Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

Stöllen

2 cup liquid sourdough culture
4 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup citron
1 lemon zest, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1/2 cup rum or bourbon
1 tube marzipan or almond paste
1 stick melted butter
confectioners’ sugar, as needed

1. Soak the dried fruit overnight in rum or bourbon.

2. Mix the liquid culture with 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the water in a large mixing bowl. This is the working culture. Let double. (Carl’s starter – about 2.5 hours.)

3. Add 1 cup of the flour and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Allow to double. (Carl’s starter – about 2.5 hours.)

4. Punch down. Drain the fruit. Mix together the milk, butter, salt, fruit, lemon zest, and spices. Add to the dough and mix well. Reserve one cup of the flour for flouring the board. Knead the remaining 1 3/4 cups of the flour into the dough one cup at a time. Make a stiff dough.

5. Form oblong rectangles with the dough. Divide marzipan in half, then roll each half into a snake as long as the dough. Press snakes flat to make ribbons. Place ribbons in the center of the dough. If there’s marzipan left over, make small chunks and scatter through the dough. Fold sides of the dough together and pinch shut – that’s the bottom of the loaf. Brush loaves with melted butter and set to rise.

6. Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when thumping the underside.

7. While cooling, brush on melted butter several times, allowing it to absorb. When cool, you may sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Makes two 2.5 pound loaves.

(I can give you a starter if you need. This bread is totally worth it. Hub and I can’t stop eating it.)

The weirdest thing happened to me tonight.

About an hour after I ate dinner (Mangia Pizza Jeff’s special stuffed on wheat), I felt like my face was being stung simultaneously by hundreds of bugs. At first I thought it was just me, but after I mentioned it, hub said, “Wow, are you red.” Before it was done, my arms, chest, back, neck, and face were all scarlet.

So I guess I should eat that pizza anymore? Which sucks, because it’s really good. I’ve never had a food reaction like that. Didn’t like it.

Christmas time is tamale time. With a lot of patient phone advice from hub’s mother and grandmother, we decided to try it ourselves.

Check it out here.

Recent pics of the girls are in the gallery.

Dinner tonight was Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, courtesy of Alton Brown’s recipe.

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

Better, but it definitely needs more raisins.

On the left is one of the loaves I made the other day. On the right is cinnamon raisin bread I made tonight. It rose fine until I put the final ingredients in and formed it into loaves. I just don’t know what the matter is!

SOURDOUGH BUTTER ROLLS

2 cups sourdough starter ( bubbly at room temp )
2 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
4 tbs sugar
4 tbs. melted butter ( or margarine )
1 tbs. salt
about 7 cups flour
1 stick melted butter or margarine to drizzle over unbaked rolls.

Combine starter, milk, melted butter ( 4 tbs ), sugar and salt. Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time until you have a soft, non sticky kneadable dough. Place dough in a buttered bowl and let stand in a warm place
until doubled in bulk.

Remove dough from bowl, knead briefly and gently on lightly floured surface and divide dough into 36 equal pieces. Shape into little balls and place into a 9×12 greased Pyrex dish. Pour a little melted butter or margarine on each roll and bake 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or golden. Serve warm. May be frozen and reheated gently.

Makes 36 soft rolls