As promised, here’s
Part 2 of Mexico’s weekend bake. Pan de
Muerto summarizes the celebration of Día de los Muertos. It includes the
bones to represent us all at death and our loved ones who’ve passed on from
this life. And, of course, it is food from which smells and tastes evoke many memories
from childhood, recent experiences, and people in our lives past and present.
Origins of Pan de Muerto: While there are multiple stories about its true origins, it seems the Spanish are the ones who contributed the recipe and reason. For the catholic celebration of “All Souls Day” (November 2), the Spanish would (still do) visit graves of loved ones and leave a sweet bread (like Pan de Muerto), flowers, and candles lit so the dead could find their way. This tradition influenced the Pan de Muerto of today. The round shape represents the body, the bone-shaped ovals across the bread represent the body’s bones, and the round ball on the top represents the skull. Today, it can still be left at cemeteries and/or enjoyed en familia to remember the past.
Pan de Muerto (recipe linked) is a rich, buttery sweet bread normally enjoyed with Mexican hot chocolate. The recipe I followed incorporated anise seed, orange zest, and an orange glaze on top. Thanks to The Spruce Eats for the recipe.
Pan de Muerto…
Everything you need to make the bread…
Butter and dry ingredients…
This order seemed a bit
odd to me since in other breads I’ve made, I mixed or added the butter with the
liquids.
Liquid ingredients and orange zest in separate bowl…
And it’s a party… all together…
And we knead, adding more flour as necessary…
Such a pretty ball of dough! 😊 Notice the seeds and orange zest.
Back in the bowl, after about an hour, and it has risen…
Removed about a ¼ of the dough and shaped into 2 lines of bones and a round ball for a skull
Everything together and ready for the 2nd rise…
And it has risen… a little lopsided, though… oops!! What will happen in the oven?
Fresh out of the oven. Well, the lopsided dough produced lopsided bread.
Cooled loaf with an orange sugar glaze brushed on top…
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with this traditional Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) from Mexico City. It's sweet and light with orange zest and anise seed in the dough topped with a sweet orange, sugar glaze. This recipe is adapted from https://www.thespruceeats.com/pan-de-muerto-2343007.
Combine butter, sugar, anise seed, salt, and ⅓ cup flour in a bowl of a standing mixer (or a regular mixing bowl mixing by hand) and mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and orange zest.
Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture alternating with a ½ cup flour and mix well.
Add the yeast and another ½ cup flour mixing until combined.
Add the remaining flour slowly, 1 cup at a time until dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly sprayed bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel for an 1 hour 30 minutes (dough should double in size)
Remove dough from bowl and deflate.
Separate about ¼ of the dough and use it to make 2 long bone shapes to drape across the loaf and a round ball to place on top.
Shape the rest of the dough into a flat-bottomed semi-sphere. Position the bone shapes over the top of the loaf and press gently, so they adhere to the loaf. Add the round ball to the top of the criss-crossed bones.
Allow dough to rise an additional hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F during the last 15 minutes of the rise.
Bake the loaf for about 40 minutes. (The internal temperature should be about 190°F / 88°C).
Cool completely and brush on the sweet orange glaze.
Sprinkle sugar (colored, pulverized, or superfine) on top of the glaze.
Sweet Orange Glaze Directions
In a small saucepan, whisk 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice.
Bring the mixture to boil and remove from heat.
Cool completely and brush on cooled bread
Video
Notes
Cut the bread into wedges and eat with hot chocolate.
My process thoughts…
I was not accustomed in bread making to add 6 cups of flour ½ cup at a time. I’m not sure that’s necessary since other similar breads I’ve made were not that divided.
I had no anise seed and did not want to buy another spice/herb; I have a cabinet with way too many anyway. Since I discovered that caraway is a good sub… why not.
The recipe did not call for much kneading. This bread is somewhat sweet, but the gluten should still be developed. I ended up kneading it in the mixer anyway.
I forgot to add some pulverized sugar after glazing it, still looks nice.
Final comments on the Pan de Muerto… Yummy, yummy, yummy! The bread was sweet
like brioche. The orange zest and glaze certainly added a bit of tang. I used
caraway seeds in place of anise seed, but there are recipes without the seeds,
too. I had leftover orange glaze, so we are using that for a dip or spread on
the bread… yes, please!
Thanks for reading!
Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to
move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. Stay tuned to
preview Friday for clues to next weekend’s bake.
Bolillo (Pan Francés): football shaped roll (upper left), Sopa de Lentejas: lentil soup (in bowl), Tamales Rojos de Pollo: red chicken tamales (framing bowl), and Guajillo Salsa: red chile salsa (front right corner)
Why Mexico now? In deciding on the country to bake this past weekend, it was clear it needed to be Mexico. Having taught French for many years now, I’m accustomed to being around and hearing all about Día de los Muertos from my department colleagues, i.e. Spanish educators. In fact, I think my French students are usually unhappy this time of year because they aren’t making masks of skulls and eating Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead); they forget they have Mardi Gras with masks and Galette des Rois (King Cake) with a hidden fève (lucky charm)!
As mentioned in
the preview, this is the time of year for celebration and remembrance. Día de
los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a multi-day celebration on November 1st
and 2nd in Mexico and many countries in Central and South America including
islands in the Caribbean (primarily places where there is a strong Latino
population). These two days honor friends and family members who have passed on
by visiting graves and eating food once enjoyed by the non-living.
A little about Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead is a cultural adaptation rooted in both the Aztec traditions of honoring the dead and the Catholic traditions of celebrating All Saints’ Day or All Souls’ Day with family reunions and feasts. While much resembles a mourning of death, it’s a joyful time to recognize those who have died. The decorations and costumes of skeleton, bones, and skull (which are not necessarily related to Halloween) represent the commonality of all humans after death; ultimately, all that physically remains is just skeleton and skull. Día de los Muertos costumes also include noise elements used to awaken the dead with the hopes of having the dead nearby during this time. Altars (not for worshiping), specifically created for dead loved ones that often include marigold flowers and personal items, are created in homes or at cemeteries to temporarily welcome their spirits.
Heads up!! Morbid thought… While talking of death, I hope the dishes to remember me are bread, bread, and more bread (something savory and something sweet). I’ll take soup, too since that’s my favorite dish (with bread) in the winter.
Bread is back with a vengeance. The title for the week includes “Part 1”. That’s right! This is a two-blog post week. One bake per post is probably enough, especially with other components. Today’s post focuses on the savory Día de los Muertos meal, all that you see in the first photo of the post.
Why the dishes? I chose authentic dishes common to Mexico and this time of year. Since I’ve made tortillas multiple times, tacos were not really what I had in mind. With fall as our current season including cooler days and even SNOW where I’m currently living, I really wanted soup. What goes better with soup than a traditional homemade white bread, the Mexican Bolillo. That wasn’t enough for me because I’ve wanted to make tamales for years. I can’t bake Mexico without including tamales if I’ve never made them, right?!
So, our first bread bake of the weekend… BOLILLO
Bolillo– aka Pan Francés (French bread but Mexican style): Bolillo means roll and is a simple white bread like a French baguette made into rolls (“Footballs!”, said my sports fan of a husband when he first saw them) and sliced and buttered, dunked into soups, or used to make tortas (sandwiches) or molletes (open-faced sandwiches with refried beans and cheese). The recipe I followed used an overnight starter. All in all, the recipe called for all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, water, and shortening. Thanks to 196 Flavors for the recipe.
Starter mixture with all-purpose flour, yeast, and water (NO sugar)
Next day starter mixture… AHHHH bubbles!
Starter mixture with the other ingredients: MORE flour AND yeast AND water PLUS salt and shortening
Dough before rising…
Definitely doubled!
I highly recommend a food scale, if you bake. I use mine ALL the time. Since I wanted 10 equally sized rolls, I pulled out all the stops… the scale!
…the first fold… third of the way…
Don’t forget to pinch!
…and folding it the rest of the way remembering to pinch (prevents spontaneous opening as it expands in the oven)
Flip! Seam-side down squeezing and rolling to form tails at the ends…
Before rising…
Watch them closely! They might start wiggling away. Hee, hee!
After rising…
Slit (quick slice with a serrated knife)… remember footballs… hut, hut!
Spray with water to encourage a thin crunchy crust as it bakes. No sprayer, no worries. I just spritzed using my fingers dunked in a small bowl of water.
Bolillos cooling…
Final comments on the bolillo… We enjoyed the bolillo. Given the familiar ingredients, we felt it could have been almost any bread I typically make. The difference for me, as the baker… no sugar required. BTW- Bread, in general, does not need sugar. Sugar allows yeast to grow and acts as a preservative to prolong freshness. Since I used a starter made the day before, the yeast had time to grow, thus taking the place of sugar. As we discovered, it was a hardy, crusty bread great buttered and/or dunked in the accompanying lentil soup. No need to buy it, just bake it!
Sopa de Lentejas (recipe linked to title) is a hearty, rather thick, lentil and carrot soup. The ingredients consist of lentils (cooked separately in water), onion, carrots, garlic, salt, and bay leaves cooked in chicken broth and a little tomato sauce. I cooked the soup in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven; you should never cook acid (like tomatoes) in some metal pots (like aluminum) as it causes a chemical reaction. Supposedly, stainless steel is OK. I’m still careful, though.
In the opening photo, you see the lentil soup topped with bananas, Mexican cheese crumble, and cilantro. Believe it or not, bananas (or plantains- depending on how you use them) are commonly served with lentil soup. In fact, some recipes call for plantains and pineapples cooked in the soup to add sweetness.
Now for the tamales…
Corn husks soaking in boiling water with a bowl on top to keep them submerged
Masa made with Masa Harina corn flour, salt, baking powder, shortening, and chicken broth
Carrots and potatoes boiled and then sauteéd in salt and pepper next to shredded chicken
Toasting Guajillo and Pasilla dried chile peppers (both purchased from my local Mexican grocery store) and will then be soaked in boiling water to soften
Guajillo Salsa “chopped” in mini food processor that worked great!Could’ve used my Vitamix blender, but no need.
Tamale ingredients together ready for assembly… Notice the small clear bowl of water; I decided this was needed to keep the Masa from sticking to my fingers…
My first tamale assembled!
Gotta love improvisation in the kitchen! I don’t have a pasta/rice/tamale steamer pot, sooooo… I used a large metal stock pot with a metal colander that just happened to fit inside… and it worked!
Since the tamales stuck out of the top, I just covered it with foil and added the pot lid. No problems here and no kitchen cabinets full of items I rarely use. I really like living “light”; it’s a good challenge. 😉
Steamed and ready to eat, yum!!
Tamales Rojos de Pollo (recipe linked to title) is typically a dish of corn flour dough spread onto pliable corn husks topped with a meat and sauce and then folded to seal in the filling and the dough. Since we had pork last weekend in the Larb dish from Laos, I decided it was time for chicken. BTW- we don’t eat much meat, so two weekends of meat is very unusual for us. In general, we eat more of a Flexitarian diet (mostly plant-based foods with occasional meat and dairy). The recipe I chose had shredded chicken cooked with cumin, boiled carrots and potatoes then sauteéd, and Guajillo chile pepper salsa used both on the inside of the tamale and as a topping. I chose to spread a thin layer of corn flour dough for an equal dough to filling ratio.
Since this was my first tamale experience, I would change it slightly the next time.
What would I do differently?
I read a suggestion to add enough liquid to the dough to be equivalent to peanut butter consistency, but I would actually make it a little thinner so it isn’t so dry.
I would make a recipe and a half of Guajillo salsa for additional topping since it did not make enough for both (inside and out of the tamale).
Mix the Guajillo salsa with the chicken, carrots, and potatoes instead of just layering the ingredients on top of the Masa.
*NEW* Tips Section from this past weekend’s bake:
Careful in cooking tomato products in some metal dishes as there could be an unwanted chemical reaction; sometimes this reaction changes the flavor in foods. I prefer to use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven; stainless-steel pots are appropriate, too.
Use a “meat only” cutting board on which to lay, slice, or shred meat; careful not to cross contaminate food. I have a bread board, fruit and veggie boards, and meat board. I don’t interchange them.
Try using your KitchenAid mixer to knead bread. I still hand knead at times, but the mixer helps a lot in multitasking. You can start kneading with the mixer and then finish up by hand kneading the dough until you get the bounce back indention or “stained glass” look when you stretch the dough and hold it up the light.
Keep a small bowl with warm water nearby for your hands when dealing with wet doughs like Masa Harina or sticky rice from the Laos weekend bake. Flour, of course, goes with bread doughs and a combination of flour and sugar for shaped cookie dough.
Final comments on the accompanying dishes… This weekend menu was truly just comfort food for us. Comfort food, of course, varies from person to person and culture to culture, but for us the timing of these dishes was just right (cooler weather, time for reflection, etc.). The food itself had lots of flavor and consisted of familiar ingredients (except for the chile peppers). While it was a busy weekend for me preparing and baking it all, I enjoyed the process and steps. Some of the recipes were not entirely complete, so I had to figure out some things as I went, but isn’t that the fun of baking and cooking? I’ve never made Mexican food without some sort of tomato salsa, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc. You get my point? These condiments and sides in the way I’ve had them are very much Tex-Mex, but not all authentic Mexican meals include these items. I was pleased that I could enjoy Mexican food without the extra stuff including tons of cheese. The lentil soup was as expected, but the bananas on top were a complete surprise. The bananas added a nice sweetness to the dish, but a little goes a long way. I have to say, I doubted my tamale making abilities and felt incompetent as I was making them, but some how they turned out OK, good actually. Making tamales requires practice and a “feel” for it. I want to make those again because now I get it.
My takeaway on Mexico… With the approach of the holiday season for people all over the world, it’s a good time to reflect on the past. While I have been experimenting with bread dishes new to me over the past few weeks, it was nice to get back to the basics of bread baking. I thought a lot about my grandmother this past weekend who has passed on but was known in her town for her homemade yeast rolls. Día de los Muertos offered me the opportunity to start my “thanksgiving” early. Día de los Muertos, Thanksgiving, whatever you want to call it in any language or country, should be a time for reflection and remembering important people in our lives from our past and present. For me, it puts life in perspective and reminds me of what’s important. Tis the season!
Remember!! Mexico post #2 coming VERY
soon!
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. More to come! Hey, I have another post this week with another bake to share.
Khao Niew: sticky rice (upper left), Tum Mark Hoong: green papaya salad (bottom left), Khao Jee: sticky rice patties (center with fresh veggies), and Larb: meat salad (far right)
Can’t ignore Laos… Although Laos celebrated Independence Day from its so-called union with France on July 19 and will celebrate its National Day on December 2, the date it became a democratic republic, the country gained its FULL independence from France on October 22, 1953. This is a time for remembrance; a time to revel in its traditions that make it unique.
So, what about Laos? Laos is a landlocked country in
Southeast Asia bordered by China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand with
heavy cultural food influence from Thailand (and France, but we’ll talk about
THAT later). Agriculture is its primary economic mainstay thus rice, rice,
rice, and more rice is and has always been this country’s life sustenance. Laotians
identify with rice more than any other food. It’s like a religion to them; it’s
a part of every meal and they can’t imagine eating without it.
Seriously! No “bread” this weekend? Whaaaaaaaaaat?
In looking at the
photos, you quickly notice my bread baking weekend did not include bread. How’s
that!? Well, when I decided to “bake” Laos, I discovered there’s no bake; it’s
a rice culture not wheat.
Ok, so you’re thinking… “well, there’s rice flour, so what’s the problem?” Yes, but that’s NOT how Laos traditionally used or currently uses rice.
Ok, so maybe now you’re thinking… “well, there are French baguettes used to make the Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches found all over Vientiane, the capital city of Laos.” Yes, but that’s where I draw the line… that is French influence (and Vietnamese) during the early 1900s. I want to “bake” Laos, the authentic Laos.
In honoring its
independence, it’s only right to focus only on its culture, not its recent
influences. Sorry France, as a French teacher you have my heart, but it’s only
right to respect other cultures; your time is coming.
This “lack-of-bake” discovery made me rethink my original goal of this adventure… “bake a bread from every country because all countries have some sort of bread in their culture.” What is bread, really? My perspective of bread does not refer to its typical ingredients of flour, water, salt, sugar, and yeast (or flour and water at its core) but refers to its PURPOSE.
It is bread’s purpose that binds us (or our food). Hmmm… I don’t think you can argue that bread is a vehicle, a means to consume food. It holds meat and cheese and sops up pasta sauce, soup, or gravy. It’s a simple food eaten with anything savory or sweet. It’s cheap, filling, and devoured by every social class throughout history. Even in the Bible, Christ’s says he is the “Bread of Life”, meaning that all who follow will never hunger or thirst. Bread has always been the sustenance of life (and spiritual, too). Bread in all shapes and sizes from a loaf, to a biscuit, to a tortilla appeals to people and cultures. Even those with health issues such as Celiac disease may not flock to bread; however, there are MANY different gluten-free flour options available. However you look at it and from whatever perspective, we still LOVE and eat our bread!
Hmmm… doesn’t rice do the same, serve the same purpose? As I delved into the history and culture of Laos this past week, I realized that while the traditional Laotian (Lao) culture did not bake bread, the meals still included the typical elements. For the Laotian culture, rice is their bread; it’s eaten at all meals, used to scoop up meat dishes, and sop up sauces. It’s a simple food eaten with anything savory or sweet… need I go on? In fact, it has its own religious purpose. As a predominately Buddhist nation, Laotians throw rice in the air after communal prayers and rub it on a dying person to dismiss bad spirits.
Laotians (and
other southeast Asian countries) grow sticky rice or sweet rice aka glutinous
rice (it has NO gluten); it’s called glutinous rice because it’s sticky, like
glue. Since it binds well, it’s used as a utensil to pick up food; it’s a
vehicle for food consumption. If you have an abundance of sticky rice, why do
you need bread? Btw- sticky rice is much easier to prepare than bread; however,
growing it is another story. It requires, heat, lots of water, and more human
labor than you can imagine.
Fun fact: Laotians consume more sticky
rice than any other country/culture on the planet.
National dishes… In honor of Laos, I chose traditional
dishes, unofficial national dishes, since they are found and eaten all over
Laos. The dishes in the first photo of the post are what you would see in
almost any restaurant or home in Laos.
We’ll start
with the bread, I mean rice (all the same for my purposes 😊)
Khao Jee (sticky rice patties) Since I’ve already touched on sticky rice, I’ll cover the steaming process as well as turning it into patties. I made two batches of sticky rice; the first was made in the morning to be cool enough for making patties later in the day, and the second batch was made just before dinner so it would be warm and easily pliable for utensil usage. Thanks to International Cuisine for the sticky rice directions and Rosas Yummy Yums for a basic rice patty with egg.
Dry Thai sweet (sticky) rice purchased from a local Asian marketSticky rice soaking in water and will soak for about 12 hoursBoiling shallow water in bottom pot; remember we are steamingNo traditional bamboo basket, so we improvised… soaked rice on parchment paper in a metal strainer on top of the boiling shallow waterCovered for 15 – 20 minutes while it steamsAnd FLIP! The rice from the strainer was flipped in the top steamer pot lined with parchment paper (for easy removal) and then covered again for another 10 minutes until done (notice two pots, the bottom has the boiling shallow water and the top has steamer holes covered with parchment paper)Rice cooked and cooling for the pattiesMaking rice patties: cooled rice shaped into rounds, water to keep rice from sticking to your hands, salt, neutral oil for cooking, and eggs for dredging and brushing on during cookingEgg-dipped rice patties cooking in oilAnd done!
Final comments on the rice… I felt guilty by only steaming rice and putting it on the table for my “baking” adventure, so I added the patties allowing me to knead the dough and flour my hands to prevent sticking (I mean, shape the rice into rounds and water my hands to prevent sticking). Both sticky rice and patties are a staple in Laos. The rice was simple and although I did not have the bamboo basket for steaming or the traditional pot for boiling water, my improvisation worked wonderfully! As I mentioned in my original post; while authenticity is important in understanding and appreciating others, baking the world needs to be accessible in order to do it. If you only have a pot with a lid and metal strainer (or flat splatter guard and metal bowl as a cover), you can steam rice.
The accompanying dishes…
Tum Mark Hoong: green papaya salad
Tum Mark Hoong (recipe linked to title) is an unripe green papaya cold salad mixed with Thai eggplant, long bean (green bean in my case) in a “sauce” made from cherry tomatoes, chili pepper, shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime, and garlic. Traditionally, the ingredients are pounded together using a large mortar and pestle until everything has softened and blended. The actual Laotian word for this dish means “pounded sour”.
Well, guess what? No mortar and pestle on my end, so we improvised, yet again. I simply minced the garlic, smashed the chopped chilis in a plastic bag, and used my hands to message everything until soft and blended; surprisingly it WORKED.
Ingredients for the Tum Mark Hoong salad: papaya, Thai eggplant, and shrimp paste (in the bag) were purchased from my local Asian marketLarb: meat salad made with pork and the special ingredient Khao Khua (toasted rice powder)
Larb-or spelled “larp”, “laap”, “laab”, but pronounced lap (recipe linked to title) is a meat salad made with chicken, pork, duck, or beef served with raw veggies on the side (see first photo of post). It is mixed with fish sauce, lime juice, scallions, shallots, garlic, chili peppers, fresh herbs such as cilantro and mint and its special ingredient, toasted rice powder.
Larb ingredients minus the ground pork that is cooking in the pan: lime juice, chili pepper, shallots, scallions, mint and cilantroDry sticky rice toasting to be ground and added to the LarbAlthough, using a mortar and pestle are ideal to produce a course rice powder… improvisation took me to my pepper mill… still worked
Final comments on the accompanying dishes… Like Ethiopia last weekend, this was another meal without utensils, at least my normal utensils. I’m starting to see a pattern with “older” countries.
The food was very flavorful. The papaya was interesting; in shredding it, I was sure it would be crunchy and unappetizing; however, massaging it with the other ingredients softened it and filled it with flavor. There was a noticeable shrimp taste from the shrimp paste, but combined with other ingredients, it was good. The Larb had a tasty distinctive flavor clearly from the toasted rice powder. I’m convinced that true Larb must contain the toasted rice powder; to me, it was a tiny bit reminiscent of popped popcorn. I never thought ground pork could take on a different flavor until I tasted this dish with rice powder.
I served this meal on the plates and in the bowls you see in the first photo of the post. My husband and I ate communal style using the sticky rice and lettuce leaves as utensils to scoop up the food. Now, I understand why the rice needs to be sticky. If used as a utensil, you should grab a mound of it, flatten or round it out, and scoop; you couldn’t do this with regular rice as the grains wouldn’t stick together.
My takeaway on Laos… As mentioned, my biggest takeaway is certainly a different perspective on bread. Thinking about bread as its purpose in a meal resonates with rice cultures where bread is not a traditional staple (Wait, what! That sounds like an oxymoron). Bread or rice, rice or bread, whichever it is, it brings people together, all people, regardless of class, status, or even spiritual beliefs. Bread or rice is the foundation of food and cultures. And as diets change (dietary necessity or whatever the reason), we still find ways of creating that “bread or rice” need at a table with alternate flour or even vegetables, like lettuce, as a vehicle for grabbing food. Based on these two recent posts, I’m starting to see a back-in-time communal, utensil-free table as a means to bring people back together, maybe closer than some would like. Is that such a bad idea… old becomes new again.
Thanks for
reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I
continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture.
Check back this Friday for a clue to see where my next adventure will take us!
Injera Bread (covering plate and rolled between dishes), Miser Wat (top), Key Sire Alicha (center left), Gomen (center), Shiro Wat (center right), Kik Alicha (bottom)
Why Ethiopia? Coincidentally, congratulations to Prime Minister Ably Ahmed Ali for winning the
2019 Nobel Peace Prize that was announced this past Friday “for his efforts to
achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive
initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea.” (as
described in The Nobel Peace Prize press
release)
On a personal level, I have my own reasons for choosing Ethiopia this weekend. Ethiopia is a free country having never been colonized, thus there is no “Independence Day” to celebrate. So, I asked myself “when am I going to bake Ethiopia”? This weekend was as good as any.
My Ethiopia inspiration came several years ago when my husband and I attended a Banff film festival. Having no connection with Ethiopia, I was taken aback and became interested in the country when we saw a short 25-minute documentary about the physician, Rick Hodes, who moved to Ethiopia to help the sick and diseased. There is a book and movie about his professional life, but it was this short documentary that caught my attention. Entitled “Making the Crooked Straight”, the documentary revealed that this incredible man, in addition to treating the sick, adopted the legal limit of 5 children in Ethiopia so he could support their healthcare and provide them with opportunities for a successful future.
His story, in fact, inspired me and my husband to research closely the Peace Corps and attend a detailed informational meeting. We were at a crossroads at that time in our lives and that idea really spoke to us. Granted, we ended up following a different path due to an unexpected opportunity, but Dr. Hodes’ story triggered self-reflection and discussion about what we wanted out of life and how we could give back and help others in a meaningful way based on our experience and expertise (which was the key to this desire). We have since put systems in place to do that very thing. Thank you, Dr. Hodes, for the life you lead.
A little history? Ethiopia is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa known to be the country of the first people. It is diverse with cultural influence from surrounding countries having hosted many refugees over the years. Agriculture and cattle raising represent the majority of Ethiopia’s life blood and it produces common staple grains like teff (used in making the country’s specialty bread, injera) and coffee, its biggest export. Ethiopia uses a variety of spices in its cuisine like those in India. We can thank trade between the Middle East, Asia, and the Mediterranean for enriching Ethiopia with such flavorful cuisine.
Why the chosen dishes? Majority of Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians, Jews, or Muslims and thus exclude animal and dairy product consumption during different fasting periods. Consequently, Ethiopian cuisine includes many vegetarian and vegan dishes. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can certainly be well fed in most restaurants or homes. If you crave meat, there are plenty of dishes to satisfy your needs as well.
A couple of
years ago, the international school where I was teaching had an African
celebration luncheon. It was the first time I tried injera (the Ethiopian sponge bread that resembles a pancake). As an
avid baker who dabbles in all sorts of bread, I was fascinated by the texture
and taste and knew I had to give it a go some day.
When I decided on baking Ethiopia, I had to plan a week in advance. Injera is a 5-day bread making process IF you choose to make it authentically using the naturally fermented yeast that the teff flour and water create. So, I had to prepare well ahead of time to plan the bake for this country.
In my research of Ethiopian cuisine, I decided a good representation of the country’s people and cuisine would be a meal of Yetsom Beyaynetu (vegetarian combination platter), hence the dishes you see in the first photo.
We’ll start
with the bread…
What is injera? Injera is a sourdough flatbread that has been eaten pretty much at every Ethiopian meal for centuries. It serves as a plate on which food is served communal style. It is the utensil needed to scoop the food. In fact, it makes a great edible napkin on which to leave the yummy food residue left on your fingers.
**Etiquette note** never lick your fingers during a communal meal; it’s gross and repulsive!!
While the traditional authentic recipe is as simple as it can be (100% teff flour and water), it is the most complex bread I have ever made. Btw- I make at least 2 loaves of bread a week and have been for many years including all sorts of yeast breads. This was a challenge I did NOT master.
The injera process… Day 1 of 5 began the process… a simple mixture of teff flour and water. There are many recipes available that use a combination of flours with baking soda, a little salt and even commercial yeast to decrease the fermentation time. I decided to go all in (as authentic as possible) needless to say, my kitchen smelled a bit sour during the last 3 days of fermentation. But it was worth it. Thanks to the Daring Gourmet for the recipe.
Day 2 of fermentation: notice the yeast beginning to form on the water that sits above the clay colored wet flour
Day 5 of fermentation: notice the difference in yeast growth from Day 2
This is what was left after pouring off the top-yeasted liquid.
Now this looks edible! This is the final batter after a cup of boiling water was added to “cook” it.
First try at cooking the batter…
DISASTER!!
Another try. I managed to get some bubbles, but they didn’t last.
Final product: not great but this is as good as it gets for me and it was edible
Final comments on the injera… I followed the recipe linked above. Since I have never made naturally occurring yeast, I was VERY skeptical of the “mold” and sour smell. In fact, I was tempted to throw it out on day 4; however, after reading online that that was normal, I decided to move forward with what I had. I don’t know if I will make it again, but it was a very interesting experience. My husband and I decided that the injera was an appropriate bread for the dishes that accompanied it. The simple sour bread was a great vehicle for eating such flavorful food. It really worked and I totally understand its purpose in Ethiopian cuisine.
What did NOT work for me…
I could not get the bubbles to stay popped as the batter cooked. They closed during the heating process. I tried making both pancake thick and crepe thin injera as well as raising and lowering the temperature, but I just didn’t get it right. I read that even some native Ethiopians have difficulty cooking it correctly. I also read that other recipes (that use commercial yeast and baking soda) might be a little easier, but I was adamant about authenticity on this one.
The 5 accompanying dishes…
Kik Alicha (yellow split pea stew- on the left) and Miser Wat (spiced red lentils- on the right)
Both the Kik Alicha and Miser Wat recipes were simple and are linked to their titles. The yellow in the split pea stew is a result of the turmeric. The red coloring in the red lentils is from the homemade Berbere spice I made since I couldn’t locate it in my grocery store. It can be bought online, but I had most of the ingredients to make my own, so why not. Here’s the Berbere spice recipe I used. You can use seeds and/or ground spices depending on what you have on hand or can locate. For the seeds I have in that form, I simply toasted them and put them in my pepper mill to grind them; it worked well.
Seeds toasting for the Berbere spice blend
Final homemade Berbere spice blend with both toasted spices that were ground down in a pepper mill mixed with purchased ground spices
What I would do differently… Both recipes turned out great. I wouldn’t do anything differently. I added more paprika to the red lentils as they were cooking in order to get a deeper red color, and I added salt to taste for both dishes. We enjoyed them and it was so gratifying for me, “the chef”, to include a homemade element, the Berbere spice blend.
Shiro Wat (top), Gomen ((bottom left), and Key Sire Alicha (bottom right)
Shiro Wat (recipe linked to the
title) is a creamy dish made primarily with pureed onion, tomato, oil, chickpea
flour and Berbere spice with the ever so important Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian
spiced clarified butter). This dish has lots of Berbere spice for heat. It is
an iconic dish and is almost always part of the vegetarian platter. I made my
own Ethiopian
Spiced Clarified Butter (recipe is linked to the title) so I could, again,
create a dish as authentic as I could make it (pictures below).
Gomen (recipe linked to the
title) refers to the sauteed collard greens cooked with onion and garlic. This
is a very simple greens dish seasoned with salt.
Key Sire Alicha (recipe linked to the title) is a simple stew containing beets, potatoes, and carrots seasoned with turmeric, garlic, onion, vinegar, and salt to taste. The veggies cook in a little water to soften. The flavor is simple. The turmeric and vegetable combination differentiates this vegetable dish from stewed vegetable dishes found in other countries.
homemade Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced clarified butter) which is butter simmered for an hour or so with another 9 ingredients… It is strained and chilled to firm.
The leftovers after the butter is stained… it looks a bit repulsive here but smelled nice.
And final product… looks and smells good after all the simmering and straining. I can’t wait to use it in other dishes.
Final comments on the accompanying dishes… We were pleasantly surprised at how all the dishes, including the injera, came together to create such a cohesive meal. What you see in the final presentation picture at the beginning of the post is exactly how it was served and eaten, a communal plate. We used the rolled injera to scoop up the food (no utensils). What was interesting about the dishes together was the variety; you have the rich satisfying grain dishes along with the simple natural tasting vegetables that added freshness to the meal. It was indeed a complete, filling meal.
My takeaway for Ethiopia… During this adventure in Ethiopia, we came to understand and appreciate togetherness in the sense that when you share a meal, truly share a meal by eating from the same plate, you connect in a way that you never can when your head is looking down at your own. Communal eating almost forces you to look at one another, pay attention to others’ movements, and ultimately encourages discussion due to the intimate environment. I, for one, think the Ethiopians have it figured out. I mean, maybe communal eating is a way to communicate with your kids around the dinner table; wouldn’t hurt to try. Ethiopia… hmmm… an always liberated country, unity in pride (which has kept them liberated), recently acquired Nobel Peace Prize, and the people’s love for diversity in languages and cultures. Something to ponder…
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. Check back this Friday for a clue to where my next adventure will take us!
Pisto Manchego- top (vegetable stew topped with Manchego cheese), Pan Rustica- bottom left (rustic white bread), and Tortilla de Patatas- bottom right (potato omelet)
Why Spain? When I started this journey, I knew I
wanted to “bake Spain” sooner than later.
I chaperoned a
small group of students to Spain and France a few years ago. During the Spain
portion of this trip, we spent some time in Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and
Zaragoza. While all cities/towns were wonderful in their own way, I fell in
love with Toledo. Maybe it was the beautiful day, the quiet quaint city far
from the hustle and bustle of life, or because we took a cooking class on the top
floor of a restaurant surrounded by windows looking out over the beautiful
town; regardless Toledo left a lasting impression. Since that trip I have
wanted to replicate the meal we had that day. Now I have a reason…
The preview picture from last week was taken from the balcony of the following picture where we spent our noon time preparing lunch.
Why the chosen dishes? On this charming cooking day in Toledo, you can see in the picture that each station has bowls of potatoes and onions. This was the day we learned to make the traditional Tortilla de Patatas (Potato Omelet). This dish is a specialty of the Iberian Peninsula (the southern part of Europe that includes Portugal, Spain, and Andorra, small country between Spain and France). As a tourist… it’s a must-eat dish if visiting Spain.
During this trip, we ate a lot of tapas (small bites of most any dish usually served on bread). Tapas make a great lunch or snack, thus I wanted to make a simple bread that could be the base of any tapas. That led me to Pan Rustica (simple rustic bread). Locals consider the Pan Rustica the most authentic type of Spanish bread and is still made using the same basic recipe that has been followed for centuries.
Just close your eyes and imagine breaking bread with Spaniard Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus (0388), Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon (1474), Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547), or Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881). Let’s throw in Spanish actress and singer Charo for good measure. Now that’s a dinner party I wouldn’t want to miss!!
The potato omelet is served at any meal and often with a salad. Since we were eating this dish for dinner, I decided to put more effort into it than making a salad… something more traditional… thus Pisto Manchego (stewed vegetables). This dish originated in “La Mancha” region of Spain (central), hence the second half of the title… Manchego… of which many of us know as yummy Spanish cheese.
Now the bake…
The Pan Rustica… As one of the oldest breads in Spain, you can’t bake Spain without including this bread. Olive oil is the differentiating ingredient. The recipe is basic and includes bread flour, water, salt, and yeast… it’s the olive oil that keeps it moist and adds a unique flavor. Thank you to foodlove.com for the recipe that made 2 loaves. The website picture is so much prettier than mine. I’ll touch on this in my final comments… don’t make the same mistakes I did. 😊
Kitchen aid mixing… woo-hoo… more time to cut veggies for the other dishes!It’s rising!!
Yikes! This baby is about to blow! (Btw- peppers and onions cooking left and zucchini and eggplant cooking right… both are for the Pisto)
Second rise of both loaves sitting on a large baking pan covered in cornmeal
Oops! First attempt at scoring bread. I really wanted it to look like artisan bread; I need more practice.
Fresh out of the oven!
Final bread
Final comments on the Pan Rustica… I followed the recipe linked above. The actual
preparation went very well. I was pleased throughout the process. It tasted as
we expected, a simple bread with a hint of extra virgin olive oil… great to
accompany a stew or used as a tapas base.
What did NOT work for me…
I scored the bread too deeply (should only be ¼ to ½ inch deep). I watched a video on how to score bread prior to doing so, but the key is practice, practice, practice… I’ll be doing more of that.
I really wanted that floured top look that you see in the bakeries. Although, I felt like I floured the loaves well before allowing them to rise, it wasn’t enough. Next time… more flour to dust the top!
The accompanying dishes…
Tortilla de patatas(click on the title for the recipe), not the Mexican flour tortilla. This is known as a Spanish omelet, like a frittata from Italy without the cheese. The basic recipe is sliced potatoes cooked in olive oil, onions (highly debatable in Spain, but my cooking class included them), eggs, and salt. I followed the recipe, but my picture isn’t as pretty as it could be. The dish itself was flavorful from the olive oil and salt and a nice change from a standard omelet or frittata. It was good to have a side dish of veggies. Since I thinly sliced the potatoes as directed in the recipe, the omelet seemed more like a potato gratin (scalloped potatoes) because of the layers of potatoes.
What I would do DIFFERENTLY…
Use a 10-inch skillet because my omelet was thinner than I thought it would be; I used a 12-inch skillet. I’ve made frittatas before in a 10-inch skillet and that was just the right size.
Drain well the oil from the potatoes before adding them to the eggs. I ended up spooning out some of the oil as the omelet was cooking; there was too much.
You can see from the photo that one side did not brown… my skillet was partially off the burner… oops!!
Consider cutting up the potatoes into thin chunks so the egg can be dispersed more.
Pisto Manchego (click on the title for the recipe) reminds me of the French ratatouille (stewed vegetables) with a slice of Manchego cheese on top or a fried egg added upon serving (I added the cheese instead since I had an egg dish to accompany it). This dish included lots of veggies and you could taste the individual veggies since they were cooked somewhat separately (peppers / onions together and eggplant / zucchini together). I used onion, green pepper, red pepper, orange pepper (instead of another green), eggplant, and zucchini. These were all cooked in olive oil. Crushed tomatoes, a bit of sugar, and salt to taste rounded out the dish. Since this dish was light, it was an appropriate side to the heavy omelet.
Final comments on the accompanying dishes… We enjoyed another meal that allowed us to focus on a different part of the world and gave me an opportunity to reflect on my trip to Spain. With my third week into this adventure, I’m reminded, yet again, that quality is the key to good food. So many countries have basic, inexpensive ingredients in traditional dishes that are flavorful and good for the soul (as they can take you back in time, connect you to others, or remind you of an experience).
What makes this adventure meaningful for me is to connect these dishes with a little history. As we eat, we think about the people long before us who created these historical dishes and their influence of other countries and cultures at the time. For example, the Pisto (stewed veggies) was influenced by the Moors when they ruled the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and since has become such an iconic dish of Spain. In fact, modern day Spanish cuisine was influenced by Arabic flavors.
My takeaway for Spain…Without our connections to the world and other cultures (past, present, and future), think about what we might have missed or could be missing that makes us who we are and will become.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. Check back this Friday for a clue (or two) as to where my next adventure will take us!
Happy Botswana Day! September 30, 1966 was the day in history when Botswana gained its independence from Great Britain. In honor of this special day, I decided to focus my weekend baking and cooking adventure on this special celebration. The dishes you see in the photo are the national dishes of Botswana and are eaten today and any other day of celebration. Thank you, Botswana, for enriching other cultures with your story and your cuisine.
So, how did I really arrive at Botswana? As an educator, I’m trained to make connections between ideas and concepts, big and small. Thus, in deciding on my next adventure, I wanted to make it meaningful and not a spin the globe and touch a country kind of decision (although, that would be OK, too). In my search, I stumbled on a site discussing national egg day… well, reading about national egg day gave me my “aha” moment. It was then that I realized I could focus some of my weekends on national independence days and, of course, why not? I could very well touch on countries I wouldn’t otherwise. And to be honest… I did. There are countries with independence days every week; however, I only wanted to focus on one that had it on the day of my baking (Sunday) or the day I blogged about it (Monday). So, Botswana it was… or is.
And why not a touch of Botswana history, too? Botswana is in the southern part of Africa, just north of South Africa and between Namibia and Zimbabwe. In looking at a map, you quickly notice that Botswana is a landlocked country thus providing some reasoning for its traditional cuisine. At one time, Botswana was considered one of the poorest countries in Africa; it has since encountered an economic boom thanks in large part to raising livestock and tourism (yes, African Safaris). This bit of history and information is important in understanding and appreciating the cuisine.
The national cuisine of Botswana reflects its availability. Wheat is not a grain commonly grown in Botswana like maize (corn) due to deserts and unfavorable agricultural conditions, although wheat found in Botswana is grown in South Africa and is imported. So, Botswana is not as known for its bread baking as it is slow-cooked meats and porridge (polenta, etc.).
The national cuisine of Botswana is based on simple flavors directly from the whole foods themselves… what a concept! Think about it; if we cook with quality whole ingredients, why should we drown them (cover them up) in additional flavorings? This, friends, is my biggest takeaway from this baking/cooking adventure. I’ll explain more in talking about the dishes and in my final comments.
Since this is primarily a baking adventure, I’ll focus on the bread; however, I must talk about the accompanying cuisine as I think those dishes are more reflective of the people and culture.
My Diphaphata Baking Journey… Dipha… what? It is properly pronounced ‘dee-pah-PAH-tah’ and is a flatbread made mostly of flour and water or milk. It is commonly eaten for breakfast with butter and jam or at a meal with stew. Some recipes call for yeast while others use baking powder instead. With two different types of recipes, I decided to make half recipes of both. The yeast recipe is from A Hungry African Original and the baking powder version came from an online version of the book “Extending the Table: Recipes and Stories from Argentina to Zambia”.
the yeast dough cooking in a dry skillet for a few minutes on each sidethe baking powder dough cooking in a dry skillet for a few minutes on each sidefinal bread
Final comments on the Diphaphata… While both versions look very much alike (English muffin, perhaps?), the raw dough felt differently, and the baked flatbread tasted differently. The yeast dough was stretchy and rolled like pizza dough (elastic that required some rest to conform to its new shape before additional rolling) while the baking powder version felt like the American biscuit (no stretch). Both were very dense since neither one required much rising time. The yeast was apparent in the yeast bread and tasted very much like a simple yeast bread while the baking powder version had a crumb, like a biscuit (not a British cookie 😊) and tasted like a biscuit, but denser. I had difficulty ensuring a cooked center since the browned outside was misleading. Regardless of the version, they were made from simple ingredients and tasted simple. They were good for sopping up liquid from the accompanying dishes and/or split topped with butter.
Seswaa (slow-cooked beef short ribs) placed on top of Phalethe (medium grind yellow cornmeal cooked in the Seswaa juices) below the Morogo (sauteed spinach and stems, rainbow chard and stems, onion, salt, and pepper)
The accompanying dishes… The accompanying dishes were quite
interesting as the flavors were simple allowing focus on the main ingredient in
each dish.
Seswaa(click on the name for the recipe) is slow-cooked meat, beef mostly (but also lamb and goat), cooked in water, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. That’s it! I selected a quality grass-fed beef short rib since a bone-in meat is the key to making this dish authentic, though any type of chuck will work. Cooking on the bones allows for additional flavoring and provides an automatic timer for doneness (when the meat falls off the bones, the meat is done… that simple).
Phalethe(Pap) (click on the name for the recipe) is like the Italian polenta, a cooked maize (corn) dish, aka porridge in other countries. Again, a very simple dish usually made with water and salt. In thinking of Botswana, I really did not want to be wasteful with this meal and wanted to use and consume all that I could, so I chose to replace the water with the broth (the cooking liquid from the Seswaa). Wow! You want to talk about flavor… I simply boiled 2 cups of the meat cooking liquid and added a cup of cornmeal (I was unable to find white cornmeal, so I used yellow instead). That’s it!
Morogo(click on the name for the recipe) is basically a term for leafy greens. The primary leafy green eaten in Botswana is Amaranth (aka pigweed), but that is not easily located in the US, so spinach is an appropriate substitute. I sautéed spinach and stems, rainbow chard with stems, and an onion, salt, and pepper in a little neutral oil. That’s it! Again, the goal of this dish was simplicity and not to be wasteful.
Final comments on the accompanying
dishes… As my husband
and I were eating this meal, we talked primarily about its simplicity and how
quality, real, whole foods don’t need all the extra ingredients we (Americans) tend
to add. We were able to focus our palette on the true flavor of the meat, cornmeal,
and greens. We could taste each ingredient and appreciated them for what they were.
As I’ve said before, we tend to eat clean, but I use herbs and spices in most
of our dishes. This experience reminds me that food is good as is; the key is quality.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, like, or consider following my blog as I continue to move through the world and learn more about cuisine and culture. Check back this Friday, preview day, for a peek into my next adventure!
Hokkaido Japanese Milk Bread (using Tangzhong roux) and homemade ramen noodles
The Journey Begins…
Well, here we go! My first weekend of adventurous baking started with the Hokkaido Japanese Milk Bread and ramen noodles made from scratch. Please note that I am a home baker looking to step outside of my comfort zone in the realm of baking and cooking to challenge myself, learn some history, and discover that almost all dishes can be made at home making the culinary world accessible. Although, my plan is not to find authenticity in everything I bake but to experience the world using what I can find in my local grocery stores while still flavoring the world. In my posts, I will provide my inspiration, a little history, a link to the baking recipes, my baking process with photos, and my final comments. And so it begins…
Why bake Japan and the Japanese Milk Bread?
So, why Japan first? This past spring, my husband and I watched a documentary about a well-known Japanese Corn Bread made onsite in the New Chitose airport in Hokkaido. Being from the south (American south), when I hear cornbread, I think of a quick bread made primarily of cornmeal mixed with butter, buttermilk, and egg and then baked in the oven in a cast-iron skillet. Hold your horses with the Japanese version!! This version is a yeast roll stuffed with corn… that’s right, no cornmeal. My husband and I were so intrigued, I decided to locate the recipe (or something like it) and give it a shot. That’s when I discovered the corn is not as significant as the bread itself, hence a loaf version I made in the photo. From my search, the base of this Japanese Corn Bread is the Hokkaido Milk Bread made with the Tangzhong roux mixture (simply flour and milk or water cooked on the stove until thickened) which differentiates it from the typical yeast bread. This was the first bread I wanted to try on my culinary adventure. Thus, Japan became the first country to taste.
How About a Little Japanese Baking History?
Perhaps a taste of Japan should come with a touch of history. Hokkaido is the second largest island in Japan and is known for producing high quality milk. Supposedly, this high quality milk inspired bakers to create the flour and milk/water mixture with the idea to increase the moisture in bread ultimately producing a very light, fluffy, and rich loaf with a touch of sweetness. This extra moisture keeps the bread soft and fluffy even a couple of days after it is baked.
As for the ramen… well, its origins date back to the Chinese, but today it is found in most Japanese restaurants. So, I guess we can say… Japanese, too? Actually, in 1958, Andō Momofukuis (a Taiwanese-Japanese inventor and businessman) invented the instant ramen, thus making instant ramen Japan’s biggest invention of the 20th century. Woo, hoo! Way to go Japan!
MY Hokkaido Milk Bread Journey
For my Hokkaido Japanese milk bread journey, I chose and adapted a recipe that uses milk as the liquid in the Tangzhong roux; however, water or a mix of both is commonly used. This decision was based on what the famous Japanese Corn Bread recipe includes. Enjoy observing!
The Ingredients 2 separate mixtures for 2 loaves: back- 2 separate large bowls of flour and salt, 1 egg for each loaf, 2 separate small bowls of milk, yeast, and sugar, Tangzhong mixture is front and center (eventually divided and added to each of the 2 mixtures
A Kneading Life Saver!
A baby’s bottom that springs back after an indention (after a little more kneading by hand, of course)
Yes! They have risen! Hallelujah!
1 dough loaf divided into 4 rounds
Each dough round flattened by hand to about 6″ in diameter
The Hokkaido Japanese Milk Bread is a rich, light, and fluffy yeast bread made with ingredients traditionally found in most kitchens. This recipe was adapted from https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/japanese-milk-bread/.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Rising Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Total Time3 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 8per loaf
Author: Summer
Ingredients
Tangzhong Mixture: makes 2 loaf pans
⅓cupbread flour
1cupmilk
Dough Ingredients: makes 2 loaf pans
1cup + 2 tbspwarm milk~110˚F (44˚C)
4tspdry yeast
6tbspsugar
5½cups bread flourstart with 4½ cups and add more as needed up to 5½ cups
2tspsalt
3largeeggsdivided
4tbspbuttersoftened
Instructions
Tangzhong Mixture Preparation
Whisk and cook:Whisk the bread flour and milk in a small saucepan on low to medium heat until it thickens. (The mixture is ready when the whisk drags through the mixture leaving behind thin lines with the consistency resembling whipping cream just prior to forming soft peaks.) If you have a thermometer, the mixture should read 150˚F / 65˚C. Avoid reaching a full boil as the milk can easily scorch and take much longer to cool.
Let cool: Set the Tangzhong mixture aside to cool between 100 ˚F -110 ˚F (38˚C -44˚C).
Dough Preparation
Yeast mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Set aside about 10 minutes to allow time for the yeast to activate. The mixture is ready when it has increased in size and is frothy on top.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl or standing mixer (like a KitchenAid), combine 4 ½ cups of flour and salt.
Wet ingredients: Once the Tangzhong mixture has cooled, stir it in with the yeast mixture, add 2 lightly beaten eggs, and mix well.
Add wet to dry:Pour the Tangzhong mixture over the dry ingredients.
Knead all but butter:Using the dough hook of the standing mixer (or a spoon, if working by hand), turn the machine on low and allow the mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add butter:Add the softened butter and mix well.
Add flour as needed:Add more flour about ¼ cup at a time if the dough appears too shaggy (and really sticky). Continue to add in the flour until the dough no longer clings to the edges of the bowl but is still slightly sticky. Allow the mixer to knead the dough 5-8 minutes. (If you don’t have a standing mixer, at this point you’ll want to begin kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes).
Knead by hand:Remove the dough from the mixer and begin kneading on a lightly floured surface for an additional 10 minutes (if kneading by hand, continue to knead another 5-10 minutes) The dough is ready when an indention bounces back and is less sticky. You may divide the dough in half and knead each separately (~ 10 minutes each).
Let rise:Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (sprayed with cooking spray) or a towel and let the dough rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size. Ideally, you’ll place the bowl in a warm area. I usually set my oven to 200 ˚F / 93˚C and place the covered bowl on top of the stove near the back.
Divide dough:Once the dough has risen, divide it in half using a knife (serrated works well) and each half into fourths. This will give you 8 total dough pieces.
Flatten dough rounds: Form each dough piece into a ball shape and then flatten each in a round disc about 6 inches in diameter.
Roll up dough:Roll up each flatten piece like a cinnamon roll and lay it in a greased 9”x 5” or 8.5”x 4.5” loaf pan. You will need 2 loaf pans and place 4 dough rolls in each pan.
Let rise: Cover each loaf pan with either plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rise in a warm space for 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat oven: During the last 15 minutes of rising, set the oven to preheat at 350 ˚F/ 180 ˚C.
Brush on egg:Once the dough in each pan has risen, crack an egg into a small bowl and beat it well. Carefully brush the egg over the top of each dough loaf.
Bake and cover: Place both pans in the 350 ˚F preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cover the loaves with foil at 15-20 minutes (only if they are getting too brown) to prevent the loaves from overbrowning.
Bake and eat:Let cool in the pans for about an hour. Once cooled, remove the loaves, slice, and serve, or slice and freeze in freezer bags until ready to use. After frozen, take out desired slices when ready and thaw on the counter for an hour, or heat (20-30 seconds) in the microwave until thawed and warm.
Eat and Enjoy!!
Video
The Ramen Noodle Journey
If I bake a bread specific to a culture, I might as well go all the way and make an accompanying dish for a complete meal, right? So, that leads me to ramen. I admit, I don’t eat ramen noodles… ever; however, I can’t deny that it has a long history in Asian cultures and is considered a staple. Remember I told you that my husband and I try to eat clean, whole foods? Well, unfortunately, ramen has a bad health reputation in the western world due to all of its processing before it makes it to our mouths. BUT… it doesn’t have to be that way. So, I ventured to make it from scratch and serve it with broth and lots of veggies. What’s wrong with that minus a little extra effort? Check out the ramen noodle recipe here thanks to Instructables Cooking for an easy to follow recipe.
Final product after boiling for 4 minutes
Et Voila!
My Final Comments
The bread tasted much like a brioche. It was light, fluffy, rich and buttery. I actually ate it for lunch today as sandwich bread; it was super yummy with Havarti cheese and spinach (buttery cheese on sweet bread with fresh clean leafy spinach to cut the richness of the cheese and bread? Can’t go wrong with that!!) I would definitely make it again, though I would cut back on the baking time by around 5 minutes or so since it turned out really dark.
The ramen noodles had a nice pasta flavor of their own; be sure to salt the water like you would pasta. I would also make those again. I didn’t link to the broth recipe I made, but what you see in the bowl is basically chicken broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, a little chili powder, and some Chinese 5 spice along with sauteed cremini and shiitake mushrooms, Bok Choy, scallions, and a soft boiled egg. The broth was just ok; I would change it up next time, but the noodles were worth it!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please let me know. I would appreciate a like, a follow, or even a comment. I’ll post a preview later this week for next weekend. Hmmmm… what shall we make next?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a passion for baking. In elementary school, I recall spending days with my grandparents filled with tea parties complete with costumes, dancing, and homemade decorative cookies fresh from the oven. As an educator, I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel abroad and learn to appreciate food through cultural customs and traditions. With a change in diet due to the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, my husband and I have chosen to eat primarily clean with most everything we eat being homemade. These life experiences have led me to this journey of wanting to discover the world through baking. It is through baking from scratch where I can control the ingredients in our food and learn to appreciate the history and culture of baked goods from around the world .
About a year ago while reading a novel, I discovered the word “hardtack”, a wafer eaten by characters in the book. With an interest in baking, I decided to check it out. In my search, I found that “hardtack” is basically a hard cracker made from flour and water. With a lack of moisture, “hardtack” traveled well and was often eaten by soldiers during wartime. This discovery caused me to pause and think about how every culture has a staple “bread” based on local ingredients and tastes. I began a basic search as to what types of “bread” are specific to different countries, i.e. tortillas to Mexico, baguettes to France, etc. This realization turned into a desire to bake these “breads” to learn more about history and culture to see how we are all connected through food.
Here’s where my blogging journey begins. The goal is to bake a traditional “bread” from each country every weekend along with a traditional dish to accompany it. During my research, I’ve discovered there are many options, so I might spend a couple of weekends (maybe at different times) on one country to better understand the culture and ingredients. I plan to blog the experiences, post pictures of the process, and describe what I’ve learned. I will also include the history of the “bread” and dish in hopes to encourage others to venture out and discover the world through food in their own kitchens. Selected recipes will include ingredients located in local grocery stores or will include appropriate substitutions.
Please join me on this journey and feel free to comment with your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. For me, this blog is to share new experiences, to learn about and appreciate others while encouraging adventure through food.
