
1 cup dark beer
2 tablespoons pureed cilantro sauce (Puree1/2 cup chopped cilantro including stems, juice of 1 line, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 cup water or broth)
2 tablespoons each chopped fresh cilantro and mint

To serve:
4-6 flour tortillas
1/2 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese
shredded lettuce
extra cilantro and mint to garnish

Method

1. Sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin on each side of chops.  
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown chops on each side, until they are deep brown—about 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer chops to a separate platter as they are browned.  
3. Return all chops to skillet, lower heat to medium-low and add beer. Cover and simmer chops.  
4. Meanwhile, make cilantro sauce by pureeing cilantro with lime juice, olive oil and water.  
5. When chops have cooked for about 15 minutes, stir in cilantro sauce.  
6. Cover skillet and cook another 15 minutes, until meat is falling off the bone and meat looks glazed.  Very little liquid will remain.  
7. Remove chops from skillet and serve with cilantro sauce garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and mint.

To serve with warmed flour tortillas, remove meat from bone and cut into chunks or strips. Stuff each tortilla with meat, lettuce, herbs and cheese.

Cooking with Beer: Ham

Take any last of winter chills out of March by cooking meats in beer.  It is a simple technique.  Ham, chicken and even lamb benefit from a slow braise in full bodied or light beers.  You can even use non-alcoholic beer and there are some better ones on the market these days. 

This is a one dish meal of ham and vegetables oven-simmered in a tightly sealed package of beer and chicken broth.  The slightly salty broth is the secret ingredient in the special gravy made from the pan drippings.  You can toss in some new potatoes with the other vegetables or bake sweet potatoes alongside.  We’re loving the sweet potato option of late. 

Ham Dinner with a Beer Gravy
Ingredients
2 pound (cooked) ham or smaller
1 large cabbage, cut in sixths
6 carrots, peeled and cut in large chunks
2 celery ribs, cut in half
optional: 6-8 new potatoes
1 cup beer
1 cup chicken broth
(If your ham is very small (1 pound or less), use about 1/2 the liquid.)

Gravy
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
Broth from pan (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup cream or milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  
2. Place ham, cabbage, carrots and celery in a roasting pan with high sides.  Pour on beer and broth.  
3. Use a large sheet of aluminum foil to cover pan, making sure edges are sealed. Bake for 1 hour (some larger hams will need 1 1/2 hours). The ham is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 140˚F.  
4. If the vegetables are tender but the ham has not yet reached the ideal temperature, remove the vegetables and keep warm while the ham finishes. 

When the ham is ready, make the gravy.

1.  In a medium skillet, melt the butter.  Sprinkly flour over the melted butter and stir to combine, creating a roux.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  
2. Slowly pour a few tablespoons of broth into the roux and stir well to smooth out any lumps.  Add 1/2 cup more of broth, stirring mixture as liquid is added to create a thick gravy.  Stir in another 1/2 cup broth and taste.  
3. At this point you may want to add either the remaining broth, or if a bit salty, some plain water.   
4. Just before serving, stir in cream and parsley.  Serve over ham and cabbage.  

Spare Ribs, Slow in a Flash

“What are you doing?” asked my husband.  He eyed me incredulously as I opened a package of uncooked spareribs three minutes before we were leaving to meet friends. 

“I’m making spare ribs for dinner.  I’ll be ready to go in one minute,” I replied as I tossed them with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and brown sugar.  These were singles—already cut apart---and I stacked the seasoned ribs against the sides of a crock pot, meaty side facing the pot’s inner surface.  The curve of each rib matched that of the pot perfectly. (Two full racks can fit with the ribs standing up.)   I turned the crock pot to low and was finished prepping dinner.  Washing my hands took longer than preparing the ribs.  We left on time. 

When we got back 3 hours later, the ribs were cooked but not yet truly tender.  A small pool of fat had fallen to the center of the crock pot.  I turned the heat to high and left them another hour.  When the meat was falling off the bone, I removed the ribs and let them drain on a few paper towels.  Later we reheated the ribs in a hot oven (375˚F at least) where the edges crisped and a light coating of BBQ sauce formed a glossy coating. These ribs are served with more warmed BBQ sauce on the side for those who like their ribs well sauced.

Any favorite BBQ sauce  will do.  My BBQ sauce is “ketchup & molasses” based and has a touch of orange in it.  Come by and try it sometime. 

Crock Pot Spice Rub for one rack of spare ribs:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Acknowledgment: Versions of this clever technique can be found around the internet.  I learned the base technique from About.com but apply a simpler (faster) rub and "finish" the ribs in the oven, away from the extruded fat.  You can use this easy technique during the summer months too and finish the ribs on the grill rather then the oven.  Keeps the kitchen cool.

What Goes with Ribs?
My favorite side with ribs is collard greens, another simple to prepare dish that only requires time to develop its personality (like ribs).  See my recipe in the Feb. 25, 2010 entry of PureFoodsProject.  Another nice side is corn pudding.  Find it in the Oct. 26, 2011 entry.

Pure Tomato Soup

Fat Tuesday has come and gone and the leaner days of Lent are here.   Seasons are often common denominators of cultures and religions. At this time of year, many people add more vegetarian and seafood options to their daily meals whether for religious reasons or the cosmic pull of Spring.   Here's an easy and pure tomato soup that will keep you going with a little less bulk. It's about as easy as reconstituting a can of condensed soup and you'll be impressed with your results. 

Pure Tomato Soup
Ingredients
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 14-oz can vegetable broth or water
1 14-oz can tomatoes (low sodium preferred)
salt, pepper, thyme or basil to taste
Optional
1/4-1/2 cup milk or cream
1T butter

Method

1. In a heavy bottomed, 2-quart sauce pan, heat tomato paste over low heat until it has melted slightly. 
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in flour until completely blended.  
3. Return to low heat and cook about 60 seconds then slowly add broth/water, a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate until all liquid is mixed in.  
4. Add canned tomatoes with their juice.   Break apart tomatoes with side of spoon.  Adjust heat to allow soup to simmer, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens.  
5. Remove soup from heat and use an immersion blender to puree soup.  (If you do not have an immersion blender, cool soup and puree in a standard blender or leave soup chunky.)  
6. Taste soup and add seasonings as preferred.  Stir in milk and butter before serving. 

Nice additions include cooked rice, cooked shrimp and steamed okra. 

Baked Eggs Buffet

Clockwise from upper left, Asparagus-Ham-Mushroom-Raclette Cheese, Spinach-Tomato-Mozzarella-Parmesan, Cheddar-Bacon-Jalapeños

Baked eggs deliver easy and pure protein at a brunch, ski house breakfast or a simple Sunday morning with family.  For family, you might pick just one type of filling but the real charm of a baked eggs buffet is that it can suit all tastes, finicky to exotic, meat lovers and vegetarians.

A baked eggs buffet has just the right amount of participation from diners but leaves the cook in control.  Everyone gets to add favorite fillings, just like at a restaurant omelet bar, hand over their creation and have it baked.  No one but the cook needs to be at the oven.  Easy on the cook who only needs to supervise the prep and keep an eye on the eggs baking. 

The buffet is easy to set up and the fillings can be made the night or day before.  Set out buttered ramekins, fillings and a bowl of eggs.  Preheat the oven to 350˚F and invite diners to fill their ramekin with fillings, egg then more filling.   Top with cheese and a drizzle of hot water or cream.  Bake the eggs as they are handed in.  Each one takes 15-20 minutes so skiers can continue to get ready or brunch guests can sip on coffee and enjoy nibbles from a fruit and muffin platter.  An extra timer will help keep the cook on track for seconds or late arrivals.

Ramekins are very hot when they come out of the oven.  Use tongs or a well insulated pot holder to handle and serve each on a small salad plate to keep hands clear.  Add a side of toast for dipping. 

Baked Eggs
Ingredients
1-2 eggs per ramekin
Butter to coat ramekins
Fillings- about 1/4-1/3 cup per ramekin
Cooked vegetables and meats, cheeses like asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, minced peppers (any variety), roasted potato slices, any cured ham, cooked chorizo or breakfast sausage, cheddar, feta, swiss, raclette, mozzarella, Parmesan. 
Hot water—about a teaspoon per ramekin (helps egg set and remain tender). Warm cream can also be used effectively.

Method

• Preheat oven to 350˚F and prepare fillings (cook meats and vegetables if not yet prepared).
• Butter ramekins generously.  
• Place a layer of filling elements in bottom of ramekin.  Crack egg over filling. Top with more filling.  
• Spoon hot water over mixture.
• Place ramekins on a baking sheet or baking pan.
• 350˚F 15-20 minutes.  For a runny yolk, check at 15 minutes. 

Serve hot ramekins on a plate. Offer hot sauce, extra cheese, salsa or just salt and pepper.

The filled ramekins just before going into the oven.

Winter Spinach Salad

Wilted spinach leaves, sautéed shitake mushrooms and caramelized onions warm up spinach salad to make it worthy of a mid-winter lunch or a nice little side salad at dinner.  The trick is to lightly sauté mature spinach leaves until just wilted.  Overcooking or steaming will send the dish far from the salad bar and crashing into side dish oblivion.  This dish is meant to be eaten at room temperature and everything except the wilted spinach leaves can be done ahead of time.

Winter Spinach Salad
Serves 2 as main course, 4 as a side

Ingredients
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 10-oz bag mature spinach leaves, rinsed and de-stemmed
8-10 shitake mushrooms caps, sliced
2 –3 strips cooked bacon
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt & pepper
shaved or grated Parmesan cheese
Optional: 1 hard boiled egg

Method

1. Place sliced onion in a large skillet with a little bit of olive.  Cook over low (very low) heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to caramelize onions.  Check your onions every 5-6 minutes as they melt down and then lightly brown.  
2. While onions cook prepare spinach. Fold large leaves in half vertically and hold the two sides together with one hand and pull the stem away with the other.  Discard large coarse stems.  Set spinach aside.  
3. Once onions are cooked place in a small bowl and in the same skillet sauté mushrooms with a little more olive oil and salt to taste.  Remove to bowl with onions.  
4. Next cook bacon and set aside.  Drain most of fat from pan.  
5. When ready to serve, sauté spinach leaves until just wilted.  When wilted, remove from heat immediately and add lemon juice, olive oil if using (bacon fat may be plenty) , salt and pepper.  
6. Divide among salad plates.  Top with onion, mushrooms, bacon and if using as a main coarse, hard boiled egg.  Garnish with cheese. 

What we love about this is that the salad requires no additional dressing since lemon juice and seasonings are added to the greens in the pan.

Last Minute Mushroom Dip

Hours before the game and you are suspecting you don’t have quite enough food on the buffet.  Or maybe someone just arrived with bags of chips and forgot the dip.  To the rescue, a pure dip recipe  that competes with any store bought version.  Because you are eating and consuming it today (or this week) it's easy to stick with ingredients that are all natural and skip the preservatives.

The secret is mushroom powder.  Not in your pantry?  Look for dried mushrooms and pulverize them in a spice or coffee bean grinder --or food processor.  (We have a separate grinder we use just for spices.)  You only need about 1/4 cup of mushrooms (makes 2 tablespoons of powdered mushrooms) for this recipe.  Porcini, shitake, oyster mushrooms or a combination will work.

Last Minute Mushroom Dip
Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mushroom powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
optional: 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill or a few shots or hot sauce

Method

1. Mix all ingredients together.  
2. Let sit at least 15 minutes to allow mushroom powder to be absorbed by dip base.  Dip can be made up to a day ahead.  
3. Serve with chips, crackers, sliced vegetables. 

More Mushroom Magic
What’s that you say?  You think mushroom powder would also make a mean instant mushroom soup?  You are right. 
Heat 3/4 cup milk (low fat is fine) and 3/4 cup chicken, beef or vegetable broth and stir in 1/4 cup mushroom powder.  Simmer a few minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and fresh herbs (dill, chives, thyme would all play nicely).  Serve with a dollop of sour cream, yogurt or a splash or real cream.  Thinly sliced sautéed  mushrooms are also nice if you have a few extra minutes.  Fast lunch, really nice first course.

Whole Fish Know How

When it comes to fish, its hard to beat the ease of preparing it whole.  A more concentrated flavor is the by product of less work and less fuss.  Here's a simple method using whole branzino.

A 1 1/2-2 lb whole fish that has been gutted but with the head and tail still attached will feed 2 people.  

Branzino en Papilotte
Ingredients
One 1 1/2 -2 pound fish, gutted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 sprigs each fresh dill and parsely
1/2 lemon sliced plus extra for serving

Method

• Preheat oven to 425˚F.  
• Lay the fish on a large piece of aluminum foil.  
• Drizzle olive oil on both sides and on the inside of the fish.  Stuff lemon slices and herbs in cavity and close foil over fish, sealing tightly.  
• Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until fish flakes.  
• Use a spatula to help lift the fillet off the bone.  Strip away the large bone and lift out the bottom fillet.  Serve with extra lemon slices.  
• Even though you have de-boned the cooked fish, use your fork and knife to look for and pull away smaller bones.

This method can be used for fish fillets or fish steaks.  Lay the filling on top of the fish and adjust the time-- 10-12 minutes for a thin fillet of pollack or flounder, 25-35 for a thicker tuna or salmon steak.  Try other herbs or flavored oils. 

Shrimp Salsa Salad

Lighter meals can be hard to put together in the winter but are a nice alternative to hearty stews and roasts. This main dish salad has some built-in heat that makes a simple, pure dish a hit. The secret ingredient is sautéed jalapeño slices.  Cooking cuts the heat and leaves lots of flavor.  They are the perfect compliment to shrimp marinated in a spicy tomato mixture.

The shrimp and jalapeño slices are served over a salad built around the flavors of guacamole and salsa.  The light tomato dressing is inspired by the flavors in the marinade.  You will crave this main dish salad again in the summer with grilled shrimp but for now, “water sauté”  the shrimp over low heat (directions below) to keep them tender.

Shrimp Salsa Salad
Ingredients per person:
For the shrimp and jalapeño:
4 jalapeños
vegetable oil
4 large shrimp, peeled and deveined marinated in:
1 tablespoon tomato juice
1teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
pinch cayenne
pinch salt

• Marinate 30 minutes or up to two hours.  
• While shrimp marinates, prepare jalepenos.  Slice on an angle and seed.  Fry in a scant amount of vegetable oil in a wide skillet or grill pan.  Remove when slightly charred. 
• Remove shrimp form marinade and water sauté shrimp by steaming over very low heat in a covered skillet for five minutes, turning once.  Add a bit of water as needed to cover bottom of pan. 

For the salad:
1/4 avocado, sliced or in chunks
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
4-6 olives, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro
1 slice cooked bacon, chopped
2 cups lettuce

Tomato Dressing (for each person):
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lime juice
2 teaspoons tomato juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch each: cumin, ground coriander, salt, pepper
chopped cilantro

Tomato Dressing for Four:
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lime juice
2 tablespoons tomato juice
1/4 cup tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon each: cumin, ground coriander, salt, pepper
chopped cilantro

Seeding then cooking the peppers diminishes the heat and provides an exciting new green for your salad.  You can also slice the jalapeños lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins then roast over an indoor grill to get a nice charred affect.  Slice into strips.  Make extra, they are wonderful on burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches and keep up to two days in the refrigerator.

Baked Potato Bar

Toppings from left, grated cheddar, ham chunks, bacon, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, sour cream.

Zaro’s, the famous New York bakery, had a baked potato concession in Grand Central Terminal in the 1980’s.  This was a quick and filling option when there was just enough in the wallet for a fast food value meal but not the stomach for that fare.

It’s still a good idea and an easy option for a winter night. A baked potato bar can feed a crowd or help stretch leftovers for two.  Depending on how you load yours, this can be a light meal that feels satisfying.  On weeknights, with reheated cooked vegetables and a bit of grated cheese it’s a fairly effortless meatless meal. Add a few more toppings and it’s a simple set up to feed a crowd during playoff season.

As with any buffet its up to the diner to pick and choose to create something balanced and up to the chef to provide some logical combinations.   Here are some we like for white and sweet baked potatoes. 

Broccoli Cheddar
A classic.  Keep it pure by using steamed broccoli and grated cheddar.  If you’d like a cheese sauce that’s still pure, melt equal parts cheddar into cream cheese with a bit of beer or water and a dash of paprika.  (You can use the microwave for this, but keep an eye on things.)

Chili Night
Offer a spicy green turkey chili, classic beef chili or all-bean chili along with sour cream (or Greek-style yogurt), grated cheddar, pickled jalapeños, chopped avocado and olives plus salsa.

Vegetarian Moussaka
Sautéed eggplant, onions and mushrooms topped with stewed tomatoes, roasted red peppers and grated Swiss cheese.

Touchdown
Sour cream, grated cheddar and bacon (cook it yourself, accept no substitutes), chopped scallions.

Particularly good with Sweet Potatoes:
Chick Power
Heat drained chickpeas with cumin and cilantro (or curry powder). Top with your favorite chutney (mango, lime, tomato-onion for example) or chopped dried fruit (especially apricots) and a dollop of yogurt and more freshly chopped cilantro or mint. 

Walnut Ricotta
Add just a touch of honey and lots of black pepper to a quarter cup of low fat ricotta.  Sprinkle on chopped walnuts. 

Black Bean Salsa
Mix drained black beans with fresh salsa and heat.  Top with a little crema or queso fresco.

How To
For a crowd, bake 1-2 potatoes per person.  Scrub the skins and place in a 400˚F oven for 30-45 minutes.  Midway through baking, prick the skin with a fork down the center to allow steam to escape.  This provides a light and fluffy texture.   For those who like a crispy skins leave in a bit longer.  Keep potatoes warm in a very low oven— under 200˚F.  If baking sweet potatoes, place a sheet of tin foil on the rack beneath the rack where potatoes are baking.  This will catch any caramelized juices that emerge as the potatoes finish baking. 

What you’ll need:
Baking potatoes (1 per person) Starchy baking potatoes (like Idaho) and/or sweet potatoes
Toppings
Cheese: grated cheddar, grated swiss, crumbled blue cheese, queso fresco, crema
Sour cream, Greek yogurt (plain)
Real bacon (see how to cook a batch of bacon in the10/19/2011 blog entry)
Chili or sloppy joe filling
Cooked vegetables—chopped broccoli, asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, roasted peppers, roasted fennel and onions
Cooked ham, chicken, pork
Pesto, chutneys. Barbeque sauce, salsa, mustards
Fresh chopped herbs, especially chives, basil, cilantro, dill

If you are offering any of the special combos above, set those ingredients on the table clustered together to help guests see the possibilities or write on little menu cards with combo suggestions. 

A medium baked potato with skin, just under 1/2 pound, provides about 175 calories and 4 grams of protein along with its 40 carbohydrate grams. Potatoes are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and provide vitamins C, B6, potassium and manganese.  Though higher in carbohydrates, potatoes are a nutrient rich food that will help you feel full.

A medium sweet potato, baked, provides a similar number of calories and half the protein and carbohydrates of a baked white potato.  Aside from similar vitamin profiles, sweet potatoes also provide slightly more dietary fiber and are lower on the glycemic index than white potatoes, so a nice choice for any one watching blood sugar levels. 

MultiGrain Bread

Pure Foods Project MultiGrain Loaves

January is National Bread Machine Month.  It’s also the month of the egg, hot tea, soup, dried plum breakfast (prunes) and oatmeal among others.  Month promoting is popular among American business and cause-related organizations.  It can feel commercial, quirky or quite the right thing to be doing. 

I’ll place National Bread Machines in the right thing for January category.  If you have a bread machine and a freezer, January is a great month to stock up on home made breads.   The bread you bake yourself will be made of pure ingredients and, with a little organization, much can be produced with little effort.  This morning I baked two loaves of rich and light ricotta bread and a loaf of New York rye bread while I took care of some household chores and paperwork.  Most of today’s baking will be stored in the freezer in full or half-loaves when they are cool.

Last year I developed a recipe for a multi-grain loaf that is as moist as it is hearty.  This bread slices well, toasts well, travels well and looks good on a cheese board. I make the dough in my bread machine then form loaves for final rising outside the machine and bake in a traditional oven.  I don’t really mind the squared off loaves bread machines produce but we prefer different shapes for different recipes.  This multi-grain recipe makes two small free-from oval loaves or two long baguettes. 

As a self-trained baker, I used to feel a bit amateurish using a bread machine until I read the very insightful King Arthur Flour Bread Cookbook.  Like the chefs in their test kitchens, I also cook in cold weather, a cool house.  The advantage of making dough in a bread machine is a consistent temperature and humidity level that allows a flawless rise.  Bread machines have taught me what good dough should look and feel like so when I make dough without a machine, I know what a properly developed dough should be.

Following the bread machine recipe is a technique for making the bread by hand—no machine.  Don’t be deterred by the long list of ingredients.  It doesn’t take long to assemble and the moistness of the bread depends on several of the more absorbent grains. 

Ready for the oven

Pure Foods Project MultiGrain Bread
Bread Machine Version
Makes 2 small oval loaves

Ingredients
1 cup water, room temperature
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups bread four
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup coarse corn meal
1/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup 5-grain cereal (flakes)*
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons uncooked hulled millet
1/3 cup buttermilk (or milk)
1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

*Cereal/flakes look like rolled oats.  Typical combinations include spelt, barley, rye, wheat, oat flakes etc.  Bob’s Red Mill and Country Choice Organic are two brands that make multi-grain cereal flakes.  You can make your own combination from the bins at a heath food store as well.

1. Add the ingredients to the dough bucket in the order your machine manufacturer recommends.  
2. Set the machine to the dough cycle (usually about 1 hour, 40 minutes—no need to use the artisinal cycle).  
3. When the dough is ready, remove it from the bucket and divide it in half.  Knead it lightly to form two oval loaves or roll to create two long baguettes.  Set loaves 5 inches apart on a lightly oiled or parchment-lined baking sheet to rise.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise 45 minutes. 
4. Preheat oven to 400˚F about 20 minutes before baking.  
5. Before placing in a 400˚F oven, slit loaves.  A few slits are fine but this bread looks dramatic and beautiful with one vertical slit down the cent of each loaf. 
6. Bake 18-20 minutes until the internal temperature reads 195˚F. Cool on a rack at least 25 minutes before slicing. 

Pure Foods Project MultiGrain Bread
Hand Kneaded Version
Makes 2 loaves

1 cup water, room temperature
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cups bread four
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup coarse corn meal
1/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup 5-grain cereal (flakes)*
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons uncooked hulled millet
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup buttermilk (or milk)
1 tablespoon olive oil

*Cereal/flakes look like rolled oats.  Typical combinations include spelt, barley, rye, wheat, oat flakes etc.  Bob’s Red Mill and Country Choice Organic are two brands that make multi-grain cereal flakes.  You can make your own combination from the bins at a heath food store as well.

1. In a large bowl, combine yeast with 1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and yeast. Let mixture sit 8-12 minutes until yeast has proofed and puffed up on the surface.
2. While the yeast proofs, combine remaining dry ingredients in a second bowl and mix well.  (Everything except remaining buttermilk and olive oil).
3. When the yeast is ready, add 2 cups of flour mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon. (I turn the spoon upside down and use the handle to create a dough hook effect.)  Dough will be shaggy at this point. 
4. Stir in buttermilk and olive oil.
5. Stir in 2-3 more cups of the flour mixture, stirring with spoon handle straight up until ball of dough begins to form and pull away from sides of bowl.
6. Turn dough onto a clean counter top or board that has been scattered with a handful of the flour mixture.  Knead the dough, adding a bit more flour mixture in as you go until it is all incorporated.  Kneading  will take 8-10 minutes. 
7. Once kneaded, place dough in a large, clean bowl to rise in a warm place for about an hour.  Cover the bowl with a dishtowel or plastic wrap.
8. When dough has doubled in size, turn dough onto a clean surface and divide in half.  Form two oval loaves.  Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or parchment on a baking sheet). 
9. Cover loaves with a dishtowel and let rise about 45 minutes.  During last rise, preheat oven to 400˚F.
10. Before placing in a 400˚F oven, slit loaves.  A few slits are fine but this bread looks dramatic and beautiful with one vertical slit down the cent of each loaf. 
11. Bake 18-20 minutes until the internal temperature reads 195˚F.  Cool on a rack at least 25 minutes before slicing.  

Hand Kneaded Version, 1st rise