Sourdough starter

Tags

Baking, How-to, Sourdough, sourdough starter

Making a sourdough starter is among the easiest things in the world. The only challenging part is being able to repeat a two minute action regularly throughout a period of ten days. It has been too difficult for me at times, and thus I have tried and failed several times. I have even tried, succeeded, forgot all about it and had to throw it away. The solution has been to make it as easy as possible, the sourdough is consequently used often, often fed, and never stored away for too long.

What you need – Well, to start, what you need is a container, flour, and water. Simple, yes, but let’s make it a little more difficult (or actually easier for you to succeed). You should find a container that holds about a cup, or a wee bit more, and a lid for said contained. I saw fancy glasses and detailed boxes when other people presented their sourdoughs online, screw that! You need something that’s easy to clean and preferably goes in the dishwasher, and to make it even easier, have two. I use some simple boxes from Ikea. Simple boxes with a press-on lid. Then the flour. For white bread you want wheat, for dark bread you want rye, but don’t mix the two. The flour should be organic and wholegrain (I prefer the finely ground). The reason for this is the pesticides and stuff used on most store-bought flour, which could kill the yeast-spores, or at least mess them up.

Hygiene – I’ve seen people using gloves, sterilising their utensils, and making tents for their sourdough containers to avoid bacterias and germs. Trust me, it’s not necessary! The containers must be clean – hot water and soap will do the trick. As for the utensils you use. And, obviously, you must wash your hands (like you always do when working with food. Common sense will also tell you not to sneeze into the flour (or sourdough), don’t use it anymore if you drop it on the floor, and don’t lick you fingers before you touch the dough. I know you know this, but now I’ve said it.

Procedure – First day you take about half a cup of water (I don’t necessarily mean the measurement type of cup, just any normal cup) and enough flour to create a soggy and sticky lump of dough. Leave it on the counter for a day (24+ hours). The next day you remove half the dough (put it in the fridge and use for baking when you need it) and add a fourth of a cup of water and enough dough to get the same icky substance you had the day before. Continue like this until you see the dough coming alive. (If it starts talking you’ve taken it too far) If the texture changes (Wheat becomes very sticky and will, even if made into quite a dry lump of dough, become quite runny. Rye will rise more and be more sponge-like) or it rises, or bubbles appear, you have signs of life. This will take between 2 to 5 days. When it has come alive make it more efficient by feeding it twice a day for 4-5 days.

Now you have an efficient and fully working sourdough. I’ll be back in a few days with more instructions on how to bake with it. Good luck with your starters!

And please do ask if you have any questions!

Sourdough baking

Tags

Baking, Bread, Bread project, Sourdough, sourdough starter

These little lumps of goo have transformed the breads I bake. I have finally mastered sourdough baking and feel like I have come as far as I want when it comes to breads (what will my next project be?). The breads I now bake rise well, take very little effort, come out of the oven with a crispy crust, are succulent inside, they last for several days in a tea towel; and last, but not least, they taste wonderfully!

Baking with sourdough is an ancient tradition, we’re talking thousands of years and ancient Egypt. There are some who claim to have starters going back to the 18^th century (the 17 hundreds). And what this is proof of, is how easy it is to do. There is no magic powder, secret ingredients, or blessings made by wizardy unicorns that gets the process going. What you need is flour (wheat and rye are the most used types), water, and a container with a lid. Flour grains and the air around us have traces of yeast spores in them. This is a natural type of yeast that our bodies digest more easily than the store bought dry or fresh yeast. Keeping flour, mixed with water, in room temperature the yeast is given perfect conditions for fermentation. The yeast takes some time to get going, but as soon as it has started it will quickly get very efficient.

Making your own starter takes about ten days. I have started the process and quit several times as I so easily forget to feed it every day. It takes no more than one minute, it’s just that I am so absent minded and easily distracted that I often don’t remember to do it. But a month or so back I managed, and then I managed to convert half of it from wheat to rye, which means I now have two working sourdough starters.

 

I’ll give you the step by step guide for how to making your own starter in a few days. If you live in the area and would like to have a go at sourdough baking I am very happy to share my own starter with you. Just give me a shout! 🙂

Lussekatter

Tags

Baking, Christmas traditions, Dough, Food, Lussekatter, Norway, Recipe, Yeast

I am rarely able to bake and display in one day, but today will be an exception to that rule; today is the night before Lussi (the day of Saint Lucia). Living in a country that is predominantly protestant, there has never been much focus on saints. There is also very little focus (if any) on religion in the celebration of Lussi.  For me, Lussi has meant school or kindergarten celebrations (I’ll elaborate in a bit) and the baking of Lussekatter.

In kindergartens or school (the lower grades) Lussi is celebrated by kids dressing in white and parading through the school or kindergarten or through a care home to entertain the elderly. Every kid is dressed in white and holding a white candle. One girl, often with long blond hair, is crowned Lucia and leads the parade. She wears a crown holding candles.

It is a celebration of light in the darkest time of the year. The Christian traditions have mixed with old heathen traditions resulting in a tradition now that I believe most Norwegians would not be able to connect to any religion or faith. What is obvious though is the symbolic white and bright in a time of darknes, where there is a bit christianity mixed in with the mentioning of St. Lucia, and the devil through the lussekatter (lussi cats – referring to Lucifer the cat), and the lighting of candle and dressing in white to bring light in order to scare off the heathen creatures of the underworld lurking in the night.

Anyway, the reason why we bake these lussekatter might not be interesting at all (especially not with such an inadequate introduction), but the main reason is the tradition itself (at least it is to me). And the fact that the lussekatter are bright, ocher-y yellow also adds to the fun.

Today Son and I have spent some good, quality time together, dancing along to christmas songs while kneading a bright, yellow dough. I think I had more fun than him! I’ll give you the recipe in case you want to try it yourself:

• 2,5 dl of milk (the more fat the better)
• 25 grams of fresh yeast
• 75 grams of butter
• 0,5 grams of saffron or 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of cardamom
• 1 egg
• about 6 dl of flour

Cook for 5-8 mins at 250 degrees celsius.

This year I made one batch with saffron and one with turmeric. I have never tried saffron before, for reasons unknown to me. The saffron was a nice change, it gave a better colour, better smell, but is still a little new to me. The turmeric smell and taste is what I’m used to. But I think saffron might win in the long run…

Rolls

Tags

Baking, Recipe, Rolls

Most of the bread in this house is made by yours truly. I have, after testing various recipes and methods, found a way to do it which is simple enough for me bake to for every week. Especially during the weekends I prefer baking rolls rather than bread. They take a little longer to make, but for the late Saturday and Sunday brunches the extra effort is well appreciated. I usually follow the same recipe as I use for my bread. These recipes make two bread, so I use half the dough for rolls and with the other half I make a bread.

These rolls are as easy as the bread I bake, with rolling them into rolls is what is the most time-consuming part. The recipe I used for these is:

• 6 dl water (a bit more than a pint)
• fresh yeast (about the size of the nail of your pinky finger)
• a pinch of sugar
• 8 dl of sifted/bolted wheat flour
• a pinch of salt
• 7 dl wholewheat flour

 

They procedure is the same as baking bread, except I bake them at 200 degrees (celcius) for about 15 minutes. These are topped with sesame and poppy seeds.

The bread project – the rules of the game

Tags

Baking, Bread, Food, Yeast

I started a bread project sometime in a previous life (or so it seems). I have now made it! I can no bake bread. And they’re good too 😀 I had a few criteria that needed to be fulfilled before I could call the project successful:

• it had to be easy
• baking couldn’t be time consuming and fit well into a busy schedule
• the bread would have taste good
• and be healthier than most shop-bought breads
• and without additives and stuff I’m unable to pronounce

I now bake about two times each week. I spend 30 minutes all together in the evening making the dough, and another 30 minutes in the morning. During those 30 minutes I multitask, as they consist of no more than 10 minutes actual work while the rest is spent waiting. To do this I need some kind of kitchen appliance that kneads dough. I am very happy with my now tired and weary Kenwood. Now, before starting on the recipes there are a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way (I have now been baking for about a year, and have tried and failed a lot).

• the yeast should be fresh as it is easier to work with
• yeast packed in plastic foil will last for weeks in the fridge, and work perfectly fine no matter what the date says
• you never need more than a few grams of yeast, I use a piece the size of my pinky fingernail
• always use cold water with fresh yeast

Then onto making the dough, which really is very simple.

• preferably let your machine knead the dough for 10 minutes
• the dough has the right consistency if it lets go of the bowl (it forms like a ball while kneading)
• let the dough rise twice, first in its bowl, then shape it before placing it in a bread form
• don’t add sugar, honey or syrup if you plan to let the dough rise overnight
• always add a pinch of salt

I make the dough in the evening. Then leave on the counter overnight. In the morning I knead it a bit more, adding more flour until it no longer sticks to my fingers. I make two bread and place them in their forms, turn on the oven and hit the shower. The breads don’t need to rise for a long time, and by the time I’m dressed (20 mins later) the oven is warm and I bake them for about an hour.

Yule goats (Julegeiter)

Tags

Baking, Christmas traditions, Food, Norwegian Cuisine, Recipe, Yule goats

Roll out as regular rolls, a little more oblong, then make a cut in each end

This is a local type of sweet rolls associated with the yule season. I don’t know how common it is outside the city boundaries, I have grown up with it living in a small town across the fjord, but many of the people I’ve met living in the outskirts of the city have never heard of it. It could also be decreasing in popularity, or the younger generations are less fond of it than their parents and grandparents. I have often been met with questioning faces when asking for it in the local supermarkets, but they usually sell the rolls in every one of them.

Dette er en lokal bollelignende gjærbakst som vi spiser til jul. Jeg vet ikke hvor vanlig den er utenfor byens grenser, jeg har vokst opp med dem i en liten by over fjorden for Stavanger. Mange jeg treffer fra utkanten av Stavanger har aldri hørt om dem. Kanskje er de ikke like populære som de en gang var, eller så er den yngre generasjonen ikke like glad i dem som sine foreldre og besteforeldre. Jeg har ofte blitt møtt med spørsmålstegn av ansikter i butikkene her, men likevel ser det ut som de fleste dagligvarebutikker selger dem til jul.

I don’t know what gives these rolls their peculiar name, yule goats, but one theory is the cut end of them resembling the hoof of a goat. The only thing that makes these rolls different to regular sweet rolls is the rye flour and the syrup.

Jeg vet ikke grunnen til det noe spesielle navnet, men en teori er at kutten i endene ligner på en geits hov. Ellers er den kun sirupen og rugmelet som gjør disse bollene annerledes fra vanlige boller.

Mother demonstrating the correct technique for rolling out the rolls

 

The how-to of the dough is the same as here, except the syrup which is added with the liquid.

Tilberedning av deigen er lik som den her, bortsett fra sirupen, som enkelt tilsettes væska i begynnelsen.

5-6 dl of milk

A bit of yeast, amount depending on how much time you have to let it rise

4-5 tablespoons of syrup

About 650 grams of wheat flour

200 grams of rye flour

5-6 dl melk

4-5 ss sirup

Litt gjær, mengden avhenger av hvor lang tid du har til heving

Ca 650 g hvetemel

200 g fint rugmel

100 g smør

Cook at about 225 degrees until tanned. Eat with brown goat cheese for ultimate Norwegian experience.

Stek på 225 grader til de er blitt gyldenbrune. Spises med brunost og godt smør.

Snow day

Tags

Baking, Snow, Winter

We woke up yesterday to two centimetres of snow. We rarely have snow here so I appreciate every little centimetre we get. Last year was an exception though, The snow came just before yule and didn’t melt until late January (or was it even later?). It didn’t snow much, it snowed once or twice, but the temperature stayed low.

Vi våknet i går til hele to centimeter med snø. Det snør så sjelden her at jeg setter pris på hver minste  snøfnugg som legger seg. I fjor var jo et unntak, som de fleste av dere sikkert kjenner til, hvor snøen kom før jul og lå til langt uti januar (eller var det enda lengre?) Det snødde jo ikke mye allikevel, men kulden gjorde at når den først kom ble den liggende leeeenge.

But back to the present, or, it is already in the past, as we woke up to bare fields and streets again today. Luckily we had a good time outside yesterday. Today we’re baking and going to IKEA (I know, no need for the facepalm. It’s Sunday and it will be crowded, but we need lightbulbs.) I’ll come back with details on what we’re baking some other day.

Men tilbake til nåtida, eller, det er jo allerede fortid, vi våknet til bare marker og veier igjen i dag. Heldigvis fikk vi kost oss ute i snøen i går. I dag skal vi bake og en tur på IKEA (jeg vet, idioti  å gå der på en søndag, men vi trenger lyspærer) Jeg kommer tilbake med detaljer om bakingen en annen dag.

 

Enjoy a lazy Sunday. Sundays are for procrastinating and chillaxing. I’ve done both the past days and have a few things to catch up on today. Anyway, enjoy the last bit of the weekend.

Jeg håper du nyter en lat søndag i dag. Søndagen er dagen til å utsette og slappe av. Jeg har gjort begge deler selv i det siste, og har en del ting å gjøre i dag. Håper ikke du følger i mitt eksempel. Uansett, nyt dagen og siste biten av helg, og husk, alt kan utsettes til i morgen 😉

Apple cake

Tags

Apple Cake, Baking, Food, Recipe

We had some surprise visitors yesterday. I didn’t have much to offer, so while the boys talked computers and watched the kids, Silje and I put together a cake. I thought I’d share the recipe with you. It’s very easy and doesn’t take much more than 30 mins.

Vi fikk nokså overraskende besøk i går og vi hadde lite å tilby, så mens mannfolka snakket om dataer, powertools og diverse annet, heiv Silje og jeg sammen en kake. Jeg tenkte jeg skulle dele oppskrifta med dere, den er veldig enkel og er ferdig på nesten 30min.

Start of slicing peeling and slicing some apples. I used 3 altogether. Dice a bit more than one and half of the apples and set to boil in a pot. Add a few tablespoons of water or juice.

Skrell og del  3 epler i båter. Kutt nesten to av dem i biter og ha i en gryte med et par spiseskjeer vann eller juice. Ha lokket på og la eplene koke.

Whisk together 125 grams of sugar and two eggs until white. Gently stir in about 100 grams of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and one teaspoon of vanilla sugar. Melt and add 100 grams of butter, and there is the dough.

Pisk 120gram sukker og to egg til eggedosis. Forsiktig vend inn 100gram mel, en teskje bakepulver og en teskje vaniljesukker. (oi, ble nesten en orddeling der, men hadde ikke gjort så mye, vanilje sukker ofte…) Smelt og ha i 100gram smør.

Now, back to the apples, these should be boiled tender by now, you can either mash them or use them as is.

Så, tilbake til eplene, disse burde være møre nå, så du kan enten mose dem eller bruke dem som de er.

Butter a cake form and sprinkle it with flour. Add a layer of the dough, then the apples you boiled and another layer of the dough. Decorate the cake with sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Smør en kakeform og dryss på mel. Legg et lag med røre i bånn, så eplene du kokte, deretter et lag til med røre. De resterende eplebåtene skjærer du i tynne skiver og bruker til å dekorere kaka. Strø på kanel og perlesukker.

Cook for about 30 mins at 200 degrees and serve warm with ice-cream. Yum!

Stek på 200 grader i omtrent 30 minutt. Server varm med vaniljeis. Nam!

My Favourite Chocolate Cake

Tags

Baking, Chokolate Cake, Family Life, Father's Day, Favourites, Food, Husband, Recipe, Son

This image is from Klikk.no

We have celebrated father’s day today. We started the day by letting Husband sleep in, Son and I woke him up at ten. He received his breakfast in bed. As he got up Son and I baked the best chocolate cake ever. Then we travelled across the fjord to my parents where we spent the rest of the day.

I dag har vi feiret farsdagen. Vi begynte med å vekke Mannen, etter at han hadde fått sovet helt til klokka ti, med frokost på senga. Mens han gjorde seg klar bakte vi verdens beste sjokoladekake før vi dro over fjorden til familien min hvor vi tilbrakte resten av dagen.

Son had a blast, playing with my brother, his girlfriend, my parents and my grandmother, my father’s mother. I think everybody’s happy about the day. But, back to the cake. I was considering keeping this one a secret, try to make it a “family secret”, but I found it online, it’s already out there. And; it’s too good not to share!

Sønn har hatt en fantastisk dag, han har lekt med min bror, hans kjæreste, mine foreldre og min farmor. Jeg tror alle er fornøyd med dagen. Men tilbake til kaka. Jeg lurte på om jeg burde prøve å holde denne oppskrifta en familiehemmelighet, men jeg fant den online så den er jo fremdeles publisert og lett å finne. Den er også for god til å holde for seg selv.

You need:

2 tablespoons coffee (cognac or rum will also do)

120 grams chocolate

100 grams butter

3 eggwhites

3 eggyolks

1 tablespoon sugar

A pinch of salt

50 grams ground almonds

50 grams flours

Icing:

100 grams chocolate

5 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoon of coffe (or rum or cognac)

Almond flakes for decorations

 

Du trenger:

2 ss kaffe (rom eller konjakk)

120 g sjokolade

100 g smør

100 g sukker

3 stk eggeplomme

3 stk eggehviter

1 ss sukker

1 klype salt

50 g malte mandler (du kan male dem med en stavmikser ellerkjøkkenmaskin)

50 g mel

Glasur:

100 g sjokolade

5 ss smør

2 ss kaffe (rom eller konjakk)

mandelflak (mandelskiver) til pynt

First whisk butter and sugar to a white creamy consistency, butter needs to be at room temperature. Melt the chocolate with the coffee (or alcohol if you prefer). Grind the almonds and stir the yolks. Add it all together.

Visp romtemperert smør og sukker sammen til en kremete konsistens. Smelt sjokoladen sammen med kaffien. Mal mandlene. Rør eggeplommene godt sammen. Bland det sammen.

Whip the egg whites, sugar and salt until it’s fluffy and white.

Visp eggehviter, sukker og salt sammen til hvit krem.

 

Cook for 22 mins at 175 degrees.

Stek på 175 grader I 22 minutt.

 

Simply melt the chocolate, butter and coffee, let both it and the cake cool and spread on the cake. Decorate the side of the cake with the almond flakes. Enjoy!

 

Smelt sjokolade, smør og kaffe, la glasuren og kaka avkjøle og smør det på. Pynt langs kanten med mandelflak. Nyt!

 

Norwegian Cuisine, skolebolle, sweet rolls with custard

Tags

Baking, Buns, Food, Norwegian Cuisine, Recipe, Skolebolle, Sweet Rolls

Sweet rolls á la Norway

I thought I’d share some traditional Norwegian food with you. Don’t be fooled by the title, this is not fancy cuisine, but food that, I believe, every Norwegian has tasted at least once. The first one up is skolebolle. It translates directly to school bun/roll. Where my husband is from they call it Porke, which sounds very funny to me, as purke is a female pig, and there is only a small difference in pronunciation of the two. Anyway, it is worth trying.

Start out with a sweet dough. What I used today was:

(I followed a recipe I found here, and also the tips and tricks from this post. I was left with the softest and easiest dough ever! Absolutely worth a try)

900-1000 grams of flour

1 egg 5 dl milk

25 grams fresh yeast

2 tablespoons of cardamom

150 grams sugar

150 grams butter

You could just mix all this together, but for a better result: Measure up enough butter, dice it and leave on the side. Mix everything together except for the butter and let a machine (or if your’re feeling a little evil; a person) knead it for about 10 minutes. Add the diced butter, one piece at the time. I would recommend leaving this job for a young child, as they will probably enjoy it a lot more than you do (speaking from experience here). Then knead the dough until the butter is absorbed by the rest. Cover the bowl with plastic (as that keeps the moisture in) and leave to rise somewhere warm for a few hours.

After a few hours you’re (most likely) left with a wonderful dough to work with. Cut into about 30 pieces and roll into balls. Dig a hole in the middle of the balls and fill with custard, then cover it again with plastic and leave to rise for a while. (Preferably until they have doubled in size.)

Preheat oven to 220 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes (time depends a lot on your oven, so don’t leave for ten minutes)

Let the rolls cool before you cover them with icing (icing sugar and water) and dip them in grated coconut. Enjoy!