bread

Gettin’ Figgy with it

~ Carly Chillmon ~ Leave a comment

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Figs are one of my favorite things. However, ripe figs do not last. They must be consumed within a couple of days. Figs do not like to sit around and endure. Does anything or anyone really like to wait around anyway? I purchased a pint of beautiful figs and realized that I was on the brink of letting them go to waste, which I believe is a cardinal sin. So, I thought long (10 minutes) and hard and decided to make a sweet, spice-filled bread. Enjoy!

Fresh Fig and Walnut Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 pint of fresh Black Mission figs (divided)
  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 1/4 cup of butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter or use non-stick spray to prepare a 9×5 loaf pan.

Take most of your figs (10-12 figs) and remove their stems. Then, put in your food processor and puree for ~1 minute. You should see bits of skins in your puree. Skins are good. Set aside.

With the remaining figs (approximately 4-6 figs), remove stems and coarsely chop. Set aside. You’ll be folding these figs into the batter with the walnuts prior to baking.

In a large bowl, mix together the honey and melted butter. Next, add in the fig puree, eggs, and brown sugar. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients the wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Fold in the walnuts and chopped figs. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. At the 50-minute point, insert a toothpick into the loaf to check if it’s done. If the toothpick emerges clean, your bread is ready. If not, bake accordingly, up to 10 more minutes. The top of the bread should be a lovely golden brown when done. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes prior to removing from pan. After 15 minutes, remove bread from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Smear on some butter and enjoy!

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No Bread Left Behind (Panzanella)

~ Carly Chillmon ~ Leave a comment

panzanellabowl

There’s nothing like a fresh loaf of bread from a bakery. It’s hearty crust and soft inside is the stuff of happiness. However, I’m usually unable to finish a loaf before it starts to go stale. Many people recommend freezing bread, defrost, and reheat to use at your convenience. I just can’t do it. I’m not a fan of frozen, thawed, and reheated bread. There is a silver lining though. Pazanella. This is basically a bread salad with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and a vinaigrette. Mmmm bread. (You can also just make croutons, which involves the first paragraph of the directions and sprinkling with salt and pepper along with the olive oil.)

Panzanella

Prep time 10 minutes, Cook time 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Half a loaf of crusty bread, 1-2 days old (I recommend sourdough or Italian bread)
  • 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil for drizzling
  • 1 English cucumber, halved, seeded, and sliced
  • 4 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into medium-sized wedges
  • 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 20 basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup aged provolone cheese, shaved (Parmesan is tasty as well)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, arrange evenly on a baking sheet, and drizzle with approximately 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the bread cubes are crisp. Remove from oven and let cool.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, toss together bread, English cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions. Pour vinaigrette over the salad and gently combine. Add cheese and basil and mix again. Cover with Saran Wrap and allow to settle at room temperature for an hour prior to serving.

Before you serve, remember to taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

panzanella

Baby I’m A Want You: Bread

~ Carly Chillmon ~ Leave a comment

loaf

My new bread maker is the gift that keeps on giving. My first loaf came out with a nice, crunchy crust and a soft, white inside. Who knew that this machine would be my new favorite thing? I have a lot of experimenting to do and I plan on sharing my (mis)adventures. One lesson I’ve already learned is that each bread machine is different so read the manufacturer’s instructions. You can gauge your recipes based on that as your reference point. Just because someone else has a bread machine recipe on the Internet, it doesn’t mean it will necessarily apply to yours. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions especially for yeast, flour, and water measurements. The rest of your ingredients can be adjusted creatively.

This inaugural recipe is for a basic white bread. For your reference, my bread maker is the Panasonic SD-YD250. It has a yeast dispenser that automatically adds the yeast to the dough.

breadmaker

Basic White Bread

Prep time 5 minutes, Cook time- approximately 4 hours

(Bread Maker Settings: Medium Loaf, Bake, Crust Color: Medium)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Bread flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1.25 cups of warm water
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions (Review your machine’s manufacturer’s instructions)

Place the bread flour, salt, and sugar in the bread pan. In a measuring cup, mix the honey and warm water and pour into the bread pan. Then, add in the olive oil. Fill the yeast dispenser with the correct amount of yeast. Check your machine settings and start the machine. In about 4 hours, you’ll have delicious fresh bread.

With your fresh bread, enjoy a turkey sandwich, toast with butter and cinnamon sugar, or even a classic grilled cheese sandwich.

breads