Sourdough Bread and Rosemary Chicken

While I had planned to work on more kale today, after picking the first row yesterday and putting 4 quart bags in the freezer, the rain we got overnight put an end to that idea. We ended up with 0.8 inches, but it came fast, and the garden with the kale was completely soaked. It will be a few days before I can get in there without sinking in up to my knees.

So, I decided to spend my day cooking. The sourdough starter needed to be used today anyway, so that was the first task at hand. If you’ve never made homemade sourdough bread, you’re missing out on a delicious treat. It really is easy to get a starter going, and if taken care of, it will last you a long, long time. And with so many yummy recipes to be found on the Internet, you will be sure to find one that you and your family absolutely love.

My starter (and quite a few of my bread recipes) come from Better Homes & Gardens The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Making. These recipes can, of course, be converted to traditional oven baking, but when it’s hot outside (like today—about 85 degrees here in Iowa), I don’t like to heat up the house by baking in the oven, so I get out my well-used bread machine. I’d hate to guess how many loaves this little machine has made (thanks again Mom for the Christmas present from way back!!). I can just add the ingredients, watch for just a short time to make sure the dry-to-wet ingredient ratio is going to work, and then go about my business outside…and when I come back inside, I’m greeted with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread. I think that’s one of the best smells in the world!

I absolutely love King Arthur flours…perfect to use whether using a bread machine or traditional bread baking. I also use Bob’s Mill products (gluten, wheat germ, etc.). Wonderful products.

BASIC SOURDOUGH STARTER:

1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or bread machine yeast)
3/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
3 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar or brown sugar

Directions:

To make starter: Dissolve the yeast in the 3/4 cup warm water. Add the 3 cups warm water. Stir in flour and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer or medium speed just until smooth. Cover with cotton cheesecloth (I use a dish towel, which works just fine). Let stand at room temperature (75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 to 10 days, or until mixture has a sour, fermented aroma, stirring 2 to 3 times every day. (A warmer room speeds the process.) When the starter has fermented, transfer to a 2-quart or larger plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. (Note: I actually leave my starter out in room temperature, or at least I have so far. Will see how it acts this summer…may refrigerate it then. In any case, as I usually bake bread every other day or so, I go through the starter fast enough I haven’t had an issue with leaving it on the counter.)

To use starter: Stir starter thoroughly after removing it from the refrigerator. Measure amount needed; bring to room temperature. (The cold starter should be the consistency of buttermilk or thin pancake batter. If necessary, add water to thin the starter after it is stirred and before measuring.) Use starter in your favorite sourdough recipe.

 

 

****After using your starter, you will need to “feed” it. For every cup of starter used, replenish the remaining starter by stirring in 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup warm water, and 1 teaspoon granulated or brown sugar. Cover; let mixture stand at room temperature for at least 1 day or until bubbly. Refrigerate. If not used within 10 days, stir in 1 teaspoon granulated or brown sugar. Repeat every 10 days unless starter is replenished.

SOURDOUGH WHEAT BREAD

**For 1-1/2-pound loaf (16 slices)

1-1/4 cups sourdough starter
1/4 cup milk or water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons gluten flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (or bread machine yeast)

**For 2-pound loaf (22 slices)

1-1/2 cups sourdough starter
2/3 cup milk or water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons gluten flour (will be the same amount no matter which size loaf you make)
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (or bread machine yeast)

Select the loaf size. Add the ingredients to your machine according to the manufacturer’s direcgtions. If available, select the whole grain cycle, or select the basic white bread cycle.
Now for the Rosemary Chicken:

I had a package of leg quarters in the freezer, and I was trying to think up something different than the usual BBQ, honey mustard/Panko recipes that I always use. I was surfing the Internet and found a food blog (I’m sorry I don’t remember which one as I looked at many) where they talked about different marinades. Sounded easy enough and I’d been wanting to prune back my rosemary in the garden anyway.

Here’s the marinade I ended up making:

Lemon Rosemary Garlic Marinade

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I only use Bertolli’s as it is actual olive oil…some other brands may not actually be olive oil!)
3-4 gloves of garlic, depending on size of cloves and your preference
2 large springs of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used bottled as I was out of lemons…but fresh would be awesome)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pick off the rosemary leaves and place in bowl. Peel and smash the garlic cloves (smashing releases the yummy garlic flavors better) and add to the bowl. Add in the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and whisk everything togeter until well combined. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate them covered in the refrigerator at least 4 hours (overnight would be better). Discard marinade. Bake chicken until juices run clear at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Can also grill chicken until done (which would be delicious too).

No picture yet of the chicken, as it’s still marinading…but the marinade was delicious so I’m anxious to get this bird finished so we can eat!

Rainy Days Are Baking Days

Today was a dreary, rainy day, so what better thing to do but do some baking! I’ve been working with sourdough for about a month now, and instead of using my bread machine today, which I almost always do because I never have the time to do otherwise, I decided to break out my baking stone for a round loaf of sourdough bread.

I have a ton of recipes for different types of bread but not too many for sourdough, so I did an Internet search and found a terrific recipe at anoregoncottage.com.

 

easy sourdough artisan bread

Here’s the recipe:

Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread

 

3 cups flour (white whole wheat, whole wheat, unbleached, or a combo)

1 1/4 cup water (may need less if your starter is “wetter”- mine is a 100% hydration starter, fed an equal ratio of flour to water)

3/4 cup active sourdough starter

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer just until combined and then let sit for 15 minutes.

Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes.

Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic and let rise for 3 hours, turning and folding the dough once or twice.

Remove dough, turn and fold again, and place it back in the bowl, seam-side up. Let rise for another 2 hours.

After the second rise, place a square of parchment on a cookie sheet and gently shape the dough into a ball or oval (using lots of flour, as the dough is moist) and set on the parchment. Make sure there’s a good coating of flour on the top, as this will make slicing the top later easier.

Set an enameled, cast iron dutch oven into a cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (alternately, use a baking stone), and set the timer for 40 minutes.

When the timer goes off, slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife (in 2 to 3 places), and transfer it to the hot pot by holding the edges of the parchment (or stone).

Replace the hot lid and bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 13 to 14 minutes, until golden brown (if using a stone, Gina at Homejoys uses an old roaster lid to cover her loaves to get a similar result!).

Remove to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Makes 1 loaf

After I got the bread going, I was looking for something else to bake, so I decided to pull out my trusty, go-to New York-Style Cheesecake recipe. I first made this cheesecake recipe when Kevin and I first were married over 20 years ago. I had borrowed a bunch of cookbooks from the local library, and I came across this recipe. While I’ve since made hundreds of cheesecakes in lots of different flavors, this one is still one of my most favorites.
ricotta cheesecake
Ricotta Cheesecake

2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 (16-ounce) container ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups white sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter (not margarine), melted and cooled

1 pint sour cream

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.

Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined. Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, and butter. Add the sour cream last and stir. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.

Place springform pan in larger cake pan (I use my extra-large lasagna pan). Fill pan with boiling water so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake in the preheated for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and leave in the over for 1 hour more. (This helps prevent the top from cracking.) Allow cheesecake to cool completely in the refrigerator before serving. Top with your choice of fruit toppings, or enjoy as is!

 
Serves 8.