Happy Urban Dirt

Rosemary bread is the perfect complement to everything from cream cheese to strawberry jam to pumpkin soup! Enjoy the three recipes below, from rosemary bread to rosemary walnut scones to rosemary filling. And get inspired by this delicious guide and devotion to the wonderful, awe-inspiring world of sourdough. The results are pretty fantastic: bread that bites, heels worth chewing, and leftovers worth toasting.

Below is an excerpt from Book “The Hungry Ghost of Bread” By Jonathan StevensIt has been adapted to the web.

Even a bad baking day is better than just making a cake

Every time the baker refreshes his leaven, every time flour and water are mixed to make dough, every time a circle is formed, watched over, and carried to the mouth of the hearth, every time the oven exudes the smell of baking bread and draws hungry people to its warmth, the Neolithic revolution is renewed. For more than ten thousand years, we humans have been grinding grain, making slurries, and drawing it closer to the heat so that there is something good to eat together. Bread is a plate, napkin and most of almost any classic meal.

As many have noticed, the word “companion” itself comes from the Latin word panis, meaning bread. “Company” is therefore the person with whom you broke breadThis is why the Neolithic Revolution remains in need of defense today: it constitutes an oasis between the nomadic tribalism of the past and the technofeudalism of the seemingly inevitable future. If we want to give our friends, family and neighbours (regardless of their beliefs) the gift of something valuable, fresh bread is always a good place to start.

Although the loaf is delicious, its value can only be appreciated when it is destroyed.

It is made to be eaten, “translated” to “eater.” The baker does well to dispose of the loaves. The lack of accumulation is part of the flow: when the mixing is done, we throw away the excess leaven. It is both valuable and unnecessary. The ritual of bread-making, daily or weekly, is a practice and alchemy, not the acquisition of real gold. Transmutation occurs in the ingredients as well as in the person doing it, if you allow it.

Philosophy of bread

Let me say this clearly and boldly: when baking this type of bread, there are three things you need to do, and each of them begins with the word “more.” MORE HYDRATION, MORE FERMENTATION, MORE HEAT IN THE OVEN! Here is my bread philosophy in a nutshell.

Rosemary bread

Formula

Makes 2 loaves (1 1/2 pounds)

• Water 75% 630g
• Olive oil 7% 59 g
• Sourdough 12% 100 g
• White bread flour 100% 840 g
• Salt 3% 25g
• Dried rosemary 14.4% 121 g
• A 50-50 mix of all-purpose flour and white rice flour for dusting

It is by far the most romantic bread we make. We see it seducing customers with its aroma and flying off the shelves, sultry as if from the oven. The Romans brought rosemary to Britain, and Charlemagne ordered it planted in every monastery. This herb enchanted Pliny and Cervantes. And Simon and Garfunkel. So why not you?

It’s almost like a French beer with herbs and a dash of olive oil, but romance is always more than the sum of its parts. Something about the fat-soluble camphors, phenols and carnosols of rosemary plays pinball with the lower sinuses, in a sexy way. It’s not always so bad when you’re being led by the nose…

Photo source: Hungry Ghost Bread (@hungryghostbread)

Either way, this is Rosemary Bread. Popular but proper, it goes with most, from cream cheese to strawberry jam to pumpkin soup! Conjure her up, invite her in, and you’ll happily make room for this uninhibited diva.

Instructions

Combine water, olive oil, starter and flour in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on first speed for 4 minutes, adding as much water as needed to keep the ingredients from sticking together too much. Cover and set aside in a sultry place for 20 minutes.

Replace the mixing attachment with a dough hook; oil the hook if necessary. Uncover the dough and mix on second speed for 4 minutes, adding the salt and a little water halfway through, then the rosemary for the last full minute. Add more water if necessary to form a gentle (but not sloppy) dough.

Transfer to an oiled container and cover. Leave to rise in a sultry place until doubled in size, 4 to 6 hours, folding into an envelope every hour or so. Divide the dough in half and shape each into a nice, tight circle, dust well, then place in proofing baskets. Store covered in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, check the loaves for their development. If you want them to be larger and softer, take them out to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 246°C (475°F) with a steamer and a baking stone, parchment-lined baking sheet or cast iron dish inside. For pseudo-historical reasons, I carved a cross into the top of each loaf so my grandchildren would call it “X-bread.” That marks the spot! Place the loaves on your chosen baking surface (and cover with a lid if using a cast iron dish) and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 218°C (425°F). Bake for 20 minutes, remove the lid from the cast iron dish (if using), and bake for another 20 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Rosemary and walnut rolls

Ingredients

Makes enough for 8 immense (51/2 oz) rolls

• All-purpose flour, chilled, 310 g
• Refrigerated confectionery flour 200 g
• Sugar 1/4 cup (50 g)
• Baking powder 1 tablespoon (12 g)
• Baking soda 1 teaspoon (6 g)
• Salt 1 teaspoon (6 g)
• Butter, chilled, diced or sliced ​​227 g (2 cubes)
• Dried rosemary 4 teaspoons (5 g)
• Walnuts 1 cup (117 g)
• Buttermilk 1 cup (242 g)
• Weighty cream 1 tablespoon (14 g)
• Maple-buttermilk glaze: 1 tablespoon buttermilk (14 g) whipped with 1/4 cup (78 g) maple syrup

Photo source: Hungry Ghost Bread (@hungryghostbread)

On the wall in the pastry section of our bakery are the following notes regarding scones and cookies:

• Keep ALL ingredients as icy as possible. (Don’t freeze the butter though, it won’t break down as easily.)
• Don’t overmix, this includes the butter. You should see bits of butter in the final batter. Mixing time will vary depending on the size of the butter cubes and the weather. Adjust accordingly.
• Slowly add the liquid and stop mixing when the dough comes together. You may need to mix in a little by hand or mix in some of the moist bits with the drier bits. Do this by hand, not in a mixer.
• Touch the dough as little as possible. It can be re-rolled, but do not knead the dough; stack the pieces on top of each other.
• Work quickly so the dough doesn’t sit out too long. We want the chemical reaction to happen in the oven, not while the dough is sitting on the counter. Shake off any excess flour.
• Bake until golden brown. Don’t bake underdone; pale baked goods are gloomy.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190.5°C (375°F).

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a immense bowl and freeze for at least 10 minutes (or up to 2 years). Transfer droughty ingredients to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and beat on medium-high speed (speed 5 or 6) until butter begins to break into smaller pieces. Now add rosemary and walnuts.

Mix together the buttermilk and cream. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture at moderate speed until just combined. Once combined, turn out onto a floured surface and make 2 to 4 folds by cutting the dough in half, then placing one half on top of the other and pressing down. Roll out the stack into an 8-inch square. Trim the edges straight across with a pastry knife. Cut in the center and across to create four 4-inch squares, then cut diagonally through each square to create eight triangles. Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush each bun with the maple buttermilk icing (beaten until loose but not runny) and bake for about 14 minutes or until golden brown and delicious: crisp on the edges, with a gentle but not mushy center. Let chilly for 2 minutes, then brush again.

Rosemary filling, Baby

Ingredients

Enough for a 15-pound (6.8 kg) turkey

• Rosemary bread, cut into 2.5 cm cubes 2 loaves
• Vast eggs 2
• Onion, chopped 1
• Celery stalk, chopped 1
• Petite carrot, chopped 1
• Garlic clove, finely chopped 1
• Salt 1/4 teaspoon
• Black pepper 1/4 teaspoon
• Butter 2 tablespoons (28 g)
• Extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon (13 g)
• Vegetable broth 6 to 8 cups (11/2–13/4 l)

There are customers who come into the store about a week before Thanksgiving with a cheerful (if slightly manic) look on their faces. As if they were dying to tell you a secret, but don’t, they ask for two loaves of rosemary bread. The filthy secret is that the loaves that end up on the cutting board won’t just be sliced; they’ll be cut into cubes for stuffing. No doubt destined for a supporting role alongside the real turkey.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C).

Spread the bread cubes on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes. The cubes should be completely droughty. Set aside. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).

In a immense bowl, combine onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread vegetables evenly in a immense roasting pan.

Melt butter and olive oil over low heat. Pour over vegetables and stir until evenly coated.

Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. This tardy baking should produce slightly caramelized ingredients. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 375°F (190.5°C).

Pour 6 cups of vegetable stock into a immense bowl. Add the cooked vegetables and dried bread and mix well with your hands. Make sure all the cubes have absorbed the stock. If not, add more stock. Let the mixture chilly to room temperature. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the cooled mixture and mix with your hands.

Transfer to a immense, greased baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

Recommended reading