HOW is it already almost November? I know it always seems to sneak up on us but this year just seems to have gone even faster then normal! I do love this time of year so I don't mind at all. I just want to share a few fun things with you this month. Please give me feedback and let me know if you try any of the recipes!
Fun Dates To Remember In November
National Calzone Day! NOVEMBER 1st -
I have no clue who comes up with these random "National" days , but , some of them are fun and I will NOT waste this perfect excuse for making Pizza pockets. I am sharing my base pizza recipe with you, which is what I use to make calzones. Stuff with whatever you want (my favorite is a cheesy ricotta filling with 3 cheese blend & savory Italian spices) , a side of marinara for the perfect "pizza night".
Calzone Instructions:
After you make your pizza dough (recipe link below)
PREHEAT OVEN: to 375. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide your dough into 4. Roll each into a ball. Let rest for 10 minutes then roll each ball out into about 8 inches in diameter.
COMBINE CHEESE & SEASONING: In a small mixing bowl, combine ricotta,parmesan cheese and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning Stir until well mixed.
SPREAD CHEESE MIXTURE: spread half the mixtures onto the center of each crust, avoiding the edges.
ADD PROTEIN OF CHOICE: Add your preference on top of your cheese mixture. Pepperoni, ground beef, chicken, whatever floats your boat.If you prefer, layer meat, cheese mixture,then more meat & cheese. TIP: Keep ingredients 1 inch away from the edges!
TOP WITH CHEESE: Top with your mozzarella cheese.
FOLD THE DOUGH: Fold your calzone over and pinch edges together. Roll pinched edges up and pinch again. You can use a fork to pinch the edges by pressing it down all along the edges before rolling it if you're having trouble getting it to stick.
MAKE EGG WASH: Whisk together 1 egg and a splash of water. Brush the egg wash over the top and sides of the calzone.
SEASON: Sprinkle the top of each calzone with 1/8 tsp of sale and 1/4 tsp italian seasoning. OR 1/8 tsp garlic powder!
BAKE: Transfer to parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes Or until the crust is a deep golden brown.
National Sandwich Day - NOVEMBER 3rd-
I MUST share my favorite discard sandwich bread recipe for this one. Since it uses discard straight out of the fridge, we need a bit of yeast to help it rise, BUT you will still have a nice little "tang" since it calls for a decent amount of discard. This recipe makes TWO loaves.
Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread
INGREDIENTS
200 grams sourdough discard 100% hydration, see recipe notes, a scant 1 cup
330 grams warm water around 95-100 degrees F, about 1 1/3 cups
15 grams instant yeast about 1 Tablespoon
160 grams honey see recipe notes, about 1/2 cup
50 grams coconut oil see recipe notes, about 1/4 cup
1 large egg about 50 grams
20 grams salt about 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
850 grams bread flour see recipe notes, about 6-7 cups
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix: To the bowl of a stand mixer add the instant yeast, warm water and honey. Look for the yeast to give off a “yeasty” smell telling you that it is active and ready. See recipe notes for using dry active yeast.
Add the sourdough discard, salt, egg, coconut oil and most of the flour. I like to reserve a little of the flour (a little less than a cup) and add it in as needed. Knead for 10-15 minutes until dough passes the windowpane test. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl or gather all together as it kneads. It will feel tacky to the touch, but should not be overly sticky. If it is very sticky, add a little bit more flour 10-20 grams at a time until it feels tacky and workable. This dough can also be kneaded about 10-20 minutes by hand.
Bulk Rise: Transfer the dough to a large container and cover with a plastic shower cap (the best!) or kitchen towel. Let rise for about an hour or two until doubled in size. The warmer you keep the dough, the faster the dough will rise.
Separate: Once the dough has doubled in size and is light and airy, punch the dough down and separate into two equal portions. Each portion is around 800 grams.
Shape: Pat one of the portions out into a rectangle. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll up the dough. Take care to press in the dough at the seam after each roll and pinch the seam closed at the end. Pinch and round the ends of the dough just a bit to get a uniform loaf. Place in a greased 8.5-by-4.5 loaf pan and cover. Repeat with remaining portion of dough. You can watch a shaping video here.
Rise: Let the bread rise in the pan until the dough has risen over the edge of the loaf pan. Keeping the dough at a warm temperature, around 85 degrees F will encourage the bread to rise more quickly. Press in gently on the dough with a finger. If the dough springs back immediately, it needs a little more time to rise. If it leaves a little indentation and springs back just a little bit, it is ready to bake.
Bake: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves of bread for 40 minutes. Spread melted butter on the tops of the loaves if desired. Let bread cool completely before slicing for sandwiches. Enjoy!
NOTES
Sourdough Discard: I use 100% hydration sourdough discard in discard recipes. You can use fresh, bubbly sourdough starter or discard that’s been in your refrigerator for a week. The older the discard, the more sour your bread will taste.
Honey: I love the flavor of honey in this recipe. It is a viscous liquid. If you substitute sugar, make sure to compensate for the lack of liquid. You will need to add more water to the dough to get the right consistency.
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil makes this bread super soft. Coconut oil can be added in its solid or liquid state. As the dough heats up from the mechanical mixing, the coconut oil will incorporate itself into the dough. If you prefer to use butter or a neutral flavored oil, you can substitute that instead.
Bread Flour: I use 12.5% unbleached bread flour. If you use a flour with a lower protein content, you will need to add more flour to the recipe. If you use a bread flour with a higher protein content you'll want to use a little less flour.
Dry Active Yeast: This recipe calls for instant yeast which doesn't need to be activated. If you choose to use dry active yeast instead, you will need to activate it before adding it to the recipe. Use the same amount of yeast and activate it in some of the warm water with a little bit of the honey called for in the recipe. Once active, add to the recipe.
National Chicken Lady Day! November 4th
Since I openly admit to be a crazy chicken lady, I had to remind you about this one! Make sure to send your "crazy" chicken lady friends a shout out today. Here is a picture of two of my favorites, Twinkle & Amy. Their eggs are regulary featured in my recipes. They have been together since 4 days old and are best friends. They go EVERYWHERE together, even sleeping next to eachother on their roosts each night.
National Men Make Dinner Day - November 5th
Just a heads up that you have an excuse to not make dinner this night. Please let your significant other know ahead of time. :)
November 14th- National Pickle Day -
I LOVE pickles! Especially homemade ones. This focaccia recipe is the perfect one to share as it features pickle juice in place of water making it super flavorful and then topped with all your favorite cheeseburger toppings including tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheddar cheese & ground beef.
Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia
PREP TIME 15 minutes
COOK TIME 40 minutes
RISE TIME 8 hours
TOTAL TIME 8 hours 55 minutes
Ingredients
SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA
400 grams (1 3/4 cups) pickle juice
10 grams (1 1/2 teaspoon) garlic salt
150 grams (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons) active sourdough starter
500 grams (3 2/3 cups) bread flour
TOPPINGS
300 grams (2 cups) ground beef, cooked
75 grams (1/2 cup) cherry tomatoes
55 grams (1/4 cup) onion, thinly sliced
35 grams (1/4 cup) pickle, chopped
225 grams (2 cups) cheddar cheese
55 grams (1/4 cup) olive oil, divided
BURGER SAUCE
80 grams (1/3 cup) mayonnaise
30 grams (2 Tablespoons) ketchup
5 grams (1 teaspoon) white vinegar
5 grams (1 teaspoon) pickle relish
Instructions
In a bowl, mix together room temperature pickle juice, active and bubbly sourdough starter, and garlic salt until the starter is dissolved. Add the bread flour and mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Let sit in a warm spot covered for about 30 minutes. I like to cover with a lid or dinner plate instead of a tea towel so that the dough doesn’t dry out.
Perform 2-3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30 minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
Continue to let the dough rise for bulk fermentation until it is risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise (including stretch and folds) will take about 5-6 hours total.
Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and then coat with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Dump dough into the pan. Flip once to coat both sides with oil. Cover and let sit in a warm spot until it doubles in size and is puffy. With the dough staying in the mid 70's Fahrenheit this will take another 1-2 hours.
Once the dough is puffy and ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread 2 Tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough. Top with cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onion, cheese, and pickles. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. If your loaf is getting too dark you can cover with a piece of foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
Mix together the burger sauce and drizzle overtop the cooked loaf.
Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm!
Notes
Make sure to let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia.
To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise. Using warm ingredients in the dough will help with this as well.
If you want to bake the next day, place the dough in the fridge after the first rise. Remove the dough from the fridge in the morning. Place in a oiled 9×13″ pan and let rise until puffy and doubled in size.
Add dough to a straight edged container so you can easily see when the dough has risen 50%.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
YIELD:
12
SERVING SIZE:
1
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 411TOTAL FAT: 19gSATURATED FAT: 7gTRANS FAT: 0gUNSATURATED FAT: 9gCHOLESTEROL: 56mgSODIUM: 1439mgCARBOHYDRATES: 39gFIBER: 1gSUGAR: 8gPROTEIN: 20g
The nutritional information provided is an estimate from third-party calculations.
November 17- National Homemade Bread Day
I feel like I would have to share EVERY recipe for this day! Too many so just a reminder to not forget to eat some homemade bread today!
Thanksgiving Orders:
My Thanksgiving menu options are officially LIVE! To streamline the process and in efforts to fit more of your orders in, I am offering these select, most popular 4 options. Spots fill up quickly every year so reserve your spot ASAP! It will be ready for pickup Wednesday November 27th.
Click the link below to place your order
UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 15th- Sourdough Beginner Class SOLD OUT
December 13th- Focaccia Art Class
We still have 8 spots left on this one! Click Button Below for detailed into on it and how to sign up.
Can't for you to try the recipes!