Isn’t that just Ducky!

# 7 - 2009

First, I must apologize for my lack of reading your blogs. I’ve had a very unwelcome visitor aka the flu. Who knew your head could pound and burn at the thought of light entering your eyes from a computer screen.

Just Ducky the flu is not but this bread is way better than just Ducky! I’m really just playing around with this recipe. Months ago I got the urge to come up with a bread that I could bake full of herbs, most especially sage, and then use for Turkey dressing. I tried several and was left wanting.

Paging through Daniel Leader’s Bread Alone, I came across a recipe that intrigued me with Provolone cheese, sage and corn meal in a loaf but didn’t seem right with a description that read “. . . best eaten the day it’s baked because the loaf will be a little dry and crumbly the second day.” I didn’t really want a bread that went dry and crumbly on the second day but Provolone cheese, sage and corn meal sounded excellent. Leader’s recipe was for a quick bread (using baking soda and baking powder). Quick breads tend to a short shelf life.

I next picked up Beard on Bread and there I had my answer. A very long time ago, when our boys were in the fourth grade I went in and baked bread with the class for a school Thanksgiving Feast & Play. I used Beard’s recipe for Cornmeal Bread. It’s a very simple yeast bread that used cooked cornmeal and some milk. It was wonderful. Somehow the Leader’s Provolone cheese, sage and corn meal in a loaf started morphing in my head.

I wanted the cheese, sage and cornmeal but I wanted yeast bread with starter that would stay fresh a few days. One of the simplest ways I know of to prolong bread freshness is to use a starter. I used the Beard bread recipe for a general base and incorporated the Provolone and sage.

Smoked Provolone & Sage Polenta Bread
Inspired by
Cornmeal Bread in Beard on Bread
and
Provolone Sage Corn Loaf in Daniel Leader’s Bread Alone

1 cup cooked polenta allowed to cool
288 g buttermilk
12 g yeast
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
156 g (5.5 oz) smoked provolone
fresh sage

I mixed the warm polenta into the buttermilk (cooled the polenta and warmed the buttermilk).
Whisk the flour and yeast together.
Dividing the yeasted flour in half and mixed it with the polenta buttermilk with a little of the brown sugar.
I then mixed the remaining yeasted flour with the salt and brown sugar. Sprinkle that to cover the buttermilk polenta flour mix and allow to sit 30 minutes.

I took this many fresh sage leaves and chopped them.
My sage grows all winter. I picked a bunch of stems and used only the prettiest tender middle ones. Next time I’d use more.

Stir together the flour topped batter until to stiff to stir at which point start to knead it on the counter.

Knead in the cheese. Dough will be firm and resonably but not perfectly smooth.

Bake @ 425° for 10 minutes
Lower temp to 350° for the last 25 to 35 minutes baking. The loaf pan took 45 minutes and measured 204° with instant read thermometer. The free form loaf took 35 minutes to reach 200°.

This made fabulous toast and sandwhich bread.

I’ll bake this again but I want a stronger sage aroma and taste than I got. So I’m still on my search.

I’m sending this to Susan at WildYeast (promise to use the form Susan!) for her weekly Yeast Spotting. I’ve come to look at the weekly Yeast Spotting as a delightful trip to a Bakery Wonderland! If you’re not familiar with Susan and Yeast Spotting, it’s explained here.

Now I look forward to catching up with my reading and finding out what you’ve been up to.

Smoked Provolone & Sage Polenta Bread

Monday, February 2, 2009

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