The value of a good soak: A bread story

Fun fact about me; I’ve never met a soak I didn’t like. Pools, spas, friend’s bath tubs… I live for anything resembling an immersion tank. I’m not joking. I will plan trips around where I can get my soak on, and occasionally have resorted to sneaking around town, just to sneak myself into a local hotel hot tub. Being up to my ears in water has a calming effect and the warmer the water, the better! Half the time I bring myself to the brink of fainting. I know that probably sounds extreme but ascending from a tank so utterly depleted, lends itself to some mad rest. Such lassitude is where the aches of life get a chance to heal and I can move about my days a bit softer and more forgiving. Well guess what? The same goes for bread making!

Equal parts flour and water soaking in a bowl.

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Recipe

Soaker:

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup water

Dough:

• 2 cups flour

• 1 1/4 tsp yeast

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Process:

1. Combine the soaking ingredients in a large bowl and let rest for 2 to 8 hours.

2. After resting, add the additional ingredients to make the dough.

3. Mix it well so the dough starts to form and then knead it until it’s springy (10 minutes-ish?)

4. Cover and rest for 1 hour in a clean bowl that’s been greased with oil.

5. After resting and the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead it again.

6. Shape the dough, and let rest another hour.

7. Preheat a dutch oven to 450F degrees.

8. Score the dough and carefully transfer it to the preheated dutch oven and bake for 25 minutes.

9. Remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 410F degrees and continue baking for 15 more minutes.

10. Carefully remove the bread from the oven and let cool before slicing.

11. Enjoy!

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Bread baked from soaked flour.

So, soaked flour, soaked self… both produce good results. Give it a go and feel your way through the process. The dough will be light, and the crumb of the bread softer. Not a bad things really.

Bake on!

We Built A Backyard Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Lights are aglow thanks to a little backyard crafting. We built a wood fired pizza oven and it does not disappoint!

Pepperoni pizza cooked in the wood fired oven.

Long story short, we had a ton of leftover pavers hanging out on the side of the house. Rather than throw them out, we did a little googling and discovered there is a whole world of pizza enthusiasts building wood fired brick ovens in their backyards! And seeing as both my brother and I are obsessed with making dough, we took to the idea.

So, if anyone needs me, check the backyard cause I’ll be out here baking my little heart’s content.

September 2020: Zeppoles- Fried Dough Recipe

Fried dough, also known as zeppoles, are easy to make with leftover pizza dough. If you participated in last month’s Full Moon Baking Club challenge, you’ll have no trouble making these Italian doughnuts because I used the same recipe. Instead of making pizza, cut the dough into little rectangle shapes and then fry them in a pot of oil. After, toss them in a bag with some powdered sugar for a slightly sweet coating. Mine got drizzled with some Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup circa 2017, cause I found a random bottle of it the back of the fridge and thought, heck, it’s 2020! It’s a year for taking risks. Or not… but does chocolate syrup even go bad?

Zeppole Dough Recipe

Ingredients for making the dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp yeast (rapid rise and dry active are both fine)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp oil (for the dough mix)

Ingredients for frying the zeppoles:

• 1 quart of vegetable oil or another high heat oil for frying the dough
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar (or to taste) for tossing the zeppoles

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, make the dough by combining the dry ingredients.
2. Add the warm water and tablespoon of oil and start mixing.
3. Mix until the dough starts to come together and pull away from the bowl, and then dump out onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
5. Continue to knead for about 10 minutes until the ingredients are well combined.
6. Divide the dough into into 4 pieces and reshape into balls. Lay the balls on a greased sheet tray and then cover with a damp towel till they double in size (about an hour).
7. After they rise, you can then make two or three personal pizzas (by continuing here at step 7) but keep at least one dough ball for the zeppoles.
8. For the zeppoles, take a large heavy pot (I used a dutch oven) and pour in the frying oil so that it's at least two inches deep, and heat it to between 350F and 370F. Anything below 350 will take too long to fry causing the zeppoles to absorb the oil.
9. With your zepploe dough, flatten it out as if you were going to begin making the crust of a pizza. Stretch it out gently rather than rolling it because you want to keep the dough light and fluff. It's ok if the dough is not circular. You just want to lay the dough out so the thickness remains even throughout.
10. Next, take a pizza slicer and slice the dough into strips about 1 inch wide.
11. Then, slicing from the other direction, cut the dough at 1.5 inch so you end up with a series of 1 x 1.5 inch rectangular dough pieces. (It's ok if they aren't perfect.)
12. Once the oil is hot, gently using a spoon, drop the dough pieces into the oil. You can fry several at a time. Just be sure not to overcrowd them keeping plenty of space for them to move around in the pot.
13. Fry for roughly 5 minutes or until they float on top of the oil. Be sure to flip them over as necessary so that they fry on all sides.
14. After frying, remove the zeppoles and lay them on a plate with a paper towel to help soak up any extra oil.
15. When you are finished frying them, you can gently toss them in a paper bag with powdered sugar for a light coating.

I tossed my zeppoles in powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate syrup but I think you could have fun exploring other option. Cinnamon and sugar I’m sure would taste just as delicious, so feel free to get experimental. I’d love to hear what you come up with.

Happy full moon! I challenge you to make these before October 1, 2020 which is the next full moon. You have almost a month from today to give these a shot. Good luck!

August 2020: Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

You need an easy Homemade Pizza Dough recipe in your life! Something that is quick and low maintenance so you can crank out pies on a whim. For real! If you’ve been ordering pizza out our purchasing store bought dough you are missing the simplicity of pizza being a house staple. I like to think of pizza as a catch-all. It’s one of those last minute concoctions that can be quickly thrown together. Yeah, yeah yeah… dough has to rise but the truth is, the dough is typically good to go by the time you are finished prepping all your other ingredients. Just start the dough first. I’ll also remind you that pizza is a “flat bread” meaning, if you screw it up and the dough doesn’t rise, it’s not a problem. Thin crust is still good crust! and this is not up for debate!

Anyway, the need for this dough recipe is not for banging out pies. It’s for managing food going bad in your fridge! I think just abut any ingredient can be turned into a pizza topping and honestly that’s were your culinary creativity will truly shine. If you don’t believe me, throw a random ingredient in the comments and I will get back to you with how I’d work it into a pie. Pizzas can go beyond that of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Gawd, half the time, I’m out of those things entirely. But never out of pizza. Ever! Below is a spinach, artichoke, Alfredo pizza with Parmesan and the other is a breakfast version with bacon, eggs and cheese. There are so many options. Just get down with making your own crust!

Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp yeast (rapid rise and dry active are both fine)
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and combine.
2. Add the warm water and oil and start mixing.
3. Mix until the dough starts to come together and pull away from the bowl and then dump out onto a lightly floured surface.
4. Knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
5. Continue to knead for about 10 minutes until the ingredients are well combined.
6. At this point you can either divide the dough into two balls for 14 inch pies or split into 4 dough ball and make personal pies.
7. Grease a sheet tray and place your dough balls on it. Lightly oil them with a thin coat then cover and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour or until doubled in size.
8. Once doubled it's pizza time! If baking on a sheet tray, oil it and then plop your dough ball onto it and gently stretch towards the edges. If using a pizza pan/screen you can either lightly toss the dough if you have them skills or flour the counter and roll it with a rolling pin. Then transfer the dough onto the pan.(Do not roll the dough out on a pizza screen. This will cause it to stick to the screen when baking. (If either technique has the dough springing back on you, refusing to hold the stretch, pause, let it rest for 10 minutes, and then come back and continue the process.)
9. Once your dough is in place, go about adding your sauce, cheese and toppings.
10. Bake at 550F degrees (or the highest temperature your oven will allow)on the top rack for 10 to 15 minutes keeping an eye on the cheese for browning.
11. Remove after baking and let cool slightly before slicing.

For real! If you don’t know how to use an ingredient, drop it in the comments and I’ll give you a pizza “flavor profile”. Building unique pizzas is my jam! I love the basics, but I also all love the non-traditionals…

Happy pizza making!

Bread Steak (A Simple Meal For Hard Times)

I know what you’re thinking. “Bread Steak? What the heck is Bread Steak?”

Well, it’s basically a thick slice of bread that you griddle, and then top with all the fixin’s. It’s more of a formula than a recipe but nonetheless, it comes in handy. I like to think of it as the poor (wo)man’s gourmet as it has allowed for a taste of the “good life” even during hard times. Ugh… pandemic much? Between lockdowns, curfews, and cases of Covid-19 currently surging, trips to the store are rather infrequent. So, this is one way I stretch a dollar and ingredients…

Step 1: Get onboard with baking bread!

For a minute there, baking bread was all the rage. Although it seems to have passed, I would encourage everyone to embrace it as more than a fad. Baking bread is simple and cheap. Sure, there is some technique to get down but that’s just a matter of practice. And assuming we are all still laying low due to the virus, why not use the time as bread boot camp? I equate bread baking to a life skill, on par with things like building a fire or changing a tire… It’s the art of making something work. If you can make bread, you can make toast, or sandwiches, or pizzas, or pretty much anything else utilizing dough. There are endless possibles which is why it should be of no surprise that I’ve decided Bread Steak should be a thing! It’s a riff on classy when you’re feeling financially stretched.

If you need a place to start your own bread journey, consider this basic bread recipe. You can also follow along with the Full Moon Baking Club where each full moon a new baking recipe is released. Long story short, baking bread is cheap and we all should be doing it. It requires the most basic of ingredients and yet once you have them, you can make all kinds of things. Get on it!

Step 2: Understand the Bread Steak formula.

By formula I mean the process rather than ingredients. Whatever you decide about embarking on the quest to bake your own bread, a good slice remains essential to getting your “steak” on. Ideally you will cut yourself a nice fatty that you slather up with butter or mayo and then griddle in a skillet. (Yep! I said mayo as in mayonnaise. It’s a culinary hack for all you grilled cheese makers waiting too long for your butter to soften.) Sear it on both sides like you would a steak, and no; you can’t use a toaster for this. It’s not the same you lazy cheaters!

Once the bread is griddled on both sides you can start in with your toppings. I like to add a base layer of some kind of spread that will help cradle the other goodies. Cream cheese and ricotta work well, as does yogurt, nut butters, and hummus. Think of it like the binding agent that’s going to hold everything together. Next, give it some kind of bedding. This could be anything from mixed greens to sauteed onions or mushrooms, or even sliced fruit. Think of it as a layer of bulk that provides nutritional balance to the bread slice. Lastly, add a finishing topping. There are endless possibilities here. The final topping is an element of contrast that helps tie it all together. It might be a poached egg or sliced fruit, cured meat, or perhaps a drizzle of honey with a sprinkle of seeds. Mostly these layers are a matter of composition. The formula, rather than recipe, gives you the freedom to work with what ya got.

Bread + Spread + Bedding + Topping = Bread Steak

It’s a privilege to be able to race out to the store and grab supplies when necessary. Some of us live in food deserts. Others are fighting the loss of income. Not all of us are in positions to stock-up on items and therefore must be creative with what’s on hand. I know personally that both my pantry and my bank account have been dwindling as years of financial hardships accumulate. I also see the internet continue to entice with it luxuries. Everything from home goods to gourmet fare seem to fly in the face of those struggling; begging us to be impulsive and spend money we don’t have. The good news though is you don’t need a lot of money to feel rich when it comes to your diet. You can find ways to have more with less, without feeling like you’ve sacrificed something. The Bread Steak is my steak. It’s not a fillet or a T-Bone but it’s juicy nonetheless, and there’s nothing better than cutting into it with a fork and knife and knowing it’s a treat. It often falls apart and turns into a mess that spreads all over my plate but that mess brings out my inner bon viviant, reminding me that it’s not what I buy, but what I make with what I have… Such is life?

Bread steak with ricotta, arugula, mushrooms, shallots, goat cheese and thyme.

So, go find your fancy. Search for it in the unexpected and remember that simple pleasures are often hiding behind an elaborate veneer. A decadent steak doesn’t have to be meat. By the way, have you ever looked up the word decadent? It’s not the glory you might think. Anyway, good luck you fine people! Make good food and trust that you can nourish your health on a budget, and liberate yourself from the elitism surrounding our food culture. You got this!

May 2020: Simple Sourdough Recipe

This is a shout-out to all the new bakers that have embarked on the sourdough journey but feel defeated in effort. Hey there…I hear you. It’s a lot of flour feeding and discarding and questioning if the hobby is worth it or wasteful… Well, buck-up friend! If there’s one thing I can tell you about bread baking, it’s that the recipes themselves matter less than your relationship to the dough. Over time, you come to learn that a good bread is something you feel. You can tell long before it’s baked if it’s going to perform well and my advice to you is, just stay with it. Practice, make a mess, and enjoy the process regardless of result because you will get better with time. Breads take time… I’ve been baking for a while now and it’s the relationship I have created with time that makes bread such great company. And now, as we all sit idle in our quarantined quarters, where time escapes us and loneliness set in, it’s nice to have a friend, especially a nourishing one that provides a taste of companionship.

As for sourdough specifically, my fandom was born thanks to the pandemic and the sudden hunt for yeast. Albeit my yeast supply remains plentiful, I’m here for the herd. The thought of would-be-bakers being left behind due to yeast shortages was enough for me to join the sourdough bandwagon. I don’t care if it’s trendy because of the pandemic. The truth is, anything that enables you to provide for yourself reduces dependency at large. The fact that you can make your own bread means you don’t have to buy it from the grocery store, reducing demand on the supply chain which reduces the demand on factory workers which right now, are at the very heart of the virus outbreak. So, trendy or not, if you’re better able to shelter in place thanks to what might be a new hobby, by all means, go for it! Reducing your demand for market needs is one step closer to sustainability. Even thought it’s a small step, it’s still a step, and in times of crisis, little things matter.

So, don’t be discouraged by your bread flop, or shamed into thinking your’re just following a fad. Who cares? It’s fun. It’s therapeutic. And when you get the hang of it, it taste good! It’s a win for you, front-line workers, and the environment. Gawd… Just writing that feels like a sales pitch but honestly, this is not a hard sell. If bread baking is a coping mechanism for dark times then consider me an apocal-optimist cause I think its awesome!

As the sourdough starter ages, the holes get better and better!

Before I get into the recipe, I have to say one thing. Screw recipes! It’s so easy to get bogged down in how-to’s that quickly turn to overwhelm. That is how I have felt about all the sourdough recipes I’ve found so I’m giving up and going with what I know and chalking the failures up to learning along the way. I’m not getting into levain, or biga, or poolish and all the fancy names that boiled down, amount to “sponge” in my book. The semantics in bread making can leave a new baker confused, so let’s ignore that for now We’re keeping things simple. Ready?

Simple Sourdough Recipe

Step 1: Create the “sponge”

• 1/4 cup starter
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup flour

1. Mix sponge ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Cover and let rest for 4 to 6 hours or when a small amout can float when placed in a bowl of water. This is known as a float test.

Step 2: Create the dough

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Add the dough ingredients into the sponge bowl and combine.
2. Mix until a shaggy dough forms and all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Cover and let rest 6-8 hours or overnight.

Step 3: Knead the dough

1. With a wet hand, reach along the inside edge of the bowl, lifting the dough up, so you can fold it onto itself.
2. Do this this three or four times and then cover and let the dough rest in the bowl for 30ish minutes.
3. Repeat Step 3, three more times.

Step 4: Shape the dough

1. On a lightly floured surface, dump out your dough and gently shape into a round form being mindful of the gas bubbles.(You want to keep those intact as much as possible. That's what helps give the crumb those big sourdough holes.)
2. Once it's shaped, place on a piece of parchment paper and place it in a clean bowl.
3. Cover and let rise in the fridge overnight.

Step 5: Bake

1. Remove bowl from fridge and let come to room temperature.
2. Preheat a dutch oven in your oven to 500 degrees F.
3. When the oven reaches tempurature, score the top of your bread dough with a few slits and carefuly place the dough with the parchment into the dutch oven.
4. Cover it with the lid and place it back into the oven. Lower the tempurature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, remove the lid, lower the tempurature to 400 degrees F and continue baking for 15 more minutes.
6. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Hot damn! This is me trying to simplify things but my head is already hurting so not sure it worked.. Good luck and remember that the Sourdough Support Group is here for you! I’m posting my updates over on Instagram so if you want some behind the scenes shots check the sourdough stories. Don’t hesitate to message me with your successes, failure, questions or requests. I’m just as bored as you are so lets get gaming and have some fun. You have one month to complete this recipe mission. The next full moon is June 5, 2020 so you got four weeks to give this a shot. Good luck. You got this!

Piece out!

Sourdough Starter Support Group

It’s been incredible watching the internet boom with bread baking. The dough life is everywhere and the breads are looking amazing! I’ve been on the bread train for a while now, so when this new wave of bakers emerged, I was caught somewhat off guard. Dare I say, “jealous” you’ve been baking without me? Luckily, FOMO is a pre-coronavirus complex since we’re all stuck at home these days. But dang! You guys with your bread flex right now brings me so much joy. I’ve been seeing so many sourdough starters in my Facebook feed that I figured we needed a support group for all the questions. Seriously though, you guys are champions! I’m loving all the close-ups of fermentation bubbles, and those sexy hooch lines. It’s like the baker’s version of the first day of school and your starter’s already on the honor roll!

I know some of you created a starter because you were running low on yeast. Smart move! Others, feel left behind cause they are completely without. Fortunately, you’re not out of the bread game just yet. You can easily collect wild yeast to make a sourdough starter. Once your starter is active you’re good to go. When it comes to working it into recipes, I typically use about a 1/4 cup per loaf. There’s a ton of information out there about how and when to feed your starter, weighing the flour, blah, blah blah… Personally, I can’t be bothered with the details and save that for the professionals like Sarah Owens and Tara Jensen. They are the darlings of sourdough in my book, so if you wanna dive deep, check them out. Otherwise, if you see a hooch layer forming, it’s time for another feeding.

As for getting back into baking with the Full Moon Baking Club I figure now is as good as any for a reboot! Rather than post a recipe this month, I figured we should just get our starters up to snuff so in a month we can get our bake on. If you have yeast, you can explore the recipes on the Full Moon Baking Club page, or if your starter is ready, you can get experimental and try out the Fermented Loaf recipe.

On a personal note, I’ll tell you my starter you see above is a newbie. It’s less than two weeks old and although I see signs of activation, it’s really all about feeding it at this point. I’ve been doing this twice a day now after five days of catching yeast using the wild method above. It only occurred to me to start a new one after soaking my flour mix to make this molasses loaf.

Starter or not, keep baking! I’ve found that making something with your own two hands, is rewarding. Even in failure, the reward is there. Right now it might be the antidote for boredom but as someone that has baked for years for both friends, family, and full crews at sea, warm treats from the oven always delight! I used to joke that I’ve never met a problem that a fresh cookie couldn’t solve and I would say the same goes for a hot loaf of bread! So bake and have fun! If the lockdown life leads to an economic depression, at least you’ll know how to use the flour rations. Ha!

Actually, that’s terrifying Don’t think about that.. Just go pour off the hooch and feed your new pet. We have some baking to do! And as you begin your journey into sourdough, know that you’re are backed by the ultimate bread nerd. Submit your questions in the comments so I can geek out on this one. I’ll do my best to coach you through any problem. Good luck and I look forward to baking with you next month!

July 2019: The Crusty Loaf

Ok, this post is going to be less about a bread recipe and more about how you can get your home oven to mimic that of a professional bakery. Cause that’s what we all want right? Bread at home that has that magic crust that seems to only come from professionals… No worries. I got you! With just this little tip you can start banging out some crusty loaves.

Make it steamy!

Yep. That is pretty much it. If you want to enhance your bread’s crust game you gotta get things steamy. There is a couple ways you can do this:

1. Dutch Oven Method

   I use this method a lot cause it’s almost a guaranteed win every single time. Baking bread in a dutch oven allows the moisture from the dough to get trapped while baking, creating that steamy environment that gives you that crispy crust. I bake the dough for about 30 minutes with the lid on and then remove it for the last 15 minutes. I won’t go into too much detail now but if you want to explore this method you can find a recipe with some instructions right here.

2. Pan With Water Method

   Now, for those of you that don’t have a dutch oven, there is still hope. Crispy crust can easily be achieved by adding a pan with some water in it that you will remove midway through baking. I like to use a baking dish with about an inch of water in it. You don’t want too much water though because you want to easily and safety remove it from the oven come time. I add the pan/dish of water when I preheat the oven so it’s good and steamy by the time I’m ready to start baking. Pretty simple really.

The last thing I’ll say about the crust is to get creative when when you score the top. Scoring is the design you slice into the top and it frequently confused for an important step in the baking process. I’m here to tell, that’s not really the case. Scoring allows for a bit more rise from a dough while baking in the oven but mostly its more personality than anything. You can use a razor blade or serrated knife to add some slash marks just before placing it in the oven and you are good to go. And in case you need some inspiration for this, just check out Sarah C. Owen’s Instagram page for some beautiful ideas. She is a queen when it comes to all things bread and scoring skills are on point!

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (plus more for kneading)
• 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Directions

1. In a large bowl stir together the dry ingredients.
2. Then add the milk.
3. Mix together with a spoon until a sticky dough forms and then cover and let it rest on the counter for 6 to 8 hours. (I know that sounds odd but seriously, just cover and forget about it for the day or overnight.)
4. After the long rest you'll notice the dough has grown into a a loose blob of dough.
5. Sprinkle some flour onto your counter and then tip the dough out of the bowl, carefully assisting it as necessary.
6. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough and begin to work it with your hands, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands.
7. Slowly begin to knead the dough, continueing to add flour as necessary.
8. Knead for roughly 5 to 10 minutes.
9. Shape the dough in an oblong loaf and place it into a greased bread pan.
10. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about and hour.
11. Preheat your oven to 450 degress and place a pan with about an inch of water on a low shelf in your oven.
12. After the dough has rested for an hour and about doubled in size, remove the wrap and score the top of your loaf and then immediately place it in the hot steamy oven.
13. Then, immediately turn the oven down to 375 degress and bake for 25 minutes.
14. After 25 minutes, carefully remove the pan of water and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
15. Remove the bread from the oven, release it from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack.

And just in case you need a new mixing spoon in your life, I just finished this one:

Sold Out

Baker's Spade

$47.00

The Baker’s Spade is a one-of-a-kind mixing spoon with a simple design and subtle wood-burned detailing on the handle.

Ok friends, go bake and let me know how your crust turns out, especially if you use the pan with water method. Happy Full Moon!

June 2019: The Wholesome Loaf

What’s that? It’s June and you want to soak up that summer heat by baking bread in your kitchen? Don’t worry. I got you! The Wholesome Loaf recipe for June’s Full Moon Baking club is bound to have you sweating it out and second guessing why you thought this was a good idea. But I’ll just remind you now. Because it’s good. That’s why! And its even better when you make something to share with others.

This bread recipe combines milk, yogurt, and an egg for a soft, pliable dough, that comes together to fulfill your sandwich making needs. Make it, make some sandwiches, and then head out for a picnic with friends and have fun. If its delicious you’ll me so proud of your achievement. If it’s a disaster you’ll have a great memory of that time you made bread for your friends.

I feel like I always have to remind whoever is reading this that the point of the Full Moon Baking Club is not about the recipe so much as it’s about the moments. We cook all the time but so rarely are we cooking and gathering together. Once a month we deserve a break from the norm for the chance to be amungst friends and connect in a way that honors the fact that we are social beings. And I’m not talking about connecting across screens. Real connections, in person, face to face, and in this case with our mouths stuffed.

Ready, set, bake!

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp dry active yeast
• 3 cups flour (+1 more cup for kneading)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp melted butter

Directions

1. In a bowl combine the milk, yogurt, and egg and mix well.
2. Stir in the yeast and let disolve.
3. In a seperate, large bowl, add the 3 cups of flour and the salt.
4. Then pour in the wet mixture and stir to combine.
5. As the dough comes together, gently add extra flour (a little at a time) to help bring the dough together into a workable shape.
6. Sprinkle some flour onto your counter and then tip the dough out.
7. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough and begin to work it with your hands, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to your hands.
8. Slowly begin to knead the dough, continueing to add flour as necessary.
9. Knead for roughly 10 or so minutes allowing the dough to fully form with all the ingredients well combined.
10. Continue to knead the dough, shaping it into a round ball.
11. Then place it in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour or until doubled in size.
12. After its doubled in size, dump ought the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead again.
13. Shape the dough in an oblong loaf and place it into a greased bread pan.
14. Brush the top with melted butter and then and then cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about and hour.
15. Preheat your oven to 450 degress.
16. After the dough has rested for an hour and about doubled in size, remove the wrap and score the top of your loaf and then immediately place it in the hot oven.
17. Then, turn the oven down to 375 degress and bake for 35 minutes.
18. Carefully remove it from the oven and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack and let rest before cutting into it.

February 2019: Handmade Flour Tortilla Recipe

Hey Full Moon Bakers!

I’m trying to ease back into all the things after my father’s passing and that includes the Full Moon Baking Club. There is really no better way to make that happen than with a good friend. To be honest, that’s what this baking club is for. Gathering friends, attempting kitchen crafts and ideally eating said crafts with good company. As much as I believe in breaking bread and the power of sharing food to foster togetherness, this was the first month in which I have been able to participate in that vision. Lucky for me (and us) I happen to know one of the best handmade flour tortilla makers this side of the border. He happily shared his recipe, technique, and personal counsel for an epic night of tacos. It was a true reminder that no matter life’s circumstances, good times still await us. We just need to make the time.

Speaking of time, hand making tortillas takes some… Individually rolling out 15 to 20 small pieces of dough is a workout so I suggest enlisting a friend (duh…) to help with the pan frying. You’ll find a rhythm and have fun in the process. And I mentioned the tacos, right? Just make the tortillas. Surely you know how to apply the fixin’s. Check below for the recipe and some step-by-step visuals.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp.baking powder
• 4 to 5 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup hot water

Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add in the butter and cut it into the flour until you roughly have pea sized pieces throughout.
3. Pour in the water and stir to combine forming the dough
4. Knead the dough on the counter until the ingredients are well combined and the dough is smooth and well formed.
5. Then cut the dough into 15 or 20 individual pieces and form into small balls roughly the size of a golf ball.
6. Place them on a plate, cover, and let them rest for 20 minutes.
7. Warm a dry skillet over medium-high and let it heat all the way through.
8. With a rolling pin, individually roll out each piece of dough. (You want them thin and a good size for serving.)
9. Without using oil, dry fry the tortillas on each side, turning after bubbles forms in the dough.
10. Do them one at a time. As you get a feel for the timing you can start to roll the next tortilla out as the previous one is frying. Just be sure to keep and eye on your pan and flip them before burning.
11. Keep them warm by boiling an inch of water in a pot. Once the water boils, turn the heat off and place a plate with a clean cloth towel or napkin folded on top. Place each tortilla within the cloth after frying. This will keep them nice and warm until all of them are ready to serve. (Sorry, I forgot to take that picture.)

Pork tacos with roasted poblano peppers, arugula, avocado, and fresh papaya salsa with handmade flour tortillas.

These were 100% worth it. Good luck and let me know if you make these tortillas!

Pumpkin Hand Pies With Fresh Whip Cream

Nothing says Thanksgiving like pumpkin pie with fresh whip cream, but why not give the traditional recipe a holiday boost by making pumpkin hand pies? Hand pies make life easier when it comes to clean-up. No plates, no forks, no knives to messy up when slicing. Just a grab and go snack to help celebrate the season. And just in case you need a little soundtrack for inspiration, allow me to introduce you this gem!

Debi Smith and Doc Watson actually have a song called “Pie”. Ugh… ok! Don’t ask how I came across this but it couldn't be more fitting, especially if we are talking about my Dad. It’s difficult at times posting recipes because he is increasingly picky and often refuses to eat what I make. But... not when it comes to hand pies! I'm honestly not surprised given his tendency towards sweets and their hand-held convenience.  As his dementia's been worsening, he's slowly losing his mobility and competency with utensils.

As for making these pies, just know you have options.  I used this recipe for the dough.  It utilizes cream cheese which compliments pumpkin but also contributed to a soft pastry crust that I knew would be easily eaten. As with many seniors, aging teeth or dentures can be a real deterrent when it comes to food so the softer the better.  You can however use store bought crust if you are short on time or seek out a basic pie crust recipe. Like I said, you have options!

More pumpkin hand pies...

As for the filling... I roasted a Fairytale Pumpkin earlier in the week and wanted to use it up.  You can absolutely use canned pumpkin which might allow you to skip over pre-baking the filling (see below). Using the fresh pumpkin was much too runny in my case and if it's too wet, it will damage the dough.  Don't be afraid to bake the filling first if necessary.

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• splash of cream

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. (If your filling is thick then you can immediately fill your hand pies. I used fresh pumpkin and the filling was very wet. I pre-baked the filling in mini muffin cups for 15 minutes until the custard solidified and used that as my filling.)
2. Roll-out your dough and cut out circles with a biscuit cutter if you have one. (I used a pint glass to cut-out circles.)
3. Roll out each circular cut-out to about 1/8 inch thickness and top one side with some filling.
4. Wet the outer edges of the dough with a little water, fold over, and seal the edges by pressing down with a fork.
5. Brush tops with an egg wash and poke a few holes to vent steam in each one.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-40 minutes or until the dough becomes a golden brown.
7. After baking, cool on a rack.

When it comes to the fresh whip cream just add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of powdered sugar to some heavy whipping cream and whip on high until stiff peaks form.  Then dip the hand pies in it until your hearts content!