Sourdough milk bread with sweet stiff starter

SWEET STIFF STARTER (peak 4-6 hrs) 

115g active starter

115g bread flour

45g water

25g sugar

Stir to combine; knead briefly so there are no dry pockets of flour. Put in clear, wide-mouth container, loosely cover and let ferment until triple in size (78-80° for 4-6 hours)

TANGZHONG 

16g bread flour 

40g water

40g whole milk

Mix and cook over medium - medium-high heat until thick; cover with plastic wrap and set aside until cool. 

FINAL DOUGH

All of the sweet stiff starter 

All of the room-temperature tangzhong (87g)

137g bread flour

62g whole milk 

12g milk powder 

45g sugar 

5g salt

32g unsalted butter, softened 

Put all ingredients except for the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Mix on low until the ingredients are slightly incorporated and then take up to speed 2 for 5 minutes. If it's too dry, add milk 1 tsp at a time, being careful as butter will add more moisture. Add the butter in 2-3 batches. Knead on speed 4 for about 10 minutes. Look for windowpane. Transfer to lightly oiled bowl, cover and proof in warm place for about 2 hours (78-82°) until 1.5x. 

Lightly grease your loaf pan (I prefer the Pullman loaf pan with or without a lid). Punch down the dough and knead it a few times. Divide into 3 equal parts. Round the dough into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Working with one ball at a time, flatten with your palm and roll out to a rectangle the length of the pan and double the width. Fold the 2 sides to meet in the middle and then roll the dough lightly like a Swiss roll. Place doughs side by side in the pan. Cover and let the dough proof again until it fills 80-90% of the pan.

Preheat oven to 375°. If using it,  place lid on pan and put pan in oven on middle rack. If not using lid, brush top of loaf with milk or an egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes. If using a lid, after initial 30 minutes, turn oven to 350° and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Internal temperature should be 190°. Once out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter to release some steam and immediately remove from pan to a cooling rack. For a soft, shiny crust, brush immediately with melted butter. Let cool completely before slicing. 

Sicilian Skillet Chicken aka Marry Me Chicken

 3 Tbs. Olive oil.                       4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.   Kosher salt.                                       Fresh ground pepper.                             2 cloves of garlic, minced.                     1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves                      1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.   ¾ c. chicken broth.                            ½ c. cream.                                         ½c. chopped sun-dried tomatoes.   ¼ c. fresh grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375º. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat (medium or medium-low on the large burner), heat 1 Tbs. olive oil. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper and sear until golden, 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Return skillet to medium heat and add 2 Tbs. olive oil.  Stir in garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes, cooking until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in broth, heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan and season with more salt. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife, 10-12 minutes.

Salsa Two Ways

 Leaving the pared down recipes here for HATCH GREEN CHILI SALSA and TOMATO SALSA. Makes about 3-1/2 pints each.

HATCH GREEN CHILI

3-3/4 lbs Hatch green chilies or anaheim, roasted and peeled and diced

1 lb tomatillos, roasted, chopped

1/2 of a large onion, diced

1/2 Tbs minced garlic

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

3/4 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp cumin 

3/4 tsp sea salt

shy cup of chicken stock

1/4 c. vinegar

Fresh ground pepper

Put all ingredients in a stainless steel pot and cook until desired consistency. Use immersion blender to chop to desired consistency. Seal in sterilized jars in a water bath for 20 minutes.

TOMATO SALSA

4 lbs tomatoes, peeled and chopped

5 jalapenos, chopped fine

2 serrano peppers, chopped fine

 1 large onion, diced

 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 c. vinegar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbs. lemon or lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 green pepper, diced fine

Fresh ground pepper

Cook all together for 30 minutes or until desired consistency. Use immersion blender to chop. Seal in sterilized jars in water bath for 15 minutes.

Simple Roast Chicken

 From Epicurious:

One 2-3 lb chicken (have done with 5-6lb)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 

2 tsp minced fresh thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter 

Dijon mustard 

Preheat oven to 450F. Rinse chicken and pat VERY dry, inside and out. The less it steams the better! 

Salt and pepper the cavity then truss the bird. 

Now, salt the chicken. (about 1 Tbs kosher salt) - raining it over the bird for even distribution. Season to taste with pepper. 

Place the bird breast side up in a sauté or roasting pan and place in oven. Don't baste, don't add butter. Roast until it's done 50-60 minutes. Beware! It can get smoky! When done; remove from oven, add butter to pan juices (and thyme if using), baste with pan juices and let sit for 15 minutes. 

Paprika-Sahne-Hähnchen

 Paprika Cream Chicken

4 Chicken breasts

2 red peppers, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 dried chili pepper

200 ml cream

200 g sour cream or creme fraiche

1 tsp tomato paste

125 ml vegetable broth

1 Tbs paprika

1 tsp hot paprika

100 g grated cheese (I used Parmesan)

Oil

Salt and more paprika

Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and paprika and place in a casserole so that the breasts will be very close to each other. Put pepper slices over chicken breasts. Heat the oil and saute the onions. Add the chili pepper and press the garlic cloves into the onion mix. Add the 2 paprikas and tomato paste. Pour in the broth and scrape up the bits. Add the cream and sour cream; salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and pepper strips, making sure all is covered by the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 355 for about 30 minutes. Serve over wide egg noodles, Spätzle, or rice.

This would be even better if chicken breasts are flattened well prior to baking. Could potentially work well in the crockpot, probably on high for 4 hours or low for 6. Add cheese afterwards and then broil to melt the cheese. Possibly shred the chicken if done in the crockpot!

Country farmhouse white sourdough loaf

 65 g bubbly active starter

300 g warm water

12 g sugar

15g (1 tbsp) oil plus more for coating the pan

400 g bread flour

100 g all-purpose flour

9g fine sea salt

A few days before baking, feed your starter until bubbly and active. Store at room temperature until ready to use. 

MAKE THE DOUGH: In a large bowl, whisk the starter, water, sugar, and oil together with a fork. Add the flours and salt. Combine to form a rough dough, then finish mixing by hand to absorb all of the dry bits of flour Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your schedule. Meanwhile, replenish your starter with fresh flour and water, and store according to preference. 

After the dough has rested, work it into a semi-smooth ball, about 20 seconds. The dough will feel stiff but much softer than earlier.

BULK RISE: Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise at room temperature, 70°F (21°C), until doubled in size, about 8 to 10 hours. 

SHAPE: Remove the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently dimple the surface of the dough with your fingertips to release any large air bubbles. Roll the dough into a log, tucking the ends underneath. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly coat a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan with oil. With floured hands, cup the dough and pull it toward you to tighten its shape. Place into your loaf pan, seam side down.

SECOND RISE: Cover the dough, and let rest until it has risen about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rim of pan. This will take about 1 to 2 hours, depending on temperature.

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

BAKE Bake the dough on the center rack for about 40 to 45 minutes. The loaf will be beautifully risen and golden brown when ready. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely.

This sandwich loaf will stay fresh up to 3 to 5 days, stored in a plastic bag at room temperature.

VARIATION: For a richer sourdough, replace the water with warm milk, whole or 2%, and swap the oil for melted unsalted butter

Whole wheat Japanese milk bread

for the tangzhong:

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

for the rest:

3/4 cup whole milk

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

4 1/2 cups (525 g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup rolled oats (optional; if not using, you may want to add another 1/4 to 1/3 cup White Whole Wheat Flour)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp milk powder

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 eggs

6 tbsp (3/4 stick, or 85 g) butter

for baking:

1 egg and a splash of milk or cream (optional)

1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)

Instructions

The night before baking: In a small saucepan, whisk together 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup bread flour until no lumps remain. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should thicken to a gel-like consistency. As soon as lines appear in the mixture when stirred, remove from heat and transfer to a small, clean bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

Next, heat the milk briefly to just above room temperature, about 110 degrees or lukewarm to the touch. I do this simply by microwaving it for 10 seconds. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate. The milk should foam.

In the meantime, sift together the white whole wheat flour, oats (if using), salt, sugar, and milk powder in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl or a measuring cup, whisk together the tangzhong, cream, and egg.

When ready, add the milk and yeast mixture to the wet ingredients, then make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture forms a loose, shaggy dough. At this point, let the dough rest for 20 minutes before kneading.

Knead for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough forms a semi-smooth ball. The dough will be very, very sticky, though it should hold its shape and should not be gloppy. I found it sufficient to “knead” by using my spatula to fold the dough in on itself repeatedly.

Add the butter to the dough in batches, two to three tablespoons at a time, kneading after each addition. Add the next batch of butter only after the first has been fully incorporated. Here, I found it easier to use my hands — the butter should help the dough from sticking to your hands. Knead for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until butter is fully incorporated. Dough will still be a bit craggy. No worries. The long rise will help.

Place the dough in a large bowl with plenty of room and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel (or these wonderful dough caps). Let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, about 10-12 hours or at least 6 hours. The dough should be fine for up to 24 hours. If planning to do a two-day rise, decrease the yeast to 1 1/2 tsp. (Note: The dough will also be fine with a traditional 1- to 2-hour rise on the countertop at room temperature, but I prefer the overnight rise to give the whole wheat flour time to hydrate and the gluten extra time to develop. Also, this longer rise will soften the bran nicely.)

The day of baking: Line a 9×13 glass or metal baking dish with parchment paper, or butter it well. Once the dough is doubled, turn it out and roll it into a large rectangle. Cut into 24 equal pieces (for regular dinner rolls) or up to 32 or 36 for mini dinner rolls. For each piece, tuck the edges into the middle of the ball to form a smooth-topped ball, and roll a few times to create a bit of tension on the top. (Here’s a great video illustrating how. If you’re shaping these cold out of the fridge, this dough will be sturdier and less soft than the video shows, but the concept is the same.) Place seam-side down in the baking dish with the sides barely touching the next ball. Let proof until nearly doubled, another hour or so.

After about 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Test the dough by pressing gently with one finger; when the indentation bounces back slowly but remains visible, the dough is ready to bake. Whisk an egg with a splash of cream and brush the egg wash over the dough. Sprinkle with oats, if you like. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown on top. When it’s done, the bread will sound hollow when tapped (or, if you have one of these most magical Thermapens, should be about 190-200 F in the center). Let cool briefly, then enjoy warm.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2016/05/24/whole-wheat-milk-bread/