Jewish Rye Bread (seeded) Lots of steps but not much work involved in each of them. About 5 hours from start to finish, it's worth it for these delicious, rich, dense, flavorful loaves

I love rye bread.  I find it obnoxious to pay 4 times the cost of most breads in the grocery store for  a small loaf of Jewish Rye.  I looked in a bakery not too long ago and they wanted 7 SEVEN! dollars for ONE loaf of rye bread.  oh, I think not.

I make a ridiculous amount of bread.  I supply me and some of my friends with loaves of it.  I have a friend with half her freezer dedicated to my bread!  *cool*

Anyway, I figured how hard could it be to switch out from white loaves of Italian, french, hard, soft, crusty, crunchy, rolls, baguettes, sweet, salty, sourdough, croissants, brioche or pretzels?  I kind of have mastered the world of yeast.

I scoured old books as well as the Net for recipes and ideas and methods and after all of it, I came up with this alchemied version of Jewish Rye bread.

There are a lot of individual steps but each step only takes moments of time so if you're going to be at home, then you may as well make these loaves.

TRACY'S SEEDED JEWISH STYLE RYE BREAD

This recipe has one additional rise which adds incredible flavor but also adds an hour to the time.  It's worth it, trust me, I wouldn't mess with you on this one.

OK, so this is a little convoluted.  TRUST me.  Read it all before you go ahead but it's not nearly so involved or obnoxious as it looks :)

FIRST MIX:
In the bowl of the kitchen aid, combine:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup rye flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 1/2 cup water

SECOND MIX
In a small bowl, combine

2 cups all purpose flour (slightly heaped)
1 tsp yeast
2 Tablespoons caraway seeds (or a little more if you're a real fan)
1 heaped tsp of kosher salt

ADDITIONAL

2 tsp vegetable oil
salt water for spraying
ice for steam in the oven

Combine FIRST MIX in the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer and stir with a spoon till it's smooth.  Combine the SECOND MIX in a small bowl and just mix with your fingers till combined.

THEN, carefully sprinkle the dry mix OVER the first (wet) mix.  DO NOT COMBINE.  Cover and leave it until the first mix erupts out through cracks in the dry mix over it.  Weird but a really standard method for this sort of bread.  Mine took about an hour.
   

So, when it's all oozy, add 2 tsp of vegetable oil and take it to the machine like all the other breads.  The only extended time is the first bit of waiting for the liquid to proof.

I mixed it with the dough hook by hand before I hooked it up to the machine.  Let it mix for a bit then crank it on high and let it knead for you.  It should clear the sides of the bowl and pull up from the bottom.  You can add up to 1/4 cup more all purpose flour but wait at least 5 minutes into the kneading before you do.
   
Beautiful, clearing the bowl and the bottom.  The dough is SLIGHTLY sticky and very soft.  We want it that way.  Dump it onto a lightly floured board and knead it a few times to feel really involved. We want smooth and soft dough. When you press your thumb in, it should spring, slowly and happily back up.
   
Lightly oil the top and put it into a bucket with a lid to rise.  We want it to double.  Mine took 20 minutes to do this! WOW!  Happy dough!
   
Gently tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten it.  Pull the top down and roll it into a log about the size of a snake that would make you run, screaming.  Cut it into two pieces and put it on a cornmeal coated sheet pan.  Cover it with a towel or greased cling film or a tin and leave it.  Mine doubled in about 20 minutes.
  
Spray the loaves with salt water and slash the tops.  Put them in a 450 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.  I throw ice cubes on the bottom of the oven floor to create steam with all my loaves and I did for these as well.  I think you should as well.

After 15 minutes, lower the heat to 375 and transfer them to a stone and bake for another 30 minutes or until they sound hollow when you knock on them.  Transfer to a rack and wait, painfully, for them to cool completely.

   

The moment of truth:

Shatteringly crisp crust.  Tender dense but soft crumb.  Flavorful.  Richly floral with caraway. I've nailed it completely and totally.  THIS may be the most successful bread I've ever made.
 the knife shatters the crust and cuts through the soft crumb beautifully.

No tearing, the smell of the caraway is amazing.

The crust is so perfectly even.  The flavor of this stuff is amazing.  The texture and crumb is more than I ever thought I could ever ever produce.
 

I'm delivering the second loaf to a friend who will test for me to see if it really IS as good as I think it is.  In the mean time, seriously, go make this, now.

/enjoy

Aioli My version is quick, easy, delicious, flavorful, garlicky, creamy, smooth. 5 minutes and a few ingredients and you'll be delighted and hooked. Use it as a side for absolutely everything

Ah...Aioli, add it to any menu item and increase the cost of the dish by double.  You can hae chicken with mayonnaise and it's chicken salad... serve it with aioli and it's suddenly an "amuse bouche" moment with lightly poached chicken with garlic aioli (?) and herbs d'jour.  You'd pay way more for the second item!  OH and imagine when your friends come by, leftover potatoes and mayo? or Smashed roast new potatoes fried crispy in duck fat with homemade aioli dipping sauce.  MMM  I may not be able to continue with this post, I may have to go make that.  Oh and what is it? it's garlic mayonnaise.  Seeing "garlic aioli" on any menu drives me insane, sort of like "salt salt cod" ? really?  BUT, as per usual, I digress

I like ailo with seafood, meat, chicken, vegetables, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  I like to dip veggies (cooked or raw) or bread or chips or roasted potatoes in it.  I put it over risotto or pasta or anything.  Yeah, it's sort of the workhorse of all sauces but still maintains a fru fru status.

You can get it two ways (ok, you can do it a million ways but this is the short version)  You can either (a) buy mayonnaise, chop up garlic and add it with a little lemon.  Fabulous.  or you can (b) make a quick batch that is so much easier, more delicious and richer than you can imagine.  Oh and (b) takes the same amount of time as (a) so really, it's a no brainer. 

Ok, here we go, we're making my aioli.  Mine isn't traditional at all but I tell you what, I'll put it up against the fidgety versions any day of the week.  You can also use this as a jumping off point to take it any direction you like.  Add herbs, mustards, no garlic and have straight up mayo.  Use this as a base and get your creative on! 

TRACY'S AIOLI

1 egg *yep the whole egg
1 cup oil (I like 1/2 veggie, 1/2 olive oil but you can use all olive oil or all vegetable oil if you want)
2-6 garlic cloves, the garlicky you want it, the more you add
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 Tblsp vinegar or lemon juice (I use lemon juice from a bottle ;))

Here we go, directions and pics: 

Obtain one Cuisinart food processor :)  Add the egg and whip like crazy
  
whip the egg like mad to get it a little foamy.  Add the salt and pepper and sugar and whip again.  Add the garlic cloves and pulse till they disintegrate.
  
With the machine running, drizzle the oil SLOWLY through the tube till about half is used up. I turn it off to add the lemon juice or vinegar down the tube then start it up again and continue with the rest of the oil.
   
OH look how thick and lovely that is! Transfer the aioli to jars and shove them in the fridge.  They last about a week.  FABULOUS
 



There you go, aioli in a minute and a half.  Better than anything store bought, cheaper and way more satisfying.  

I made mine today to dip the leaves of an artichoke I pressure cooked. :) I'm going to use some later tonight to top our shrimp pasta.  Yeah, it's good to be here today. 

/enjoy

Gluten Free Pancakes , my one and only foray into the gluten free world. A base mix of a gluten free flour substitute that I simply use in my regular recipe, perfection! I kid you not, they're lovely.

Confession time:  My name is Tracy and I'm a gluten junkie.  I'm not ashamed.  I am what I am.  Sure, I'm proud of it because if nothing else, I can cook the heck out of it.

I don't do Gluten Free.  I don't like the food, the science or the rule following of it.  I don't like the idea, the method or the chemistry.  I'm a cook, not a chemist.  Oh and don't nitpick, I know cooking is chemistry ;) 

I DO, however, love to cook and I love to cook for people I love.  I happen to have one of THOSE types of people in my house this weekend.  He's one of my son's original friends (from a baby group) and I simply adore this boy.  I know he's a fan of my cooking and I can't express how much I love cooking for this kid. The gluten free thing threw me for a loop.  His family is trying it on for a cleanse type thing and I'm not going to fight or break the rules, just yet. His mother is one of my dearest friends, she's one of two people in the world that would inspire me to bother to try cooking this way.  

Dinners are easy to go gluten free, I did pork country ribs, corn and brown rice one dinner and meatballs (I make killer meatballs) boiled new potatoes, peas and a thick creamy brown gravy.  Easy!

Breakfasts? Snacks? those are more difficult for me.  I'm a bread and cheese girl.  I make pretzels and croissants for snacks and to take with me to gatherings and happenings.  Ugh, what on earth was I going to make this boy?

I promised the mother of said gluten free (by choice not medical) teenager that I would follow the culinary rules for her son this weekend and I have.  So far. :) 

I made gluten free biscuits as my first gluten free attempt at baking and they looked beautiful, rose high and were layers of flakey-ness but the texture was revolting and I kind of think they taste like bird poop smells.  So, toss those. 

Here are the beauty shots of the biscuit minis:  You'd THINK they tasted good.  I was very disappointed.
  

   

I'm not even going to post the recipe for them, they were that gross.  

Sometimes, MOST times, in cooking as in life, beauty isn't everything.

Next, I tried pancakes.  C'mon, I can cook, I'm not used to such dramatic failures.  

Pancakes are easy, I have got to be able to master these. 

So, I made a concoction to use as a flour substitute and simply used it in place of all purpose flour in my standard pancake recipe and they were... ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!!!  Little pillows of yummy!!  

I literally did a little dance in the kitchen when I tasted one.  Then I hollered for guestchild to come down and test sample one, he was as excited and did a little dance with me too!  We'd found a FABULOUS gluten free something something that I could make for them for breakfast.  I made a mountain of these exquisite puffy pancakes and they were devoured in short order by the 14 year old boys, both who have quite discerning pallets.  They know garbage when they eat it and these, are most certainly NOT garbage. 

RUN out to the store NOW NOW NOW (if you're gluten free) and make this bag o'fake'flour and use it in these delightfully yummy pancakes

TRACY'S GLUTEN FREE FLOUR SUBSTITUTE MIX

In an enormous Ziploc bag, combine: 

1 cup EACH of:
white rice flour
oat flour
brown rice flour
tapioca flour

1/4 cup cornstarch
3 1/2 tsp Xanthum gum

THAT'S IT!  Mix it well in the bag, label it and seal it.  Use it in place of all purpose in many recipes.  DEFINITELY it works beautifully in this pancake recipe.  You can CERTAINLY double or triple this combination.  Store it sealed and away from moisture, obviously :) 

TRACY'S GLUTEN FREE PANCAKE RECIPE:

1 1/2 cup of the ^above^ all purpose flour substitute
3 tablespoons of soft butter
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1 large egg

Preheat a griddle or no stick pan.

Put the GF flour mix and butter in a large bowl and cut in like biscuits or pastry.  Use a fork, that's fine and don't fret about being too particular, just get the flour rubbed into the GF flour mix.

Add the baking powder, sugar and salt and mix with a fork to combine.

Add the milk and egg all at once.  

Stir with a fork until well combined.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.  You'll see it get puffy.  That is exactly what we're looking for.

Lightly oil the griddle/no stick fry pan.

Scoop the batter up in large spoonful, don't deflate it and drop it gently on the griddle/pan.  Cook on a medium low heat until beautifully browned on one side, flip and cook on the other side. 

Cook these at a lower temperature than you would standard pancakes and I flipped them back and forth a couple of times to be sure they were cooked through.

Serve with large amounts of butter and REAL maple syrup.  I, as you know, have my maple syrup delivered by my International tester.  She brings me Quebec maple syrup in vodka bottles.  Sure, I could transfer them to other bottles but then I wouldn't have the amusement factor every weekend when I set a vodka bottle on the table with breakfast :) 

Here's some beauty shots for your entertainment. 

I don't have mix and plop pictures because I had no no no no no no no faith the recipe would be picture worthy.

  

  

 

So, for those who said it couldn't be done and wouldn't be done, I've made a gluten free food with gluten free ingredients and substituted for my beloved all purpose flour and I didn't burst into flames. 

I still don't like gluten free food or the pain in the a** mile long chemical ingredient list that generally goes along with it BUT, for Heath, I'll make these, any time he wants...until they're cleansed and healthy and THEN I can fill him up with croissants, pretzels, brioche, pies, cakes, cakeballs, ciabatta, homemade cheeseburger buns, ciabatta stuffies and whatever other gluten overload that boy wants :) 

Try it, you'll be surprised... I truly was. 

/enjoy

Bacon Maple Glazed Bacon with Nuts, did I mention it's Bacon? and Maple and nuts? You can look but you should make it, it's painfully delicious

I make glazed bacon.  Everyone does.  It's not a recipe, it's a fabulous idea, a method.  Mine?  Well, I make brown sugar and cayenne bacon.  I like the combination of the hot and the sweet and the smoke of the bacon.  I lay bacon on a pan, sprinkle it with brown sugar and cayenne and bake it until it's crisp.  I eat it purely for the enjoyment of eating it even though every time I make it, I pretend it's for some higher cause.  It never it, I just eat it.

I have an evil friend who throws culinary gauntlets before me.  This is one of hers.

I haven't done the bacon it in pure maple syrup AND sugar AND nuts.  My [evil] friend told me to make this.  I did make this.  Now, I can never UNknow how to make this.  Since she trapped in my head, I'm going to pay it forward and now, now it's trapped in yours.  

You're welcome. :D

Maple and Brown Sugar glazed Bacon with Pecans

Line a sheet pan with parchment and line it with as much bacon as you want, flat. 

Pour a little maple syrup (the REAL stuff!) over the bacon and coat it lightly.

Sprinkle brown sugar then chopped pecans over the bacon. 

BAKE in a preheated 225 oven for 60-75 minutes.

Remove from oven, transfer to a rack to harden/setup/cool/crystalize. 

EAT

EAT SOME MORE

EAT another piece

Put it in a sandwich, on a sausage bun, on a hot dog, over ICE CREAM or just eat it.

You're welcome, now YOU can never UNKNOW this as well ;) 

   

Ahh, the last of my beloved New Mexico pecans...
   
The final beauty shot:

I'm trying to think of a truly inspired and awesome method to use this...  I can't think of anything so I'm simply going to eat it. (maybe over ice cream?!)  oh YEAH! 

I'll get back to my regular food stuff in a bit but for now, we bacon.

/enjoy

Green beans in the pressure cooker, yet another vegetable that takes 3 minutes. Cook a pile ahead and use them for the week

3 minutes, just EXACTLY like all the other vegetables I've cooked.  SERIOUSLY?  THREE?  AGAIN?  

THIS is the pressure cooker I use now: 

Well, it is.  I can't even fill type enough to make this a whole post.  I bought some beautiful fresh green beans, topped them (I leave the tails on ) and put them on a steamer rack in the pressure cooker over about 3/4-1 inch of water.  I salted the water too, just a bit.  I locked and loaded on high pressure and set it for 3 minutes.  Quick release and (for pete's sake!) they were perfectly tender crisp. 

Before and after:
 

Yep, yet another vegetable that takes 3 minutes.   

I have 1.5 lbs here but I will buy more next time and pressure cook the whole batch.  I'll ice them then put them in a big Ziploc in the fridge so I can shush up a few with any meal.  I'll toss them in a little olive oil and butter and fry them quickly, they nuke fine, I'll toss them in any salad or stir fry OR have them cold with some olive oil, lemon juice and freshly grated Parmesan as a fabulous cold treat or salad. 

3 minutes, again.   Go load up on fresh beans, pressure cook them, store them and enjoy the bounty of the season.

/enjoy