Sourdough Focaccia
Top this airy bread with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese; Kalamata olives; or simply with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Ingredients:
1â…“ cups sourdough starter
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing on top
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, kneading in the flour ½ cup at a time. Allow dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (this should take about 45 minutes), then punch it back down and allow it to rest for an additional 10 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to a lightly-floured surface and then roll out into a 9-by-6-inch oval (dough should be about 1-inch thick). Transfer to a baking sheet and then dimple the surface of the dough with your thumb. Brush lightly with the additional olive oil, allowing the oil to pool in the dimples, then add any desired toppings.
3. Allow the dough to puff up again and then back in a 450° oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and slice into large wedges to serve.
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Sourdough Dinner Rolls
Sourdough adds distinct flavor and chewiness to these light, moist and buttery rolls.
Ingredients:
½ cup sourdough starter
1 cup lukewarm water
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
¼ cup potato flour
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
Method:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, then mix and knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle—adding more flour or water if necessary to make a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise at warm room temperature until it’s nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½ hours.
2. While the dough is rising, lightly grease two 8″ round cake pans. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, gently deflate it, and divide it into 16 pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball. Place eight balls in each of the round pans; if you space the balls evenly, they shouldn’t touch one another.
3. Cover the pans and allow the rolls to rise until they touch one another and are very puffy, about 1 to 1½ hours.
4. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 24 to 26 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into one of the center rolls should read 190°F. Remove the rolls from the oven and, after 2 or 3 minutes, carefully transfer them to a rack to cool.
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Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Focaccia Bread Salad
The beauty of this summery salad is in its simplicity: Be sure to use good-quality olive oil and season generously!
Ingredients:
4 cups focaccia bread, cut into large cubes
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ cup basil-infused olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup freshly-crumbled chevre cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss the focaccia cubes with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill the bread cubes until lightly charred, turning frequently with tongs. (A grill basket works well for this if you have it; otherwise watch that you don’t lose the croutons down the grate!) Remove from the grill and reserve.
2. On a large platter, arrange the heirloom tomato slices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil, feta and grilled bread croutons and drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and, if desired, balsamic vinegar as well.
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Grilled Summer Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich
This satisfying sammie is extremely adaptable: Tuck in some grilled chicken, add a little spicy salami or throw in even more veggies.
Ingredients:
2 heirloom tomatoes, thickly-sliced into rings
2 zucchini, sliced into long, thick wedges
1 Walla Walla sweet onions, peeled and thickly-sliced into rings
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed of green ends and thickly-sliced into rings
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Focaccia bread loaf
Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise (see recipe)
Method:
1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the vegetables on the grill grate and cook 3-4 minutes per side, until all the veggies are softened and slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
3. Cut a loaf of focaccia in half lengthwise, and spread both sides with the Lemon-Herb Mayonnaise. Layer on the tomatoes, zucchini slices, fennel and onions rings on one side, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then top with the other bread half. Cut into wedges and serve.
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Sourdough Hotcakes
Pancakes made with this King Arthur Flour recipe boast a crisp, light texture and a delightful mild tang.
Ingredients:
Overnight sponge (see below)
2 large eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Overnight sponge:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sourdough starter, unfed
Method:
1. To make the overnight sponge, stir down your refrigerated sourdough starter, and remove 1 cup. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the 1 cup starter, flour, sugar, and buttermilk. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.
2. In a small bowl or mixing cup, beat together the eggs, and oil or butter. Add to the overnight sponge. Add the salt and baking soda, stirring to combine. The batter will bubble.
3. Heat a skillet or griddle or medium-high heat. Spoon or pour about ¼ cup of the batter into the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes, then flip. Once both sides are golden brown and the batter is cooked through, remove hotcake and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
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Sweet Italian Sausage & Orzo Ribollita
This spin on the classic Italian soup features puttanesca sauce, orzo pasta and toasted Pomodoro bread.
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, plus additional for drizzling over the bread
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 quart Nonna Pat’s puttanesca sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 3-inch Parmesan cheese rind
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons combined fresh thyme leaves and chopped parsley
1 bunch Lacinato kale, greens removed from ribs and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ cup orzo pasta
4-6 slices pomodoro loaf
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sausage and minced garlic. Cook, crumbling the sausage into small pieces, until the onion is golden brown and the sausage is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Add the puttanesca sauce and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, herbs and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the orzo and kale, and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and kale is wilted.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Drizzle the sliced pomodoro bread with olive oil. Toast until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Place the toasts in the serving bowls and ladle the soup over the toasts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Variation: In leiu of the pomodoro bread, free free to sub in the sourdough dinner rolls crafted from this week’s starter!
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Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Bread Panzanella
The beauty of this summery salad is in its simplicity: Be sure to use good-quality olive oil and season generously!
Ingredients:
4 cups Pain au Levain bread, cut into large cubes
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ cup good-quality olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup freshly-crumbled feta or goat cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss the bread cubes with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill the bread cubes until lightly charred, turning frequently with tongs. (A grill basket works well for this if you have it; otherwise watch that you don’t lose the croutons down the grate!) Remove from the grill and reserve.
2. On a large platter, arrange the heirloom tomato slices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil, cheese and grilled bread croutons and drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and, if desired, balsamic vinegar as well.
Variation: If you can find it, this salad is amazing topped with burrata cheese instead of the crumbled soft cheese!
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Roasted Ratatouille Toasts
A delightful spin on the classic stew, this time slathered on toasted bread as a starter!
Method:
1 heirloom tomato, roughly chopped
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, some sliced in half, others left whole
½ eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 zucchini or summer squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
â…“ cup olive oil
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 loaf rustic bread or focaccia, sliced into ½-inch-thick slices
½ cup crumbled sheep’s milk feta or fresh ricotta
½ cup basil, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, eggplant, squash or zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic with red pepper flakes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the tomatoes have released their juices. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking, and then toss again once they have been removed from the oven.
2. Remove the vegetables from the oven and increase the temperatures to a broil. Lightly brush each slice of bread or focaccia with olive oil. Place them on the upper rack of the oven and toast until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
3. Top each toast with a generous portion of the ratatouille mixture, and then add a little crumbled feta or dollop of ricotta on each. Garnish with the basil and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Grana Cheese with Honey & Red Pepper Flakes
The success of this lovely snack depends entirely on the quality of the ingredients, so don’t scrimp!
Ingredients:
¼ pound Farm & Larder Grana-style cheese, shaved or slivered
¼ cup high-quality honey
Pinch red pepper flakes
Warm focaccia bread
Method:
1. In a small bowl, stir together the honey and red pepper flakes.
2. Layer cheese slices in a small serving dish and drizzle over the honey-red pepper flake mixture. Serve with warm focaccia alongside for dipping.
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Kale Gratin with Parmesan Bread Crumbs
This no-guilt gratin skips the cream, but still boasts big flavor thanks to a topping of toasty bread crumbs.
Ingredients:
2 pounds (about 2 bunches) kale, tough stems removed, leaves chopped
1½ cups fresh whole-wheat sourdough bread crumbs
½ cup grated Grana-style cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. In a bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, cheese and 1 tablespoon of the oil until well-blended.
3. In a large frying pan, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the kale and sprinkle with a healthy dash of salt. Stir until the kale is wilted and coated with oil. Add ¼ cup water, cover and steam until the kale is tender, 6-10 minutes. Transfer to a shallow baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve.
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