Kitchen Notes: Rosemary Sourdough Bread

What a time consuming recipe, and I'm not just talking about the sourdough starter (recipe) that I started on Monday. It still had to be mixed into a dough and risen twice, and then baked for an hour. Regardless of its appearance fresh from the oven, the bread smells so good. I want to hack into it now and slather it up with the garlic butter I melted earlier for the artichokes.

Batch #1: Rosemary Sourdough Bread,
Problem: no glossy sheen to the crust
Resolution: oven needs more moisture at 400 degrees F

You know how SF sourdough has that particular crust that kind of looks like it has this magical sheen to it? I need more moisture in the oven. Fortunately, I have procured a spray bottle for the water for the second loaf that I'll get around to attempting tomorrow.

Here's what went into this loaf:

2 c all purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c sourdough starter
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 fresh rosemary leaves, whole and chopped
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil (for the bowl that the bread will rise in)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (to brush the top of the loaf before baking)

Mix all the ingredients together except for the olive oil and butter until the dough is elastic and no longer sticks to itself, the mixer, or the bowl. In a stand mixer, this took maybe 10 minutes on a very low speed. Remove dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a plate, kitchen towels, or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1.5 to 2 hours.

While you are doing this next step, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it again, this time, shape it into a shape you want to bake it in. I was aiming for a square and got a boule (ball shaped) again. Let this rise a second time for an hour. Score the top with a sharp knife and brush on melted butter.

Baked uncovered in a Dutch oven (Emeril just uses a baking stone or heavy baking sheet) for an hour. It still needs moisture, so use a spray bottle and mist the sides of the oven and the top of the bread maybe every 20 minutes until the bread is done. You are aiming for a chewy, golden brown crust with a spongy, sour bread inside. Misting the oven can help achieve a glossy surface on the loaf.

About that sourdough starter...

I took 1.5 cups of starter out from the jar and replaced it with 1.5 cups of AP flour plus 1.5 cups of warm water (just heat the water in the microwave for 30 seconds in a glass Pyrex measuring cup, it'll be at the perfect temp for the poolish).

The previous night (Friday), I was starting to get concerned about the starter since I hadn't actually been feeding it all week. I added in 1/3 cup warm water and 1/3 cup all purpose flour. I swear my eyes and nose could not tell the difference in the before and after. The starter still had a sour-ish, almost alcoholic smell to it (that's the yeast's byproduct). Most starter recipes will tell you to refrigerate it, well, you could also leave it out on the kitchen counter in a jar covered with a kitchen cloth if it is 50 degrees F outside and damp; inside the house during the day the temp is about 65 degrees F. When you read other people's comments on this particular recipe on AllRecipes with the yeast growing at a ridiculous rate, the ambient temperature of one's kitchen is probably above 70 degrees F.

I have the notion that once the starter successfully ferments, that's when you add in more flour+water to the starter and put it in the refrigerator. As scary as it sounds, the "wild" yeast and bacteria in the starter should be strong enough to fight off any other bacteria from growing. When it can't, like the temperature just isn't kosher for the yeast anymore (like it's too hot), that's when bad things happen (turns pink, smells rotten, grows things other than yeast, etc.) and you have to throw the starter out.

Also, if you think you have a good thing going with your starter, reserve half a cup of it and freeze it. That way if your master batch ever goes wonky, dies, or someone in the household mistakenly tosses the starter, you'll still have some to grow again. You just need to thaw it for 24 hours and add more flour+warm water to it in a glass jar so that it comes alive again; and wait at least three days for it to really get itself going again, or so I've read.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

I thought the prep for this salad was very similar to a quinoa salad, where the couscous is cooked and fresh diced vegetables are added to it, then served up warm or chilled. It's very easy to do. The longest prep time of the recipe is chopping the vegetables. This ingredient ratio is adapted from the Bon Apetit magazine. I served this with the Moroccan Roasted Chicken.

Ingredients

2 c low-sodium, organic chicken broth
8 oz Israeli couscous
1 large red pepper, seeded and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, unpeeled and diced
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
grated lemon peel from 1 lemon
juice of 1 medium lemon (2-3 tbsp)

Directions

1. In a 2 or 3 quart pot (with a lid), bring broth and spices to a boil. Add couscous, stir, and turn off heat. Cover with a lid and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

2. Add vegetables, lemon juice, and lemon peel to the pot and stir to combine. Transfer couscous salad to a serving dish. Serve warm or chilled.

Quick Preserved Lemon

Preserved lemon is a common ingredient to chutneys and by itself as a condiment. I used this recipe as part of a lemon-onion sauce for some roasted chicken. Bittman of the NY Times food section uses a ratio of 2:1 for sugar to salt. I adjusted the salt down, but it was still too salty in the sauce. The salty-sweet-sour of the lemon is a good flavor though. In retrospect, I'd eliminate the added salt in the chutney recipe.

Ingredients

1 fresh lemon
1 tbsp organic granulated sugar
2 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Wash, halve and de-seed the lemon. Slice lemon into 1/4" dice and put into a glass jar with its juice. Add salt and sugar. Muddle the ingredients together, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

Use this in recipes that call for preserved lemon.

Moroccan Roasted Chicken

This, like many in the cuisine, is a multi-step process which involves a fair amount of time for the ingredients to marinate. This batch marinated for a few days in the refrigerator; though it could probably be used as early as the next day. The lemon-onion chutney sauce that goes with it is probably better when eaten in a very hot and dry climate. At 50 degrees F and damp in the Pacific NW in late May, the sauce was far too salty. The original recipe calls for a whole chicken and has a much longer cooking time.

Ingredients for Marinade

8 chicken bone-in, skin-on thighs
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a resealable plastic bag or food-safe container. Gently rub the spices with the oil into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Line a shallow baking pan with a Silpat mat that will fit inside. Evenly space chicken pieces on the pan. A lot of fat will render out of the chicken skin, but don't worry, this will help the skin really crisp up later. Bake for an hour.

3. Using tongs, gently turn chicken over. It is possible, even with a Silpat, that the chicken will stick to the mat. Return chicken, skin-side up, for another 10-15 minutes, until the skin is very crispy. Remove chicken from baking pan and set in a covered glass dish. Serve hot.

Roasted Fennel and Tomato

One bulb is not enough for more than one person and the while some of the more thinly cut slices were charred instead of caramelizing, it still tasted pretty decent for a side dish. It is sad to see that our state considers this plant to be a noxious weed and prefers to use herbicide to eradicate common fennel than to allow people to harvest it for free. Seriously, all public lands management would need to do is post an alert saying that there's a free vegetable that people can harvest and it would all be picked; of course that would also encourage visitors to pick all the other native plants that managed land and state parks have.

Ingredients

One (or more) fennel bulbs, washed and cored
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp olive oil + more if needed, for roasting
handful of whole grape or cherry tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp organic sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. Slice fennel bulb(s) in half and take out the core. Thinly slice the bulb as you would celery or any root vegetable.

2. Toss fennel with garlic, salt, sugar, lemon juice, tomatoes, and olive oil.

3. Arrange fennel in a glass baking dish (I used a 9" x 13") and bake for 30 minutes. Check the oven after 15 minutes and stir the vegetables around.

4. Remove from heat and serve on a plate, as a condiment or side dish for another entree.