| In Praise of Bread Machines |
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Chef Annie Mahle
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In someone else’s family there is a good parent or
spouse who makes bread daily by hand, but that
family isn’t mine and that parent isn’t me. You’ll
rarely fine me championing machine-made products
over hand–made because I’m a firm believer in the
warmth and soul of all things handmade. While
during the summer, I’m cooking on my woodstove for
folks on the Schooner J. & E. Riggin, and
making bread twice a day by hand, once back on
shore, I’m using the bread machine.
There are few smells more evocative for me than
that of fresh bread and wood smoke. However, for
those who don’t happen to have a woodstove handy
or time to make bread twice daily, no worries. And
don’t get me wrong, our life on shore is just as hectic
as the next persons, and we take what works for us -
the smell of bread fresh from the bread machine is a
wonderful thing in our house. It’s still true that
artesian bread, made with a sourdough starter and
shaped by hand is by far the favorite choice – more
flavor, better texture, more pleasing to the eye and
also - tough on the budget. A bread machine on the
other hand, gives you good tasting bread with little
to no fat, it’s easy on the budget and you can sneak
in all kinds of things that are good for you and the
kids with no one being the wiser. My fellow chefs
and bakers will perhaps raise a stink when they read
this, but I walk both sides of the fence, being a
parent and spouse who wants good healthy foods for
my family without spending excess time doing so and
a chef who is fairly purist about the quality of what I
create. The parent wins this time.
If you really want to crank the timesaving, pop all of
the soup ingredients into a crock-pot on the lowest
setting before you leave for work and come home to
dinner almost entirely finished.
Warm hearts and full bellies, Chef Annie
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| Curried Spring Onion & Mushroom Barley Soup |
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- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon, ginger root, grated
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or
water
- 1/3 cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
Use a damp cloth to remove the dirt from the
mushrooms. Slice them.
Melt the butter in a medium sized stockpot over
medium heat; add the onions, garlic and ginger and
cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the mushrooms and curry powder and cook until
tender.
Add the remaining ingredients. Bring the soup to a
boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about
20 minutes, until the barley is completely cooked.
Serve.
Serves 6 to 8
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Print recipe |
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| Oatmeal Poppy Seed Bread |
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This recipe is perfect to make when you have
leftover oatmeal from breakfast. You may need to
adjust the amounts and order of ingredients
according to your machine.
Directions for both machine and hand made loaves
are included below.
- For bread machine:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cooked oatmeal
- 4 cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons yeast
Add the ingredients in the order listed above or in the
order required for your machine. Some machines
require that the flour go in first. Make sure you have
the settings set for a 2 pound loaf. You must use
bread flour rather than all-purpose flour.
- By Hand:
- 1½ tablespoons dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cooked oatmeal (simply follow the
directions on the package)
- 1 cup warm water or more as needed
Combine the yeast, salt, poppy seeds and flour in a
large bowl. Stir in all the remaining ingredients,
reserving ¼ cup water. Add more water if needed.
Knead for 10-15 minutes.
Oil the bowl and the top of the dough, cover, and
set aside in a warm, draft free place to rise until
doubled (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 350°. Dust
the countertop with flour.
Divide the dough into the number of loaves you plan
to make; shape them and place them into loaf pan.
Cover and allow to rise again.
When the loaves have nearly doubled, make three
diagonal slashes on each loaf with a razor or very
sharp knife. Place the pans in the oven, throw 3 or 4
ice cubes into the bottom of the oven (or a pan set
in the bottom of the oven) to generate steam and
quickly close the oven door. Bake until golden brown
(around 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the
loaves).
In Bread Machine- Makes one 2-pound loaf. By Hand-
Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves.
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| Orange & Almond Salad With Lime-Ginger Dressing |
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Orange & Almond Salad
- 2 oranges, peeled and cut into wedges
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup raisins
- 1/2 head of friseé
- 1/2 head of Boston lettuce
Cut and wash all of the greens in cold water. Drain
thoroughly and place into salad bowl. Sprinkle
oranges, almonds and raisins on top and dress salad
right before serving.
Serves 4 to 6
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Lime-Ginger Dressing
- 1-teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1-teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3-cup fresh limejuice
- 1-tablespoon soy sauce
- 2/3 cup canola oil
Combine all ingredients but the canola oil and then
slowly whisk in the oil.
Makes 1 cup
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Photo Credits: Chef Annie-Frank M. Chillemi; Food
photos by E.A.Henkel
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