Southwest Focaccia - National Festival of Breads

 

Jane explaining her entry at the awards dinner

  There are many great things about helping with the National Festival of Breads including learning new techniques, trying new flavors, and meeting talented bakers. One of the bakers is almost my neighbor. Jane Fry of Elk Falls, Kansas only lives in the next county from us and it was especially fun to see her entry as a finalist.
     Jane's recipe is Southwest Focaccia. Focaccia is traditionally a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza doughs. It can be topped with herbs or other ingredients. Jane put a southwest twist into this dough with corn and pickled jalapeño slices. I made this on a day we were also doing 26 jars of jams and jellies, proving that it is an easy and quick bread to make.
 

My family loved this recipe! 

SOUTHWEST FOCACCIA

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (110°-115°F)

1 (¼ oz) package Red Star Active Dry Yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup frozen (thawed) corn kernels

1 cup diced yellow onion

½ cup drained pickled jalapeño slices, coarsely chopped

¾ cup King Arthur organic yellow cornmeal

1-3 teaspoons chili powder, to taste

2 teaspoons salt

4 ½ - 5 cups King Arthur unbleached bread flour

6 tablespoons salted butter, melted, divided

Pinch of chili sea salt or coarse sea salt, optional

Directions:

1.     In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine water, yeast, and sugar until dissolved. Wait 5-10 minutes for mixture to foam (proof).

2.     Stir in corn, onion, jalapeno, cornmeal, chili powder, salt, and 3½ cups flour. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes with dough hook.

3.     Line a 12”x18” half sheet pan with parchment. Generously butter the parchment.

4.     Using wet fingertips, gently stretch and press the dough from the center to the outer edge to fit the pan. Brush the top with half of the melted butter. Using your fingertips, press deep dimples at 1-inch intervals all over the dough.

5.     Cover with greased plastic wrap, let the dough rise until light. About 45 minutes. Near the end of the rise, preheat oven to 400°F.

6.     When ready to bake, gently dimple the dough again. Drizzle the remaining melted butter over dough’s surface. If desired, sprinkle with salt.

7.     Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the focaccia from the baking sheet by lifting the parchment onto a rack. Remove parchment and turn it out onto rack. Slice into approximately 1½” x 3” pieces. Serve warm. Store focaccia in the refrigerator or freeze.

Yield: about 48 servings.

Doesn't this product Jane made at the contest look delicious? 

Toasted Cardamon Nordic Crown - National Festival of Breads

Bring the best 8 bread recipes from over 300 entries and pick the winner. What a challenge! That is what the National Festival of Breads baking contest is. Sponsored by the Kansas Wheat Commission with support from King Arthur Flour, Red Star Yeast, and many others, this contest is a wonderful experience for the finalists and the volunteers.
I was able to be one of those volunteers again this year. This is one of my favorite events - cooking, foodie friends, and Manhattan Kansas - a winning combination! This year I was assigned to Patrice Hurd of Bemidgi, Minnesota a foodie friend from the contest 2 years ago. Her Toasted Cardamom Nordic Crown reflects her family heritage of Finland. It is rich with cardamom and updated with sprouted wheat flour.
Sprouted wheat flour was new to me. I'd heard of it but not used it, so this was a good way to learn more. This flour is made from grain that has been allowed to sprout and germinate before milling. This breaks down some of the starch into simple sugars and activates more of the vitamins and minerals. It also breaks down some of the grain's natural protective barriers making it easier to digest. Sprouted wheat flour gives the goodness of whole wheat flour with a lighter, milder taste.
Tips for using sprouted wheat flour are similar to using whole wheat flour: let the dough or batter rest 10 minutes after mixing to improve the flavor and texture of the baked product. Sprouted wheat flour can be substituted one to one for whole wheat flour. In recipes calling for all-purpose flour, one-half of the total amount of flour can be substituted.

TOASTED CARDAMOM NORDIC CROWN                

Ingredients:

Dough (made in bread machine)

2 large eggs (reserve 1 tablespoon for topping)

1 (5-oz) can (⅔ cup) evaporated milk, 80°F

¼ cup water, 80°F

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup King Arthur 100% Whole Grain Sprouted Wheat Flour

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for kneading

1 (¼ oz) package Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast

Cardamom Filing

1 ½ tablespoons whole green cardamom pods, approximately

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

13 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Topping

Reserved tablespoon beaten egg

1 tablespoon Pearl sugar

Directions:

1.     In small bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Reserve 1 tablespoon for topping, cover and refrigerate.

2.     Place the remaining eggs and dough ingredients into the bucket of a bread machine. Select the DOUGH cycle, and press start. Add additional water or flour as needed to form a very soft dough.

3.     For the filling: Crush cardamom pods and remove enough seeds to equal 1½ teaspoons. Toast seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Shaking pan occasionally; immediately remove seeds from skillet to cool. Place seeds and granulated sugar in spice grinder or mortar and pestle; process until seeds resemble ground black pepper. In a small bowl, beat the cardamom-sugar mixture, brown sugar, and butter until smooth.

4.     Lightly grease a 9” springform pan with removable bottom. Line bottom with an 11” parchment round, extending edges up over pan seam.

5.     On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16”x12” rectangle; spread filling to within ½” of edges. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough up like a jellyroll; pinch seam to seal. Place seam-side down. Cut roll in half lengthwise, leaving 1” at the top uncut; twist the length of each cut side 6 times. On work surface, turn one end inward and coil the entire length of dough into a spiral shape, forming an 8” round. Lift coil into pan, tucking the end under loaf.

6.     Cover; let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350° F; remove reserved egg from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg, do not let egg pool in seams. Decorate with Pearl sugar.

7.     Bake 30-35 minutes, until bread is golden and center registers 190°F -195°F on an instant-read thermometer. Tent with foil to keep from over-browning. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Loosen edges with knife and remove the springform ring. Transfer to rack and let cool on parchment. Remove parchment and transfer the crown to a serving plate.

Yield: 1 loaf, 20 servings

Patrice used the bread machine for kneading the dough.

After the dough is kneaded, it is rolled out and filling spread over it. 

The dough is rolled into a 'jelly-roll' as you would for cinnamon rolls,
then cut in two lengthwise, leaving the upper end attached.

Each 'leg' of the dough is twisted 6 times.

The dough twists are spiraled into a circle. 

Egg mixture and pearl sugar give the crown a special touch.

Three are baked. Now she decides which to take to the judge! 

Eating Local

Beef from our cattle herd. Corn frozen from a friend's garden last year. Tomatoes from the garden - well these weren't from our garden, but there soon will be some to harvest. Eating local has been a popular trend lately, one that farm families have long embraced. Having your own garden produce and meat not only gives you a feeling of sustainability, but seems to taste better and feel more healthy.

Beef, corn, wheat - all Kansas products

Here are a few recipes for summer time meals.

Shrimp & Tomato Sheet Pan Supper               

(shrimp isn't local to our area, but a nice treat for variety)

1 pound Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off

2 cups cherry tomatoes

4 cloves garlic very thinly sliced

olive oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper, to taste 

1 whole lemon, halved

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Put shrimp, cherry tomatoes and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss (I used lemon-infused olive oil). Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the shrimp are opaque and the tomatoes begin to burst. 10-12 minutes. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon. 

Serve with salad, bread. or pasta. 

thanks to Pioneer Woman for this recipe

BBQ MEATBALLS                                                  

 Ingredients:

1 ½ pound ground beef

¾ cups oats

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons very finely minced onion

1 ½ teaspoon salt

ground black pepper, to taste

(for cooking meatballs)

1 cup all-purpose flour

canola oil

(for sauce)

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

4-6 tablespoons onion

dash Tabasco

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread. 

Another recipe from Pioneer Woman

FRESH CORN CAKES

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup corn kernels

3 large eggs

¾ cup milk

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

⅔ cup flour

¾ c. cornmeal

8 oz. mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh chives

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Pulse corn, eggs, milk, butter in food processor 3-4 times. Stir together flour and other ingredients. Stir into corn mixture until just moistened. Spoon ⅛ cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased skillet. Don not flatten or spread. Cook 3-4 minutes (bubbles will appear on top), flip. Cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.

(From Southern Living magazine 2008)