Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I have gotten out of the habit of baking bread.  I’m not sure why.  It has always been such a satisfying experience.  It could be because we have stopped eating bread at meals and seldom reach for the bread basket in restaurants.  But every once in a while, when soup is on the menu for dinner, there is nothing better than good bread to dip in the broth and savor along with the contents of the bowl.  The key words here are “good  bread”. 

I ran across this recipe in a  Cooking Light Cookbook the other day and loved the idea of twisted breadsticks.  The yeast dough was enhanced with cornmeal and  was easy to handle.  After the first rise the dough is divided into 24 pieces and rolled into ropes.

The ropes are twisted together in twos forming 12 breadsticks.  These are left to rise for a half an hour and then the breadsticks are brushed with egg and sprinkled with fennel and coarse salt and baked.

One for the cook!

I loved this recipe and plan on making the breadsticks again during the holidays.  The fennel and salt enhanced the flavor so much and would make them a great accompaniment to many Italian dishes.  As a matter of fact they will go well with our traditional New Years Day dinner with friends.  I will have to take the recipe with me to our rental house in Charleston.  The same four couples always get together at New Years.  I hosted it one year and wrote about it here.  I think everyone will enjoy these.  I hope you will too.

TWISTED FENNEL AND COARSE SALT BREADSTICKS

1 tablespoon sugar
1 package dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm fat-free milk (100 to 110 degrees F)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm milk in a bowl, let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in olive oil.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife.  Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, cornmeal, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), add enough remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.  (Gently press two fingers into dough.  If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Punch dough down, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough into 24 equal portions.  Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining portions to prevent drying), shape each portion into a 9-inch rope.  Twist two ropes together; pinch ends to seal.  Place on prepared baking sheets.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Cover dough, and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine water and egg white in a small bowl.  Combine fennel seeds and kosher salt in another bowl.  Brush breadsticks with egg white mixture, and sprinkle evenly with fennel seed mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden.  WATCH CAREFULLY.  MINE WERE DONE IN 10 MINUTES.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.  Yield: 12 servings.

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I now have three dressing casseroles in my repertoire for Thanksgiving.  They are all my favorites because I love dressing so much that I would not be able to choose.  Take your pick.  This newest dressing is one that I saw in Bon Appetit last year.  It is Rosemary Bread Stuffing with Prosciutto, Fennel and Lemon.  One of my favorite breads is La Brea’s rosemary olive oil bread and this recipe is built around that kind of bread.  How could you go wrong?  Fennel is used liberally in the recipe and I love the subtle flavor that it imparts.  Add prosciutto or speck to the mix and there is no doubt that it will be good.  I made this last week and even David, who is not a stuffing or dressing aficionado, loved it.

ROSEMARY BREAD STUFFING WITH PROSCIUTTO, FENNEL AND LEMON (Bon Appetit)

1 14 1/2-to 16-ounce purchased rosemary-olive oil bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 cups chopped fresh fennel bulb (from 1 large) plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel fronds
1 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounced thinly sliced Speck or prosciutto, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Toss bread cubes, 3 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons melted butter in large bowl.  Spread mixture on large rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until bread cubes are golden, stirring occasionally, 20 to 22 minutes.  Cool.

Mix wine and raisins in small saucepan; let soak 10 minutes.  Boil 2 minutes Cool.

Stir fennel seeds in small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darker, 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer fennel seeds to plate to cool.  Finely grind seeds in mortar with pestle or in spice mill.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add fennel bulb, shallots, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; saute until fennel is tender and shallots are pale golden, about 7 minutes.  Stir in ground fennel seeds, prosciutto, lemon peel, and fennel fronds.  Stir raisins into fennel mixture; cool.

Do Ahead;  Bread cubes and fennel mixture can be made 1 day ahead.  Store bread airtight at room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate fennel mixture.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil.  Toss bread cubes and fennel mixture in large bowl.  Add 1 cup broth and eggs; toss until moistened, adding up to 1/4 cup more broth if dry.  Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish.  Cover with foil coated lightly with oil. oiled side down.  Bake until stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes.  Remove foil; bake uncovered until top is crisp and golden, about 30 minutes.

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CORNBREAD SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH APPLES.  This dressing has been a favorite for many years.  It is adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  Cornbread, whole wheat, and sourdough bread are combined with sausage and apples.  It is very flavorful.  Here is the link to the recipe.

MOM’S THANKSGIVING DRESSING.  This is the dressing that I grew up with.  It is very basic but it is the favorite of the whole family.  Every bite of it is loaded with memories.  My Mother knew what she was doing.  Here is the link to the recipe.

I wish all of you a very happy and memorable Thanksgiving.  I am thankful for all of you.

I have tried a lot of quick breads, but I have to say that this Pumpkin Chutney Bread is one of the moistest, flavorful breads I have ever had.  It is a recipe that I adapted from Gourmet Magazine.  The addition of chutney may be the reason why it is so good. 

The recipe also calls for buttermilk.  I don’t know about you but I am always buying buttermilk for a recipe and then the carton languishes in the refrigerator until it passes it’s expiration date.  Last month I was shopping at The Fresh Market and found this product.

It is a powdered mix that is added to the dry ingredients in a recipe.  Then water is added in the amount specified for the buttermilk.  It is so convenient having this in my pantry.

I am working very hard on my photography skills.  I recently had two recipes published in Foodgawker.  But I have had six rejections.  Foodgawker is great about telling you the reason that a photograph is rejected.  It is a learning tool and they are very selective in what is included on their site.

I am hoping that the above picture of my Pumpkin Chutney Bread will be added to their queue, but if not, we can just keep it amongst ourselves.  Enjoy.

PUMPKIN CHUTNEY BREAD

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ( I used dry )
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1 Tbls mix and 1/4 cup water)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2/3 cup bottled mango chutney or Majoy Grey’s chutney
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and the ginger.   In a large bowl stir together the butter and the brown sugar, add the eggs, and combine the mixture well.  Stir in the buttermilk,  the pumpkin puree, and 2/3 cup of the chutney, combining the mixture well, add the flour mixture and the walnuts and stir the batter until it is just combined.  Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour.  Let the loaf cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.  Loosen the edge with a knife, turn the loaf right side up onto the rack, and let it cool for 2 hours.  The bread keeps wrapped tightly in foil and chilled, for up to 1 week or it may be frozen.

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This has been a busy time for us.  David will be leaving on his motorcycle ride to Alaska at the end of the month.  I will be flying to Anchorage on June 9th to ride along with him.  He has been outfitting the bike for the last few months, so we decided that we needed to take a test ride to see if all of our gear and the two of us would fit.  We went with our riding friends Ron and Jackie on a weekend trip along The Blue Ridge Parkway.  I think we have worked out most of the kinks. It’s the human kinks we can’t work out.   It’s a shame that we can’t also give ourselves younger bodies that would allow us to get on and off the bike with ease and allow us to ride for hours without aches and pains.  I am also trying to figure out how to pack everything I will need in two soft saddle bags. I will be away for three weeks.   It’s not easy even though we are shipping my riding gear and helmet to our first hotel in Anchorage.

We spent the night at a quaint inn just off the parkway in Little Switzerland.  The Alpine Inn is run by Susan and Ron. Susan serves a delightful light breakfast in the morning.  She makes many varieties of sweet breads and she shared this apple bread recipe with me.  Each room at the inn has a panoramic view of the mountains from it’s balcony.  Breathtaking.

I baked this apple bread once already.  It is in the oven again.  The first time I made it, it did not cook enough and the middle was still soft.  The recipe says to cook it for 45 minutes but mine took 1 hour.  Be sure to test the center with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.  The flavor of the bread is wonderful.  That is why I am making it again.  Tomorrow I am having a brunch for a visiting blogger,  Jane of Blondies Journal and my good buddy Penny from The Comforts of Home.  Jane and her husband are vacationing in Asheville.  Yesterday Penny (who lives in Asheville) and I had lunch with Jane at a restaurant in the downtown area.  It is always so much fun to put a face and personality to the wonderful bloggers that you love to read.  Since Jane and her husband have a summer place on a lake in Michigan, I thought it would be fun to show them Lake Lure.  We will all have brunch and then go for a boat ride around the lake.  Here we are at lunch yesterday.

I will try to take more pictures tomorrow.  But in the meantime, you can enjoy this bread along with us.

APPLE BREAD

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups self rising flour
1/8 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a loaf pan.  Cream sugar and butter until smooth.  Add other ingredients except apples.  Mix well.  Fold in apples.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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Spring has been slow in arriving to the North Carolina mountains.  Last year when we returned from Florida, the dogwoods were in full bloom.  This year they are just beginning to show their colors.  It has been rainy and dreary all week.

My Brother and SIL followed us back and spent a day with us before heading home to Michigan.  Barb is an antique’s dealer so we spent the day shopping in my favorite haunts.  The Screen Door in Asheville was a treasure trove for her.  While she was busy loading up on goodies I spent some time in their wonderful bookstore. They have a huge selection of books relating to cooking, gardening, and interior design and they are all around half price.  The sale rack is even better.  This is what I came home with, along with a Mark Bittman book.

The Lady in the Palazzo; At Home in Umbria by Marlena De Blasi  is the story of an American chef, Marlena, and her Italian husband looking for and finding a home in Orvieto in the Umbrian region of Italy.  It is full of tantalizing descriptions of food, scenery and evocative characters.  It also includes recipes.

Marlena De Blasi’s description of this walnut focaccia bread was enough for me to run to the store for walnuts.  Imagine eating chunks of this bread with warm honey dribbled over it and sliced pears on the side while sitting before a roaring fire on a cold day.  That’s what I am doing right now.

WALNUT FOCACCIA

Note: I halved this recipe and did the first mixing, kneading and rise in my bread machine, adding the walnuts after the first 30 minutes.  I hit pause and removed the dough and worked them in.

2 1/2 cups tepid water
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 1/2 tablespoons fine sea salt
6 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
1 cup white or yellow cornmeal
additional water, if necessary
2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted and lightly crushed
sea salt

Place 1/3 cup of the tepid water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle or crumble in the yeast.  Stir to dissolve and let stand for five minutes.

Meanwhile mix together 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cups of tepid water, and the fine sea salt.  Add the liquids to the yeast, add the three flours, all at once, and stir to form a rough mass.  Turn the mass out onto a lightly floured work surface and begin to knead.  If the mass seems dry, sprinkle over a few drops of additional water at a time until the mass is workable.  Continue to knead the mass until a soft, satiny, and elastic dough is achieved; flatten the dough into a rough rectangle and sprinkle over the walnuts.  Work the nuts into the dough and reshape it into a rough ball.  Set the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set it to rise in a warm, draft-free place. 

Allow rise until the mass is doubled.  This might take as long as two hours.  Deflate the dough and cut it into three pieces, shaping each one into a flat round.  Place the rounds onto oiled baking sheets which have been lightly sprinkled with cornmeal; cover with kitchen towels and allow to rise for half an hour.

Press your knuckles or fingers into the dough, creating lovely little pockets which will eventually hold oil and salt.  Cover the rounds once again and let them sit for the last rise, about an hour.  Now sprinkle or grind sea salt over the breads.  Do this generously.  Drizzle them with olive oil, hitting the pockets when you can, and bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes or longer, until the are puffed and nicel golden.  Transfer immediately to racks to cool slightly before serving.  These can be successfully reheated in a lively oven for a very few minutes.

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