Molasses Oatmeal Bread

It's winter, which means it's cold. On top of that, I seem to have contracted a bit of a head cold, which isn't fun at all. This spells out one thing - COMFORT FOOD. I was originally going to make just Boston style "baked" beans in the slow cooker, but it isn't any fun eating just beans. Wait a minute, what am I saying... I love beans. Anyway, what goes well with beans? What other than fresh molasses oatmeal bread?

Beyond the resting, this went together in almost no time in in the Kitchenaid. The dough is slightly tacky, but very workable. The oats give a lot of body to the loaf, and the molasses adds that bit of sweetness. It's a perfectly moist, tender loaf, great for butter and honey, or even just dipping in baked beans. You can grab the recipe from About here, and as a note, I did leave out the cornmeal, and the recipe does half fantastically!

Stuff I Like: Global Knives

I really enjoy cooking. Not only do I enjoy cooking, but I also enjoy the science behind it, and the gear involved. If someone asked me about the one thing in the kitchen that is the most important to me, the one thing I couldn’t live without, I’d have to say it would be a good knife.

I’ve always had a few different knives in my kitchen, but never anything considered high end or “good” to most. I’d always wanted something a bit better, and after looking at a bunch of different options, I settled on the brand Global. Global is a Japanese knife brand from the company Yoshikin, and tends to come in a bit cheaper than knives by the likes of Shun or MAC. Overall the knives have a very handsome look to them, and are sure to catch eyes when you have guests over. The knife is all stainless steel with a dimpled, hollow, sand filled handle for balance, and a razor sharp blade set at 15 degrees. This makes for a knife that is comfortable and balanced for extended use in fine tasks like mincing or dicing, but can also be used for heavier tasks like breaking down meat and large root vegetables.

The edge keeps rather admirably, as I’ve only had to run it over the fine stone of my Minosharp+ once to restore the edge to it’s original condition. This is partly due to the custom steel they use, called Cromova 18. The steel is apparently ridiculously hard, which is evident from my usage. Even though the blade is stamped, it still feels like a forged blade in use. I personally believe that in this day and age, as long as it’s manufactured at a high enough level it really doesn’t matter if it’s forged or stamped, either blade will perform the same.

Overall, Global blades come highly recommended from myself, a lot of professionals. Reading through Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (again), I noticed he recommends Global knives due to the price point and high quality. I can completely agree. If you’re in the market for a new knife, consider a Global blade.

Check out the Global Knives website here [Link], and Kitchen Confidental on Google Play here [Link].

Corn bread!

Made me some corn bread. The photo doesn't do it any justice, lack of natural lighting really kills these pictures.

I remember the old KFC cornbread, and this is what inspired me to make my own. Of course, I don't think I could ever get as unhealthy as KFC's offerings, however, this does a comparable job of being delicious. I can't thank myself for the recipe however, as it belongs to Jennifer Reese, as found on The Kitchn. Overall, this sweet cornbread is very satisfying, with a decent outer crust and a soft, moist interior. Check out her recipe in the link, and maybe look at her book too. I might grab it after trying this.

Made some bread

Not the best photo, but the loaf turned out great.

1 cup of warm water + a few tablespoons extra
2.5 cups of all purpose flour
1.5 tsp yeast
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp salt

Pretty simple recipe, started out with the 1 cup of warm water, yeast, sugar, and half a cup of flour. It was mixed in the Kitchenaid bowl and left to sit until bubbly. After that, I incorporated the rest of the flour, the salt, and a bit more water, and using the dough hook, kneaded until a soft smooth dough formed. It rose for about an hour in an oiled bowl, was punched down, formed into loaves, and left to rise again for about 45 minutes while the oven preheated to 450°f. I then slashed the bread, and baked until it turned out this colour, and internal temp measured about 205°f.

I kept the crust soft by misting water into the oven a few times during baking. I think this loaf would make a really pleasing sandwich, with a slightly sweeter yeasty flavour, and a fine crumb. The girlfriend and I enjoyed a loaf along with Chef John's interpretation of a "lighter" fettuccine alfredo, and were both quite pleased with the outcome.