Bolillo Rolls

I'm beginning to feel like a white flour pusher on this blog but Mexican Bolillo Rolls, used for making Tortas are just so good. There was a Torta place in Southern California we were addicted to that used the Bolillo bread for everything from BLT sandwiches to tuna salad, as well as some of the more traditional bean, beef, or chicken Tortas served with chile sauce. Try this easy Bolillo bread recipe smothered with some pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, tomato and guac for a classic veggie Torta or heck, go ahead and add bacon. -You were going to hell on account of the white flour anyway.

Bolillo Rolls (Torta rolls)

Equipment: 2 large mixing bowls, mixing spoon, clean wet dishcloth, sharp knife for scoring, baking sheet, parchment or silicone liner for baking sheet (or cornmeal can be used), pastry brush


Ingredients:

• 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
• 2 cups warm water
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active yeast (or 1 pkg.)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tsp. olive oil for coating bowl

Directions:

• Put all dry ingredients in large bowl, mix with spoon, form a hollow in center
• Add warm water to hollow and stir with spoon until incorporated
• Transfer to kneading surface and knead about five minutes until just slightly sticky. Form into a round.
• Put olive oil in a clean bowl, place dough in and cover with wet dishtowel. Let sit 1 hour or until tripled in size.
• Knead again just a bit and cut into ten equal pieces, forming these into rounds. Leave rounds on kneading surface with a few inches between them, cover with the damp dishcloth again and let sit at least 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 375
• Form rounds into slight oval shapes, score tops crosswise three times, place on baking sheet, brush with some melted butter and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden.
• Once cooled and cut, brush the inside of the rolls with some melted butter and place them face down on a grill, griddle or baking sheet in the oven to crisp em up a bit before spreading with your goodies.

                                             Muy bien!


XO, Debbie

Steamed buns with bean paste

Steamed buns (bao)

Equipment: large stock pot with water for steaming, traditional bamboo or stainless steamer basket, small bowl, 2 large bowls, mixing spoon, measuring cups and spoons, parchment paper cut into 4 inch squares, one clean damp dishcloth, one clean, dry dishcloth



Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
• 1-1/2 c. lukewarm water 
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. olive oil, for oiling bowl

Directions: 

• In small bowl, combine yeast, water and sugar. Stir slightly to incorporate, then leave to sit 10-15 min.
• Put flour in lg. bowl and add yeast mixture a little at a time, stirring with spoon to incorporate, then working with hands to form a sticky dough.
• On well-floured board, knead dough about 5 minutes
• Oil another large bowl with the olive oil and place dough in, cover with damp dishcloth and allow to sit until tripled in size, at least 3 hours.
• Punch down dough, knead slightly and cut into 16 small pieces. Roll into golf ball-sized rounds and let sit another 1/2 hour, covered with dry dishcloth.
• Roll out each with rolling pin, working from center as with a pie dough until 4-5 inches in diameter.
• Place 1 Tbsp. or so of favorite filling (see bean paste recipe below for a sweet, vegetarian snack), bring up sides of round and begin folding them in, about 1/2 in. at a time with folds topping each other until the sides have come together, then twist in same direction.
• Place each on a parchment square and place in hot steamer with a few inches of space between them. Cover and steam about 10 minutes. 

Sweet Bean Paste

Equipment: saucepan, mixing spoon, measuring cups, potato ricer or masher

Ingredients: 

• 3 c. soaked aduki beans or 3 cups canned
• 3/4 c. of granulated sugar
• pinch of salt

Directions:

• Cook down aduki beans on medium in saucepan with water to cover until tender if using dried, then strain off most of liquid and continue cooking until soft, with just a bit of thickened liquid remaining. If using canned beans, drain off most liquid and heat them in saucepan until liquid is thickened and beans are slightly drier.
• Add sugar and salt, turn heat down to low, stir and continue to cook just a few minutes. Remove from heat, mash or rice and let sit. The flavor is better after cooled and flavors marry. 

 

XO, Debbie

Wheat-sourdough soft pretzels

Wheat-sourdough soft pretzels

Equipment: Stock pot, mixing spoon, large bowl, measuring cups and spoons, parchment or silicone-lined cookie sheet


Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup warmed whole milk
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter (mine is a whole wheat starter)
• 2 Tbsp. malt syrup (purchase at health food stores and specialty grocers)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• kosher salt, for topping
• about 4 quarts kettle water (make this by boiling potatoes in water)
• 1 Tbsp oil for coating bowl to rise

Directions: 

• Combine sourdough starter, milk, 1 Tbsp. malt syrup and 1 cup whole wheat flour in bowl. Allow to sit 15 minutes.
• Add to it the 1-1/2 cups unbleached flour and salt and knead on floured board about ten minutes.
• Form into a round and place in oiled bowl covered with saran wrap. Let rise at least one hour, until about doubled.
• Meanwhile, heat your kettle water, add the other 1 Tbsp. malt syrup to water and stir to incorporate, bringing to a slow boil.
• Preheat oven to 425.
• Separate dough into 6 equal pieces. Form into long snakes and let rest another 15 minutes.
• Roll snakes a little thinner and form into pretzel shapes. Stick overlapping parts by pressing snug, use a little water if necessary.
• Boil in kettle water, let them rise to the surface and then count 15 seconds. They will puff up considerably.
• Transfer to lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes, until golden.

Kudos to Opal and Milo, my sous chefs! These pretzels are mighty good, I'm enjoying one with some pub mustard right now. 

And sharing the recipe with you- it was the yeast I could do.


XO, Debbie

Meet my Mother

So, listen. I've been thinking... we've been together a little while now, you and I, and I think it's time you met my Mother.

Isn't she something? It's my first successful sourdough starter, and I've got some dough rising (and it IS rising!) right now.

How to:


Start with about 1/2 cup of wheat flour and 1/3 cup of water. If your local water contains a lot of chlorine, you can either let your water sit out for 24 hours or use bottled water. Mix together in large container. Now, feed it two times a day. To do this, simply discard half of it, add half back in (if I discard 1/4 cup starter, I add back 1/4 cup flour plus enough water to get a good paste again. -I find a thicker starter holds up better to neglect, so if I miss a feeding, no big deal.). Once your starter is viable, you can set this amount aside rather than toss it to make up a loaf of sourdough.  You can also add some sugar now and again to it, I added malt syrup on the first feeding and it grew like a... Mother. You should be able to spot some visible changes with it over the first week or two, it'll get bubbly and frothy and have an airy but very sticky consistency. After a couple of weeks, you'll notice some the smell changing. It'll take on a consistent smell and a spongy look when ready to use.


Tips: you can also do a refrigerator mother, some say it's not as good, but it only needs feeding once a week so you can go on vacations. I used a discarded portion of the original to make a second mother to keep in the fridge in case I ever accidentally kill my first Mother. I've named her Thursday so I remember when to feed her. 

Happy bread baking!

XO, Debbie

Whole wheat pizza dough

BEST Whole wheat pizza dough




Equipment: one small bowl, one large bowl, fork for docking dough

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2/3 c. fine corn meal
• 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
• 1/4 c. whole wheat vital gluten (can be purchased in health food bulk depts. -Bob's Red Mill also sells it packaged.)
• 1-1/4 c. warm water
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (not the quick rising kind)
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 3-4 tsp. olive oil

Directions: 

• Put honey into small bowl, add yeast and water. Stir well and allow to sit 5 minutes or until frothy.
• In large bowl, combine flours, vital gluten, cornmeal and salt, stir to combine.
• Dig a depression into center of flours and add the yeast mixture.
• Blend together with hands until it forms a ball (this recipe can also make four small balls for mini-pizzas)
• Brush bowl with the olive oil and roll ball(s) around in it to coat.
• Let sit for about an hour, or until 2x size.
• Punch down on floured board and you're ready to form your crust.

 Crust making instructions:

• On floured board, after punching dough down, starting at the center of dough with fingers of both hands together, push dough from the center to the outer edge, stopping about 1/2 in. from ends. You should feel the dough pull up from the bottom as you get toward the end. Continue this way, turning the dough in a circle as you go.
• Hands facing up, place dough on your knuckles, holding it just inside of the edge, turning and just slightly stretching. 
• Place dough back on board and again pat it out using the same method and just reinforcing the round shape.
• Dock the dough with a fork, making small holes for air to escape.
• That's it!

I bake my pizza at 375, length depends some on the toppings, usually 10-15 minutes for minis, 16-20 minutes for a large. 


XO, Debbie

Tortillas!

When I was small, school field trips were not the rarity they are today. My favorite trip was always to San Diego's Museum of Man. The exhibit I most looked forward to wasn't inside the museum but sitting under an umbrella on the front steps. The tortilla lady! Twenty five cents would get me two tortillas with butter and salsa plus a tortilla making demonstration, which mesmerized me. I can still remember her technique. 

Those field trips were, perhaps, the first indication that I would grow up to be a foodie and not an anthropologist after all.

Homemade corn tortillas

-makes 8-10 tortillas

Equipment: large mixing bowl, pan for cooking tortillas (not a non-stick! cast iron would be perfect), measuring cups, small bowl for hands, damp clean dishcloth, two quart size ziplock type bags, rolling pin, spatula

Ingredients:

• 3 cups masa harina (I buy it; can be made if you have a flat stone or a grain mill handy)
• warm water
• that is all.

Directions:

• Pour masa into large bowl, add warm water, a small amount at a time, mixing together with your hands until you have a slightly wet dough that doesn't easily stick to your fingers (actually quite wet in comparison with other doughs). Cover with a damp dishcloth and allow to sit for 10 minutes or so, this helps soften the masa so the tortillas aren't too grainy.
• Keep a small bowl of water at your work area for dipping your hands. Wet hands and roll the amount of dough that fits into the palm of your hand between two cupped hands until you have a perfect ball. Do all the dough this way and keep balls covered with damp dishtowel while rolling others out.
• Preheat dry (no oil or butter) pan on medium/high on stovetop.
• With wet hands, squeeze ball slightly between them, turn and squeeze again to flatten slightly.
• Place flattened ball on top of one ziplock bag, place the other on top, and roll out with a similar technique as a pie crust and to a similar thickness.
• Cook in pan a couple at a time, flipping then flattening with spatula, a minute or two on each side. Tortillas are done when you notice the color become more white than yellow and can see air pockets begin to form. To be sure, you better just taste one!
• Set aside and wrap in a towel until serving. Can be refrigerated and reheated, will keep about a week, but they'll never last that long.

-I spelled out the technique in a pretty detailed way here purposely. I've made many a lumpy tortilla in my life before getting them just right. While the tortilla lady never used ziplock bags, this is the only way I've found that works without the tortillas sticking.





As an aside, I just googled the tortilla lady. If you're ever in San Diego, she's still there at the Museum of Man but she's been promoted to an indoor space (maybe to attract visitors like me to pay the entrance fee?) and now charges 50 cents per.


XO, Debbie

pita bread

Making pita bread is easy, and it's something my family always demands to have on hand. Try it! 

Pita recipe

Equipment: 2 large bowls, one oiled, clean wet dishcloth, clean dry dishcloth, rolling pin, measuring cups and spoons, large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, cookie sheet/pizza stone/salt block


-makes 16 whole pitas. I like doing these in bulk, as they do freeze well.


Ingredients:

• 6 cups all purpose flour (can substitute whole wheat flour)
• 2-1/2 to 3 cups room temp. water
• 1/3 cup. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. honey (can substitute sugar)
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 4 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
• sesame seeds, if desired

Directions:

• activate yeast with one cup lukewarm water and honey or sugar.
• combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add activated yeast and oil. Stir in remainder of water bit by bit as needed until it forms a good firm dough consistency, not too sticky.
• knead 10 minutes on floured board.
• let rise in oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap or tight fitting lid for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
• place upturned cookie sheet on bottom rack of oven (or, if you've got one, a pizza stone or a salt block. I've used the salt block with great results.) and pre-heat both oven and sheet to 425 degrees.
• Once dough is doubled, punch down and divide into 16 roughly equal pieces. Roll into small balls, cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise once more, about 20 minutes.
• roll out each ball to 1/8 to 1/4 in. thick on floured board. If adding sesame seeds, roll dough balls on top of scattered seeds or lay seeds on board and roll out over them.
• bake a few at a time, takes just a minute or two.

-these puff up really nicely, perfect for pita sandwiches!

XO, Debbie

Bagels!

I've tried making bagels a few times in the past but this is the first time I've achieved the results I was looking for. These have the perfect consistency and the salt content is just right. No more emergency Kettleman's trips for us!

bagel recipe

Equipment: large stock pot (at least 8 quart), cooling rack, clean kitchen towel, large spoon, measuring cups and spoons, parchment paper or silicone liner

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups bread flour, plus additional for cutting board
• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp. dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. malt syrup, plus
• 2 additional tsp. malt syrup (some recipes I see say you can replace this with sugar. In my experience, not.)
• 2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus
• 2 additional tsp. salt
• 6 quarts water or kettle water (I used leftover water from boiling potatoes: recommended!)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (only needed if not using toppings)
• egg white wash (optional; for toppings)
• toppings (optional)

Directions:

• Start the yeast in the 1-1/2 cups water. Add the Tbsp. sugar and stir. Let stand 5 min.
• Add in vegetable oil, the 2 tsp. malt syrup, and one cup of flour. Add salt.
• Stir in more flour, cup by cup, stopping or adding gradually once a stiff dough is formed.
• knead 10-12 minutes by hand. Cover with a lightly floured kitchen towel and let rest 15 minutes.
• Divide dough into 8 equal pieces, form into balls, run thumbs through center of balls, form slightly into bagel shape and let rest again, covered, 20 minutes or until risen 1/2 way.
• Meanwhile, bring water to a boil on stovetop, add 2 Tbsp. malt syrup and 2 tsp. salt. 
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
• cover your cooling rack with the towel.
• Reduce your pot water to a simmer. Two bagels at a time, drop into water. Simmer 3 minutes on each side, then flip them over and do an additional 3 minutes. Remove from water and place on towel-lined cooling rack to dry. Repeat with the rest of your bagels.
• If making plain bagels, sprinkle your baking sheets with cornmeal. If making bagels with toppings, sprinkle baking sheets with a small amount of your toppings. Place bagels on sheets. Paint tops with egg wash and add toppings, if desired.
• Turn oven down to 425. Bake for 15-22 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once when nearly done. Remove and cool on cooling rack 10 minutes.
• Freeze what you won't use in a day. First slice in half so that you won't need to thaw them prior to toasting. Store in freezer with parchment between each bagel half to prevent sticking and keep in freezer bag or freezer container.

Serve with a homemade pickle, of course!




-This was a great "with kids" recipe!

Enjoy,

XO, Debbie