Bagels

I just recently started making bagels, because I like bagels, and good ones are expensive. The cheapest ones I've ever been able to buy are $2 for half a dozen, and they have the consistency of cardboard. Homemade bagels, on the other hand, are delicious, easy to make, and really cheap; the recipe below, which makes eight, costs less than a dollar, barely over a dime per bagel. The recipe comes courtesy of John Lee.


Bagels


4 c. bread flour
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. vegetable oil
2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c. warm water


Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes in 1 1/4 c. warm water and sugar. Add flour, salt, and oil. If the dough is too dry, as in the picture below, add a little more water, up to 1/4 c.


Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then divide into 8 equal balls and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425. After the dough has rested, take each ball and roll it into a long snake. Take the ends and squish them together (I dip both ends in water to make them stick). You want a good bit of overlap so when you squish the ends together they end up the same thickness as the rest of the bagel instead of much thinner.



Let the bagels rest for 20 minutes, and in the meantime bring a pot of water to a boil. Grease a large baking sheet with some vegetable oil. After the bagels have rested, it's time to boil them. I do two at a time. Put them in the water, let them boil for a minute, then flip them and let them boil another minute. Remove each batch from the water and let dry on a paper towel as you finish the rest. Once they're out of the water, feel free to sprinkle on some sesame seeds (my personal favorite), poppy seeds, salt, whatever you want. Once all the bagels are done, put them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven for 20 minutes. John recommends flipping them halfway through for evenness. As for myself, it's quite a pain and I don't mind if the tops are a little more done than the bottoms, so I usually don't flip them.

Scones

Scones are great for dessert or breakfast, especially with some freshly whipped and unsweetened cream. Making scones is essentially the same as making biscuits, but with the addition of sugar and cream. This recipe is again based on Joy of Cooking.

Craisin Scones

Preheat the oven to 425, and have a large ungreased baking sheet ready. Whisk together 2 c. AP flour, 1/3 c. sugar, 1 T. baking powder, and 1/2 t. salt. Add 6 T. unsalted butter, cut into cubes. Incorporate the butter with your hands, a pastry blender, knives, forks, however you want (I use my hands), but make sure the butter doesn't melt and turn into a paste. This mixture will look basically the same as when making biscuits.


Stir in 1/2 cup craisins (or dried currants, or raisins, or whatever you want in them). Add 1 c. heavy cream and 1 t. grated orange zest (freshly grated!). Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Knead the dough against the bottom of the bowl 5 to 10 times. Transfer to a floured surface and pat or roll the dough to about 3/4" thick. At this point I usually cut 2-3" squares and then cut these in half, yielding triangular scones that are 2-3" on the short legs. Put them at least 1/2" apart on the baking sheet, then brush with cream. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes (keep an eye on them starting around 12 minutes, depending on your oven). Let cool for a few minutes. I like to brush on some pomegranate molasses, which is another one of those products which seems unnecessarily expensive but will last forever. We use it in everything from poultry dishes to salad dressings to desserts. It's great as a glaze on top of pastries.

Baguettes

Many people shy away from breadmaking, but when I started making my own bread this summer, I found that it really doesn't take much more than a little patience and some elbow grease. If you're interesting in getting into breadmaking, I can't recommend highly enough Rose Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. (And buy it online, don't be a chump like me and pay full cover price.) Not only does the book have great recipes, but it also explains the purpose of various steps and the importance of doing them just so. The recipe posted here is essentially the original, except that I've adjusted the yeast amounts for active dry yeast instead of instant yeast; I find active dry is easier to find and cheaper. I also use bread flour instead of unbleached all-purpose flour, since I find this makes for a bit of a chewier texture. If you prefer a lighter loaf, use AP flour (but not the regular bleached kind).

The first step in making baguettes is to make two different starters, or preferments. The purpose of these is to let the yeast and flour ferment a bit before mixing the actual dough. This way the final loaves have much more flavor. I typically allow about 48 hours for making baguettes, so if I want fresh bread for dinner on Saturday I'll make the starters Thursday evening. It's not necessary, but it sure makes for a better tasting loaf.

One of these starters is called the "scrap dough" or pâte fermentée, which traditionally was a bit leftover from the last batch of bread you made. Since the amount of yeast used in these two starters is very slight, start by measuring out 1/4 t. of active dry yeast and mixing it with 1/4 c. of warm water. This is going to be the "yeast water" that's used for both starters. The water should be warm but not too hot. My general rule is that if it's comfortable for me, it'll be comfortable for the yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be awakened a bit, so let the yeast water sit for about 5 minutes before using it. I usually just mix it together in my measuring cup with a small whisk.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 c. plus 2 1/2 T. bread flour and 1/4 t. salt. Add 2 T. plus 2 t. of the yeast water. Stir until mixed with a wooden spoon. It'll be a stiff dough, so I usually just use my hands towards the end.


Resist the temptation to add more water. If the dough is absolutely too dry, wet your hands and knead it in the bowl a bit. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours, then refrigerate overnight.

For the other starter, or poolish, mix 1/2 c. plus 1/2 T. bread flour, 1/2 T. of the yeast water, and 1/4 c. plus 1 1/2 T. of warm water. Stir until incorporated. This dough will be much wetter, about the consistency of a batter.


Cover and let ferment at room temperature overnight (the book recommends 11 1/2 to 16 hours, but up to 20 won't hurt). In the morning the poolish should be risen slightly and covered with bubbles.


Now it's time to make the dough.

Stir 1/4 t. yeast in a large mixing bowl with 1 1/2 T. warm water. Add another 1 1/2 T. of warm water to the poolish to loosen it. Once the yeast is dissolved, add 1 c. plus 3 T. bread flour. Pour in the poolish. Stir together, as before kneading together by hand if the dough is too stiff for stirring. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.

Knead for 7 minutes. My experience is that at this point the dough is firm enough that you don't need to add any flour, but if your dough is too sticky to work, add some more flour by coating your hands and kneading surface and working it in.


Put the dough in an oiled bowl or other rising container. For the first hour, give the dough a business letter turn every 20 minutes (i.e., a total of 3 turns). A business letter turn involves taking the dough out, stretching it (not pressing it!) into about an 8x5 rectangle, and folding it in thirds like a business letter. (This is the kind of stuff that's a lot easier if you have the book, since it's full of illustrations. Buy it!) This is my dough after the first turn.


Once you've finished the 3 turns, let the dough sit undisturbed another 1-2 hours, for 2-3 hours total rising time.

Once the dough has risen for 2-3 hours, take it out and cut it in half. Take each piece and stretch into a rectangle, then start at the top and roll the dough into a stubby log.


Mine are actually pretty long; yours can be much stubbier. Let rest 30 minutes. They'll probably puff up just a little.




Take your stubby logs and stretch them back into rectangles, then do the same thing again (this process makes the dough more elastic). The end result will look about the same as it did the first time.


Let rest 30-45 minutes.

For the final shaping, gently stretch the baguettes to whatever length you want.

Baguette pans are great for this, but as you can see, a regular baking sheet works just fine. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 5 hours).

Take the baguettes out of the fridge at least 1 1/2 hours before baking. Preheat the oven to 450 one hour before baking. In the oven, preheat a baking sheet (with rim) at the lowest level, and put your other rack just above it. When your baguettes are ready to go in, dump 1/2 cup of ice (4-5 large ice cubes) in the rimmed baking sheet and slide in the baguettes. The ice will create steam, which humidifies the oven and keeps the crust from setting before the dough has risen fully. Bake for 30 minutes. I always turn things around in my oven halfway through to ensure even baking. When they're done, cool them on wire racks if you have them.

Sunday breakfast

When we can afford it and we have the time, we like to have a decent breakfast on Sunday, a break from the rushed breakfasts of the weekdays. We have grits occasionally, but bacon, eggs, and biscuits are a must. We still haven't perfected cooking bacon (sometimes it burns, sometimes it's a soggy around the edges), but as long as you get decent bacon it usually turns out all right. Spending a lot of money isn't necessary, but looking for something that says "smoked" is a must. Technically American bacon should always be smoked, but some brands like to skimp to save a few bucks. Most stores have store-brand bacon that's pretty darn good if you find the right variety.

Eggs are a little easier. I like mine scrambled, so that's usually the way we both have them. I generally just use a fork (not a whisk) and a cereal bowl or other small mixing bowl. If you like your eggs runny they're not too difficult, but if you're like me and can't stand the sight of eggs glistening wetly, it can be hard not to overcook them so that it tastes like you're eating sawdust. The most important thing to remember with eggs and anything that's time-sensitive (e.g., meat) is carryover: food doesn't stop cooking just because you take it off the heat. So even if you like your eggs totally done without a hint of liquid, take them off when they're still glistening (but not at all runny). I promise they won't still be wet when you dig into them. Besides some salt, my favorite egg accompaniment is Piment d'Espelette, otherwise known as Espelette pepper. It has a wonderful smokiness and isn't too spicy. It's a bit pricy (at the above link $15 for a 25-g jar), but unless you use it every day a small jar could easily last all year. We bought ours over six months ago, and are just now getting to the end of it, even after using over a tablespoon in a single night of crazy Basque cooking. Trust me, it's worth the little bit extra. But of course some freshly ground black pepper won't go amiss either.

Biscuits are one of our standbys (stands-by?) because all you need is flour, butter, milk, and a bit of baking powder and salt. Most recipes call for all-purpose (AP) flour or even a mixture of AP and cake flour for a very soft, low-protein dough. I prefer a little bit of heft, so I use bread flour, and even so the biscuits end up pretty darn light and fluffy. The following recipe is my adaptation of the recipe from the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking; if you do a lot of home cooking it's a must have. (c. is cups, t. is teaspoons, T. is tablespoons.)


2 c. bread flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
6 T. cold butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 c. milk


Preheat the oven to 450. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter and cut them into the dry ingredients. I use my hands, but if you're worried about the butter melting too much (this is why it has to be cold), you can use a utensil of your choice. The mixture should be fairly homogeneous if you want classic fluffy biscuits, or you can leave somewhat larger chunks of butter (no larger than a pea) if you like flakier biscuits. It should look something like this.


Add the milk and stir (I use a wooden spoon) until combined. Flour your hands and the counter or a cutting board (I do this on a big wooden cutting board for easier clean up) and roll or press (I just used my hands) the dough to about 1/4 thick. Cut the biscuits into whatever shape suits your fancy. I generally do round ones by flouring a drinking glass and using that to cut out rounds of dough. Square ones are easy to do with a knife. Keep rerolling the dough out until you've used it all. The last biscuit will of course be a little lumpy and irregular. Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet close enough so that they're almost touching. I had no idea this made a difference until I tried it. Keeping the biscuits close helps them rise more fully and the result is a much more delicious and fluffy biscuit. For more even rising press down the centers a little with your fingers, otherwise the biscuits will be domed on top. Stick in the oven for about 12 minutes (keep an eye on them starting around 10 minutes, since all ovens cook a little bit differently).

Introduction

Especially in these times of financial stress, it's nice to know how to make cheap, good food. My wife and I give ourselves a weekly grocery budget of $60, within which we have to come up with 42 meals -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both of us. (Really this is more of a grocery store budget, because with this $240 a month we also have to get light bulbs, plastic wrap, garbage bags, paper towels, etc. etc.) My wife doesn't mind ramen, but I can't stand it, and neither of us will touch spam. And nobody wants to eat soup every day.

So the question is, can you make good food with fresh, local ingredients on a budget? Unfortunately, the answer is no. A green pepper costs $1. The cheapest meat out there still costs $3/lb., and that's for ground beef in a tube that's 27% fat. But that's not to say you can't have good things once in a while, and make do for the other meals. This blog is about how to do just that.

I'll post recipes that we make here (and where we got them), both in the original versions and however we actually ended up making the dish. I'll also post methods and equipment we use to make them, as well as photos whenever possible. I make all of our bread products (sandwich bread, baguettes, bagels, crackers), so probably several posts in the first month or so will be about bread.

The two key things that I believe are important to remember with eating on a budget are:

(1) Most things are cheaper if made at home.
(2) Not everything is cheaper if made at home.
Those are the two maxims we live by.

For instance, cereal (hot or cold) is one of the cheapest breakfast items, and one which is far more expensive to make yourself. I generally go with cold cereal that's between 10 and 30 cents an ounce, while my wife mostly eats store-brand oatmeal. Between the two of us, that's never more than $10 a week on breakfast, less if we have anything left over from the previous week.

I'll wrap up this intro post with one final tip about recipe sizes. Recipes which make only 2 or 3 servings are almost always much more expensive per serving that those which make more. Recipes which make a bunch of servings are great and often cheap, but when I eat things every night, I tend to get very tired of them and avoid them like the plague, which is a great way to ruin cheap dishes. We usually shoot for dishes that we'll eat for 2-3 nights, so around 2-3 dinners per week.

That's all for now, I'll post the first recipe this weekend.