Sweet Corn Bread Pudding

Sweet Corn Bread Pudding

Serves: 6 – 8
Difficulty level: Easy

Sweet Corn Bread Pudding 

Hands down – my favorite corn bread to serve with Vegetarian Chile.  Well, any Chile really but with vegetarian I wanted some additional wonderfulness. This is also great for the holidays as substitute stuffing for your Thanksgiving turkey or accompanies ham.  If you wanted to add meat – chorizo or sausage would make a terrific addition. You simply cannot go wrong….Give a try and let me know your modifications.

Focaccia

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Focaccia

Makes one 17 by 12-inch focaccia

 

Focaccia

I have been fortunate to take numerous cooking classes in other countries. Without doubt, hands down, my favorite was a class in Rapallo, Italy taught by the famed chef, Fausto Oneto at his restaurant U Giancu (http://www.ugiancu.it). Fausto is quite the character – he collects and wears several humorous hats, which change as the class progresses and the food is eaten. We cooked and ate several memorable dishes that day – but the focaccia has stuck with me. I had made focaccia several times before…but this recipe and technique has become my favorite and the favorite of everyone who tastes it. What follows is my American modification of Fausto’s recommended methods, including the addition of a baked potato into the dough ”to keep it smooth” and addition of a lot, really a lot, of water and olive oil just before putting it into a very hot oven. These two unique additions took my focaccia from very good to absolutely amazing – consistently.

Restaurant U Giancu 

Famed chef, Fausto Oneto

Rapallo is located in the Liguria coastal section of northwestern Italy, where Genoa is the capital. The region is popular with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque towns (think Portofino & Cinque Terre) and cuisine. 

Cinque Terre

High on the list of Ligurian specialties are pesto and focaccia. Focaccia is usually baked plain with salt and onions, though the region’s abundance of herbs are often combined and sprinkled on top.  Cheeses, meats, olives and fresh vegetables are other delightful additions to focaccias.  I had previously shared a wonderful recipe for Fougasse (see 12/7/2011 posting) – which is a type of bread typically associated with Provence. The two breads are quite distinct. Fougasse often has the “toppings” incorporated into the dough prior to baking while Focaccia has them added to the top. Because Fougasse is baked on a stone instead of an oiled pan, it is quite crispy whereas Focaccia has crisp bits and soft parts. I would recommend starting as a purist with perhaps just salt as topping so you can really appreciate the bread you have just made. Add toppings in the future – suggestions will follow below.

 

Key ingredients

This can all be done by hand. It is quite relaxing and therapeutic! However, I have found that most home cooks prefer the use of a mixer so I will provide information on both methods. Flour is the core of the bread – the body containing its heart and spirit. Wheat is the grain of choice, from which flour is milled. This is because wheat contains more gluten than other grains. In the US, cake flour has 6-7% gluten, pastry flour has 8-9% gluten, all-purpose flour has 10-11.5 % and bread flour has 11.5 – 13.5% gluten. Gluten is what determines the texture and taste of the bread. I prefer to use instant yeast as it is more concentrated than fresh or active dry yeast, and has a longer shelf life.  It can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for months or in the freezer for a year.

• 1 12-16 oz russet potato
• 5C unbleached high gluten or bread flour
• 4 tsp freshly chopped rosemary (divided)
• 2 tsp kosher or sea salt (more salt later)
• 1 tsp honey
• 2-3 tsp instant yeast
• ½C + 8 Tb extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
• 1 tsp diastatic malt powder* (optional)
• 2 C room temperature water (divided)
• 3/4 C mixture half water and half olive oil

Clean and poke a few holes in the russet potato.  Cook in the microwave until tender. Once done, cut in half, scoop out flesh into the bowl until cool.

Combine ½ C room temperature water, yeast, malt powder and honey. Whisk together and allow it to sit until foamy – about 5 minutes. Add 4 Tb olive oil and 2 tsp rosemary to yeast mixture.

Stir together flour, ¾C baked russet potato and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the yeast/oil mixture and remaining 1½ C water and mix with a large metal spoon or by hand until all the ingredients form a wet, sticky ball (or mix on low speed with paddle attachment). If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Do this for 4-5 minutes. 

If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add additional flour if needed to firm it up to clear the bowl. 

Use the dough hook if using a mixer

Oil a large bowl, put in dough, spray the top with a fine mist of olive oil and sprinkle a bit flour. Cover bowl with saran and place a warm draft-free spot in your kitchen until the dough doubles or more in volume, 1-2 hours.

Rising in the bowl

Remove from bowl, sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed of about 6 inches square. Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water; transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour, patting the dough into a rectangle. Wait 5 minutes for the dough to relax. Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size. Fold it, letter style, over itself to return to a rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with saran wrap. Let it rest 1 hour.

Mold the dough into a rectangle

...then fold it over itself and cover with Saran wrap

Line a 17 by 12-inch sheet pan with baking parchment. Pour 4 Tb olive oil over the parchment paper; spread it with your hands or a brush to cover the surface. Lift the dough off the counter and transfer it to the sheet pan, maintaining the rectangular shape as much as possible. Use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it to fill the pan simultaneously. Do not use the flat of your hands – only the fingertips – to avoid tearing or ripping the dough. Try to keep the thickness as uniform as possible across the surface. Dimpling allows you to degas only part of the dough while preserving gas in the non-dimpled sections. If the dough becomes too springy, let it rest 15 minutes and resume. Do not worry if you are unable to fill the pan 100 percent, especially the corners. As the dough relaxes and proofs, it will spread out naturally. Loosely cover the pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate the dough overnight (or for up to 3 days).

 

In the pan

Remove the pan from the refrigerator, add remainder of rosemary and any pre-poof toppings (see below for list), cover lightly with Saran wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 3 hours before baking. With oven rack on the middle shelf, pre-heat oven to 500 degree F for at least 30 minutes. Gently re-dimple the dough if needed and add any pre-bake toppings. Put 3/4 C water/olive oil mixture in a measuring cup or jar. Whisk thoroughly or shake jar until mixed. Just before placing in the oven, pour entire 3/4 C olive oil/water mixture over dough and put into the oven. 

Dimpled and ready for the oven

Immediately lower the temperature to 450 degree F. Cook 10 minutes, turn 180 degree and cook another 8-10 minutes (internal temperature of focaccia of 200 degree F) until it turns a light golden brown. Take out, immediately sprinkle with a good finishing olive oil and sprinkling of kosher or sea salt and transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Allow the focaccia to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. If by some miracle there is any left, it freezes beautifully.

Cooked to a golden brown!

Do give this one a try. The recipe may seem daunting and first time through goes a bit slower. Trust me, it is really simple to make and delicious to eat. It seem that each time I make focaccia, it goes faster and easier – and with even more creative toppings. My favorite is a combination of rosemary, sliced olives and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  Experiment – find yours.

Larue

Toppings for Focaccia

I have separated the possibilities into pre-proof and pre-bake to provide direction on the timing of the additions. Some toppings, such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and nuts, need to be surrounded by dough to protect them from burning or from falling off. Other ingredients are not so vulnerable and will stay on the dough without having it proof around it, including moist cheeses, like blue, or strips of meat, which should not sit out during proofing.

Pre-proof toppings: Marinated sun-dried tomatoes; olives; roasted garlic; fresh herbs; walnuts, pine nuts, or other nuts; sautéed mushrooms, red or green peppers, or onions. Of note, I usually thinly slice the onions and soak in warm water and a bit of vinegar, to soften the taste.

Pre-bake toppings: High-moisture cheeses, such as blue cheese, fresh mozzarella, and feta cheese, and cooked ground meat or meat strips. Also coarse salt or sugar. Of note, if you wish to add dry or semi-hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, regular mozzarella, Jack, Cheddar and Swiss, add them during the baking process – usually the last 4-5 minutes.

*diastatic malt: “Diastatic” refers to the enzymes that are created as the grain sprouts. Diastatic malt breaks down the starch in dough to yield sugars on which yeast can feed. Diastatic malt powder (or barley malt syrup) when added to dough helps produce a finer texture and longer keeping quality. I have found it in natural grocers and online from The Barry Farm in Ohio.

Olive & Sun-dried Tomato Fougasse

Olive & Sun-dried Tomato Fougasse

I love making bread.  I find it therapeutic – especially kneading the warm dough – as well as rewarding – the whole kitchen smells wonderful while baking (thank you, yeast!).  Additionally, the activity of kneading will give the baker a chance to work the upper body muscles, and gain some physical conditioning from the process as well!  OK - so there are a few more steps to making bread...but it really can be done!  So - give it a try.  It is worth it!!!

Pour 2/3 C warm water (105-115 degrees F) into a measuring cup, sprinkle 2 tsp instant yeast*, then 1 tsp sugar and stir.  Let stand until the yeast dissolves and mixture bubbles…about 10 minutes.  Add 1 C warm water and 4 Tb extra-virgin olive oil.

Bubbling yeast

Mix 4½ C Bread Flour** and 1½ tsp kosher salt in mixing bowl. Pour in yeast mixture.  If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook; beat at med-low speed until flour is moistened but looks shaggy, about 4 minutes.  Increase speed to medium; beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and climbs the hook, for a minimum of 10 minutes. I usually use my mixer for 5-6 minutes of this time and do the rest by hand – I love the feel and texture of making bread. Sprinkle your work surface area with flour to knead. (It can be any smooth surface – but wood, marble or granite work best)

Dough hook and mixer with dough

Whether by machine or hand, kneading is one of the most important steps in bread making of any kind. This step more than any other will determine the outcome. It develops the flour’s gluten, or protein, into long, stretchy strings and traps the carbon dioxide bubbles released by the yeast as the dough rises. As the flour that makes up the dough is moistened and stirred, the gluten begins to form and also gains in strength as the dough is subjected to the kneading process. Gluten can be thought of as the binding agent within the dough, allowing the loaf to take on a cohesive texture that will allow the substance to not fall apart during baking. This also helps to make the bread fluffy. If you don’t knead enough then the bread will be too dense. If you knead too much then the gluten will get too tough which will make your bread tough.

Mix ½ C oil cured black olives (for example, kalamata olives), pitted and quartered, ½ C drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, 2 tsp grated lemon peel and 1 Tb minced fresh rosemary in a medium bowl. Add to dough and mix for 1 min.  Then, mix again, but only by hand, until thoroughly mixed throughout dough.

Dough with olives and sun-dried tomatoes

Lightly oil a large bowl with olive oil, put dough inside, brush top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with bread flour.  Brush plastic wrap with oil, cover bowl, oiled side down, and let dough rise in a warm draft free area until at least doubled in size. (1-2 hours)

Rising dough and oil brushed pan

Gently turn dough several times with a spatula to deflate. Re-cover the bowl with oiled plastic, chill overnight.  Alternatively, line a 17x12-inch sheet pan with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. When you turn dough out – form into a rectangular shape, spray with olive oil on top, add sprinkling of bread flour and cover with oil sprayed plastic wrap. It is often easier to store a sheet pan in the refrigerator than a large bowl.

The next day, remove from the refrigerator. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Place one piece on a floured work surface; sprinkle with flour. Roll out dough to 12x8 or 12x9-inch rectangle, sprinkling with flour to keep it from sticking. Transfer dough to a baking sheet, which has been brushed with olive oil. Repeat with other piece.  Allow dough to sit and rest in draft-free area for 2-3 hours.

Dough in pans

Using a very sharp knife cut four 2-inch-long diagonal slashes just to the right of center of rectangle and 4 more just to left of center to create a pattern resembling leaf veins.  Pull slashes apart with fingertips to make ¾ to 1-inch wide openings. Repeat with remaining dough.  Cover both with warm towel. Let them rest 30 min or more. Beat 2 tsp water and 1 Tb olive oil in a small bowl to blend to make the glaze.

Dough with knife cuts

 Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 450 degree F. Gently brush fougasse with glaze; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pierce all over with a fork.

Bake fougasse 10 minutes. Can you smell it!!??  Reverse position of baking sheets and turn around.  Bake fougasses until golden, about 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with good quality finishing olive oil when it comes out of the oven.  Transfer to racks, cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.  It freezes beautifully if by some miracle it is not consumed immediately.

*Instant yeast = I prefer instant yeast as it is more concentrated than fresh or active dry yeast, and has a longer shelf life.  It can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for months or in the freezer for a year.

** Flour = Flour is the core of the bread – the body containing its heart and spirit. Wheat is the grain of choice, from which flour is milled. This is because wheat contains more gluten than other grains. In the US, cake flour has 6-7% gluten, pastry flour has 8-9% gluten, all-purpose flour has 10-11.5 % and bread flour has 11.5 – 13.5% gluten. Gluten is what determines the texture and taste of the bread. For those of you thinking about gluten free diets, please note that the illness caused by immune responses to gluten (celiac disease) is INCREDIBLY rare! Don’t worry about gluten unless your doctor tells you to avoid it.