The Cookbook

[Optimistic]

@xenon

Are you open to sharing that dough recipe?

[Aqua Letifer]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

Is that a biscuit I see atop that chili?

Cornbread!

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer said in The Cookbook:

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

Is that a biscuit I see atop that chili?

Cornbread!

Thank God! At first look, I thought it was mashed potatoes, and I thought, "Whatever...."

[Aqua Letifer]

I've done that, too. Not really recommended but hey, it's edible.

[xenon]

@Optimistic absolutely - it’s Ken Forkish’s recipe from his book Flour Water Salt Yeast.

This particular recipe is his overnight dough.

Start with flour, use 70% water (by weight), 2% salt, 0.01% yeast.

So for 1000g flour (white - ideally 00), use 700g water, 20g salt, and 1/4 tsp yeast.

That’s a very small amount of yeast, so you have to let it sit at room temp overnight (12 hours).

Shape into balls and refrigerate. Forkish recommends gentle handling of the risen dough after the rise, so you don’t want all the gas to escape.

It’s also a high hydration dough, so kinda sticky and hard to handle.

Happy to clarify.

[xenon]

@89th I’m looking forward to it. I guess I’ll have to eat a buncha pizza till I figure it out. For science.

[brenda]

@xenon
Well, hubby and I have been doing our part toward that scientific goal, and our waistlines would greatly appreciate your help.

[xenon]

@Mik Thanks! I'd never done it before either - but it worked.

My only qualm was that I love it when the egg seeps into the carbs (bread, potatoes, etc.) - but that couldn't happen. The flavor was fantastic though.

[xenon]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

@xenon
Well, hubby and I have been doing our part toward that scientific goal, and our waistlines would greatly appreciate your help.

You know - a really nice part of this whole quarantine has been a greater appreciation of how much good cooking you can get done with a bit of planning.

Slow cooks, marinates, bread fermenting. Between all the little experiments on the go - I think we're actually spending fewer than average time executing our cooking.

[brenda]

@xenon
Indeed! That's the beauty of working from home, isn't it? It's also fun to experiment with new recipes and techniques.
I'm wondering how similar or different your pizza dough recipe is from the Peter Reinhart recipe I have used a lot. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison.

[George K]

Tonight's Dinner: Chicken Schnitzel

INGREDIENTS

4 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups (or more) whole wheat (or regular) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour on a plate. Beat eggs and Dijon mustard to blend in a shallow baking dish. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow baking dish, adding remaining 1 cup panko, or more, to dish as needed throughout process. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, then dip into egg mixture, turning to coat evenly; carefully coat with panko, pressing panko gently to adhere to chicken. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (pan should be large enough to hold 2 breasts). Add 2 chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter to skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Transfer chicken breasts to plates and garnish each with parsley and a lemon wedge.

This is one of Mrs. George's favorites. Tonight, we added some baked potato and steamed broccoli.

[Mik]

Pro tip: OreIda crispy fries are pretty damn good.

[George K]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

OreIda crispy fries

https://www.oreida.com/product/00013120012518

These guys?

[xenon]

First moderately successful foray into baking bread.

I didnt flour the proofing basket enough - so it stuck to the bottom and ain’t super pretty. But the proofing was good and it had good oven spring.

[Klaus]

That looks like an excellent bread! I bet you can "hear" that bread (which is one of the most reliable quality indicators).

[mark]

@xenon Wow! That looks awesome!

[xenon]

Thank you fellas -

@Klaus - there was even a crackling sound coming from the bread for a few mins after coming out of the oven. Very satisfying.

It was nice - I've never gotten used to American bread. Too sweet.

[brenda]

Yes, the post oven crackle is a beautiful sound. Well done!

[Horace]

That looks great. Well done Xenon!

[Mik]

Looks like a professionally baked loaf I have. Very nice.