bread

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

02.10.2013 17 Comments

My book tour kicks off in a few days and one of my first stops is at Bear Republic, one of my favorite California breweries. On October 10th, from 6:30 to 8:30 I’ll be at the pub in Healdsburg hanging out, signing books, hoping to meet some of you and gleefully consuming some Bourbon Smokey Bear Stout. Join me, if you’re in the area, sit down and have a beer with me.

It was the beauty of Racer 5 IPA that introduced me to Bear Republic, quickly becoming a go-to favorite of mine, one I always have on hand at parties. It’s a crowd pleaser with just the right amount of hops to give you what you want but not overwhelm, it gives a perfect balance.

Because of that perfectly balanced hop kick, it’s a great beer-cheese-beer. Even more perfect to stuff that beer cheese inside a tender garlic filled roll for an awesomely beer flavored garlic cheese roll that can be a meal all in itself. But really, it’s just about being responsible when drinking, you need to eat something to soak up all that fantastic Racer 5 you be able to put down.

Join me October 10th, 2013 6:30-8:30, at Bear Republic!

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

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Ingredients

For the Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast 2 ¼ tsp
1 tbs white sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup IPA beer
1 tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil

For the Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese
6 wt oz cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
½ cup IPA
3 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
½ tsp salt

For the Topping:

3 wt oz cheddar shredded (about 1 cup)

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and sprinkle with the salt while the mixer is still running.
Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, roll out into a rectangle about 10 inches by 18 inches.
Add all of the filling ingredients to a food processor, process until smooth and well combined, about 5 minutes.
Spread the filling evenly across the dough. Starting at the long edge roll the dough into a log. Cut the dough into 8 rolls, each about 2 inches wide. Place cut side down into a baking dish. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve warm.

I use this Microplane to turn a clove of garlic into paste in a second. (Affiliate link)

Homemade Beer Burger Buns

04.09.2013 29 Comments

The Beast of Yeast

If you are among the yeast-averse, those who are convinced that bread making isn’t in your skill set, you probably haven’t even read far enough to see that I have faith in your yeast taming abilities. Not only is it easier than you think, it’s so completely satisfying to watch that bread rise, yielding perfectly delicious results, and it’s also much cheaper than buying sub par alternatives at the market.

Over the past few years I’ve falling in love with the process of bread making, figuring out not just how to make dough rise, but why it fails. Here are my tips to making sure you have fresh baked success every time you tear open a packet of yeast:

1. Rapid rise yeast and regular dry active yeast are not the same. Rapid rise yeast needs more heat to activate, a heat level that will kill regular yeast. Use the type of yeast that the recipe calls for or the dough won’t rise (or won’t rise properly).

2. Buy a kitchen thermometer. Yeast is very picky when it comes to heat. Make sure the liquid you use is in the right temperature range. If the liquid is too hot, the yeast will be killed. If the liquid is too cold, the yeast won’t be activated. A thermometer will take any guess work out of it.

3. Yeast dies. Check the expiration date, if yeast is past that, it doesn’t have the living organism necessary to make dough rise.

4. Salt kills yeast. Don’t let yeast come in direct contact with salt or it will die. I’m over cautious with this, adding salt towards the end, after the yeast has been activated by the liquid. Salt is important in giving bread a bright flavor and helping you to avoid bland baked goods. Don’t skip salt, just add it last.

5. Dough rise times will depend on the temperature of your room. Dough rises faster in a warm room, and really slowly in a cold room. Although dough will still rise in a room as cold as 40F, it will take days to double in size. If the recipes says, "Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour," pay more attention to "doubled in size" rather than the "1 hour." Especially in winter, if your house is cold. It could take several hours if your house is colder than 70F.

6. Yeast feeds on sugars. You’ll have much higher levels of yeast rising success if you let your yeast feed off a little sugar (granulated sugar, honey or anything else with high sugar content). Add some to any bread recipe you make for greater levels of dough rising success.

Now that you’ve had your crash course in yeast baking you are all set to tackle that culinary bucket list and impress your friends.

You can totally do this.

Homemade Beer Burger Buns

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Servings 8 buns

Ingredients

2 ½ cups All purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast 2 ½ tsp
½ tsp onion powder
¾ cup wheat beer
¼ cup butter softened
1 tbs raw honey
½ tsp salt plus additional for topping
egg wash 1 egg plus 1 tbs water, beaten
2 tbs sesame seeds

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, and onion powder. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt, honey and add softened butter.
Turn speed to medium-high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface, knead a few times. Cut into 8 equal sized pieces.
Form each piece into a tight ball. Add evenly spaced over a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
Cover loosely and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt.
Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Italian Beer Bread Sticks & Tips for Beer and Food Pairing

20.08.2013 16 Comments

Before we jump in to my treasure trove of beer and food pairing tips, we need to dispel one myth: there are no rules. Drink what you prefer and eat likewise. If YOU like it, it’s a good pairing, there are no hard and fast rules, just considerations and principles to keep in mind.

1. Consider intensity. When subjecting your tasters to a palate wrecking chipotle dish or 1000 IBU IPA, consider the delicacy of what you’re pairing that monster with. Mild works well with mild, and strong holds up next to strong. If you really want to pair an intense food or beer, you may consider equally intense counterpart that can take a punch.

2. What flavors linger should be what is paired. Consider what flavors stick around on your palate after the bite when you think about what you pair it with. Making a steak with a garlicky cream sauce? That sauce will probably linger more than the meat. Pair to that rather than the steak.

3. Alcohol intensifies heat. This can be good or bad, but a factor that should be considered. Was that curry a little more mellow than you intended? Grab a high ABV (alcohol by volume) beer to kick the heat up a notch. On the other hand, that jalapeno and Habanero chili might need a low alcohol session beer.

4. Don’t forget texture. I will spare you from a lecture using my least favorite beer term, "mouth feel," with just a mention of the idea that carbonation cuts through grease and fat. A great compliment to a triple cheese pizza isn’t as much a flavor but a texture, bubbles add a cleansing balance to a rich greasy meal. While a smooth stout, with low carbonation levels, will match the silkiness of a creamy chocolate mousse. Consider carbonation levels when paring, not just flavors.

5. Think of all the flavors being in one bowl. The ingredients should be able to coexist simultaneously, and although the argument can be made for contrasting, the best place to start is complimenting. The best way to do this is thinking about all the flavors together. Let’s just pretend that you made yourself a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. What do you want to throw in that pot? a beer with notes of caramel and molasses or a beer with lemon and basil. I don’t know about you but that last beer is looking like a much better man for that job.

When it comes to cooking and beer, it’s always a fairly safe bet to pair with the beer you used to make the dish. I used a higher hop wheat beer for this, a good beer for pairing as well. The wheat matches the flavors in the breadsticks (obviously) and the slightly higher than average hops can keep up with the kick of garlic.

Italian Beer Bread Sticks

Print Recipe

Total Time 1

Servings 8 breadsticks

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp fresh rosemary minced
1 tbs sugar
3/4 cup beer wheat beer or pale ale
¼ cup butter softened
1 tsp salt
Topping:
3 tbs melted butter
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp course salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, garlic powder, sugar and rosemary. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt and add softened butter.
Turn speed to medium-high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal sized pieces.
Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch breadsticks. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
IN a small bowl whisk together the melted butter and garlic powder. Brush breadsticks with the butter mixture, reserving any leftover.
Sprinkle with coarse salt (I used smoked Maldon salt)
Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until a light golden brown.
Brush with remaining butter prior to serving, if desired.

One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

31.05.2013 36 Comments

I’m a firm believer that the best pizza dough takes at least 24 hours.

I’m also a firm believer that most of us don’t usually have that type of forethought. At least it’s a rare occurrence for me.

I started making this pita bread dough when I wanted to make a day-of pizza, which morphed into this recipe for one hour pizza dough. Which these days gets cooked on the grill as often as in the oven. Grilled pizza is my new first love of outdoor cooking, especially when topped with grilled vegetables and carne asada. So far I haven’t found the restraint to stop eating long enough to photograph such a pizza creation, so no blog posts have been created for that tasty little guy.

But I did manage to get a few hasty pictures of this oven cooked pizza, just look at those glorious bubbles.Pretty damn good for one hour, grilled or oven cooked, it’s my new go-to for pizza nights.

One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

Print Recipe

Servings 1 lbs pizza dough

Ingredients

2 ½ cups bread flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh rosemary minced
¾ cup wheat beer or pale ale
1/2 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, garlic powder and rosemary.
Mix until combined. In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the flour has been moistened, slowly add the salt and oil while the mixer is still running.
Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Cook as desired.

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Homemade Garlic Beer Pita Bread

12.04.2013 26 Comments

Do you remember when I told you that once I discovered that homemade corn tortillas where so good it made me realize that I didn’t actually hate corn tortillas, I just hated those sad cardboard disks they sell at the store?

Pita bread is an even bigger revelation. It’s not as quick as those 10-minute homemade tortillas, but it’s so soft and addictingly amazing, it’s worth the time. It’s about 15 minutes of active time and another 45 to 60 minutes of rising time. About an hour all in. An hour well spent. Pita bread was the first yeast bread I ever made which helped me to conquer my fear of yeast and made me wonder what I was so scared of.

For this, and for most bread recipes, I like a wheat beer, especially an unfiltered wheat beer. The bready notes and the yeast in the beer give a great texture with a hint of beer on the back end.

So, what do you do with this beautiful bread once you’ve decided to make it? If you can resist eating it right out of the pan, it makes amazing wraps and sandwiches, but don’t be afraid to make mini pizzas or even large chicken tacos with this too. Or just eat it right out of the pan with some melted butter. And a cold beer.

Homemade Garlic Beer Pita Bread

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup beer
1 tsp salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt while the mixer is still running.
Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 8 equal sized pieces.
One at a time roll the dough into 6 inch circles.
Lightly oil a cast iron skillet and heat over high heat until very hot. Add one dough circle to the pan, cook until the underside has browned and the top starts to bubble, about 2 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the pita bread is cooked through. Adjust the heat if the pan becomes too hot and the bread burns too quickly.

Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

22.03.2013 44 Comments

Let’s talk about chocolate stouts for a minute.

If you aren’t aquatinted with these Dark Knights, you might be under the impression that your beer will be like a tall glass of malty chocolate milk. For the most part, that isn’t the case. While I was at Hanger 24, those awesome guys let me taste some of the grains they use in their Chocolate Porter.

(By the way, neither of those hands are mine, I’m taking the photo)

It tastes, even pre-brew, more along the lines of unadulterated raw cocoa rather than a giant slice of cake. For me, this is great news. The flavors of cocoa (before the butter, cream and sugar are added) are dry and even bitter, making a great addition to the flavors of a stout. If you’re afraid of a beer flavored Yoo-Hoo, you’re in luck. For the most part, chocolate stouts grab those great dry flavors of that cocoa bean without that cloying sweetness of a dessert that you don’t really need in your pint glass.

Here are some of my favorite chocolate stouts and porters, please let me know if you have a favorite of your one:

Bison Chocolate Stout

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Hanger 24 Chocolate Porter

Ken Schmidt / Iron Fist / Stone Chocolate Mint Stout

Souther Tier Choklat (I have yet to get my hands on this on the West Coast, but it’s on my Must Drink list)

Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

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Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup coca powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs cornstarch
2/3 cup chocolate chips
10 ounces stout
2 tbs vegetable oil
¼ cup melted butter divided in half

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the flour, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, and chocolate chips stir to combine.
Pour in the stout, oil and 2 tbs of the melted butter, stir until just combined, some lumps are expected.
Pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the remaining butter over the top.
Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Allow to cool before slicing.

Coconut Brioche

13.03.2013 24 Comments

I was scared of bread making for years. I scoured the internet for non-yeast rolls, because I was so convinced that I could never make anything that required proofing or rising. A few years ago I decided that I needed to figure this out, I needed to learn. What’s the worse that could happen?

Over the years I’ve had more than a few flat lumps of dough tossed in the trash, and I’ve even been so frustrated that I’ve actually cried (my poor husband). All the bread fails have lead me to a few yeast discoveries and bread making is now one of my favorite kitchen related activities.

Here are my tips, the ways to reduce the odds of curse words, tears and flat dough:

First, salt can kill yeast, so don’t add it until one of the last steps. Salt is still important to brighten the flavors, so don’t skip it. Just don’t add it at the same time as the yeast.

Second, rapid rise yeast and dry active yeast aren’t the same. Rapid rise yeast needs to activated with liquid between 120 and 130 degrees fahrenheit and dry active yeast needs liquid about 110 degrees, it will be killed at temperatures much higher than that.

Third, check the expiration date! Once yeast expires, it’s actually dead and it won’t work.

Forth, even though the recipe might say, "allow to rise at room temperature until double in size, about 60 minutes," it might actually take 2 hours, or even three. Especially if your house is cold.

lastly, sometimes, every once in a while, it still just doesn’t work. This is pretty rare for me right now, but occasionally the completely unexplainable bread failure still happens. Even with that, it’s still absolutely worth it. Nothing beats homemade bread.

Coconut Brioche

Ingredients

2 cup bread flour
¼ cup bakers special dry milk (I use King Arthur Flour)
1 packet ( 2 1/2 teaspoons) Rapid Rise yeast (I used Red Star Platinum)
1 tbs sugar
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1 eggs, room temperature
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
Egg wash (1 egg, 1 tbs water, whisked)
coarse sea salt
Yield: 1 loaf, 8 rolls

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, dry milk, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine.
Add the coconut milk to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature and repeat until liquid is between 120 and 130 degrees.
Add the coconut milk to the flour and mix on medium speed until incorporated, and shaggy lumps form.
Add the egg , oil and salt, mix until well incorporated.
Add the butter, mixing well.
The dough will be very soft.
Mix on medium/high speed until the dough gathers around the dough hook, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the mixer and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Cut the dough into into 8 equal pieces.
One at a time, flatten each dough piece into a 6-inch circle (resembling a small tortilla).
Grab the edge of the circle and pull it into the center. Repeat until a tight ball is formed.
Place the dough balls, smooth side up, into a loaf pan or 8X8 baking pan, in two parallel rows, 4 dough balls in each row.
Cover and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. (*Note: You can also do what is called a “Fridge Rise” if you want to make these a day ahead of time. The second rise will take about 12 hours in the fridge instead of 1 hour in a warm room. As soon as you placed the dough balls in the loaf pan, cover and refrigerate for 12 hours instead of allowing to rise at room temperature. Remove from the fridge the following day and allow to come to room temperature before baking)
Preheat oven to 375. Brush the tops of each loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 375 for 28-32 minutes or until a golden brown.

Creme Brulee Bread Pudding

16.04.2012 13 Comments

Creme Brulee and Bread pudding are two things that never occurred to me growing up. Creme Brulee was much to bourgeois for a kid who raised pigs in her back yard and bread pudding sounded like something you ate over Bingo hoping the Polident didn’t give out. As real life grown up, I realized that these are both really simple desserts that have a versatility and beautiful creaminess that have earned themselves a place in my kitchen. Bread pudding has been my way to use up the last bit of homemade pastries, cinnamon rolls and raisin bread that I hate to throw out but go stale so quickly. And Creme Brulee is so easy and lovely, lending itself very well to a multitude of flavors, it tends to be a Go-To for me when I’m a loss for what to serve.

Mixed together, it’s fairly addictive, easy to make and has a homestyle fanciness that’s perfect for so many get togethers.

Creme Brulee Bread Pudding

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup of sugar

1 1/4 cup of heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp slt

1/4 cup granulated sugar for brulee crust topping

3 cups bread, crust removed, cut into 1 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 300.

In a bowl, combine the yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until light and frothy. In a pot, combine the cream, salt and vanilla and heat until steamy but not boiling. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. While you whisk the eggs, slowly, slowly add the cream, whisking until combined. If there are any lumps or “eggy bits” in your cream mixture (possibly because you didn’t let your cream cool down) strain the custard through a mesh strainer.

Assemble 6 ceramic ramekins, or individual oven safe serving bowls in a baking dish. Add the bread cubes to each dish, pressing down a little bit to compact.

Pour into the custard over the bread until covered.

Add hot water to the baking dish until about half filled, the water rising to about half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake at 300 until the custard no longer wobbles when the rack is shaken, about 20-25 minutes (this is not a "tooth pick inserted in the middle should come out clean" situation).

Refridgerate until set, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, top the creme brulee with an even layer of granulated sugar. Pass the flame of a kitchen torch slowly and evenly over the sugar until it’s liquified and a light amber colored. Serve immediately. The sugar crust will start to break down after about an hour.

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Bacon Fat Biscuits

15.02.2012 24 Comments

I’m a bit of a bacon fat hoarder. I make excessive amounts of bacon on weekends, straining and storing the bacon fat that gets left behind into small containers that are now littering my fridge.

I have to find ways to use it. I make tortillas with bacon fat, which are delightful and this past weekend biscuits were also made in an attempt to decrease my ever-growing stash.

Bacon and biscuits. Saturday Breakfast Indulgence at its best.

Bacon Fat Biscuits

1 cups cake flour

1 cup all-purpose

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

5 tbs bacon fat

2/3 buttermilk, plus an additional 1/4 cup, divided

1 tbs melted butter

Preheat oven to 450

In a food processor, combine both types of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Give a quick pulse until combined. Add the bacon fat and process until the flour and bacon fat are well combined and look like course crumbs. Add 2/3 cup milk and pulse until just barely combined. Add additional milk, a bit at a time until all of the dough has been dampened and pulls away from the sides of the food processor. Don’t over process or your biscuits will be tough.

Remove from food processor and place on a floured surface. Form into a long rectangle and cut into squares with a sharp knife. This will give you square biscuits without any waste. Since over worked dough becomes tough, "scraps" left over from cutting out round biscuits can’t really be re-rolled and used, they should be discarded. Forming the dough into a long rectangle and cutting with a sharp knife will allow you to use all the dough as biscuits without any waste.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the biscuits on the sheet. Brush with melted butter.

Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Black Garlic Brioche Rolls

28.11.2011 11 Comments

I have a pretty serious garlic addiction. Which turns out, is a good thing. A great thing even, garlic has a ton of health benefits. (Here is the part where I spew a bunch or nearly useless facts like the true food geek that I am).

First of all, it protects you from cold and flu viruses. When I as pregnant with Tater and I was feelin that sick feelin come on, I was too scared to take any medicine. I was completely nuts about everything I ate, CONVINCED if I made one wrong move, it would destroy my adorable, growing fetus-child (for more on that story, you can read this). I roasted 3 heads of garlic and ate them spread all over a loaf of crusty bread. I stunk for 3 days, but I didn’t get sick.

Not only that, but it also helps lower cholesterol, manage blood pressure and it even has antibiotic qualities. Wheeew! So glad that’s over!

The second I heard about Black Garlic, I wasn’t able to focus on the rest of my life until I bought some.

SO I did. And I offically have a new addiction.

Black garlic has a sweeter flavor, and the texture of black licorice. It can’t always be used in the same way, but it has a beautiful flavor that works well baked.

I strongly recommend ordering some (click here), and trying to see what you can make out of it. Let me know how it goes.

Salted Black Garlic Brioche Rolls

1/2 cup room temp milk

1 envelope of dry active yeast (1/4 oz)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt,

3 large eggs

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbs Fresh Rosemary, minced

Topping:
1 tbs melted butter
1-2 tbs course salt

Add the milk to a microwave safe container, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds, test the temperature (you want it between 105 and 110) and repeat until the desired temperature is reached. Put the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to get foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour, salt and sugar and mix on low with the dough hook attachment until shaggy, flaky lumps form (about 1 1/2 minutes).
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined.
Add the softened butter (softened is important), beat until the dough gathers around the hook and is smooth and shiny. Add the garlic and the rosemary and beat until just combined.
Coat the inside of a bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in inside.
Wrap with plastic wrap leave in a warm place until it’s double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Grab the dough at the sides until it has deflated.
Allow to rise a second time at room temperature, until it has doubled in size, deflating every 15 minutes by grabbing the sides, about 45 minutes.

(If you need to make this the night before, this is a good place to stop. Place in a very cold fridge, below 40 degrees, take out of the fridge the next day and continue. Note that if the dough is cold, the next rise will take longer.)

Remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface, shape into a long log, about 4 inches wide and 1 foot long.
Using a sharp knife, cut in 3 equal sized pieces.
Then cut each of those pieces in half (you will now have 6 pieces.)
Now cut each of those pieces in half and you will have 12 equal sized pieces.
Each of these pieces will be a roll, but you have to make some more cuts first.
Cut each slice into 3 equal sized pieces, rolling each into a ball and placing all three into the same well of a greased muffin tin. Repeat for each slice.
Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to double in size at room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle generously with course salt. This is when you break out the fanciest salt you have. Or buy some just for the occasion.
Preheat the oven to 400. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Printable:Salted Black Garlic Brioche Rolls

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Salted Hefeweizen Brioche Rolls

09.11.2011 9 Comments

Napa SmithWheat is a perfect baking beer. It has crisp, clean flavors, sweetness and bold tones that hold up to the oven. A smooth wheat beer with citrus and peach notes.

I enjoyed this beer, the baking, the drinking, the flavors. It was an easy beer to enjoy and gave me a sense of the brewery. Relaxed, comfortable and welcoming. I’ve lived in California most of my life, and traveled all over the world and I have a firm believe that Napa is a place that needs to be experienced, a beautiful escape from the rest of reality. Winding along the back roads of Napa county, meeting locals, sampling the local food, drinks, produce…You’ll feel like you are living in a distant land far away from the life you know. In Napa, people love to eat, drink and cook with only local ingredients. It’s charming, as if Napa could exist all on it’s own. A little bubble, a snow globe of a world, swirling around itself filled with fresh-baked bread, handmade pies and locally sourced beer.

Salted Hefeweizen Brioche Rolls

1/2 cup room temperature Hefeweizen Beer (Napa Smith Wheat Preferred)

1 envelope of dry active yeast (1/4 oz)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons sea salt,

3 large eggs

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Topping:

1 tbs melted butter

1 tbs sea salt

Add the beer to a microwave safe container heat in the microwave for 10 seconds, test the temperature (you want it between 105 and 110) and repeat until the desired temperature is reached. Put the beer in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to get foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour, salt and sugar and mix on low with the dough hook attachment until shaggy, flaky lumps form (about 1 1/2 minutes).
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined.
Add the softened butter (softened is important), beat until the dough gathers around the hook and is smooth and shiny.
Coat the inside of a bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in inside.
Wrap with plastic wrap leave in a warm place until it’s double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Grab the dough at the sides until it has deflated.
Allow to rise a second time at room temperature, until it has doubled in size, deflating every 15 minutes by grabbing the sides, about 45 minutes.
Remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface, shape into a long log, about 4 inches wide and 1 foot long.
Using a sharp knife, cut in 3 equal sized pieces.
Then cut each of those pieces in half (you will now have 6 pieces.)
Now cut each of those pieces in half and you will have 12 equal sized pieces.
Each of these pieces will be a roll, but you have to make some more cuts first.
Cut each slice into 3 equal sized pieces, rolling each into a ball and placing all three into the same well of a greased muffin tin. Repeat for each slice.
Cover with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and allow to double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sea salt. This is when you break out the fanciest salt you have. Or buy some just for the occasion.
Preheat the oven to 400. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

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Oktoberfest Beer Recipe: Cheddar Beer Biscuits

19.09.2011 10 Comments

Oktoberfest started this past Saturday, September 17th, marking the 201st anniversary of this high holiday devoted to beer. In honor of the German festivities, I am declaring this week "Beer Week" on Domestic Fits.

I have a love and a passion for really fantastic craft beer that started while working as a waitress at a micro brewery when I was in college. I was able to get a tour of the brewery and a crash course in beer making from two very excited, self proclaimed "Beer Geeks." Up until this point the idea of a "Beer Guy" conjured up images of frat boys playing beer pong, but the Geeks changed all that for me. They were excited about the beer, the flavors, the process of it and the difference between an Ale and a Lager (FYI: there are several differences but the main difference is a Lager is brewed longer). I was hooked and a world of flavors opened up. Lucky for me, the West Coast has a fantastic, seemingly endless, supply of craft beers. If you are ever so lucky to visit us, and you love the art of beer, take a tour of a microbrewery. Beer guys are the nicest breed.

Although the true Oktoberfest celebrations won’t allow any beer to be served at the festival that aren’t brewed within the Munich City limits, I decided against using German beer. I love German beer, its lovely, but the locavore spirit of using what is close by is what I wanted to capture. For this recipe I used a Orange Wheat beer from Hanger 24, a Southern California based brewery. The beer was beautiful and the flavors where fantastic for these biscuits

I also used Kerrygold cheese, although this has nothing to do with Oktoberfest, it’s just really great cheddar. The flavors are perfect for this recipe.

Get the recipe on my other blog, The Beeroness!