Rosemary Focaccia

The menu was Italian Vegetable soup - and sides. What to bring to the after-Christmas family gathering? For shared dinners I like to rely on my experience with the Kansas Wheat Commission to find a bread recipe to add to the meal. This time is was Rosemary Focaccia, not from the KWC, but inspired from working with a focaccia bread from the 2017 contest. 
Focaccia is a yeast bread, but not shaped into a loaf. Instead it is a large, round flat Italian bread, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and often herbs before baking. The recent popularity of the book (and Netflix series) Salt Fat Acid Heat describes cooking as the balance of these four edible elements. Focaccia is a great way to bring the fat of olive oil and salt of Kosher salt together with delicate flavors of herbs and hardiness of bread. 
This recipe is from onceuponachef.com. I used a lemon infused olive oil, next time I will use an herb infused oil. Do be sure to use a good quality olive oil. This is an easy bread to prepare, mostly kneaded in the mixer, but it does take time! I started at 6:15 a.m. to have this ready to leave home by 10:00.

Be sure to allow time for both rising times, before putting in the pan and after, that happen before baking time. 

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Servings: 24 (2 ½” x 3”) to serve 10-12 

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup warm water

1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for oiling the bowl and drizzling on top

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 

Instructions: 

1.   Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl; stir to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Let sit about 10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy.

2.   In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, (or with a whisk in a bowl) combine the flour and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, mix briefly to combine. Combine the flour mixture, yeast mixture, and ½ cup of olive oil; mix with a dough hook on low speed until the dough comes together, then turn the speed up to medium and continue to knead for 5-6 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and soft. Sprinkle with a bit of flour if the dough is really sticky. 

3.   Transfer the dough to a clean, very lightly floured surface. Knead by hand briefly until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. 

4.   Clean the mixer bowl and coat the inside of the bowl with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, flipping once so that both the top and bottom of dough are lightly covered with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in size, 1-2 hours. 

5.   Coat a 12”x16” rimmed baking sheet with ¼ cup of olive oil. (this will make the bottom crisp). Place the dough onto the prepared pan and begin pressing it out with your hands to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over a few times to coat both sides with olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan, then spread your fingers out and make impressions almost all the way through the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the warm, draft-free spot again until the dough has puffed up and doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6.   While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set the oven rack in the middle position. 

7.   Sprinkle the top of the focaccia with the remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and rosemary, then lightly drizzle 1-2 teaspoons olive oil on top so it pools in the indentions. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into squares. Can be served with olive oil for dipping. 

Judging Yeast Breads

Everyone thinks it would be a fun and tasty job to judge 4-H foods at the state fair. Let me tell you, it is harder than it looks! This year I judged yeast breads, and thanks to helping with National Festival of Breads and the Kansas Wheat Commission, it was a fun and tasty job.

This blog will share some photos of the variety of breads I judged and give you some tips for your own baking with yeast breads. When judging, the judge looks for certain standards for each product as well as a product that is so unique and/or perfect that is stands out from the rest. The advice I give 4-Hers is that you probably won't win top awards with chocolate chip cookies or white dinner rolls or banana quick bread. Those are the most common things cooks enter and their entry has a harder time being noticed.

There is a complete "What Happened to the Yeast Bread?" chart at www.homebaking.org. It outlines problems such as too much or too little volume, pale or dark color, cracked or blistered crust, coarse or heavy or dry and crumbly texture, or poor flavor. The Kansas Wheat Commission also has good references and recipes (http://nationalfestivalofbreads.com/recipes)  Check out those sites for specific concerns, but here are some general tips for the best yeast bread product:

* yeast - measure accurately, use correct temperature for water or flour mixing, be sure yeast if fresh.
* Check the oven temperature. Use an oven thermometer to be sure it is correct and place the bread in the center of the oven.
* Measure accurately! Too much sugar or salt can greatly affect the outcome. This is not a time to try to adjust the recipe. Flour should be 'fluffed' with a whisk to lighten it and measure more correctly. Weigh ingredients for the most accurate measurement.
* Temperature is very important with yeast breads - for the yeast to dissolve, for the bread to rise, as well as baking.
* Kneading is also important. Kneading develops the gluten and helps distribute the ingredients. Under kneading or mixing will give you a heavy textured bread or a crumbly and dry loaf.
* Careful shaping gives the bread an attractive appearance. Judges look for dinner rolls that are the same shape and size. Weighing the dough when making the rolls is a good way to achieve this. Loaf breads are rolled out like you might for cinnamon rolls, then rolled into a loaf shape with the ends tucked under. Be sure to roll tightly or there will be holes in the loaf.

There were several Challah breads - quite a challenge for 4-Hers. 

Multigrain Sourdough Boule

This was one of the most unusual. Bird Seed Bread.
The topping is assorted seeds or grains such as millet, poppy seeds, sesame seeds. 

Poppy Seed Twist loaf was another method of
a shaped loaf. 

How do you like your eggs?

What do you have when you combine eggs with bits of meat, cheese, and vegetables?  Omelet? Quiche?  Frittata? Fancy scrambled eggs? All of these answers could be correct, but the methods of preparation makes the differences.
Omelets are popular and are made by cooking eggs in a shallow pan and folding the extra ingredients into the almost done egg mixture. Quiche is an egg custard with extra ingredients added, usually in a pie crust. It is baked in the oven. Frittatas are a creamy egg custard with the eggs mixed with cream and vegetables, meat and cheese added. It is made in a heavy skillet that cooks both on the stove top and in the oven.
Frittata is a popular egg preparation now and one that friends and I recently enjoyed when quilt-tripping to visit a friend in Denver. Our friend and her neighbor not only entertained us with a beautiful Sunday morning recital of classical duets played on a baby grand piano,  they also prepared a delicious brunch for us featuring a frittata.

Doesn't this look like a delicious brunch? It was! 

You can go shopping for special fresh ingredients of bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, and spinach for your frittata or you can look in the refrigerator and see what you have that needs to be used. Throw in a few chopped vegetables, and brown some meat and a frittata can be on the table in 20 minutes. The recipe I use is a ratio using whatever ingredients you have. For every six eggs, use 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup cheese, and 2 cups total vegetables and meat. You'll need a heavy skillet such as a cast iron skillet or an oven-safe non-stick skillet. If your skillet isn't non-stick, be sure to use extra oil so the eggs don't stick to the pan.

The steps are simple:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven.
2. Mix the eggs and cream with 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
3. Cook and drain the meat (bacon or sausage) leaving some fat in the skillet.
4. Saute the onions, green peppers, and other vegetables, starting with those that take the longest time to soften.
5. Wilt the spinach and add any fresh herbs you want to use. Cook and stir these for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Add the meat back in the pan and stir to distribute.
6. Add cheese and let it just start to melt.
7. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and meat and cook for a minute or two until the edges of the egg start to set.

My frittata at home in a cast iron skillet. 

8. Bake the frittata in the oven until the eggs are set 8 - 10 minutes (or longer for a big pan of frittata). If you'd like to brown and crisp the top, set the frittata under the broiler for a minute or two at the end of the cooking time.
Let set in the pan 5 minutes before slicing into wedges to serve.

Favorite Dessert - Coconut Cream ???

 I love coconut cream pie. When it is a choice at a church dinner, I sneak a piece out early and write my name on the plate. Since I'm still working on my pie baking skills, coconut cream pie doesn't happen very often at my house. When I found this recipe for Coconut Cream Pie Bars with a shortbread crust it sounded good. And it is! It also makes several more servings than a pie so it would make a good dessert for a group. 

COCONUT CREAM PIE BARS

Ingredients:

Crust – 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup powdered sugar

Coconut Cream Filling – 

3 cups half-and-half

3 cups coconut milk

4 eggs

1 ½ cups white sugar

⅔ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cup flaked coconut

½ teaspoon coconut extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping – 

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon cold water (to dissolve gelatin)

1 teaspoon gelatin (for stabilizing)

3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 cup coconut, for toasting

Instructions:

1.    Make shortbread crust:                                                                                

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray. Cut the butter into the flour and powdered sugar with a food processor (about 6 – 10 pulses) and press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until light brown. Set on a wire rack to cool. 

2.    Toast the coconut for the topping:                                                                          

Spread about 1 cup of coconut flakes on a baking sheet and bake with the shortbread crust for 3-6 minutes, stirring every minutes or so, until the coconut is golden brown. Spread on a plate to cool completely. 

3.    Make the coconut cream filling:                                                                  

Combine the half-and-half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until it is thick and bubbling (15-30 minutes). Add coconut and vanilla extracts and the untoasted coconut (1 ½ cups) and stir. Pour this filling over the cooled crust, and refrigerate until firm, about 2-4 hours. 

4.    Make the whipped cream topping:                                                                                                 

Put 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top. Let it soften for 2 minutes before microwaving for 30 seconds and whisking to dissolve the gelatin. Using a chilled bowl and beaters, whisk 2 cups of heavy cream and powdered sugar together until the cream forms stiff peaks, stopping to add gelatin mixture about halfway through. Dollop the cream over the filling and gently spread over the top. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill until ready to serve. Slice into bars with a sharp knife. 

Mixing it up - Meatballs

I was looking for a summer meat ball recipe with a lighter taste. This one is it! Using ground sausage and ground beef and pineapple it is a sweet/sour taste that goes well with rice and fresh veggies. Definitely a favorite summer supper. The recipe calls the meatballs appetizers, but I made them larger and served them as the main course, two meatballs made a 3-4 ounce serving. I also altered the recipe to use more sausage and ground beef. Meatballs made a good entree for a quick meal because they cook quicker than a whole meatloaf and part of the recipe can be easily frozen if you don't want the whole amount.

PINEAPPLE APPETIZER MEATBALLS 

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple

2 egg

¼ cup dry bread crumbs

⅛ teaspoon pepper

1 pound bulk pork sausage

1 pound ground beef

Glaze:

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons Dijon-mayonnaise blend

Directions:

1.    Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Place pineapple and 2 tablespoons juice in a large bowl (set the remaining juice aside for glaze). Add the egg, breadcrumbs and pepper to pineapple. Crumble sausage and beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into balls. 

      (1-inch for appetizer sized-meatballs and larger for entree meatballs)

2.    Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. 

3.    Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine glaze ingredients and reserved pineapple juice. Add meatballs. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. 

Good when served with brown rice (I sautéed green and red peppers from the garden to add to the rice), fresh tomatoes, and rolls. 

Some More S'mores

We've had a reprieve from summer with cooler days and rain. Makes me think of fall and the foods of fall - apples, pumpkin spice, pork, and - s'mores! I've tried several S'More cookie recipes but none of them were keepers. Until I found this one while judging 4-H Foods in a neighboring county. Judging fees don't pay much, but seeing the 4-Hers and what they learn, and their recipes is rewarding. This recipe is tasty, not-too-gooey, and a real keeper! The layers of homemade graham cracker crust, milk chocolate candy bars, marshmallow creme and more graham cracker topping make a combination that is delicious.

HERSHEY’S S’MORES BARS

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ½ tsp teaspoons baking powder 

½ tsp sea salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

3 giant Hershey’s milk chocolate bars

14 oz. container marshmallow crème or fluff

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.    Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. 

3.    In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt. 

4.    Stir in flour and graham cracker crumbs. 

5.    Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into the prepared baking dish. 

This is a sticky thick dough. It helps to moisten the
spatula with water.

6.    Place chocolate bars over dough to fit it in a single layer.

There's a reason the recipe calls for 3 giant Hersery's bars!
I bought a package of the regular large ones with 10
candy bars - not enough! 

One of these is not like the others!
Luckily I had a chocolate bar hidden away from
a past birthday celebration. 

Don't you think this special candy bar will add
a special touch? Its Russel Stover's and Powercat! 

7.    Spread chocolate with marshmallow crème or fluff. (Do not use marshmallows!)

I didn't use 2 whole jars of marshmallow fluff - one had been
opened and about 1/3 used our of it. It makes a yummy
snack on graham crackers with peanut butter! 

8.    Sprinkle remaining dough over top of the fluff. 

Again - sticky! I moistened my hands and crumbled and patted
the topping on.

9.    Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. 

10.Check for doneness with a toothpick. 

11.Cool completely before cutting into bars. It will cut easier if placed in the freezer for 30 minutes.