myweeklyinterests

[myweeklyinterests]

Upping the acidity again...

Yes, I am back from my brief hiatus. School has been demanding I spend more time with it, but nonetheless I have been experimenting and creating. 

As you may be able to tell, this week I am discussing my homemade vinegar project! Vinegar is not commonly thought to be a product one makes at home, rather most people expect to find it stored away in a pantry for the occasional use of a teaspoon or so. Before I started to make vinegar a few months ago, I did not even think about what vinegar really was. I knew that the types I could buy were regular white, apple cider, rice, malt, balsamic, and maybe a few more. I am here to inform you today that vinegar can in fact be made from any liquid with enough sugar. Yes, that means that you could take the store bought fruit punch in your fridge and turn it into vinegar, or take some maple syrup mixed with water and turn it into vinegar, the list is endless. 

The reason I decided to venture into this project was a sense of frustration due to lack of variety when I was making hot sauce a few months back. Vinegar is a key element in many shelf stable foods, as it prevents molds and bacteria from forming in your food. As such, it imparts a rather strong flavor on food, and I was displeased at having limited variety in flavors to enhance my experiments with. At first, I tried to find some artisanal vinegar online, and quickly found out that it was indeed a simple product of fermentation, so it had to be right up my alley. I did some research, learned the steps, and here in front of you is my first and successful trial, homemade peach vinegar.

The process really is quite simple, it has actually been one of the more relaxed fermentation projects I have taken on, and so if you enjoy the taste of vinegar I encourage you to use it as a gateway into fermenting foods. The steps I took, with some details removed to avoid rambling, are as follows:

1. Finding your desired vinegar: As I stated, vinegar can be made from just about anything. Some materials are harder than others to ferment properly, so today I will be discussing solely vinegars made from fruits and vegetables. Similar to my hot sauce post, you should strive to find the best produce you can get your hands on, which in my case (and likely yours too) will be at a local farmers market. Fruit is easier to ferment due to it’s natural sugars, but vegetables can be used as well (more on that later.)

2. Cut you produce into halves or quarters, it really does not matter too much, we just want enough of the produce’s inner surface exposed. Add the pieces to a container, I use a 64 oz. jar with an airlock to provide a more stable environment, but any closed container will do. Fill with FILTERED water almost to the top, which will provide the anaerobic environment similar to when making hot sauce. If you are using a low sugar produce (ie. peppers, herbs, etc.), I encourage you to add a teaspoon or two of white sugar to provide enough food for the yeast to thrive in your ferment. Seal your container shut. Leave it in an area away from direct sunlight and heat, such as a closed cabinet.

3. For the first week, stir your produce once a day. This prevents molding on the surface and also has the added benefit of burping your container if you are not using an airlock. After a week, your produce sit undisturbed for another week or so. You should still burp your container occasionally but you should also notice that the initial bubbling should have subsided. Your produce is finished fermenting when it starts sinking to the bottom of your container.

4. Filter your mixture, it should smell relatively alcoholic. Yes, you have actually created a very simple wine! Vinegar is in fact just overly fermented wine. I do not encourage you to save your liquid in this state, it is not very tasty as wine requires very specific conditions to taste well. Either wash and reuse your initial container, or choose a new one, and add your liquid into it. To encourage a successful ferment, you can add a teaspoon of unpasteurized vinegar (most grocery stores sell apple cider vinegar “with the mother”) but this is optional. Cover with a cheesecloth or loosely stitched rag (ensure it is clean) and either rubber band the edges or use the metal rim from your jar to seal it. This provides enough airflow for your ferment without allowing bugs and dust to settle. 

5. Now for the patience aspect of fermentation, allow your liquid to sit undisturbed for 4-6 weeks. Notice in my picture how the cloth covers my jar, this prevents sunlight from shining into it. I kept my jar in a closed shed which remains relatively cool year round, in the dark back corner of a shelf. Check on your liquid once a week, you should start to see a pellicle form. This slimy circle is known as the “mother”, and is a byproduct found in kombucha making as well. This is the sign of a healthy ferment. You should taste your vinegar when checking on it, and document the changes in flavor you notice. 

6. After 4-6 weeks, your ferment should not taste alcoholic anymore, and should have a very strong vinegar sting in flavor. You can now filter it into a bowl, and either pasteurize it (do not exceed 140 degrees F) or bottle as is. Do know that unpasteurized vinegar will, if left unchecked, turn into a large pellicle inside the bottle as the yeast continue to thrive. There are varying opinions on the matter, though unpasteurized is thought to be healthier for your gut. I do in fact pasteurize my ferments as I want them to be as shelf stable as possible without worry or expiration dates. Bottle your vinegar or leave it in a jar, and preferably let it age for an additional few weeks to a year. The flavors will mellow out and the acidity should transition from a sharp sting to a desirable mellow acidity.

That’s it, you can use your vinegar in just about anything you eat. It makes for great marinades, sauces, dips, drinks, etc. You will be surprised by how unique the flavors can be when using different liquids, and in my experience your entire definition of vinegar will change. Also, just like hot sauce and bread, vinegar bottled nicely makes for a very nice gift. If you are curious, the jar I have currently fermenting is a strawberry-passionfruit vinegar in the making! I expect it to yield great flavor. I hope to be back soon enough, without as long of a hiatus, enjoy your vinegars and the rest of your weeks!

[myweeklyinterests]

Another week, another project in the kitchen…

For the past month or so, I have taken on the process of making my own hot sauce. I am always looking to expand my knowledge of fermentation beyond merely bread making, and as a huge fan of spicy food the challenge came rather naturally. What you may not know is that a large majority of commonly eaten hot sauces are made using fermented peppers, which creates more depth in flavor and a more mellow spice rather than a painful heat. That means that the Tabasco and Sriracha you love so much are a product of millions of yeast colonies and the lactic acid they produce. As per usual with these types of projects, I am always looking to learn the basics and to then alter them to make something which can’t be found on a supermarket shelf. As such, let’s begin by describing how the sauces are made and then we will move into the batches I have made and my plans for future batches.

The process of making hot sauce is simple at its core, mash together your peppers of choice, season to your liking, strain liquid or leave as is, and bottle. As such, the variations that are possible with this basic recipe are endless. Fruit can be added to your mash, various spices can be used as flavor enhancers, fats such as oil or butter can be incorporated for a thicker mouthfeel, you get the idea. What isn’t quite as commonly practiced is that fancy word you an see on the back label of my bottle, “Lacto Fermented.” Not to be mistaken with Lactose (sugar found naturally in milk), Lacto Fermentation refers to method used by humankind for thousands of years for the preservation of food. Plant based material (fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc.) is kept submerged in a brine made of around 98% water and 2% salt for one week to upwards of 5 years. The sugars in the plant material is then eaten by a naturally occurring Lactobacillus bacteria which convert the sugars into lactic acid. Simply put, they create an acidic environment which prevents other, more “malicious”, bacteria from thriving and procreating. Research has suggested that beyond the preservation capabilities of lactic acid, it also has high nutritional value by encouraging enzyme development and easier digestion of foods. Before humans were able to stick foods in the refrigerator (rotting occurs slower in colder environments), fermented foods were a key staple in cultural diets worldwide. Ancient Chinese civilizations preserved meat and vegetables for seasons where food was scarce. Baltic civilizations preserved shark meat in deep underground holes, which allowed for proper temperatures for fermentation over long periods of time. The Japanese diet is commonly defined by its fermented foods, the infamous miso soup is a product of a year long fermented bean paste which adds umami and rich flavors. The examples are endless, simply because there is no culture around the world which has thrived without some form of fermented food. The hot sauce I have made is a great entryway into fermenting foods, the process is simple and the fermentation time is largely up to you. As I am still grasping the basics and wanting to improve my technique before jumping into long fermentation times, my first two batches were made using a one week fermentation time as follows:

Day 0: Purchase your peppers. You cannot go wrong in this step, the level of spice and flavor is completely up to you. The only important aspect here is to purchase from a grocer that specializes in fruits and vegetables, a farmers market works best in this case. Yeast and bacteria occur naturally on food, but large grocery stores will purchase foods that have been sanitized and sprayed with harmful materials which may likely prevent your foods from fermenting properly. One quick note, when choosing peppers remember the color combination that occurs once mashed. Red and green peppers mashed together make a brown paste, which you may find unpleasant aesthetically.

Day 1: Cut your peppers into small pieces, I suggest you do not mash them. My experience and the experience of others online has showed that molding is more likely in a pre-mashed mix as opposed to a chopped up mix. Create your brine, using the 98% water to 2% salt guideline. You should optimally use a kitchen scale here, but if you do not have one then I would suggest adding one tablespoon of salt to four cups of water. Any salt works here, but using salt which is not ionized will prevent your brine from clouding (I prefer sea salt for my brines.) Add your peppers to a large enough container, a mason jar works well here, and cover with brine. Your peppers MUST be covered in brine completely at all times in order to prevent molding. Custom fermentation weights are available online, but even cutting a circle from a plastic water bottle and inserting it into your jar works well. Also, be sure that the container you choose is somewhat durable, gas will be building inside it and you want to prevent any chances of an explosion. Ideally, you will cap your container with an airlock (a mechanism meant to allow CO2 gas to escape but prevent bacteria from entering) but otherwise cap your container as usual.

Day 2 - Day 6: You will gradually see the signs of life in your container as each day passes. Be sure you are storing your container in an area which is relatively stable in temperature (70° Fahrenheit is ideal) and out of direct sunlight. Find a closet that is usually left closed and stick it in there. If all goes well, you will see bubbles rising to the surface which indicates the bacteria is fulfilling its duty in lactic acid production with a carbon dioxide byproduct. If using an airlock, leave your container alone for the entire fermentation time, optionally checking halfway through for any mold buildup or simply to stir once (I know that resisting looking at the jar all the time is hard…) If you are not using an airlock, you must remember to “burp” your container every day once bubbles start forming. If you forget to do so, you risk a buildup of gas and an explosion which can prove both messy and dangerous. Do not play around too much with your container in this case, simply open it enough to hear the release of gas (similar to opening a can of soda) and reseal. You may need to do this twice a day in the final days of fermentation. It is normal for the gas released to smell really bad, remember that you are engaging in “controlled rotting” of food, the smell gets better over time.

Day 7: Your peppers should be adequately fermented for the sake of our experiment. The smell of the contents in your container should have transitioned to a more sour, acidic one rather than the early on putrid odor you may have experienced. Feel free to taste a pepper, if the taste is to your liking then you are good to go, otherwise feel free to keep on fermenting. Strain your peppers from your brine, reserving the brine in a bowl. Process the peppers in a blender or a food processor for at least one minute, we want the most amount of liquid released as possible. Once your peppers have reached a liquid paste consistency, you can either strain off the solids or leave it as is. I like my sauces without any solids, so I choose to strain my mashes. Regardless, add back enough equal parts brine and a vinegar of your choosing (apple cider works well) to your mash until you get your desired consistency. The vinegar ensures your sauce will be acidic enough to prevent harmful bacteria from growing. Bottle your sauce in any container you like, remember that you should run your chosen containers in a dishwasher before using. I would avoid plastic containers as they often cannot be heated to the necessary temperatures for sanitization. If you wish for your sealed sauce to be shelf stable until opening, you must hold your bottles in 185° Fahrenheit water for 10 minutes (let the bottles heat up with the water instead of dropping them into the hot water.)

One additional note, shelf life and need for refrigeration largely depends on your boiling and adding in enough vinegar. Hot sauces are just as likely to spoil as any other food if preventative measures are not taken.

The longer you ferment, the more mellow the heat of the sauce will become. I plan on making hot sauce regularly for the sake of handing it out to family and friends, but I am also going to begin setting up some more long term ferments (ie. 4-6 months) in order to see the differences it makes! If you are planning on doing the same at some point, just know that after a week or two the bubbles rising to the surface may subside. This does not indicate a lack of active life but rather the the stronger bacteria setting up larger colonies.

Finally, I plan to start mixing some more interesting flavors. I don’t see much of a point in making a product that is identical to the one at a store. I have already used cold brew coffee in my second batch and the results were fantastic! I am thinking of adding more fruits, spices, and liquors to the ferments and during the mash times. There are simply endless flavor combinations to try, and as long as I have friends who still want hot sauce I’ll keep on creating. I hope you decide to explore the world of fermentation for yourself, it really is the perfect balance between science and food. 

Have a good rest of your week!

[myweeklyinterests]

Gosh, look at these beauties... It is so funny, the last minute projects taken on so haphazardly are often those which result in fantastic achievements.

Firstly, these are pretzel-esque hamburger buns. I have been eyeing the recipe for a few weeks, so when the opportunity presented itself to make them, I didn’t hesitate. It was my turn to prepare lunch for the day at home. I questioned whether I had the time to do this recipe justice, bread is not a food which should be thrown together last minute; Oh how frustrating morning classes can be. I woke up early, groggy and unenthusiastically, quickly mixed my flour blend (75% White Bread Flour + 20% Spelt Flour + 5% Whole Wheat Flour), let the mixture autolyse* in the hottest water I could manage that would still allow yeast development, and jumped back into bed for another cherished 30 minutes. Once the time had passed, I mixed in my yeast, sugar, butter, and salt, and started my morning routine for school. The key in light and airy bread is gluten development. Gluten is an incredibly elastic protein found in food, so allowing it to trap as much possible air is crucial if one hopes to prevent thick and unappetizing bread. In the hour I had before leaving the house, I gave the mixture a few stretch and folds, which are exactly what they sound like: literally stretching the dough over itself to trap air. While I didn’t tend to my mixture as much as I had wanted, time was not on my side and so I reluctantly settled for what I had produced.

Nearly 5 hours later, I excitedly arrived at home, uncovered my dough bowl, and was greeted by my favorite aroma: a sweet, toffee-like smell which instantly transforms a mere kitchen into a fully fledged bakery. This dough was such a pleasure to work with, nice and elastic, with a magical bubble of air being popped every few seconds as if boasting me how great it had risen. Quickly shaping them, I created six tightly shaped** spheres, and let time grace me once more. An hour or so later, my creation was nearing its final stages.

The key to a pretzel’s gleaming shiny crust is actually a wonderful lesson in chemistry (food isn’t all about eating!) Just after their final rise, pretzels receive a “bath” in boiling water mixed with lye (baking soda is more common, and what I used here.) This quick wash in an alkaline solution causes the starches on the outer surface of the pretzels to become a gel. This gel, when baked, induces a heavier effect of the “Maillard Reaction.” The reaction is actually key to rich flavors with any food cooked in a high-heat environment, such as a steak’s hard crust, sugar becoming caramel, and browning onions for soups and stocks.

I sprinkled these guys with some coarse sea salt for a true pretzel feel, gave them a quick set of slashes on top for the X you can see, and into the oven they went. I gave them a 12-15 minute bake at around 450°, and out they came, the  jewels you see before you. It took a month’s worth of self control to prevent me from ripping right into one of them, but the key to properly shaped bread is letting it settle internally post bake. I later tore off a small piece to taste (important when perfecting baking recipes) and discovered a rich nutty flavor, nicely complimenting the sea salt. The crust was nice and chewy, though perhaps a shorter “bath” would further improve it in future trials.

Some aspects of my technique which could use tweaking: the spelt flour was delicious, though it’s lower gluten content prevented the airiness I had hoped for, I will probably dial it back next time. Additionally, my sea salt was more rock shaped where as a flakier version would be better suited for my purposes here. Finally, and every baker knows it, folding and shaping never cease needing practice, so I guess I am “forced” to make these again!

One note, my use of “autolyse” and “stretch and folds” is not commonly used in pretzel recipes, I simply desired an airier than normal result. If following a recipe without these steps, you will simply achieve a “traditional” pretzel.

That’s about it! In my case, these pretzel buns were paired with some fresh ground beef burgers, and smothered in some garlic aioli sauce for a deeper flavor component in the meal. If making these again, I could see myself just eating them as is, possibly adding a spread of my choosing if so inclined. These were absolutely delicious, and quite simple to make. I would highly recommend novice bakers to take this project on, especially with an end result like this. Thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of your weeks!

* Autolyse: a period of time between mixing flour and water with yeast in order to allow for the water to begin breaking down flour starches, resulting in improved gluten development.

** Shaping: Transforming a large risen dough mass into a number of individual “loaves” through careful folding and tightening. This allows for air to remain trapped and expand evenly when the bread is baked.

[myweeklyinterests]

// an ode to passions left dormant

As early signs of winter allow us to welcome the new year, people such as myself find solace in the small comforts, namely good coffee. 

Coffee is a pleasure of mine which has transcended into just about every aspect of my life. I have been working with some amazing coffee for over two years now, and have somewhat recently acquired a personal interest in its qualities as an aspect of my love for all things food. I am by no means a coffee snob, I find one has to have the correct cup with each new situation. A bright weekend morning with a clear head demands a slow and skilled pour-over; A conclusion to a drunken night can only be equated with cheap Denny’s coffee.

So you ask yourself, why on earth would this guy attempt to pass a picture of a crumpled coffee sampler bag as a symbol for his love of coffee? Why not simply hold a much more ascetically pleasing half-pound bag or even an artistic picture of a cup mid brew? The answer is simple, and seemingly underwhelming; I ran out of beans and found this little guy at the bottom of my work bag.

For me, this bag* was a savior. I had not even planned on taking my time making coffee this morning, my usual routine being a sloppily made Americano just to flip the switch in my groggy head. As I opened the bag, an amazing waft of caramel and toast engulfed my kitchen, marvelous gasses only accessible through patient time. This cup was one of the best I have had. I truly forgot how great it can be to take your time during the creation of such a common aspect in most of our lives. A nice syrup like consistency mixed with sour tangs of fresh peaches, seemingly seconds after snapping them off the branch. Such complexity in an old bag of beans haphazardly thrown into my bag days before without thought. It really takes a slow morning to know happiness. 

So why is this all so important? Coffee can range from intricate to just about brown water.  Finding the balance between creation and necessity can be a tiring and often fruitless effort, but infinitely worth your while. Go out, break your routine, discover a new passion or rediscover an old one. Treat every experience as if it is waiting for you at the bottom of a bag. Will you follow a common path, or reach in deep and create a memory?

* Verve Streetlevel Blend: stonefuit, marmalade, maple syrup

[myweeklyinterests]

I wanted to break the ice on this page, so that I can start getting comfortable using this space. This week, I've been reading a really unique book for a literature class I'm taking. It's called "The Remains of the Day," and it follows a protagonist known as "Stevens." Stevens is a butler in Great Britain during the post World War 2 era, though much of the story is based around his flashbacks to his earlier career, which takes place sometime after World War 1. He has been offered by his new American boss to take an expense paid road trip across the country, which he is initially wary to accept. The story unfolds into a telling of Stevens' reluctance to break out of his butler demeanor, and serves as a really great analogy for the "road" as a freeing mechanism in addition to humans breaking out of their comfort zones. I'm currently about 100 pages in, and thoroughly enjoying this novel. While it may not be a page turner right off the bat, it picks up on the mellow story using wording which is not overly complicated. This allows for a relaxing read over a cup of coffee and a smoke, and I have already immersed myself enough to genuinely care for the characters in the story. I'll be adding more to this post in a second part soon enough, I'm sure I'll be through the last 100 or so pages within the next few days, as I doubt I'll be willing to maintain the class's slow reading pace! Thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of your weeks!

[myweeklyinterests]

A Temporary Introduction

To anyone who may be reading, as I can’t yet imagine who you may be, welcome. I wanted to create a medium where I am able to post progress on various writing, cooking, and other projects I take on. I want an place to post chapter reviews for books, my bread baking progress, craft chocolate, and anything interesting I happen to be tackling at the moment.

Thanks for stopping by, hopefully by the time you’ve reached this page there is something more thrilling than a dreary introduction. 

Welcome to My Weekly Interests.