Some tricky biscuits

At some point after our first anniversary, William and I instituted Saturday morning breakfast, the point of which is to have a meal that is not eaten in front of the television and to have a fun way to ease into the weekend. (And yes, I realize that we could not eat in front of the television on other days, but I am saving that fight for when we have kids.)

As I finally remembered to get buttermilk from the store, and I had been promising William I would try biscuits, our meal this morning was cantaloupe, fried eggs and bacon (for William), and biscuits with homemade blueberry jam.  Here is the recipe (via Alton Brown and my friend Alisa): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/southern-biscuits-recipe/index.html.

And here is how they turned out....

They tasted okay, but weren't quite as fluffy and flaky as buttermilk biscuits should be. I am learning as a burgeoning baker and sometimes cook that there is this weird balance between following the recipe and not. Sometimes it works to improvise and use what you have or are in the mood for and sometimes you should follow the recipe. These tricky biscuits (and my failed squash casserole this week) are those recipes that you just have to follow.

So next time I have learned...don't be shy with the buttermilk, it is your friend, and that we need to have some white flour in the house. I like the taste of whole wheat flour and it is is better for you...but when you're going for Southern buttermilk biscuits, the point is not that it is good for your body, but that the yummy, flaky, melt in your mouth, buttery goodness is good for your soul.

So sometime soon I will get some white flour and try these again!

On a different note, I did make honey, whole wheat bread and that was super yummy! (I forgot to take a picture before cutting because I was really hungry! Thus, the half eaten loaf.)

Pecan Pie

Historically I have not been a fan of pecan pie. In fact, although I love nuts by themselves or in salads or sides, I am not crazy about nuts in sweet things like muffins, breads, cookies, pies, or worst of all, ice cream. I am not quite sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with crunchy things in foods that should be moist, fluffy, or soft. Those just don't go together for me. (Or for William...he says that he doesn't like "aggregates" in his baked goods. He is a rhetorician, you must forgive him.)

All of that is to say that I tried some pecan pie the other day, and I liked it! I will still choose a fruit or chocolate pie over a pecan pie any day, but it wasn't too bad.

So I am adding pecan pie to the list of things to learn how to make. I guess I couldn't be an official Southern baker without being able to make that. (If anyone has an amazing recipe for pecan pie, let me know!!)

Step by step

First off...side note...
For those of you who don't know, I LOVE 80's music. I love it so much that I cannot say phrases like "the right stuff", or "step by step" without thinking of New Kids on the Block and dancing/swooning a little.

Second, I am realizing that trying to bake three things from scratch, plus make most dinners from scratch, plus get used to a new job is a little much to take on for a week.

I did not bake a single thing last week, and my perfectionist self had to struggle with my own limits and that it was okay for me to veg out on the couch for a little (okay...maybe it was a lot) instead of baking. (Well, I did make homemade chex mix for William, but that is actually just mixing processed foods together, so I figured that doesn't really count as baking.)

This week I decided to make two things that were a little bit easier, and then will save the breads and more involved things for the weekend.

So you get whole wheat and oat blueberry muffins and some yummy granola (so I could have breakfast this week). 

Pictures first....

 They are in the to go tins because they are going to Will's work. (Sorry Earth...we will reuse and recycle the tins...we promise!)

 I don't know how to rotate the picture, so you get gravity defying granola!

And...lucky you...the granola recipe is from a friend's mom, so I can share it with you!

I generally double the recipe, just so it will last a few weeks.

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (I usually put just a little bit less than this...not too sweet)
1 tbsp-ish of cinnamon (I don't measure this)
1 cup of almonds

Mix this up, then....

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 honey in a small skillet, just until they coagulate.

Add the liquid to the dry stuff and mix just to get it all sticky.

Put it all on a baking sheet and bake for  20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring every 10ish minutes until golden brown. (Can bake at a lower temperature if you want...just watch carefully cause it can burn quickly).

You can also add dried fruits or other nuts or chocolate chips post baking as desired! Enjoy!

Stayed tuned...

Coming this week from our kitchen in Florence...

1. Honey-Oatmeal bread
2. Blueberry muffins
3. Buttermillk biscuits

A Sifting

We have a flour sifter (see the picture below), but I don't think either of us have ever used it. It just sat in the cabinet gathering dust. However, now that I am exploring baking, I keep wondering...should I sift the flour, or is that an archaic way of doing things? None of my recipes thus far have called for sifted flour, but is it one of those secret tricks that only real bakers know and still do?

One of the many skills I have learned from graduate school is the skill of questioning everything and doing your own research. So I was curious...what do other bakers say about sifting? What does it mean to sift? If it does change the result, how?

Well...here is what I found. Sifting, though it used to be necessary because of the junk that could get into the flour when it was milled, can still be a handy trick. It can make your measuring more accurate and thus make whatever you are baking a little lighter. (See http://kitchensavvy.typepad.com/journal/2005/07/sifting_flour.html for more details.)

I think what is more interesting however, is the actual meaning of the word sift. According to Dictionary.com, there are several meanings to this short word.

1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.

2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve.

3. to separate by or as if by a sieve.

4. to examine closely.

5. to question closely.

I am struck by two things in these definitions. First, I like that there is an element of separation in sifting. My step-mom reminded me the other day (when I had been rejected from a possible assistant professor position) that sometimes it feels that we are being sifted, that we are being separated, scattered, or even falling through an uncomfortable sieve. During this sifting we may feel out of control or separated from what we once knew. We may not really know what is going on. But it seems that, generally, we come out on the other end, better prepared for our next step, perhaps even with a lightened load because we were holding onto some thing that we needed to let go. In my case, I think I was holding onto the idea of what I am "supposed to do" with my degrees, what is expected of me (namely a tenure track professor position). Because of the difficulty of not finding a job right away, I think I have been able to begin to separate myself from various expectations and ask myself, "What do I want to do?". It has been freeing to think of things this way and even though I am still unsure what my immediate occupation may be, I feel a little lighter and a little less anxious about the possibilities. 

The second thing that strikes me is along a similar line of thinking. I like the fourth and fifth definitions of sifting: "to examine or question closely". Again, this is something I think I have been trained to do throughout my life and especially in graduate school. It is because of questioning things closely that I have become the person I am, with my particular beliefs and thoughts, relationships and actions. Thus, I am grateful for the various siftings in my life that have helped me to separate from things that are no longer necessary for my growth or to question things that have helped me find myself in the midst of the craziness of this world. 

So...although it might seem old-fashioned to sift flour, I think I am going to take it up as a regular baking practice. Even if it is just to remind me that an occasional sifting in life is a good thing. 

 

Flours from my boo

I don't know how many of you have seen "Stranger than Fiction" (if you haven't, you really should), but there is one particular scene that I love.  (Side note: the website is really fun - http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/strangerthanfiction/site/home.html)

Without giving too much away...Will Farrell is an IRS auditor who is auditing an eccentric baker played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. As he tries to win her over, he brings her "flowers", or rather a box of a dozen different flours. It is a really touching scene that lets her know that he is different and that he is learning what might make her smile, what makes her tick.

Well, after my discovery that you really should use bread flour when making bread, my husband surprised with some flours.

So here is my sappy post today. My husband is wonderful. He knows how difficult graduate school and job searching and agonizing over what I should do with my life has been. He supports my crazy dreams and whims (and not only because he gets good food out of it). He allows me to be me, even when I know I am driving him crazy. And he knows that bringing me flours will make me smile.

3 breads in 3 days

So enough talk about me...let's get to the baking!

In the last 3 days, I have made three different kinds of bread and made a few discoveries.

Day 1: Regular white bread, enjoyed with homemade blueberry jam (super easy to make), and...

then the next morning as french toast. Yum!

Discoveries 1 and 2: First, apparently bread flour is a different from all-purpose flour. The bread still tasted yummy, but it was pretty dense. So...if the recipe calls for bread flour, you should probably get that type of flour. Second, I think I already knew this, but my husband can turn anything into a sexual innuendo (mostly for shock value). As the bread was baking he looked at me and said (in his trying to be sexy voice), "I am literally about to butter your bread and put it in my mouth." (Which I followed dutifully with a "that's what she said").

Here is William eating the bread.

Day 2: Whole wheat French baguette, made for friends who had us over for drinks and dessert.

Because this one was for friends (who I am calling our new best friends because they are the only people we have hung out with in Florence and they remind me of our friends the Pells), we did not taste it, but it smelled really good!

Discovery 3: Even though I halved the recipe to make one baguette, I have learned that that half makes one really gigantic baguette and should from now on be split into two. That way, we can give one away and selfishly get to keep one for us!

Day 3: Basil foccacia, toped with bruschetta.

Discovery 4: Using bread flour does make the bread lighter, and foccacia is awesome with basil and olive oil. I think the next time I make foccacia though I am going to try to make it into smaller loaves to use for sandwiches. Mmmm, a caprese sandwich with farmer's market tomatoes and homegrown basil....mmmmmm.

Overall, I think the past three baking days have been successful. Next on the list is to make homemade biscuits.

PS - I am not posting recipes right now, because they are not my own and I am not sure about copy right stuff. However, the first two came from Brother Juniper's Bread Book, and the last one came from a Mennonite cookbook called, Simply in Season. Email me if you want more information!

Method and Metaphor

In academia, having two titles for articles or other writings is pretty common. I have even heard somewhere that the likelihood of getting published is increased if you have a colon in your title. So I have learned to be drawn to books and such that have two titles. I was actually introduced to Brother Juniper's Bread Book: Slow Rise as Method and Metaphor by my husband who was giving it as a gift to a friend around the time we got married. I liked the title, but at that point in my life and my dissertation, I did not have the energy or time to read it.

When I began to think about baking seriously, I started a list in my head of things that I need to know how to bake: croissants, bagels, muffins, cookies, scones, and of course, yummy bread. Not knowing where to start, I picked up Will's copy of this small book on bread.

What is most interesting about the book is not the recipes (I am guessing you could find similar recipes in other books or websites); it is the way the author relates the baking of bread to the ups and downs of life, and how patience and hard work can bring about simple beauties which make life worthwhile.

As Rienhart says, "Slow rise has taught me and is still teaching me a way to live, a way to be, and a way to see. It is a window into an understanding of the things that go on around me, a way to make sense of the seemingly senseless scenarios we are exposed to throughout life. Yes, slow rise is a metaphor but you might also say that is is a frame of reference, a context in which things find their proper place."

In these past few months, as I have been anxiously trying to find a job, I have found this metaphor particularly calming. It helps me remember that, while I need to do what I can, there is also merit in having patience, in waiting and trusting that things will work out and perhaps be even better than I ever dreamed.

I have always hated the question, "So what are you going to do after graduation?", that everyone asks, sometimes even when you still have years until you graduate. My response would always be something simple. During undergrad, I would say that I wanted to work with children (but not be more specific); in grad school, I would just say teach college. I would give the easy answer that would not let people know that I really wanted to join the peace corps or dance for Alvin Ailey or start a cultural arts center. I also secretly thought to myself that the perfect opportunity would just fall in my lap and everything would be fantastic. Often times, it actually has. All of my jobs and school and moves thus far, have worked out and been great places for me.

However, as my tenure at graduate school came to an end, and my husband and I prepared for our move to small-town South Carolina, my job possibilities looked a little bleaker. Still tired from the long hours of grad school and not wanting to have a job where I sit in front of a computer all day, I decided that my newest career goal is baking.

Other than the having to get up at ridiculously early hours (which I am not sure that I can do), I have these crazy ideas of greeting the locals with a cup of tea and fresh baked muffins, asking about their days. Later in the day, I would make them sandwiches (with local produce of course) on freshly baked breads and maybe talk them into a warm cookie or piece of pie. I am sure there are other things that would be difficult about owning a bakery, but right now it excites me.

I decided that if I really do want to be a baker, then I can't wait for the opportunity to fall in my lap. This is something I have to work toward. Plus, I am guessing that you have to be a good baker to have a successful business, and other than an amazing apple pie, I don't do a lot of baking right now. Thus, in true Julie and Julia style, I am teaching myself to bake one yummy treat at a time.

So...welcome to the beginnings of me becoming a baker...let's see what happens, or rather what rises!