Authentic Olive Rosemary Bread Cooks Illustrated Food

AUTHENTIC OLIVE-ROSEMARY BREAD - COOK'S ILLUSTRATED

Steps:

• Whisk water, yeast, and honey in bowl of standing mixer. Add flours and mix on low speed with dough hook until cohesive dough is formed, about 3 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Remove plastic wrap; make well in center of dough and add salt and rosemary. Knead dough on low speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium and continue to knead until dough is smooth and slightly tacky, about 1 minute. If dough is very sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons flour and continue mixing for 1 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and pat into 12x6-inch rectangle.
• Press olives into dough. Starting at long side, roll rectangle into tight log. With seam side facing up, roll log into coil. Transfer dough, spiral side up, to oiled container or bowl, at least 2 quarts in volume, and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm, draft-free location until it increases in size by 50 percent, about 1 hour.
• Fold partially risen dough over itself. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn bowl again; fold once more. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.
• Repeat folding, replace plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 more minutes.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface, being careful not to deflate. Divide dough in half, loosely shape each piece into ball, and let rise 15 minutes. Flip each ball over and, starting from top, roll into tight oval shape. Using palms, roll each oval from center outward until 12-inch loaf is formed. Poke any olives that fall off into bottom seam, then pinch seam closed.
• Transfer each loaf, seam side down, to 12x6-inch piece of parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours (dough is ready when it springs back slowly when pressed lightly with finger.).
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 450°F at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Slide parchment sheets with loaves onto peal or back of inverted baking sheet. Starting and stopping about 1 inch from each side, use razor blade or sharp knife to cut three 1/2-inch deep slashes on diagonal along top of each fully risen loaf. Use a spray bottle filled with water to spray loaves lightly with water. Carefully slide parchment with loaves into oven using jerking motion.
• Bake 15 minutes, spraying loaves with water twice more in the first 5 minutes, and then reduce oven temperature to 375°F Continue to bake until bread is deep golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of loaf registers 210°F, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaves to room temperature, about 2 hours.

QUICK CHEESE BREAD(COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan evenly over the bottom of the pan.
• 2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the cheddar, breaking up clumps. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not over-mix. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan; level the surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over the surface.
• 3. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf conies out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 5 minutes; invert the loaf onto the rack, turn right-side up, and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
• VARIATION: QUICK CHEESE BREAD WITH BACON, ONION, AND GRUYERE; Cut 5 ounces (5 slices) bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and fry in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from the skillet. Add 1/2 cup minced onion to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; set skillet with onion aside.
• Follow recipe for Quick Cheese Bread, substituting Gruyere for cheddar, adding the bacon and onion to the flour mixture along with the cheese, and omitting the butter.

MADELEINES(COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees, middle rack.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, salt. Set aside.
• Beat yolks with whole egg and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer, about 5 minutes on high speed if using hand mixer. Slowly add sugar beating until a ribbon drops from beaters, about 5 minutes with hand mixer. The batter should be very light and fluffy.
• Gradually fold in the dry ingredients using a spatula. Fold very gently and carefully. Then do the same with the melted butter.
• Spoon batter into molds. (Batter should come just flush with mold rim.) Don't bother smoothing the batter; you don't want to deflate it, and it will smooth out on its own in the oven. Bake until tops are golden and cakes spring back when pressed lightly, about 10 minutes.
• Spread out a clean dishcloth on your work surface. When the madeleines come out of the oven, turn them out right onto the dishcloth. You need to get them out of the pans while they're still very hot. Do not let them cool in the pans. The madeleines are delicate when warm, so they're easily broken, so be careful when moving them until they are cool. Cool to room temperature. (Can be stored in airtight container up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month.).

ALMOST NO-KNEAD BREAD WITH OLIVES, ROSEMARY, AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, yeast, salt, Parmesan, and rosemary in large bowl. Add water, olives, beer, and vinegar.
• Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. (The dough will be very wet.).
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.
• Line inside of 10 inch skillet with a 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper.
• Spray paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle.
• Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours. (I've also retarded the rising by placing dough in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.).
• About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
• Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough.
• Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid.
• Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge).
• Cover pot and place in oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for approximately 30 minutes.
• Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
• Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.