Drinking: Kvass Part III

This drink is so hard to explain. I think it is in a category by itself. It's Russian bread soda! What else do you want me to say?

I really don't think that Katz's description of "ever so mildly alcoholic, full of healthful Lactobacilli, thick and milky, almost viscous" does this drink any justice at all. It's definitely acid and sour, but not unpleasantly so. It would definitely benefit from a flavoring agent of some sort - something like cumin, mint, orange, lemon, or ginger would all work. I did almost make bottle bombs out of this concoction - next time I will bottle in plastic bottles - which is recommended for sodas. This is because you can tell, by feel, the carbonation and because if it does burst there will be no flying glass.

I will be making this again! I really think that you could give this to someone, and they would have no idea what they were drinking and would be surprised to learn that its made from bread!

If anyone wants to point me in the direction of good commercial version I'd love that!

Kvass Part I
Kvass Part II

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Dough: Swedish Caraway Bread

Swedish Caraway Bread. Isn't that a grand name for a bread? This bread almost lives up to the name.

I picked up a giant book of bread recipes from the second hand store a few weeks ago. It's called New Complete Book of Breads by Bernard Clayton. Once got home and started flipping through it, I realized that some pages were ripped out. This was a sign that a) the book sucks and the person who owned it ripped out the few good recipes and left crap or b) the book is full of excellent recipes and those that were ripped out became family favorites.

I'm inclined to believe that it's the latter, as I have tried 5 or 6 recipes from this book thus far and they've all turned out wonderful. I plan on collecting the missing recipes from a library copy of the book.

Swedish Caraway Bread
Mix
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon margarine
1 t caraway

  Boil. Cool to lukewarm and add
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast

Knead in 1 cup flour. Let sit for 1 1/2 hours. Knead in 1 cup flour.
Shape. Rise 1 hour. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Notes:
Admittedly, I forgot to shape the loaf when I was supposed to. I realized at the 1 hour point and quickly shaped it. It wasn't that worse for wear!
The only reason this recipe doesn't get 5 stars is because the orange flavor is completely lost. It's quite yummy though!

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Drinking: Kvass Part II

The next morning....
Strain the kvass mixture, squishing the liquid out of the bread cubes.
Add 1/8 cup sugar and 1/8 cup sourdough starter.
Mix well and leave to ferment for 2 to 3 days.


I tasted the mixture at this point - it was sweet and sour at the same time. Very interesting.... I am looking forward to tasting the end result of this experiment.

Kvass: Part I

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Drinking: Kvass

I found out about this drink - made from old, stale bread of all things! - from an awesome book called "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz. This book is awesome, full of fun new food experiences and experiments! I highly recommend it!
Kvass is a Russian bread soda and the word Kvass means 'yeast' in Slavic. There is more info on the wiki page. 

This 'bread soda' takes a few days to prepare so I haven't had the pleasure of tasting it yet. Does anyone know what I'll be up against?  Katz says that "it is ever so mildly alcoholic, full of healthful Lactobacilli, thick and milky, almost viscous. I think it's delicious but some people wince at its sour flavor." A much nicer and more generous description of Kvass comes from Randy Mosher's "Radical Brewing", in which the drink is compared to champagne, albeit a grain champagne!

Kvass (adopted from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz)

4 cups of cubed rye bread (from this bread recipe)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Toast bread. When cool, place in a mason jar with 6 cups hot water and lemon juice. Stir, cover, and leave for 8 hours.

Come back tommorrow for the rest of the recipe!

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Dough: City Bread

The name of this bread - City bread - was the motivating factor of baking this loaf. I also wanted to see how strong my sourdough starter was. As it turned out, the starter was almost strong enough and the name was the only redeeming factor of this bread.

The first time I made this loaf, I followed the directions exactly and faithfully put in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. It's my understanding that salt kills yeast. The consequences of this much salt was a loaf that didn't rise and a raw dough that was very intensely salty.

After throwing out that dough, I remade the dough and only put in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. It was much better. Although my starter isn't quiet strong enough, it is definitely getting there!

City Bread

4 cups flour

1 1/4 cool water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

Knead. Rise for 4 hours. Shape. Rise for 4 hours. Bake for 1 hour.

Simply sour...

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Dough: Spicy Rye Bread

Due to the nature of rye flour, making a pure rye bread is tricky. I have tried, unsuccessfully, several times to make a 100% rye loaf and for the state of my psyche, I've decided that a mixed loaf will have to do for now. But I will master the RYE!

This is a hearty, pleasantly spiced, simple and satisfying loaf of rye bread. It comes from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.

Mix together

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 3/4 cup warm water.

Add 2 tablespoons yeast. Then mix in 2 tablespoons oil.

Knead in

2 1/2 cup rye flour

3 cup all purpose flour

Rise for 2 hours. Shape. Rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.



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Dough: Turnipseed Sister's White Loaf

I bought a new bread book, Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. This book is huge, at over 600 pages. With so many delicious sounding recipes, it was definitely difficult to choose something to bake. However, once I read the write up for this bread, I knew I had to make it.

"I had taken my family, including my grandsons, to the home for one of the Turnipseed noontime dinners, and to get this recipe. When the meal had been served on platters down the center of the table, the sisters pulled up chairs to talk. The old dining room was quite dark at midday and one of the sisters was quite deaf and both spoke in rather loud voices. For the two little boys the excellence of the food was overshadowed by the the strange and loud voices in a dark Victorian dining room and I could see tears coming. I quickly got them into the sunshine out by the barn and the moment passed."

I wonder if those boys remember that day and the saving grace that bread and sunshine make...

Mix together
2 cup sourdough starter
2 cup warm water
3 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar

Let sit overnight. In the morning add,
1/2 cup shortening
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

Knead until smooth. Rise for 2 hours. Shape. Rise for 30 minutes. Bake 350 for 1 hour.

Notes: I enjoyed this loaf, and the story, but was disappointed by the lack of sourdough flavor. My starter was dormant for two weeks, and I do not think I successfully 'woke' him up before making this loaf.

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