Busy Bakery and Cheesy Bread

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I last posted! Sorry for all of those who anxiously await updates! I know most of you also follow me on Facebook, so you know I’m still alive! HA!

We finally opened the store on August 4. We were originally going to open on August 1, but that got delayed and then in the afternoon of August 3 we were told we’d be opening the next day! What a flurry of activity that created…talk about a bit of stress! But, we survived (barely!) and are now starting to find our footing and get into a routine. Of course, since it has been Ramadan, we have only been open in the evenings. I’m sure once Ramadan is over and we’re open all day we’ll have a bit more adjusting to do again.

The cupcakes have been well received and my staff is adorable. We have lots to learn together about the changes in concept, adjusting to that as well as serving Arabic customers along with the customers that are from all over the world. I’m still adjusting to the structure within the company at large, but also trying to focus on what is best for the store and getting the job done the best way possible. Not always easy, but I’m hoping in the end it will all be worth the personal and professional struggles.

Personally, not much has been going on since I feel like I am either at the store or sleeping…the life of a manager at a new store right?! I did get my temporary license, so I am renting a car a white Nissan Sunny!). That has been such a life-changing event…for the better. Being able to go wherever I want whenever I want without paying for and waiting for a taxi has been great. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ve ventured too far. The malls/grocery stores still seem to be the places I find myself most often, but I’ve also ventured to the Souq as well. The Souq is an open-air market of sorts. It has a ton of local merchants that sell everything…candy, pets, fabric, jewelry, etc. It also has several restaurants that serve a variety of cuisines.

Camel at the top, Mixed Grill Kebabs and Rice on my plate

One night, a few of us went to dinner at Tajine…the Moroccan restaurant. Most of the food seemed to be standard fare, what you would expect at a Moroccan restaurant such as kebabs, rice and chicken. Much to our surprise, there was also baby camel listed on the menu. We were all intrigued, yet no one wanted to commit to eating it as their main entrée…so we decided to share it and each get our own other entrée as well. I must say, it was a lot better than expected. It was a bit stringy, in a pork or beef roast cooked in a crock-pot kind of way, and it had a gamey or unusual taste to it. No, it didn’t taste like chicken…HA! It was good, but not something I would probably eat often. It had a bit of fat to it as well, which seemed out of place in this land of kebabs. I ended up sticking to my mixed grill entrée mostly and sharing some of the fat from the camel with a stray cat that we named Scavi (short for scavenger). Scavi was my best friend for most of the meal after I fed it just a little bit! This made me miss my boy, Marvin.

Scavi, the Scavenger Cat

After dinner we wandered around the Souq and discovered that if anyone thinks there is a shortage of fabric in the world, we’ve found the hidden stash. Fabrics of all colors and textures seemed to flow from every store in one section of the market. (My mom’s fabric dreams come true…really!) As we wandered further we found the “pet” section and were immediately greeted by these chicks that had been dyed…so sad...we noted that PETA would go crazy in this area. The colored chicks were only a precursor to the dyed birds and bunnies. Luckily, they don’t dye the dogs and cats. We also found the jewelry section of the Souq and the candy section…all good things for this girl though I didn’t actually buy much.

Poor baby chicks :(

They really don't know when to stop dying their pets. :(

One thing I have noticed here is the lack of bread as we know it in the US. Sure they have their naan and rolls seem to be served with dinner a lot, but traditional bread doesn’t seem to be a big staple here as it is in the US. I’m wondering if once we move accommodations (exciting news, I hope!), and we have a stove/oven that really works properly, if I’ll be able to make some of the breads I’ve made in the past. With that thought, I started thinking of one of the breads that mom and I made when I was in California: Chunky Cheesy Bread.

Chunky Cheesy Bread Loaf 

Anyone who knows my eating habits well will tell you that I adore cheese….of just about any kind. I also really enjoy fresh breads, so this recipe was a must try. It was also fairly easy. Mom and I each made a loaf out of the dough and both used slightly different techniques, but both turned out great. It certainly was best warm, but it made for good sandwich bread with salami the next day as well. The recipe comes from the same cookbook I blogged about last post, A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. I’m telling you again, it’s a great book! Give this a try if you want to have cheesy bread goodness in your home!

See how the cheese goes all through the bread...Yumm!

The Recipe: Chunky Cheesy Bread
Source: A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)
2 tablespoons rapid-rise yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5 to 6 cups bread flour

Chunky Cheese Part
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 scant cups cubed Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon seasoned salt or garlic salt
Sesame seeds

Generously grease two 8x4-inch or two 9x5-inch loaf pans. (This is important to prevent bread from sticking to pan.)

In a mixer bowl, hand-whisk water and yeast together and let stand 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve yeast. Briskly whisk in sugar, salt, mustard, eggs, oil, butter, and half of bread flour and mix. Begin kneading with dough hook on lowest speed 5 to 8 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to make a soft, elastic dough. Form into a ball in mixing bowl, spray lightly with a large clear plastic bag. Let dough rise 30 minutes.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. Divide dough in half. Press each half into an oval and distribute 1 cup shredded cheese over each. Press in cheese and roll up each section into a jellyroll.

Using a dough cutter or sharp knife, cut each jellyroll into thick slices and then in half—basically odd-sized chunks of dough. Arrange chunks of dough in loafpans. Scatter cubed Cheddar cheese over chunks of dough, drizzle with oil or butter, and scatter on seasoned salt or garlic salt (any gourmet herb mix will also do) and sesame seeds.

Place loaves on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise 30-45 minutes until quite puffy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until well browned and sizzling and cheese is melted, about 30-45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing and serving. Serve warm or as a sandwich base.

With Love,
Christina

Random Thoughts, Photos and Recipe: Outstanding French Country Bread

So, as this adventure in Qatar continues, I have some random thoughts about being here, working here and such.

The Beautiful Beach of the Persian Gulf

I’ve gone on and on about how beautiful the water/beaches are here. Yes, the water is turquoise blue, the sand almost white, and the water is warm and salty as you would expect. The views of the water are surprising at times with the absolute beauty. There is also the opulence of some of the places we’ve been. The crystal chandeliers, the gold leaf trim or speck in the walkways. The towers of the downtown Doha area are so interesting and reach to the sky with such a beauty in the way that they seem to defy gravity and involve such ingenuity.

But, right alongside of all that beauty is poverty. The men who work on the towers to build them so beautifully sleep in shacks that don’t have air conditioning or running water. They work in the heat of the day and sometimes into the heat of the night to meet the deadlines set by those who sit in plush offices. The workers only make on average $300 Qatari Riyals a month…that is the equivalent of about $82 US Dollars. They send most of that home to their family in their country of origin. It is sad to see the heartache and tiredness in their eyes. You know they live in such awful conditions yet have such a love for their family that this hard life seems like the best option for them. As they lay specks of gold into the walkways, they simply dream of providing a better life for their family back home. I suppose that, in and of itself, is beautiful, yet heartbreaking at the same time.

Towers Area of Downtown Doha

Another thing that boggles me sometimes is the way that the “locals” feel so entitled. I’ve been told many, many times when working to open the bakery to remember that you can’t tell a customer “no” when they ask for something. They say to remember that if you tell them “no” that they could complain to higher management to get what they want or simply just never set foot into the store again. Can you imagine? I mean, I understand making a request and being disappointed that the store doesn’t offer it (heck, I’ve been lots of places here that don’t serve iced tea, a staple for me in the States!), but to complain to the point of going to higher management because we don’t serve the flavor of juice you want? It’s a challenge to remember that I’m not dealing with the American way of thinking and the way of doing business. The Arab world apparently does not like to confront people directly nor call people out when they are just plain wrong or telling mistruths (note I didn’t say lies…that would be rude!). This creates a culture of a lot of double-talk and going around people to get what you want. The He-said, she-said game is quite maddening at times.

Camel Crossing

They also have a lot of “tomorrows” here. I’ll do it tomorrow can mean that they will actually do it the next day, or it could mean a week (or more!) from now. For this “say what you mean, mean what you say” gal, that is difficult to handle. I always try to explain why something is delayed if I can’t meet a deadline, not just “Oh, I’m working on it, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Let's think about that tomorrow!

On a happier note, the pubs and clubs here are quite fun! One of the few forms of entertainment that I have indulged in is going out at night to dance and let my hair down so to speak. The places I have gone are normally crowded with a lot of international people…a slice of the United Nations! Most people are very fun and are there to just have a good time. I’ve met some interesting people who are always interested (and some surprised) that I’m from the United States. It seems that not many Americans find their way over here for an extended period of time. I also think it’s great that English is so often spoken and understood by the internationals. I wish I knew at least one other language, as it seems everyone here knows several (yes, I know, that high school Spanish class didn’t quite stick with me all these years later).

Shiny Happy American Gals!

The photo below makes me laugh. It was taken the night that Lindsay and I decided to have Taco Tuesday! We had gone to the store and purchased everything we (thought we) needed to make a great taco night. We started to make dinner and got interrupted by the villa maintenance people who were there to fix our washing machine. After three weeks without the machine we weren’t about to turn them away. Well, three hours later, we were able to finish cooking our meal!! This is when we also discovered that we had a bottle opener, but not a can opener. I wasn’t about to let that fact keep us from our beans, so I started to dig into the can…besides being dangerous, it actually worked out great…we got our beans and had super yummy tacos…just a bit later than expected. We call this photo a testament to American ingenuity…I didn’t get a photo of the strainer we made from an aluminum tray, but we credited that same ingenuity for that invention as well. Oh, and for those that are curious, we bought a can opener and proper strainer the next time we were at the store. Heehee!

American ingenuity at it's finest!

Now for a random recipe. The recipe below was taken from a cookbook by Marcy Goldman called “A Passion for Baking”. This bread recipe was one that my mom and I made while I was in CA waiting to start this Qatari adventure. It looks like it requires a lot, but most of the time is spent waiting for the bread to rise and do its thing. I must say, this bread tastes SO good. If I had the means here, I would try to make this bread every week and use it in place of the stuff we buy at the store. Worth every second of waiting…give it a try (We made one big loaf, but later thought it would have been better as two smaller loaves). The whole cookbook has several recipes that we tried and loved…and several that we just didn’t around to making but look so yummy. I’d recommend the cookbook as well as this bread!!

Outstanding French Country Bread

Recipe: Outstanding French Country Bread
Source: A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

Sponge Starter (8-16 hours ahead)
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups, approximately, bread flour

Dough
All of sponge starter
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)
1/2 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 to 6 cups bread flour

For Sponge Starter, in a small bowl, stir together water and yeast and let yeast dissolve by briskly whisking.

With a whisk or wooden spoon, stir in bread flour to make a thick mixture. It should be like a gloppy pudding. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap (leaving a small air space); let stand at room temperature 8-16 hours.

Stack two baking sheets together and line top sheet with two sheets of parchment paper. If your oven and baking sheets cannot accommodate two breads, prepare another set of sheets to bake second bread (or make one large bread).

To make the bread, stir down starter to deflate it. Spoon it into mixer bowl. Hand-whisk in 1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees), yeast, oil, salt, sugar, and most of flour. Stir to make a messy mass and then loosely cover bowl and let until dough is smooth and resilient but not tough and bouncy. Remove dough hook and lightly spray dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover entire mixer and bowl with a large clear plastic bag. Let rise 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours until dough has doubled.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. Divide dough in half (or keep it as one large bread); form into two balls.

Gently place balls of dough, seam sides down, on prepared baking sheets. Spray dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover baking sheets loosely with large clear plastic bag. Let dough rise until puffy (and 50% larger in volume).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Slash loaves with a sharp knife before baking. Spritz with water and dust with flour. (If dough deflates with you slash it, it rose too much but might recover with oven heat.)

Atomize oven with a few squirts of water and place baking sheets on lower oven rack. Spray oven interior every 5 minutes for the first 15 minutes (Do not spray oven lightbulb!). When 20 minutes remain, reduce heat to 425 degrees to finish baking. Loaf should be well browned after a total of 25-35 minutes. Cool well on a wire rack before slicing. To store, keep in a loosely sealed plastic bag (which softens crust but keeps bread moist) or in a brown paper bag lightly sealed.

With Love,
Christina

Cookology Baking Bootcamp #4: Classic Breads

Tonight, Cookology's Chef Brad taught us how to make Classic Italian White Loaf with Onion and Cinnamon, Honey and Pecan Swirls.

The Classic Italian White Loaf with Onion is a yeast-based bread. How did we manage to get a yeast-based bread to rise so quickly you ask?! Well, Chef Brad taught us a neat trick of how to do it over a double boiler (essentially) and then again on the sheet pan it will bake on over the pot of warm water. It worked like a charm. The downside is you lose a bit of the bread (to the bottom which starts to bake), but the loaf was done in a matter of minutes versus hours!

The mixing and kneading was done again, all by hand. This time it seemed to really make a difference. I could see how someone using a mixer could actually over mix these breads and come up with tough bricks. The bread is best enjoyed while still warm...and it's so wonderful on its own that it doesn't even need butter!

The Cinnamon, Honey and Pecan Swirls were so easy to make I couldn't believe it! They're not yeast based and were baked in cupcake tins! The dough was light and airy, the cinnamon fillling sticky and sweet. I adore pecans so, of course, I loaded mine up. The icing was a simple powdered sugar/heavy cream based icing with the touch of honey. So sweet and gooey...just like a cinnamon roll should be.

This Baking Bootcamp was a ton of fun. I would highly recommend Cookology to those that enjoy learning about food and getting their hands dirty in the kitchen. I didn't learn a ton of new techniques from this class, but I still had a great time and picked up some really great tips and recipes.


Onion White Loaf

Flour – 1lb. 5 oz.
Salt - .4 oz
Water - 12 oz
Yeast - .75 oz.
Sugar - 2.75 oz
Butter - 2.75 0z
1/2 onion chopped

Mix water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add sugar to water and stir until combined. Mix flour, salt, melted butter and water mixture together. Knead for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.

Punch down and shape into shape desired. Allow to rise for one hour and bake at 350 for approx. 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Quick Cinnamon Biscuits/Rolls
Adapted from The Moosewood Collectives Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
Yield: 9 biscuits

Cinnamon Sugar Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Biscuit Dough
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Icing
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons milk or heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. For the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. For the Dough: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups cream, and stir until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until the dough is smooth.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands, and pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 9 X 13 inches. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar topping.

5. Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or a pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

6. For the Icing: While the biscuits bake, mix together the confectioners sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with icing. Serve warm.

Enjoy With Love,
Christina