Polish Dill Soup

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth

4 potatoes, peeled (optional) and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup or 1 10 oz, package frozen green peas

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional seasonings, 1 tsp. Marjoram, 1/2 tsp. turmeric, a pinch of nutmeg

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté until softened and fragrant. Add the chicken broth, diced potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the peas and cook for an additional five minutes. 

In a small bowl mix the sour cream with a ladle of hot broth to temper it. Then stir the sour cream mixture into the soup. Stir in the chopped fresh dill and seasoned with salt, pepper and optional spices to taste. Serve hot, garnished with extra dill and accompany with sourdough bread.

Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder 

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 cup water
About 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces or 238g)

2 cups dark brown sugar (15 ounces; 426g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1 1/2 cups coarsely mashed ripe bananas from 3 medium bananas (12 ounces or 340g)
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease Bundt pan with baking spray.   In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is combined, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Whisk in cocoa mixture, followed by bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, until smooth.  Fold in walnuts.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.  Transfer cake to cooling rack and cool 10 minutes, then invert directly onto rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar using a fine-mesh strainer and serve.

Sourdough Bread “Unloaf”

165 g starter (flat, unfed, hungry or recently fallen)
400 g water.
650 g flour.
15 g salt

Double for two loaves.

Making dough:

1. Mix ingredients (starter and water, then add flour and salt. Mix until no dry bits of flour remain)
2. Rest one hour
3. (optional) perform 3-4 sets of stretch and fold 30 minutes apart. 
4. Bulk ferment on counter or in oven with light on until 50-75% rise. (3-12 hours depending on temp of house)
5. Shape into desired loaf and place in banneton, seam side up. Cover with tea towel or plastic shower cap and allow to rise (proof) until double in size OR put in refrigerator to cold proof for at least 3 hours or up to 36 hours.  (The longer in frig, the more sour the taste.)

Baking:

1. Place banneton with bread in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and invert onto parchment paper and score bread.  
2. With parchmentt paper lift loaf into cold Dutch oven, cover with lid.  Then place dutch oven into cold oven and set to 450°. Set timer for one hour.  If you are experiencing burned loaf bottoms, place a sheet pan in the oven on the rack below the Dutch oven to deflect the heat.
3. When timer goes off, lower temp to 425° and remove lid.. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until top is browned.
4. Remove from Dutch oven to wire rack to cool.

To add inclusions for instance, jalapeño cheddar loaf, 200 grams each.  Add just before shaping loaf.  Shape, set on counter an hour, score and bake as above.  

I decided I wanted to learn to make sourdough bread. There was so much information and so many confusing, conflicting instructions that when I found this relatively simple recipe, I had to save it.

To maintain sourdough starter:  Use a 1:1:1 ratio, i.e. use 50 g of starter, mix with 50 g lukewarm filtered water.  Add 50 g flour, mix and put in refrigerator.  If not baking regularly, occasionally, or as often as once a week,take out starter, save 50 g and add 50 g more of water and flour. The rest is discard and can be used in baking pizza crust, crackers, etc. When ready to bake, follow the recipe above.  Or:  remove starter from refrigerator a day or two before you want to bake.  Take 60 g starter add 60 g of water and 60 g of flour (or 120 of each if you want to make two loaves), and allow them to ferment, covered by a tea towel or Saran Wrap, on the counter until the next day. You can feed every 12 hours if you want to increase the amount of starter for more loaves. When the starter has doubled and looks bubbly and light and you are ready to bake, remove the amount of starter you need to bake the bread you plan, and return 50 g of the starter to your storage container along with 50 g of water and 50 g of flour. Let them sit on the counter for an hour or two to start fermenting,and return to the refrigerator.  It’s best not to store it in the door or on the top shelf where it is warmer. Any left over is discard.

How to store sourdough starter at room temperature: Keep covered starter in a convenient place that’s comfortable room temperature — not too hot, not too cold. When kept at room temp, starter needs to be fed twice daily, about every 12 hours. 

To Dry Starter:  The smaller the pieces of dried starter are, the more easily and quickly they’ll dissolve when you’re rehydrating them, so really crush them up. But don’t be tempted to grind them in a spice grinder unless it’s immaculate, since many spices have antimicrobial properties that could harm your starter.

1. Feed starter to make at least 1 cup. When it has doubled to 2 cups, spread 1 cup in very thin layer on silicone baking mat or parchment. (Refrigerate remainder in case something unforeseen occurs.)

2. Place mat or parchment in high-sided vessel, such as roasting pan. Drape thin kitchen towel or double layer of cheesecloth over top and tie string around pan to secure it (this will allow moisture to evaporate while preventing contamination).

3. Leave vessel in a cool, dry space until starter is completely dry, 2 to 5 days, depending on ambient humidity.

4. Break dried starter into pieces and transfer to zip-lock bag. Crush bag to make pieces as small as possible (for quicker rehydration). Press excess air from bag and seal. Store in cool, dry place.

To Reconstitute Dried Sourdough Starter:

1.  Combine 2 tablespoons of dried starter chips with ¼ cup tepid water. Cover loosely and let sit, stirring occasionally, until chips are dissolved, 1½ to 2 hours.

2.  Stir in 1½ ounces of all-purpose flour, cover loosely, and let sit for 8 hours.

3.   Stir in 1½ ounces of flour and 1½ ounces of water; cover loosely, and let sit for 8 hours. Repeat step for 1 or 2 feedings, until starter expands about 25 percent between feedings.

4.  Discard all but 2 ounces of reconstituted starter. Feed remaining starter with 2 ounces of flour and 2 ounces of water. Repeat step for 1 or 2 feedings, until starter doubles between feedings. Once it doubles, you’re ready to make your levain (working starter).

To determine percent of hydration:

Divide your water by the amount of flour— so if you use 350 g of water and 500 g of flour for a loaf, 350÷500 = .70 or 70% hydration.

Jalapeño cheddar loaf

75 g starter.

450 g bread flour

50 g rye flour

11 g salt.

330 g water.

1 cup cheddar shreds or Violife vegan cheddar

60 g pickled jalapeños, diced and dried on a paper towel.

 25 g starter as “refresher” added after the first stretch and fold

Add the cheese and jalapeños after the second stretch and fold. Cold retard overnight after bulk ferment . Brush top with olive oil for a softer crust. Bake in a covered cast-iron loaf pan at 450° for 23 minutes and 430° lid off for 23 minutes.