Sourdough crackers

Making crackers again, a simple dough recipe from zero waste chef. Sourdough crackers

The skill I am accomplishing here is the uniformity of the thickness of the dough. As it makes a big difference in the finished product, all the crackers bake the same and finish at the same time. Too thin and they brown to very thin crispy wafers. Too thick, a chewy not crispy texture. This will also test the resolve of the evenness heat in your oven. Rotating the racks and baking at various levels can accomplish an even baking. I also would like to convert the recipe to weight measurements for a more precise repeatability. The result though of this recipe is a very favorable cracker either alone or with a pate or fruit spread or dip. So easy once the dough is rolled out, you’ll find yourself wondering why to buy a box of crackers.

I’ve made a couple of substitutions to the basic recipe:

2/3 cup sourdough starter

3 heaping teaspoons of coconut oil (or olive oil)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose which may effect the quickness of baking and color)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

extra coarse salt for topping (omitted so far, although I would try sesame seeds)

Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl (starter and oil) add to the dry ingredients.

I let the dough hook do all the work and made slight adjustments adding flour for a smooth dough.

Let it rest for about 6 hours, mine rose slightly

With a serrated wheel cutter used for ravoli, I made rectangular crackers.

The dough with the oil content is extremely durable and stretchable, easy to roll and cut.

Second batch : double recipe, this one the dough was slightly wetter, ended rolling the dough on the cookie sheets and added docking the dough with a fork. Tasty ! I ate most of the overbaked uneven crackers. These were larger rectangles than the first batch with 2 circular samples.

onion, celery and sausage pizza

this is a thin crust style pizza, made with regular white flour dough formed into flat breads.

Shred some white onion and a small amount of celery, for this I dragged out the rotary shredder attachment for the kitchen aid mixer

also shred some some hard cheese, Romano or Parmesan.In a small sauce pan saute the onion and celery with a bit of oil, butter and/or both.

Add enough oil so it’s possible to make a roux, enough for the size and number off pizza dough needed.

add in a small amount of flour and stir, cook a few minutes.

add stock, milk , or any other liquid to the pan stir and heat till roux is of desired consistency to spread on pizza.

prep some sausage, remove them from the casing if needed and brown. reserve.

divide the dough and roll out into personal size pizzas (or as size as desired)

lay them out on a sheet pan, spread with the roux/onion/celery mix and top with the shredded cheese and browned sausage.

quick rise yeast gives a bit of a lift despite the short time.

pop into a hot oven the hotter the better. 500 degrees.

bake till crisp as preferred.

these I served with a lager beer, good results with this brew, It poured crystal clear as long as i didn’t agitate the bottle too much as the brew is bottled conditioned with a slight yeast sediment.

Roasted vegetables

Eat your vegetables! Is a phrase we often hear as we grow up. I don’t have an issue with that as long as they are prepared the way I like them.
Roasting is an alternative to sautéing them. Once the chopping prep is done that’s all the heavy lifting you’ll be doing!

As usual, a lot of photos to tell the story!

ok, now that all the work is done, making a dressing to go with the veggies, that is something based with olive oil and your fav flavorings. Butter , herbs etc.

toss the dressing with he veggies. A bit of refrigerated wort (unfermented beer) went in there.

onto a sheet pan lined with parchment, a small sample of the salad is tasted at this point, as if you didn’t know that, sea salt sprinkles are optional.

into a 325 degrees oven don’t rush it, let the flavors meld. An hour or two. Oops almost forgot , caramelization!

the completed vegetables, now would you resist this if you had to eat all your vegetables to get dessert!

Breaded baked eggplant

Eggplant is one of those meals that is relatively  easy to prepare and it’s one of my favorite meat substitutes. It takes a bit of time to prepare, but most of that time is waiting for the water  to be drawn from the eggplant.

I usually peel the eggplant, leaving some strips of skin on the eggplant and slice into about 1/2 inch slices.

Spread a layer of paper towels and  place the eggplant on the paper towels, and generously apply salt.

Turn the eggplant over and generously apply salt   again. Layer   paper towel  over the top of the eggplant .

Let the eggplant stand till water is drawn from the eggplant. You can  use weight on top to speed the removal of water, a cookie sheet and a heavy pan etc.

Using suitable containers, dip the eggplant into beaten eggs,  both sides to coat, then into (seasoned) bread crumbs, a panko course style is preferable.  Of course you can always make your own from heels of bread, dried and ground.

Spraying the eggplant with a cooking spray, or olive oil will give it flavor and crispness like it has been fried.

Bake them in the oven, a medium heat, and then turn to high for a crispy crust, or broil.

Add cheese toppings and sauce and bake/broil till melted.

……. and a glass of wine.

Bagels

Of all the bread dough recipes that I have seen there are many for bread, rolls, buns, sweet rolls , pastry etc. BUT ! Have I ever seen recipes for Bagels ? NOT that often if at all…
Why,? is the making of bagels at home considered taboo, or only for bake shops, those of Jewish decent or under Kosher standards ? Not that I know of.
Some bagels are are a bit different considering where you buy them. Those from the markets may be fresh baked or packaged frozen. Usually the bagels I like have a dense smooth crumb without being heavy and that rubbery texture and mouth feel and, if you ever want a different bun for a juicy hamburger or a sandwich, then a bagel is the answer. I have made bagels many years ago and now revisited the recipe.
If you have been making bread, then a few more steps and forming techniques are all that’s required. It’s like baking bread a different method.
3 easy steps
BROIL
BOIL
BAKE
Make you favorite dough recipe and let rise once.

divide into 12 peices (for a 1 loaf recipe, more or less depending on the size of the bagels you want.)

now form the bagels, punch a small hole with your finger in the center of the ball and form into a ring.


arrange onto a sheet pan.

let the bagels rise

about 5 inches from a broiler, slightly broil them, NOT till they are brown but just a dry surface.

next, in a pot of boiling water, boil the bagels, several minutes on each side, flipping them.


now place the boiled bagels back on the sheet pan and bake 375 degrees 25 to 35 minutes.

Note : this recipe was adapted  from Better Homes and Gardens Complete Step by Step Cookbook, the boil time in the recipe, were a bit long compared to other recipes. These photos were taken from two separate recipes I made. I plan to make bagels more often varying the ingredients.

Related articles

• Bake Your Own Bagels (spoonful.com)

party pizza

often making pizza, why get stuck on the traditional round pizza ?press you favorite pizza dough recipe into a sheet pan.

a bit of oil, push the dough up the sides of the pan for a thick edge.

Spread with you favorite sauce, it should be a thick pasty consistency. (one of the few times I use canned sauce).

 I keep the toppings at a minimum, just grated cheese and maybe thin sliced pepperoni sometimes. This is a snacking pizza for strips.

just before it’s done, remove it from the tray and place it directly on the oven rack, continue baking till the bottom of the crust is crisp.

Slice it into strips, good hot, cold or reheated, as a plus, you get your choice of corners. !!!

There’s the Pizza, Where’s the party ?