9 minute read
IN THE KITCHEN
Out of the frying pan and onto the page.
BREAKING BREAD
The prospect of making bread from scratch may seem daunting, even for the most seasoned baker, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need is practice and technique.
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The art of bread making is very much a science. Sure, the ingredients seem simple enough: fl our, salt, sugar, water, milk, butter, eggs, and yeast. But learning how all these pieces work together to make the perfect loaf or roll can only be mastered with lots of practice and patience — two things for which I have very little tolerance.
However, as I watched Cheryl Bloom work and knead her dough, she assured me even I could master the science at home with her mother’s simple recipe.
Looking at her tatty and stained recipe card, I could tell it has seen its fair share of days in the kitchen. Cheryl has held on to the recipe for more than 35 years.
“My mother used to make these rolls for every holiday, so the recipe is quite important to me,” she said. “It reminds me of the days when I would help her in the kitchen. Every week, she would make a fresh loaf of bread, and every day she would bake a fresh pie. Growing up, very few things in our kitchen were store-bought.”
Over the years, Cheryl has used mom’s basic bread recipe to make other treats, such as pizzas, cinnamon rolls, and her favorite, edible bread bowls.
“When I got married, I came across this braided bread bowl recipe in an old Fleischmann’s recipe book I kept from my high school home economics class,” she said. “Now I like to make the bowls for special occasions.”
The bowl is carefully constructed in layers. It takes about 40 minutes to assemble, but when the fi nished product comes out of the oven, it is gorgeous enough to be a centerpiece for any gathering. I would almost feel guilty eating it — almost.
In my imagination, I pictured making one to hold a thick, hearty chili and maybe a creamy spinach and artichoke dip. Then Cheryl mentioned that she likes to make one to hold her rolls. Then when the rolls run out (which happens because her family loves bread), they can eat the bowl.
“It’s kind of a win-win situation,” she said with a smile.
She also informed me that she likes to jazz up her plain rolls with herbs and other fl avors, which immediately piqued my interest since I’m a lover of various seasoning combinations. When Cheryl is in the mood for fresh herbs, she gathers them from her indoor herb garden, which she keeps in a large terra cotta garden bowl.
“The bowl grew out of necessity when I wanted to keep my herb garden alive during the harsh winters in Michigan. I would keep it in the window so the plants could get sunlight,” she said. “Then I kept using the bowl when I moved to Florida because the soil down here is too sandy to hold any water. It just became easier to maintain them indoors on my windowsill.”
athers them from her indoor herb en, which she keeps in a large terra garden bowl. he bowl grew out of necessity n I wanted to keep my herb en alive during the harsh winters ichigan. I would keep it in the dow so the plants could get ght,” she said. “Then I kept using owl when I moved to Florida use the soil down here is too y to hold any water. It just became r to maintain them indoors on my y dowsill.”
Out of the frying pan and onto the page.
While Cheryl grows a variety of herbs — from rosemary to sage — there are three she absolutely adores.
“My favorite is chives. You can use it in just about anything, from breakfast to lunch to dinner. I also love thyme, especially in chicken soup, but you have to be careful and not use too much because it can be overpowering,” she said. “However, my second favorite herb is parsley because it’s high in vitamins. It’s also low in calories, which many people don’t realize.”
In addition to adding fresh and dried herbs to her rolls, Cheryl likes to play around with interesting fl avors like bacon and cheese.
“When I have it, I prefer using fresh herbs, but I’ll use dried ones in a pinch. Keep in mind dry herbs are stronger than fresh herbs, so be sure to compensate for the difference in taste,” she explained.
By the end of our time together, I felt more confi dent about making my own rolls at home. Cheryl reminded me that in baking, even if my fi rst batch doesn’t turn out right, it’s important to enjoy the process and not get frustrated.
“You have to develop a feel for the ingredients and fi nd what best works for you,” she said. “Experiment with different fl avors but, most of all, have fun with it.”
MOM’S HOMEMADE ROLLS
Recipe courtesy of Cheryl Bloom
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cup milk 1 ½ cup water 2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons salt 1 cup butter 11 cups fl our 3 ½ tablespoons yeast 3 room temperture eggs, slightly beaten
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix milk, water, sugar, salt, and butter and heat mixture on stove to 125–135 degrees. 2. Add eggs and stir quickly so eggs will not set. 3. In a separate bowl, mix yeast with fi ve cups of fl our. Set remaining fl our aside. 4. Combine warm liquid mixture with fl our/yeast mixture. Using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix until very smooth. Add remaining fl our one cup at a time and stir by hand until ready to knead. 5. Once dough is not sticky to the touch, let set for fi ve minutes. 6. Knead for 8–10 minutes and let rise in a greased bowl covered loosely with plastic wrap in a warm area.
TO MAKE AN EDIBLE BREADBASKET:
1. Lightly spray and fl our a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Place an ovenproof two-quart bowl upside-down on the cookie sheet. Lightly spray and fl our the outside of the bowl. 3. Take approximately ¼ cup dough and roll into two very long and thin ropes. Twist ropes together and wind around the prepared bowl.
Continue this same step until the basket is complete. 4. Set in warm area and let dough rise for about 45 minutes to an hour. 5. Place in oven and bake until golden brown for about 35 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your bowl. 6. Let set for 10 minutes and then carefully remove from bowl. Let cool completely.
NOTE: Any leftover dough can be used to make dinner rolls.
TO MAKE PLAIN DINNER ROLLS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Take ¼ cup dough and roll edges down and under to form a ball. 3. Place each roll on a greased pan two inches apart and bake for 15–20 minutes.
NOTE: For assorted fl avored rolls, take ¼ cup dough and season with your favorite spices and herbs. If you are only using one fl avor, knead it into the complete dough and then measure out your individual rolls. Have fun with them. Mix and match if you would like. Here are some of Cheryl’s favorite fl avor combinations: • Chives and cheddar cheese • Garlic power and Italian seasoning • Thyme and onion powder • Parsley and cheddar cheese • Bacon and basil • Pepperoni and cheddar cheese
HAND PAINTED HERB BOWL
Provided by Cheryl Bloom
ITEMS NEEDED
Standard terra cotta garden bowl Sandpaper Acrylic paints from any craft/hobby store (main color can be black, orange, yellow, or green) Freezer paper Paper towel One-inch brush Liner brush Angle or fl at brush for corner loading Water-based sealer
DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove any stickers from the bowl and lightly sand any rough edges.
Wipe with a dry cloth or paper towel. 2. Put down a sheet of freezer paper, wax side down. Paint the inside and the outside of the bowl with your main color. Make sure to cover the bottom of the pot, as well. 3. When the base coat is dry, mark the bowl very lightly with a pencil 1 ¼ inches down from the top on the outside of the bowl. Corner load your angle or fl at brush with black paint and fl oat the paint along the pencil line with the color fl oating away from the top toward the bottom of the bowl. Let dry. Repeat this step at the bottom of the bowl. 4. Lightly write with a pencil the words “Parsley,” “Sage,” “Rosemary,” and
“Thyme” around the top of the bowl. Repeat until you have gone around the complete bowl. Remember to space the letters further apart than normal because when painting letters, they will be thicker. 5. To make little fl owers around the base of the bowl, dip the round end of a brush into a bit of paint and touch it to the lower band of the garden bowl. Space the dots about 1 ½ inches apart. Be careful not to touch the dots. When dry, dip the liner brush into a little green paint and add a few leaves by the dots. Let the brush do the work for you; this is only a resemblance of a fl ower. 6. When dry, spray the bowl with black paint. To begin, cover a table with newspaper and water down the black paint to an inky consistency. 7. Lay garden bowl face down. Dip brush into paint and run the bristles off the edge of a pallet or plastic knife above the bowl, creating a spray effect. Spray the bottom and complete the sides of the bowl. Let dry. 8. Turn the bowl over and spray the inside and top edge of the bowl. Then let the bowl set until it is dry. 9. Once dry, paint the bowl with a water-based sealer. Let it dry and apply one more coat of sealer. The sealer should set for 21 days before you plant herbs.
