French Baguettes

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There are few things in this world that are better than a fresh, crusty French baguette smeared with salty butter. I’ve learned to bake many breads in my kitchen, which really makes me proud – because dough, of any variety, was something that terrified me for a long time. Even once I was confident in my bread making skills, baguettes always just seemed out of my league.

A couple of weeks ago I started binge-watching The Great British Bake-Off, and the baguette episode piqued my interest. Santa had brought me a baker’s couche for Christmas – that I’m ashamed to admit was still setting in it’s package. I resolved to kick my fears to the curb and give it a go – you’ll never tackle anything new if you don’t at least try!

I’d envisioned it to be very time consuming and tedious, with a bunch of stipulations and fancy equipment needed. And I certainly never thought that if I ever did have the nerve to try it, that they’d turn out anything like a presentable baguette…

Well, I’m happy to report that my fears were unfounded and incorrect on pretty much all of those fronts. Sure, the whole process does take a whole day – as in 24 hours. You start off making a “poolish” overnight , which is pretty much just a fancy word for a starter. The next day, that starter is then dumped into the other ingredients to make the dough, which has a couple rises ahead of itself, as well as shaping and final proofing – before being put in the oven.

I used the same process when I made Italian Bread – it’s what gives bread that chewy and crunchy exterior. It’s definitely worth the extra time while you sleep!

I made my starter on Friday afternoon, and by Saturday afternoon I was munching on the most flavorful and crispy baguette I’ve had in my life! The only special equipment you need is a couche to help the baguettes retain their shape while they rise. They’re relatively cheap (around $20), but you can totally use a flour sack dish towel instead. Word to King Arthur Flour for another winning recipe!

Crispy French Baguettes

For the poolish:
1/2 cup cool water
1/16 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the dough:
1 tsp tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast
1 cup + 2 Tbsp lukewarm water
all of the starter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt

To make the starter: Mix everything together to make a soft dough. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours; overnight works well.

To make the dough: Mix and knead everything together — by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface may still be a bit rough. If you’re using a stand mixer, knead for about 4 minutes on medium-low speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid); the finished dough should stick a bit at the bottom of the bowl.

Place the dough in a lightly greased medium-sized bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it, folding the edges into the center, and turning it over after 1 hour. Let rise additional 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface. Gently deflate it, and divide it into three equal pieces.

Round each piece of dough into a rough ball by pulling the edges into the center. Cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes (up to 1 hour).

Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough slightly then fold it nearly (but not quite) in half, sealing the edges with the heel of your hand. Turn the dough around, and repeat: fold, then flatten. Repeat this whole process again; the dough should have started to elongate itself. Click here for a video.

With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 16″ log. Taper each end of the log slightly to create the baguette’s typical “pointy” end.

Place the logs seam-side down onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet pan or pans; or into the folds of a heavily floured cotton dish towel (or couche). Cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the loaves to rise until they’re slightly puffy. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour at room temperature (about 68°F).

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450°F with a cast iron pan on the floor of the oven, or on the lowest rack. If you’re using a baking stone, place it on a middle rack. Start to heat 1 1/2 cups water to boiling.

If your baguettes have risen in a dish towel or couche, gently roll them (seam side down) onto a lightly greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet. If you plan on baking them on a baking stone, roll them onto a piece of parchment, and lift the parchment onto a baker’s peel. Using a baker’s lame (a special curved blade) or a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three to five long lengthwise slashes in each baguette.

Load the baguettes into the oven. If you’re baking on a stone, use a baker’s peel to transfer the baguettes, parchment and all, onto the hot stone. Carefully pour the boiling water into the cast iron pan, and quickly shut the oven door.

Bake the baguettes — on the pan, or on a stone — for 24 to 28 minutes, or until they’re a very deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2″, and allow the baguettes to cool completely in the oven, until both baguettes and oven are at room temperature.

Store any leftover baguettes in a paper bag overnight; freeze for longer storage. Thaw and reheat just before serving.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Vanilla-Almond Granola

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I’ve never been a breakfast person. Occasionally after a night after one-too-many cocktails, I’ll crave a good and greasy breakfast sandwich…but for the most part, I’ll go for some yogurt and fruit after my morning coffee in my day-to-day routine.

My favorite way to kick it up to the next level, and make it a little more substantial is granola. Sweet, crunchy, nutty granola. Good granola is kind of ridiculously expensive to buy from the store – and I find that it’s usually sub-par to begin with. What can I say? I like a high oat to nut ratio.

Luckily, homemade granola is super easy. And this version highlighting the flavors of almond, vanilla, and honey delivers the sweet crunch that I crave when it comes to granola. I like to use top quality extracts (Rodelle is my favorite go-to brand) for a true natural flavor. Also, I really bump up the nut factor with the addition of whole almonds, sliced almonds, walnuts, and pecans for tons of crunch! And nothing beats local honey, of course. We have an apiary here on Chincoteague now, so delightful to use honey harvested here on my little seaside island!

A brief stint in the oven, and some cooling time – and you have a ton of granola that is good for weeks in the pantry. I love to use it on everything – from crunchy streusel toppings, to yogurt parfaits, to ice cream…

If you’ve not made granola at home yet, definitely give this a try. A great recipe to make with the little ones, too. They’ll love having it for breakfast in the morning throughout the week!

Vanilla-Almond Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup whole almonds, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the honey, olive oil, vanilla, and almond extracts. Mix until well combined.

Dump granola mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 300 for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple of times in the process. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Source: adapted from King Arthur Flour

Broccoli Slaw

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broccolislaw

Have you guys hopped on board the spiralizer bandwagon yet? I hadn’t, but have wanted to for quite some time. So when OXO reached out to me to give their new Countertop Spiralizer model a try, I was happy to oblige.

I opted for the the standard zucchini noodle to get my “feet wet”, and then quickly found myself spiralizing everything I could get my hands on. It’s so much fun to use! Couldn’t be any easier to clean or store, and has three different blades for a plethora of slicing needs. spiralizer

Like curly fries! I’m trying to think on the healthy side – but it’s hard to deny the fact that for me this is groundbreaking. Curly fries. Sprinkled with Old Bay. From the comfort of my own home. Ya heard?

Of all the things I passed through this little gadget last week, I think I had the most fun with broccoli stems. I always felt so bad tossing them in the trash on the regular, so believe me when I say it felt so good to make this delicious, crunchy, and tangy slaw with those big green stalks!

What a great way to stretch a buck, and good for you to boot! I mixed with some shredded green and red cabbage, as well as some shredded carrot for a little additional crunch and pop of color. Would be the perfect addition to any potluck party table.

Broccoli Slaw

2 large broccoli stems, spiralized or shredded
1 cup thinly shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, vinegar, honey, and celery seed.

Add in broccoli, shredded cabbage, carrots, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, and season to taste.

Cover and refrigerate for and hour to let flavors meld before serving.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at OXO. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Garlic Herb Seasoned Salt

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Garlic Herb Salt

Back at Christmas time I bought an insane amount of pre-peeled garlic due to poor grocery shopping planning, and needed something to do with it. I’d remembered a recipe they’d talked about on The Splendid Table a while back for homemade seasoned salt using fresh garlic, and decided that since I had a plethora of the stuff that I needed something to do with…this was the perfect opportunity to try out said recipe.

You guys, it’s been pretty much the only seasoning I’ve used since then – save chili powder and cumin. Not a meal goes by that I don’t find myself dipping into the stuff. I keep a mason jar curing of it at all times, just because it’s so perfect to use on everything – any protein under the sun, to any vegetable or starch you can throw at it! It really heightens the flavor of whatever it is you use it on, without overwhelming it…which many store-bought seasoning blends tend to do!

I roasted the garlic first – to intensify and deepen the flavors. Then, toss it into bunch of salt along with some freshly chopped herbs. Any mix of your favorite will do – I’ve been using rosemary and thyme recently, just because it’s been pretty readily available during the cold months.

However now that it’s warming up and I’m starting to think about my herb garden – I’m looking forward to experimenting with different blends of herbs this season. I also think that bit of citrus zest would also be a welcome addition to the party! Or maybe a smidge of lavender for an Herbes de Provance twist? Have fun with it, you can’t mess this one up!

Garlic Herb Seasoned Salt

20 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp olive oil
1.5 cups kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, removed from stems
1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves, removed from stems

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place garlic in small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Place garlic in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until brown on the edges and fragrant. Roughly chop and set aside.

Combine kosher salt, roasted garlic, and herbs into a quart size mason jar. Seal with a lid and shake well to combine. Store in a dark space, shaking occasionally every other day or so, for about 5 days.

Place salt infusion into a food processor and blend for a few pulses until garlic and herbs are mostly chopped and uniform. Place back into the mason jar or another airtight container for storage.

Source: adapted from The Splendid Table