Culinary Adventures with Camilla

If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that this shelter-in-place order inspired me to buckle down and actually learn how to make sourdough bread. You can learn more about that in my Dough-Ba Fett's Sourdough Adventures tab, but basically, I baked a bunch of doorstoppers, then I started to get the hang of it, then I went off the deep end with variations and had to go back to the basics. And, now, after coming up with my standard loaf - Ten-Percent Rye Sourdough Boules - I am easing back into small changes. My biggest variations have come with using craft salts from Big Sur Salts . Carlo Overhulser is a local-to-me salt artisan who sources his salt from Big Sur pools and blends them with hyper-local ingredients. I have several on my counter at the moment, but it was his Morada Salt that inspired this set of boules. The Morada Salt blend include elderberry syrup wild salt from another local purveyor - Carmel Berry Co. -, Pico Blanco sea salt, hibiscus, rose bud,...

When this sourdough adventure of mine began, at the beginning of the coronoavirus pandemic, I was determined to master a sourdough recipe and, then, begin to experiment with variations. As the weeks turned into months, I have settled on a standard. I usually make and shape four at a time, then bake them at various stages of ferment throughout the next several days. So, even though these are all different boules - the batches are clearly different in the photos - they are all the same recipe. Some bear the floured stripes of my banneton, others are simply placed in a bowl with a floured tea towel. Ten-Percent Rye Sourdough Boules For years - I mean years! - I have avoided making sourdough bread. Something about the whole harvesting native bacteria from the air to create the starter just made me start twitching with anxiety. Then a friend gifted me some starter. So, if this shelter-in-place has taught me anything, it's that I  can  bake sourdough bread. Don't g...

I'm part of an online Secret Sourdough Society in which we share recipes, ask questions about the sourdough process, and just generally inspire each other. Someone posted a photo of her sourdough cinnamon rolls and her process. Others linked up the recipes they have used. I almost ran into the kitchen to bake my own. I used Chelsea's proportions for the dough, then just sort of improvised the rest since I've made lots of cinnamon rolls in my life. The biggest changes: I added other spices to the mix and skipped the cream cheese frosting, drizzling the entire pan with a Meyer lemon glaze instead. And, truth be told, I rarely eat the sweets that I bake. I just don't have a sweet tooth. So, I don't know how these tasted, but six were devoured in less than 10 minutes of hitting the table and they rationed the others for the following day's breakfasts and snacks. I'd say that it was a hit. Adjust the spices for what you have in your cabinet or use all cinn...

This time around,  Deb of  Kahakai Kitchen   is the host for our bi-monthly book group  Cook the Books . For our April-May 2020 pick, s he selected  Hippie Food: How Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat by Jonathan Kauffman *; you can r ead her invitation  here . And you still have a month to jump in if you care to join us. I just decided to time my post to say 'Happy 50th Birthday, Earth Day!' On the Page Kauffman's book explains how Americans evolved from a country where canned foods, casseroles, and processed meats were de rigueur to a place where you can buy organic produce and tofu inside almost every grocery store. He also follows the advent of the food cooperative that began in the mid-nineteenth century and blossomed into buying clubs who urged its members to "eat to conspire." "...the concept of collective buying, directly from suppliers, appealed to a generation that had been organizing an...

So, after dialing in a process and recipe, didn't change a thing for loaves 9 and 10. But for Loaf 11, I decided to try to spritz the ball just before placing it in the oven. Again, I left the loaf to cool on the table with a note... And, again, they followed directions. I got this photo with the text: "11, 8, 10. Gold, silver, bronze." So, best ever. Nice. And this photo with the comment: "Crackly, crunchy on the outside. Moist and chewy on the inside." Fantastic. Now we're getting somewhere in this sourdough journey.   Ingredients makes one boule 100 g starter (recently fed) 350 g warm water + 25 g more +  more for spritzing 450 g all-purpose flour 50 g whole wheat flour 10 g salt rice flour for dusting Also needed: digital kitchen scale, banneton proofing basket or mixing bowl lined with a tea towel, Dutch oven, spray bottle Procedure In a large mixing bowl, combine 100 g starter with 350 grams of warm ...

So, after seven - yes, count them, seven! - sourdough bricks, I made two critical changes. I had been trying to change only one variable at a time to isolate any issues. However, over half a dozen failed breads called for drastic measures. So, my two changes resulted in Loaf Lucky No. 8! First,  I migrated to weight measurements  versus volume measurements. Second, I started following the Tartine Bakery process of folding instead of kneading. Success! Many thanks to my friend Pia for lending me a copy of her Tartine Bread  by Chad Robertson. You can see the recipe here (on Tartine's website) and below is my very slightly adapted version. But, four loaves of consistently risen and beautiful breads, has me very, very happy. Ingredients Note that their original recipe makes two loaves; mine is for one boule only 100 g starter (recently fed) 350 g warm water + 25 g more 450 g all-purpose flour 50 g whole wheat flour 10 g salt rice flour for dusting Also...

If you've been following my blog recently, you'll know about my foray into sourdough . I'm branching out and using the starter in the place of other leaveners. As our homemade kimchi is ready - and D was requesting hamburgers - I decided it was the perfect time to make some sourdough burger buns and serve kimchi burgers tonight. I read a bunch of different recipes and used a combination of ingredients and processes to create my own version. Some called for dry milk powder - didn't have that. Some had more sugar - definitely don't want that. Most used a combination of sourdough starter and yeast. Next time I think I am going to try to omit the yeast and just use more starter and less milk and flour. Maybe. Ingredients makes 8 buns 1 C sourdough starter 1 C whole milk 3-1/2 C all-purpose flour + more for dusting the workspace and the baking sheet 1 T organic granulated sugar 1-1/2 t salt 1-1/2 t active dry yeast (I am going to try to omit this next...

I chuckled when I read an op-ed piece in which someone railed against people learning how to bake sourdough bread during this coronavirus pandemic. To summarize, her conclusion was: It's SO wasteful. Start with something easier. Hmmm...maybe she thinks that people who bake sourdough actually discard the "discard." I've been on this sourdough journey for just over a week. I've baked almost a dozen loaves of bread, given one starter to a friend, and made - now two - other baked goods using the sourdough starter instead of yeast. I don't discard anything. So, what part is wasteful? I'm confused. How to Shape a Pretzel And before we get started on the recipe, I'm going to share how I shape a pretzel. My boys laughed and laughed at me while I tried to figure this out because I am definitely spatially challenged. Maybe this will help someone else! Also, forgive my lack of artistic talent. 1: Roll out a rope, approximately 15" long.  ...