[video] golden raisin & fennel bread

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This is my first video - hooray! It is, in my estimation, "ok" -- but you have to understand that this was a one-man show -- I did every bit of this on my own. Anyway, it was a time-consuming recipe to tackle on the first try. I'm probably going to do something quicker for the next one!

By the way, the bread really is good. If you have the time, I'd suggest giving it a try...

16 oz. bread flour (divided) (about 3 1/3 cups)
1 tsp. active dry yeast (divided)
2 tsp. honey
16 oz. water (divided)
1/2 c. golden raisins
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 TB fennel seeds
olive oil for greasing the proofing bowl

In a bowl, combine 5 oz. (about 1 cup) bread flour, 2 teaspoons of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and 10 oz. water. Whisk to combine, cover with plastic, and place in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

Combine the raisins and the remaining 6 oz. of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Place in the refrigerator along with the pre-ferment.

After 12 hours, remove the pre-ferment from the fridge and combine with the remaining flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes or until it is just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Add the salt and turn the mixer to medium speed (4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer). Knead for 8-10 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and knead until they are thoroughly mixed in.

Place the dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free area for about an hour and a half (dough should double in size). After the dough proofs, pull it out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough with your knuckles until it is about a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Drain the raisins well and scatter them over the flattened dough. Make a tri-fold in the dough (like folding a letter) and then do it again. Cover the dough with a dampened kitchen towel and let it rest for ten minutes.

Shape the rested dough into a ball and gently roll it on the counter between your palms until it gets smooth and taut. Place it on a piece of parchment, cover with a moistened towel, and let it rise again for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F with a pizza stone or an unglazed Mexican quarry tile set on the middle rack. After the dough has finished proofing, spritz or brush is with water and slash a square into the top with a sharp knife.

Place the dough (still on the parchment) onto the preheated stone. Bake it for 50-55 minutes. It will be very brown and crisp. Let it rest on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it and serving with butter or olive oil.

videos coming soon!

The newest feature of the zen kitchen will be some cooking webisodes.  I'm sure that they'll start off bad and eventually graduate to mediocre -- I'm hoping to get to "ok" by the end of the year :-)

They'll be quick and feature one recipe.  I'm toying with the idea of taping in high def, but we'll see if storage begins to get tight.

Anyway, check back soon for the first one!

wine jelly

Ever get a crappy bottle of wine as a gift? I'm not a wine snob, but even I hesitate to drink the stuff in jugs. So what do you do? Most people wouldn't advise cooking with it, as whatever makes that wine bad to begin with just gets more concentrated on cooking. There is a solution, however -- wine jelly. The vast amounts of sugar required by the jelly-making process turn wretched wine into just-fine jelly. I have tried making this jelly with drinkable wine (Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling or Jacob's Creek Merlot) and it has turned out well, but not that much better than with 2 Buck Chuck. If you've never made jelly before, this isn't where you're going to learn all of the finer details of home preservation. There are plenty of websites for that. What you're getting here is the recipe for what goes into the mason jars. So here it is:

1 750 ml bottle of wine (have fun with this)
Enough lemon juice to make 4 cups of liquid (about 1/2 cup)
1 packet of dry pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar (31.5 oz by weight)

Combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam off top, if necessary.

Ladle hot jelly into 7 hot, sterilized, half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Tighten 2 piece lids. Process for 6 minutes in boiling water bath. Allow jars to cool. If any of the lids didn't vacuum-seal, use those jars first (and refrigerate -- they haven't been properly preserved).

Some interesting variations: make a mulled wine jelly by adding in a cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg to a fruity red -- strain out before pouring into jars. Add chopped candied ginger to a white wine to make ginger-wine jelly. Add fresh herbs of your choice to a white wine for a refreshing combination. Add them during the last minute and strain out before pouring into jars. Despite how weird it sounds, the herbs add a touch of elegance. Try basil or sage with chardonnay and use it as a glaze on pork or chicken.