J.R. Johnson

I post recipes for your entertainment and edification, but also so that when I lose my scribbled-on bits of paper I’m not left digging through piles of scrap-paper notes while muttering “I just saw it here somewhere!” For example, today’s recipe is my current favorite sourdough bread recipe. Here’s what it looks like when it’s at home:

Mr. Man liked my initial attempts at sourdough (I’ll have to post that recipe later) but wanted a soft, sandwich-friendly loaf that had good flavor and stored well but wasn’t as tangy as a classic sourdough loaf. This recipe works perfectly.

The recipe is a hybrid, with both starter and instant yeast. If you don’t have yeast, it’s possible to make it work with levain only, using a little more starter and longer rise times (check out comments at the recipe link below; search for “yeast” to see what other bakers have done).

The original is from King Arthur, an employee-owned company established in 1790, and known for its flour but also its recipes, videos, and helpful staff. We can’t get their flour up here, and so have to make do with alternatives. I use unbleached organic all-purpose flour because that’s what I’ve got, and I’ve tweaked the recipe to work without dry milk, which I never have.

I’ve used this recipe to make two standard loaves or (same bake time) one 9 x 13 pan of pull-apart rolls, great for sliders or with soup, chili, etc. Hasn’t failed me yet!

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Sourdough Sandwich Bread

modified from Sourdough Sandwich Bread | King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

Levain*

• 1 C + 1 Tbs (128g) flour

• 1/2 C + 1 Tbs (128g) water (60° to 70°F)

• 3 Tbs (44g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter

* The flavor won’t be as developed, but if you forget, this can be done the morning of.

Dough

• 5 1/4 C (631g) flour

• 1/4 C (50g) sugar • 2 1/2 tsp (15g) salt

• 2 tsp (5.6g) instant yeast

• 4 Tbs (57g) butter, room temperature

• 1 5/8 C (382g) milk (70° to 80°F, I microwave for 35 seconds)

• all of the ripe levain

Instructions

• Make the levain (~8pm): Mix the levain ingredients together and place in a covered container with room for the levain to grow. It will almost double in size, and will take about 12 hours to ripen at room temperature (70°F). This is a good time to take the butter out of the fridge.

• Make the dough (~8am): Mix and then knead together all of the dough ingredients, including the levain, to make a smooth, supple, and not overly sticky dough. Your mileage may vary, but kneading takes me 10-12 minutes by machine or hand.

• Place the kneaded dough in a lightly-buttered bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

• Divide the dough in half, and shape each into 8″ logs. Place the logs in two buttered bread pans. Cover the pans and let the loaves rise until they’ve crowned about 1″ over the rim of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours. Don’t score.

• Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. (Internal target temperature is 195-200F.) For me, this is 35 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and turn them out onto a rack. Let cool completely before slicing.

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Today is mushroom day. Not “a” mushroom day, the kind that’s dark and dank and often rooted in excrement, but a day for preparation.

Literally. Today we picked up 11 pounds of mushrooms from the good folks at Carleton Mushroom and I’m going to spend the next hour or so getting them cooked and into my freezer.

That’s six pounds of shiitakes and five pounds of cafe mushrooms. I’ll need to rinse, trim, cut and roast them, then let them cool before putting them in the freezer.

(Ok, I know what you’re thinking: That’s going to take longer than an hour. Like, way longer. You’re probably right:)

It’s worth it. Once they’re cooked, you can use them in many ways, and the shiitake taste like bacon.

Serious Eats has an article about this that’s helpful, but it’s a straightforward process. Here’s my stripped-down version:*

• slice mushrooms, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• bake at 400F for ~45 minutes (30 to 60 minutes, really, depending on the mushroom; the shiitake dry out faster, so keep an eye on them, but also they are delicious when mostly crispy)
• for stock: while the caps are roasting, chop and sauté any leftover stems with oil, salt and pepper, then add a couple of bay leaves and a whack-load of water and simmer on low until reduced by ~half or you get sick of waiting.

This is a shot from the last time I did this, with oyster and shiitake mushrooms.

In the end, we’ll have bags of frozen mushrooms ready for use plus stock from the stems.** (Stock is more more work to simmer down, then strain and freeze, but I hate wasting all those stems plus the result was worth it last time so I’ll do it again.)

Maybe I’ll finish in time to get down into the workshop (what? I like wishful thinking), but even if I don’t I’ll consider the afternoon well spent. And the next time future me is looking for a flavor boost for dinner or a quick addition to soup, pasta, rice, dumplings, or pizza, I’ll be glad I did.

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* I’m not commercial kitchen level by any means, where cooks make an art of mise en place, but I do like being at least a little prepared. I’m more about shortcuts that take the pressure off and not opening a vegetable drawer to see nasty puddles of slime where mushrooms used to be. Because ew.

** The freezer tends to have bags of things like cubes of frozen spinach, tabouli, leftover lentils and rice, plus frozen citrus juice, chopped scallions, and whatever else I can think of to make life easier when the day’s been long and dinner seems like an insurmountable challenge. When I can make time for this, I’m happy I did. Whatever works for you? Do that.

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Mr. Man’s mechanic dropped him a text the other day, mentioning that he now had a new location and was ready for business, and to come on down whenever he needed work. He sent along Happy New Year’s wishes for Mr. Man and (here’s the fun part) The Brownie Lady. That’s me:)

Quick bit of info: We spent a considerable amount of time in Cambridge, Massachusetts and also listening to the much-loved Car Talk. Along with the many (many) jokes and bits of car advice, Tom and Ray also devoted a lot of time recommending customers bring their mechanics brownies. 

Self-interested? Sure. But if the mechanic’s happiness is indeed equated with customer happiness, doesn’t everyone win? I decided to find out. 

I’ve shared my brownie recipe here before. It’s quick, easy to whip up at almost any time, and good. I like it, Mr. Man likes it, and it turns out our mechanic likes it. Not that he wouldn’t have done a good job without added incentive, but does he do it faster than he might otherwise? Maybe. And who doesn’t like to feel appreciated? Win win win.

I don’t know if the mechanic knows my name, but he associates me with chocolate and kindness, and remembers that I cared enough to send him a treat. I like that. 

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