The Easiest (Organic) Bread Youll Ever Bake

Which piece of marmalade-slathered bread would you rather eat?

The one on the right? It’s sliced from a commercial loaf that eerily lasts for months thanks to preservatives like calcium propionate. The one on the left?  It’s an organic, fiber-filled slice that you make at home without the hassle of measuring or kneading. And it looks pretty darn good, doesn’t it?

In my family, bread making is reserved for special holiday occasions where you can justify the lengthy labor it takes to make. But when I heard about Baked Better’s organic bread mixes, which only require you to add water and sugar, I couldn’t resist trying it out. (The package even comes with yeast—no skimping here!)

I tested their three varieties: Dumbo Delicious, a hearty multi-grain; Cobble Hill Crave, a loaf specked with cranberries, oats, and walnuts; and Park Slope Staple, a basic whole wheat bread. You can be creative with the sweetener, so I designated molasses, granulated sugar, and honey per loaf, respectively. For each batch I’d combine two cups of warm water with the flour and scooped the mixture into a loaf pan. In the next twenty minutes, the bread doubled in size and it was ready for the oven. Simple as that.

So why should you go for a mix rather than storebought bagged bread? First, if you’re a carb loader and have a sandwich every day, you’ll want a healthy slice that is packed with fiber and protein like any of Baked Better’s varieties. Second, read the ingredients on your bread. If there are tons of “stabilizers” that you can hardly pronounce, why not just make a Baked Better loaf, which only has basic ingredients (think: whole wheat flour, yeast) and is so tasty, I dare you to leave it on your counter for more than a week. Lastly, when you pop this dough in the oven and it starts to fill your place with that comforting smell of just-baked bread, you’ll realize that adding water to a dry mix isn’t a large price to pay for a warm slice of heaven.

Check out Baked Bread’s mixes ($7 each) here. 

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Make The Most Delicious Homemade Pizza Ever

While breadmaking is a fine art, it can be surprisingly simple to create a masterpiece. In his new book, My Pizza, renowned baker Jim Lahey reveals a method for making delicious homemade pizza dough that you don’t have to knead. He demonstrated the method at this year’s MH Cooking School at the International Culinary Center, where he treated us to the “Popeye pie” and the “Boscaiola pie.”

His technique does require a bit of planning, because the dough does require 18 hours of rising time. But it's worth it. Don’t believe me? I conducted a little experiment just to make sure.  In addition to whipping up Lahey's dough recipe, I bought pre-made pizza dough at the grocery store, topped it with the same toppings and baked it using the same method as I did with Lahey’s crust. The results? Lahey’s crust was more flavorful and had a better texture. Plus, he’s perfected the cooking technique, so home cooks can achieve a deliciously charred crust that rivals what chefs can create with brick ovens.

Ham and Peas Pie
Recipe courtesy Jim Lahey, founder of Sullivan Street Bakery and Co.

What you'll need:

For the crust:

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit of additional flour for shaping the dough
¼ tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ cups water

For the sauce:

2 cups of whole milk
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 ¼ Tbsp of all-purpose flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg

For the toppings:

¼ finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
1 ½ ounces of fresh mozzarella, pulled into 5 clumps
2 ounces of sliced prosciutto, ripped into shreds
a scant ¼ cup fresh peas or defrosted frozen peas, patted dry
2 to 3 large fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

How to make it:

 

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Grill Lemony Artichoke Hearts

When you attend a backyard cookout, or when you tend grill yourself, how often do you see vegetables sizzling on the grates? Steaks, burgers, hot dogs—sure. Produce? Rarely.

Cookouts usually relegate vegetables to the picnic table, where they're tossed with mayo or mixed into pasta salads. It's sad, considering that so much produce is in its prime during the summer months and—like most any food on the planet—it, too, tastes better when thrown on the grill.

An example: artichokes. These spiky mace-like plumes of produce are actually flower buds picked before they blossom. When trimmed and cooked they have a mellow asparagus-like flavor that's slightly starchy. When grilled, artichokes carry a faint char that matches up well with olive oil and lemon.

This recipe requires you to pre-cook the artichokes in an oil and butter bath, and then finish them on your grill. The two-stage cooking process turns the artichoke hearts tender and infuses them with a payload of flavor.

Grilled Artichoke
Recipe by Andrew Brown, executive chef of Opa in Philadelphia, PA

What you'll need:
4 whole artichokes
4 lemons
2 cups good quality olive oil
8 Tbsp butter
6 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar

How to make it:
1. Place the artichokes in a container with water to cover and squeeze the juice of 2 lemons over the dish so that the artichokes do not discolor. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Trim the outer leaves from the artichoke and place the artichoke hearts in a baking dish. Add 1 cup of olive oil, the butter, the thyme, and the bay leaves to the baking dish. Add water until it barely covers the artichokes. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the artichokes are tender, about 40 minutes.

3. While the artichokes bake, make your Ladolemono sauce. In a small bowl, juice the remaining lemons and add the sugar. Slowly whisk in the remaining olive oil.
4. Preheat your grill to high, direct heat. Grill the artichokes until grill marks appear on each side, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately with the sauce.

 

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Snack On Hearty, Homemade Granola Bars

Granola could use a good PR team. Big brands have slandered its wholesome name in recent years, sullying it with highly-processed iterations. Search for a decent granola bar in your supermarket and you'll find only candy bars masquerading as health food, snacks that will fill you with empty, fast-burning calories that spike your blood sugar. Yes, it would seem that the iconic potpourri of grains is suffering from some image issues.

But this wasn't always the case, and granola didn't rise within the world of health without reason. Before being corrupted by low-cost sweeteners, the granola bar was a humble yet substantial foodstuff. Built of grains, nuts, and fruit, it offered a potent, hunger-staving blend of fiber, plant protein, and antioxidants.

Fortunately, in its new health-focused cookbook, Mindful Eating, Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa has created a 110-calorie bar that meets these specifications. Unlike brittle, prepackaged versions, these peanut-buttery bars are made from all-natural ingredients and break as softly as fresh-baked cookies. Plus, they’re easily customizable. Sub in your favorite fruits and nuts, add coconut or vanilla, or pour in protein powder to convert them into post-workout bars. They make a quick and inexpensive breakfast or, wrapped in cellophane, a portable snack that will survive a day in your bag without refrigeration.

Call it a comeback?

Miraval Multigrain Nutrition Bar
Recipe by Chad Luethje, Executive Chef at Miraval Resort & Spa

What you'll need:
2 cups rolled oats
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp almonds, chopped
1 Tbsp cashews, chopped
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, optional
½ cup water
½ cup multi-grain cereal, like this one from Bob’s Red Mill
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup honey
1 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots), roughly chopped
Pinch kosher salt

How to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine oats, seeds, nuts, and flaxseed, spread onto a sheet pan, and bake until light brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the warm mixture into a large bowl.
2. Boil water in a medium saucepan and remove it from heat. Add the multi-grain cereal and allow it to absorb the water, about 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and honey, and set the mixture over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides, about 2 minutes.
3. Mix the fruit and salt into the peanut-butter mixture, then immediately pour into the bowl with the grains. Using a rubber spatula, stir until the grains are evenly coated.
4. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray, transfer the mixture to the pan, and press it into a uniform ½-inch thickness. Move the pan to the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least two hours.
5. Cut into 1½-inch by 1¼-inch bars. Serve immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap. Bars will keep for two days at room temperature or four days refrigerated. Makes 30 bars. 

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Heat And Eat Planked Camembert With Exotic Mushrooms

During the three days of classes, Raichlen demos more than 20 recipes for grill-happy attendees, each demonstrating a simple principal: “If something tastes good baked, broiled, or fried—it’ll taste even better on the grill,” he says.

The best example from today’s class: planked Camembert cheese with exotic mushroom hash.

Camembert, a soft-ripened cheese, has a rich, faintly pungent taste. When heated, the interior of the cheese turns molten, splits the rind and seeps forth, begging to be scooped up by crackers or bread. Raichlen’s spin warms the cheese on a grill set to indirect heat. He then places the wheels of cheese atop a plank of soaked cedar wood, which smolders during the grilling process, emitting a light smoke that the cheese then absorbs. Topped with a heady mushroom “hash,” this recipe makes for the ultimate backyard barbecue appetizer for a few close friends.

Planked Camembert with exotic mushroom hash
Recipe by Steven Raichlen

What you’ll need:
2 Camembert cheeses
1 pound mushrooms, such as morels, porcini, hen of the woods, shiitakes, etc
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp cognac or Armagnac
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cedar plank, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then drained

How to make it:
1. Make the mushroom hash. Trim the stems and any blemishes off the mushrooms. Wipe clean with damp paper towels. Cut the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Sir in the mushrooms and parsley and increase the heat to high, cooking until the the mushrooms are browned and all the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cognac and flambe. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-high (400°F). Arrange the Camemberts on the soaked cedar plank. Top each with mushroom hash and then place the planks on the grill over a drip pan way from the heat. Cover the grill. Cook the cheese until the hash is sizzling and the cheese starts to melt, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the plank to a heatproof platter and serve, spreading the cheese and mushrooms on slices of grilled bread. Serves 8.

 

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Char Bell Pepper Salad With Pine Nuts, Capers, And Feta

It’s day two of Barbecue University here at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and among the menu of piri piri shrimp, chicken satays, and spiny lobster with mango salsa, host Steven Raichlen dropped in a dish even failed grillers can fire to perfection. Raichlen starts with fresh bell peppers, chars them over high heat, and then serves them with an olive-oil based dressing for an easy appetizer. “This is the one socially acceptable instance in which it’s okay to burn your food on the grill,” Raichlen says.

Bell peppers can take the heat. In fact, they sweeten from it and steal the smoked flavors of the grill as they soften. Pair them with sautéed garlic, toasted pine nuts, salty capers, and creamy feta and you have a meat-free starter that houses a payload of flavor. Save the leftovers to top a turkey and provolone sandwich or chop them up and stir them into a pasta with red sauce.

That is, if there are any leftovers.

Grilled pepper salad with currants, capers, and feta
Recipe by Steven Raichlen

What you’ll need:
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 large orange bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp dried currants
1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make it:
1. Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. When ready to cook, place the peppers directly on the coals (or on the grates of your gas grill) and grill until the skins are charred on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning with tongs. When blackened, transfer to a large plate and let stand until cool enough to handle.

2. As the peppers cool, make the dressing. In a small skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over moderate heat. Add the garlic and pine nuts and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the currants and capers. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
3. Peel the peppers (a paring knife can help) and discard the charred skins, along with the seeds and stems. Quarter the peppers lengthwise and arrange them on a platter.
4. Whisk the vinegar into the dressing and stir in the parsley and feta. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, and then pour it over the peppers and serve. Serves 4.

 

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Happy Hour Bluegrass Punch

The summer backyard barbecue season is finally upon us, gentleman. I propose a toast. More specifically, a toast with bluegrass punch.

Why this drink? For starters, whether you’re hosting your own barbecue or are showing up as a guest to one, you can whip up a batch ahead of time. That way you can hang with your buds instead of cranking out cocktails, or simply bring your host a nice addition to that bucket of brews. Also, much like a light beer, bluegrass punch’s relatively low alcohol content means you can party longer and not end up “overserved” before your time. And as a bonus, vitamin and antioxidant packed fresh blueberry and pomegranate juices provide a healthy shot in the arm.

You can use any quality bourbon to spike your punch, but Basil Hayden’s is famous for it’s naturally spicy finish, which brings a nice balance to the sweet and tart juices. This is a good thing because sweet plus sour plus spicy equals an excellent companion to almost any grilled food, especially barbecued ribs.

It’ll make your weekend all that much sweeter.

What you’ll need:
4 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon (Any good quality bourbon will be fine)
8 parts blueberry puree (Boil water and simmer a pint of blueberries for 15 minutes. Whiz them in a blender, adding liquid from the simmer pot to get the right consistency. Add a squeeze of simple syrup if desired)
8 parts pomegranate juice
Sparkling wine or club soda
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh blueberries (optional)

How to make it:
Mix bourbon, blueberry juice, pomegranate juice and ice in a punch bowl, or pour into a shaker and shake. Fill glass 3/4 and top off with sparkling wine or club soda. Garnish with mint and fresh blueberries. 

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