Per usual Rick tweeted his 140 character recipe, and it went as follows:

“Proc 4 grlc,6T ancho,4t sugr&peppr,5t salt,1t oreg,½t cumin.Rub 4 slb ribs;ovrnite.Bake 300 75 min.Blend:7oz chiptles&3/4c honey.Grill;glaze”

Excited to be making ribs for the first time I couldn’t wait to begin. I know that this is something just about every “dude” has grilled with his buddies while tailgating with their collapsible Coleman grills , but this recipe seemed to have much more of a refined production.  What really got me excited was the simplicity of the sauce; just chipotles in adobo and honey. KC Masterpiece need not apply!

To begin the weekly adventure I headed to our local market. This time I went to Food Star to pick up the ingredients I needed. As a side note: living right outside the city does have its perks sometimes. Food Star has just about every Latin American ingredient you can think of, which is the type of market you can only find in the “‘burbs”. Due to high turnover their butcher’s counter has quite an abundant selection of fresh meats. So it was here that I found the slabs of baby-back ribs (three racks) for a reasonable $13! The only ingredient I had trouble finding was the ground ancho powder. After checking two Latin markets and every chain grocery store in my area I had given up hope until the bf stepped in with a vacuumed sealed bag of it. How he has stuff like this on-hand at all times never ceases to amaze me.

Back in my mad-scientist laboratory I got to work. Waking roommates up to the sound of a whirling food processor as I mixed the ingredients for the dry rub was a welcomed sound I’m sure…Sorry guys! From the initial taste of the rub I knew that this recipe was going to be a success. It was the perfect blend of heat balanced with abundance of salt and the sweetness of the brown sugar. After coating the ribs I left them in the fridge to “marinate” for about seven hours. I think if I make these again I will let them sit overnight.

After I let the ribs cook in the oven at 300ºF for 75 minutes I sort of question the recipe. If left to cook a little longer say, 90 minutes at a lower temperature say, 275º I think that the meat may have rendered a little more fat and become a bit more tender. (There will always be time to experiment at a later date.)  As I removed the ribs from the oven I wanted to eat them then and there, but refrained to go light the grill and get the glaze going.  I set the grill on low and placed the ribs away from direct flame on the top rack, and using my handy silicon pastry brush I coated one side of the rack then allowed the glaze to cook onto the meat. I flipped the meat and repeated this a few more times until the sauce was used completely.

The end result: amazing! The meat wasn’t falling-off-the-bone tender, but still easy enough to eat, and the flavor was abundant. The heat from the canned chipotles balances nicely with the honey. If you’re sensitive to a lot of spice I would advise cutting back on the juice from the peppers and using a bit more honey. This sauce has kick! I have a feeling this ribs will be made several more times throughout football season.

My submitted photo is below. It didn’t get a win but I’m still proud of myself for giving this Twitter challenge a go. If anything I am a lot more comfortable with various types of Mexican flavors. I can see myself eventually picking up a copy of Rick’s newest book: Fiesta At Rick’s to continue to experiment and broaden my horizons in the kitchen. I love that these recipes are all dishes that would compose a fun, festive night with good friends and a few margaritas.  So, congrats to all the winners of this final challenge – it was fun to see everyone’s interpretations, plating, and photography.

If you submitted any photos to the challenge please leave me a comment or a link to your blog. I would love to see what everyone else thought of this experience.  Hopefully more competitions like this will start to pop up as chefs and restaurants use Twitter as a platform for recipe sharing. I have noticed that Eric Ripert (@ericripert) has been posting 140 character versions of some of his recipes as well.

Having never made a ceviche before, I was a little hesitant to use raw scallops. Unless you are getting your seafood delivered fresh to your door there is no way to know how long it has been sitting out, but feeling confident with Wegmans’ sea scallops I ventured into unknown territory. I also like to think my stomach is made of steel.

Rick’s tweeted recipe for the week went as follows:  8oz slicd raw scallops+1c grapefrt j:45 min.Drain;blend 2/3c juice,1-2 chipotles,4 rstd grlc,2T br sgr.Mix w scal, red on,trop fruit,jicama

I started by thinly slicing the scallops along the grain. This proved to be somewhat difficult since my knives aren’t as sharp as they should be…

After adding the juice to the sliced scallops I stuck the bowl in the fridge for about an hour or so. Meanwhile, I roasted the garlic for the sauce and prepared the fruit and jicama- using a mix of pineapple, mango, and papaya as the “tropical fruit”.  I wasn’t sure how to prepare the jicama. Any time I have eaten it in the past it has been served in a thick Juliene style so that you can dip it. I sort of did the same for this recipe creating small matchsticks.

Once the sauce was finished I tasted a piece of scallop with the fruit and I found the ceviche to be a little too sweet for my liking. I ignored this for the moment and continued to think of creative ways to plate it without it looking too cheesy. I hate when restaurants serve ceviche in martini glasses…

Above is the final pic that I submitted. I had accidentally omitted the red onion so I had to hurry to incorporate it for a final shot. Honestly, I preferred some other pictures I had taken before I noticed the onion was missing. This is what happens when you aren’t completely prepared I guess.

Maybe it is not so surprising that I didn’t win this week as my pictures didn’t come out as great as I had wanted them to I was trying to keep them from looking over worked. This idea didn’t work in  my favor either.   Judging from the winning photos the martini glass was the obvious, albeit outdated, presentation they were looking for after-all!

There’s always next week. Stay tuned for the final installment of the Twitter Challenge!

As I admire such a simple contraption as a French press I think about involvement in the process. Grinding the beans, boiling the water, allowing the coffee to steep, then pouring the press’ steaming, hot contents into a ceramic mug. Sorry Starbucks, your rapid-fire distribution of overly acidic and often watered down coffee cannot compare to my Sunday coffee ritual.

Being involved in a process seems to be a sort of renaissance for the modern era. You see it everywhere; hands-on cooking classes, farm-to-table meals, urban gardens, planting herbs in your window sill, even personal French presses at your local coffee shop… This participation allows you to gain a sense of ownership of a product or an idea while enjoying its evolution. Involvement can be for a variety of reasons – education, charity, appreciation, improvement or simply a love of something. Whatever your reason, it will evoke a “stop and smell the roses” effect.

Farms seem to be the leaders in this idea. Sites like Nudo encourage the support of Italian olive farmers. As the “process” becomes more machine-dependent we lose the rusticity of traditional olive oils. By  adopting an olive tree  you become involved – supporting the farming process while reaping the benefits with your very own oil produced from your adoptive tree! Win-win, right? Local Virginia farm, Gryffon’s Aerie, is owned by dear friends of ours Collins and Ramona Huff.  These two are purveyors of the finest local meats that anyone could ask for. They encourage visits to their farm and when they visit DC area farmers markets are quick to educate people for the love of all their animals. Happy animals lead to better tasting food – or that’s been my experience, at least.

Bringing us closer to the foods we eat we begin to gain a respect for the hard work that is quickly being replaced by machines and mega-corporations. By doing something as simple as buying your bread from a local baker or cooking with homegrown vegetables we can work to protect true quality of the foods we eat and give ourselves a sense of well-being.

~That’s my two cents for the day and something to think about while you enjoy your coffee this morning.~

Week 2-

Last night Rick posted his recipe for Week 2 of the Twitter Recipe Challenge:

@Rick_Bayless This week’s recipe (harder than last weeks): Roasted Enchiladas w Creamy Tomatillo Sauce and Melted Cheese. Recipe is my next Tweet

@Rick_Bayless  Rst 1#tomtllos,1 on,3 grlc,3 serranos;puree;sear n oil 2 thkn;simr w 2c broth,.5c crema.Oil,micrwv 12 torts,roll w rstd veg,sauce, chs, bake

Okay, so my initial thoughts are that it’s easy enough to find the ingredients, but is the roasted vegetable filling supposed to be something other than the roasted tomatillos, onion, and peppers? I assumed the tomatillos would be incorporated into the sauce so I’m thinking he may fill the enchiladas with something else…hmm. Thoughts?

This is where it starts to get a little sticky with interpreting the recipe without a copy of the cookbook.

Update –

After spending a very hot, humid few days of tracking down everything needed for the enchiladas I fired up the oven yesterday (mind you, it was a scorching 110 in DC with the heat index) and attempted to master the cryptic “tweeted” recipe.

On Thursday I found some blue corn tortillas from the mercado in Clarendon along with some of the biggest tomatillos I have ever seen!

Like last week I have posted my version of the Twitter recipe with the ingredients and substitutions I’ve made.

Roasted Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

Serves 4

1 lb. roasted tomatillos
3 serrano peppers, roasted (I couldn’t find these anywhere! Used jalapeno instead)
3 cloves of garlic, roasted (I used 5 small cloves)
1 onion, roasted
1/2 C. crema
2 C. stock
Roasted vegetables for filler (I used beets, onion, zucchini, 2 types of squash, 2 small eggplant)
Salt & Pepper

• Thinly slice or roughly chop the filler vegetables
• Roast in a baking dish with a bit of olive oil, salt &pepper, for about an hour at 375
• Under a broiler roast the tomatillos, serranos, and garlic (leave skin on garlic)*
• Pan roast onion
• Flip the vegetables under the broiler after 5 minutes. Cook until charred
• Peel skin off peppers and garlic
• Add roasted tomatillos, onion, garlic, peppers to blender and puree
• Sear tomatillo mixture in a large skillet with oil to thicken
• Add crema and stock to pan and continue to thicken
• Lightly oil 12 corn tortillas and microwave to soften
• Immediately fill tortillas with vegetables
• Spread 1/3 sauce on baking dish
• Arrange filled tortillas in dish
• Cover with remaining sauce
• Top with cheese
• Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and brown

*For the 10 minutes I used the broiler I placed the roasting vegetables to the bottom of the oven so they would continue to roast and not burn. After shutting off the broiler, returned the oven to 375 and continued to roast them.

Here’s the final product:

And here is my submitted photo:

If you submitted a photo please share as I love to see what I am up against! Best of luck to everyone, again.

While these pickles can in no way compare to the frickly goodness that we experienced at Mad Fox Brewery last week, I think they make a decent substitute until our next adventure to the chasm of suburbia.

Fried Pickles

As adapted from ‘Fried Dill Pickles’

Serves a small army or a few starving friends

One large jar of sliced dill pickles, reserve some of the juice
One large egg
2 C. flour plus one Tbsp.
1 tsp. Cholula or other hot sauce
2 tsp. Red pepper
1 tsp. Chili powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
Pepper

• Drain the pickles on a few paper towels – This is key in getting the batter to stick and to have them crispy not soggy
• Take about a cup of the reserved juice and whisk it together with the egg, hot sauce and Tbsp. of flour
• In either a large, shallow baking dish or a plastic bag mix the 2 C. flour and seasonings
• Heat a deep fryer or large, deep pot filled with oil to *375.  (Personally I needed my oil to be a little hotter)
• Dip pickles in egg mixture, coat with flour mixture, then fry a couple minutes until golden and crispy
• For a dipping sauce mix a couple tablespoons of ranch dressing with hot sauce

Remember, I warned you!

Blooming Onion

As adapted from ‘Almost-Famous Bloomin’ Onion‘

(One onion is enough to make you feel guilty for the next week so start small…)

One large Vidalia or other sweet onion
2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 eggs
1 C. buttermilk
Salt & Pepper

• Mix the dry ingredients in a freezer-size plastic bag and set aside
• Mix eggs, buttermilk, and one cup of water in a bowl big enough for the onion
• Cut the non-root tip off of the onion and peel.  Using a long, pointed knife making several slits around the onion about 1/4 in. from the root
• Place the onion in hot water for a minute to help it “bloom”
• Shake off excess water and put the onion into the plastic bag and shake to coat
• Remove from flour mixture then dip in egg mix making sure completely coated
• Shake in flour mixture for a second time making sure all petals are coated but excess flour is removed
• Carefully place in hot oil.
• Fry for 3 minutes then flip it over and fry for an additional 3-4 minutes
• Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels
• Season with salt and pepper and serve with dip (recipe below)

(We found that it helps to fry a little long on the “root” side so the petals are easier to remove when cooled)

Blooming Onion “Horsey” Sauce

In a small bowl combine the following:

2 Tbsp. fresh or jarred horseradish
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. mayo
1/2 Tbsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp. ketchup
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

The flavors really meld together if you make this an hour or two ahead of time so cover and refrigerate until onions are done.

(note: I was skeptical of a successful outcome so only had my phone camera on-hand. If I dare make these again I promise to use my DSLR to better capture the moment)

Week 1 -

The first recipe of the contest was tweeted by @Rick_Bayless last Monday: “Sear 1.25# bnls chix brst; cool, cube. Brn 1 onion,add 3 grlc,2 poblanos (rstd,pld,slcd),6 oz chard,1c broth,1c crema.Boil2 thickn.Add chix”

Now, to me this seems pretty straightforward and simple with very few ingredients. Other “Tweeps” did not seem to feel the same way. They voiced dozens of complaints as to the vagueness of the recipe or what some of the ingredients even were.  Rick  responded to them with a firm, “That’s part of the whole challenge!”, and gave no other feedback.  To me, I welcome the challenge! While I could have run out to Barnes & Noble to flip through the glossy pages to size up what would no doubt be a studio-created photo I decided to play fair.  I hope that everyone else is doing the same but we all know at least one person would be lying…

That said, I wanted to keep it authentic and to-the-recipe as possible so this meant making my own crema.  After reading several recipes it seemed simple enough; 2 cups heavy cream and about 4 tablespoons of buttermilk. After heating through and allowing to cool and to sit for about 13 hours it turned into a tangy, smooth, and somewhat runny concoction. Not being all-too familiar with crema I decided this soupy consistency was acceptable given it was just going be boiled and reduced anyhow.  I found crisp and beautifully green rainbow chard at the White House farmers market on Thursday and after looking in three different places found poblanos at Whole Foods. I thought they were so commonplace now! Guess not… (I also have an awesome use for charred poblanos in my turkey burger recipe but I’ll save that for another day.)

I ended up making the dish on Friday night as my way of winding down after a long week at work. I love having a quiet kitchen to myself sometimes–so relaxing.  From start to finish I would say it only took about 45 minutes to actually cook. Not too bad.  I have posted the recipe below in my full interpretation along with the little tweeks I made for myself along the way.  I am a little disappointed that I didn’t win in the first round but I am going to step up my game this week. Watch out!  My only guess as to why mine might not have been chosen was my use of cumin and chili powder to season my chicken. This gave the sauce more of a yellowy-orange tint, but to me it looks just as appetizing as some of the winning submissions posted here. I can’t imagine not seasoning the chicken before searing it but that’s just me. Perhaps I should have stuck to the “recipe” more closely. I know I created way more work for this contest than was necessary after seeing the first week’s results. Therefore, for the next three weeks I’m going to focus on presentation alone and scale back the “authenticity”.

If you have submitted a picture to his contest or are thinking about doing so in the coming weeks let me know! I would love to discuss everyone’s thought process in interpreting these 140 character “Tweetcipes”.  I know that the challenge is just for a cookbook, but I really do enjoy a good competition plus I love to see other people’s photography.  Also, if anyone has actually picked up a copy of the cookbook I would love to know your thoughts on plating and food styling among his photos.

Congrats to the Week 1 winners and best of luck to any of my fellow competitors out there!

Creamy Mexican Chicken and Greens with Roasted Poblanos

Serves four

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 poblano peppers, charred, peeled sliced (slight variation from Rick’s)

10 oz. Swiss chard, rinsed, chopped (slight variation from Rick’s – I had so much of it!)

1 C. fresh crema (see description in post)

1 C. chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

1 large onion

1/2 jalapeño, diced, membrane and seeds included (slight variation from Rick’s)

cumin

chili powder

salt

pepper

• Season chicken with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sear on a hot grill on both sides, remove, cool, then cube into bite size pieces

• Add poblanos to hot grill and roast until skins char and bubble. Remove and let cool. Peel off skin then chop

• Brown an onion in a pan with a little bit of olive oil

• Add garlic and jalapeño. Continue to brown

• Add poblano, crema, and stock to the pan

• Boil until sauce begins to thicken

• Add Swiss chard

• Add chicken and cook thoroughly. The consistency should almost be like a curry

• Serve on tortillas or over rice

I think this recipe is a good springboard for experimentation. I think the base would be really delicious with seared fish perhaps.

I am admitted leftover fanatic and I think I sometimes enjoy them more than the original meal. If there is something I don’t like or want to improve on it’s comforting to know there is a bit of it left to assist in my mad scientist creations. The recipe I made from Katie’s leftover pasta is very easy and required about 10 minutes of actual work. Can’t beat that! The end result is something that is a tasty metamorphosis from its cold, pallid, leftover state.  I have  a couple more ideas that I would do with this pasta and since I continue to have about two cups still clinging to be reconstituted I will post those this weekend!

Tortellini with Shrimp and Asparagus

Olive oil

salt & pepper

1/2  red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup thawed or fresh shrimp

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1.5 Cups leftover (or fresh) tortellini pasta cooked as per package instructions

1/2 bunch asparagus

1/2 lemon

balsamic vinegar, drizzle as garnish (I think seafood and pasta require some acid but you can omit the vinegar and lemon if you choose)

• Cut off tough ends of asparagus then toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Roast asparagus in baking dish or foil-lined baking sheet at 425F until easily pierced with fork, about 10 minutes (about half way through cooking turn them so they don’t stick)
• In a pan saute red pepper and garlic in olive oil until tender
• Add shrimp, sprinkle with crushed red pepper, and continue to saute until the shrimp turn pink in color and begin to curl  (if using frozen, pre-cooked shrimp just cook until heated through – you don’t want to over cook the shrimp)
• As the shrimp is nearly cooked through add the pasta and stir to combine
• When pasta is heated throughout remove from stove
• Add roasted asparagus (cut into bite size pieces) and toss
• Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar (again, optional)

So there we have a completely different meal with loads of flavor and color that was made using things I already had. You can alter this recipe using whatever you have on hand. I think this would also be good with wilted spinach instead of the asparagus and chicken instead of shrimp. See, endless possibilities!! Next time you have leftovers consider giving them a true second chance instead of just a 45 second nuke in the microwave that will leave you completely unsatisfied.  This seriously only took about 15 minutes and was a complete meal in itself.

Link to this post

The base of the recipe is very similar to the start of my ‘Tomato and Red Curry Chickpeas’ using canned, crushed tomatoes and red curry paste, and while this isn’t spinach from a can I do believe this recipe would be Popeye approved.

Makes about 3-4 servings

olive oil

1/2 white or yellow onion thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2  28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 small can 4 oz. red curry paste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 C. white wine

1 bag pre-washed spinach, tough stems removed

salt & pepper to taste

1 lb. Arctic char – pin bones removed*

1 lb. rapini washed and trimmed

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lemon cut into wedges

• Saute onion in about a tablespoon of oil
• Add garlic and saute until onions are translucent
• Mix in crushed tomatoes and red curry paste, stir to combine
• When the mixture has reduced a little add the white wine
• Season to taste with paprika, salt, and pepper
• Add spinach in two batches, mixing it into the sauce as it wilts,  let simmer
• In a separate pan saute’ the rapini in a couple tablespoons of olive oil (or butter if you prefer)
• Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper
• Cook until heated through and somewhat wilted
• While the rapini is cooking heat up a grill pan and spray with non-stick grill spray
• Place fish skin side up to allow the meat to cook first
• After 2 minutes on one side flip over and grill another 2-3 minutes on the skin side
• When the fish is cooked you should be able to slide a spatula between the skin and the meat to easily remove it without damaging it
• Plate the rapini with the fish on top of it then spoon the curried spinach mixture all over.
• I like a little lemon on my greens so I garnished it with lemon wedges
• Enjoy!

*a note about pin bones – remove with pliers, tweezer, or kitchen shearers. Find them by running your fingers along the top sides of the fish. My 1 pound cut had about 10 pin bones in it

Now what is a galette you ask? Funny, as my roommates had the same question. To explain it best I will refer you to this website from thekitchn.com which puts it quite simply: Pie v. Tart v. Galette I love the idea of a galette as it is more rustic looking and very free-form which I like.  For some reason every time I turn on a cooking show these past few weeks someone is making one. Giada’s fig galette and Jacques Pepin’s which he made on Emeril really got me wanting to try my hand at one.

Looking back I realized that I should have posted some pictures of the actual cutting of the pineapple. The easiest way to start is by giving him a haircut. Take a long serrated (bread) knife and cut off the top leafy part as well as the bottom. Then start shaving down the sides without cutting off too much flesh and get as close to the skin as possible. Then to remove the “eyes” carefully take the tip of the knife and make diagonal slits above and below each row of eyes. This will give the pineapple a swirled pattern. Then turn the pineapple on its side and make as many 1/4 in. thick slices as possible. Mine yielded about 9 decent slices and about three scrawny pieces that I of course stood there and ate while I finished prepping. (Little known fact. If you eat pineapple or drink pineapple juice two times a day about three days in a row your skin starts to smell sweet.)

Anyway, once you have your slices you need to core them. I took a small paring knife and made a little circle incision into each one (this is where two years of being pre-med in college came in handy). If you have a small, round cookie cutter it will save you time and if you have a pineapple corer consider yourself awesome — you saved yourself from a juice bath. After you’ve finished licking the counter of pineapple scraps, place the slices on a plate to chill in the fridge. Now it’s time to bake!

Pineapple Galette

as adapted from Williams and Sonoma : Pie & Tart

Makes one 9 in. galette or roughly 8 servings

Basic Pie Crust: (You can also use your own pie crust recipe if you prefer)

1  1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubed

3 Tbsp ice water

• In a large bowl mix flour, sugar,  and salt.
• Cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are smaller than peas
• Add water and mix until combined
• Transfer dough to work surface, shape into ball, then flatten into disk
• Flour work surface and roll out dough to 12 in. in diameter and 1/4 in. thick

Galette:

1 pineapple trimmed as described above

1 recipe for pie crust (see above)

3-4 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• Place dough on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Overlap the rings of pineapples to cover the middle of the dough leaving a border of 1-2 inches
• Fold the edges of the dough over the edges of the pineapple leaving the center open (you can crimp or pleat the dough however you like)
• Dust the pineapple with the brown sugar

• Put pats of butter over sugar (I found it easier to pinch little pieces off with my fingers and drop onto the galette)
• Place in refrigerator to firm the dough about 20-30 minutes
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees then place in lower third oven rack
• Cook about 50 minutes until the crust becomes golden in color and the pineapple is soft when pierced with a fork
• Cool slightly and serve warm

If you have never made your own pie crust this is a great recipe to learn on as you really can’t screw it up. The dough doesn’t need to be perfectly round and the edges are free-form. No fluting or crimping needed!

Eating this almost makes you think you are on a white sandy beach with a cool colada in your hand…doesn’t it?? Okay maybe not but it’s definitely a light and refreshing dessert.

**Update – I wanted a snack so I just grabbed a cold slice  of leftover galette from the fridge and it was fantastic. If I heat it I like it with a small scoop of ice cream.

Anyway, if I were ever to go on Atkins or the South Beach Diet I would surely flounder and fall off the wagon in about 2 days.   Fortunately for me, my love for starchy goodness is offset with a love for working out…sometimes…So, forget the cupcakes, cookies, and other sweets and give me a french baguette. There’s nothing in this world more delicious for breakfast than a warmed piece of bread with a hunking glob of Nutella. Yum. Okay maybe I should just stop while I am ahead.

So, after watching one of my roommates pull a five month old bag of pitas from the pantry without a trace of mold I had a moment of clarity. WHAT have I been eating all this time?! Nothing but chemicals and preservatives. Gross.  Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of a bread bag? If not, you should do it now and never EVER buy it again. If you insist on buying bread buy from a local bakery. Help support small biz AND get those chemicals out of your body. Win-win!

While my first attempts at bread-making (I might try to blame this recipe) are somewhat inconsistent I will continue to work at this until I am a bread master.  While it looks rather simplistic this recipe requires a lot of attention to measurements, kneading, and temperatures. I tried this recipe for the first time over a week ago with two rather dense boules that looks more like implants than bread.  The taste was good, the texture was meh, and it was as dense as a Valley Girl. Ok, let’s try it again. I made two loaves on Tuesday night hoping that I would correct whatever mistakes I made the first time around.

Rosemary and Caramelized Onion Loaf

The recipe is adapted from AllRecipes.com “Delicious Rosemary Bread”

1/2 white or yellow onion thinly sliced

1 Tbsp white sugar

1 cup warm water

1 (.25 oz.) package active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 Tbsp rosemary (If you use dried rosemary use a few teaspoons instead)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 cups bread flour (I used regular all purpose flour which could have been why it sucked)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten (I excluded this step the second time. It didn’t appeal to me nor did I have fresh eggs)

• Get the onions ready by heating up some oil in a pan, allow onions to slightly brown then add a splash of balsamic vinegar to promote the caramelizing process. After they have achieved a glossy shade of brown remove from the heat and allow to cool before chopping.

• Dissolve  sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, mix in  yeast. As the yeast foams and bubbles mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, cooled onions, (with a few reserved for later) and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour then work in last cup to create  a workable dough,  knead 10 to 12 minutes. **This step is critical. You really do need to knead (hehe) the bread to form the gluten. I personally think I keep screwing this step up some how. If you’d like to see a tutorial I found this one useful via Epicurious: Kneading Bread Dough

• Brush a larger bowl with olive oil and put the dough ball inside. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm location. (I’m not sure how “warm” warm is but I set the bowls near the stove and oven while I was cooking)

• After an hour, punch the dough down and take out of bowl (The original recipe says to make into two balls but I wanted a large loaf). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and shape dough into 1 loaf approximately 8 in. long, and place on the baking sheet. If you want to sprinkle more rosemary or any other topping such as the caramelized onions I had left this is the time to do it. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

• Brush loaves with egg (I brushed with olive oil and sprinkled on sea salt)  and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

I found that my loaves needed to be around 400 degrees and about 25 minutes but again that could be my oven so keep an eye on yours when nearing the 20 minute mark.

For some reason the second attempt at the Rosemary loaf was great but when I experimented with using olives and garlic in another I was yet again left with a dense carbo-brick. (It won’t stop me from eating it though. It’s tasty when toasted)

If you have any tips for getting your bread to rise please let me know. I wasn’t sure if it was the kneading or allowing the bread to rise in a very warm place instead of my kitchen counter such as the oven on low heat.

**Variation**  : I made a second loaf using chopped Kalamata olives and four diced cloves of garlic. This loaf fell a little flat but delicious nonetheless. It is pictured alongside the Rosemary/Onion loaf in the pictures above.