Buttermilk biscuits with cowboy hash & griddle fried eggs were prepared last week at Star Valley Outfitters camp on Wyoming's Little Greys River. In the Southern U.S., these biscuits are known as Angel Biscuits. Yes, this technique takes a bit longer. But they are worth the extra effort. 

This recipe is adapted from the 1969 edition of U.S. Armed Forces Recipe Service recipe D-2 ("Baking Powder & Yeast Biscuits"). It was a favorite recipe of Navy bakers during my service in the 1970s. 

1 pound 3 ounces all-purpose flour
7 ounces granulated sugar
½ ounce baking powder
¼ ounce instant yeast
¼ ounce kosher salt
5 ounces shortening
14 ounces buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients together. Blend shortening into dry ingredients until mixture by resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until combined. Turn dough onto a floured work surface. Knead gently, about 10 to 12 turns, until dough is formed. Cover with a towel and ferment for 1 hour.

Roll or pat to uniform thickness of ½". Cut with floured 2½" biscuit cutter. Place on a greased sheet pan. I like to place the biscuits next to each other. 20 biscuits will fit on a quarter-size sheet pan (9" x 13", pictured). Proof in a warm location for 30 minutes

Bake in a pre-heated 425^o F. oven 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Serve warm with butter, honey or jam.

Scones

I am posting these recipes at the request of a follower on Instagram (@fuegobbqco). Since I'm accustomed to preparing scones in bulk, I scaled my professional recipe for 100 scones down to 8. This is a straight-forward process using baker's percent. I'll let you read up on the baker's percent process on your own.

Along with biscuits, scones are a favorite at my summer camp. Scones appear on the menu each week or so during family camps. In the beginning, I'd scoop the scones onto a sheet pan.

Today, I roll the scone dough on the bench in the same manner as biscuits. The only time that I cut the scone dough into wedges is at home. I generally use a 2½" biscuit cutter to cut the scones.

SCONES

This recipe calls for less than one whole eggs. A whole large eggs weighs 1¾ ounces. Since this recipe requires 1⅛ ounces of egg, I used about two-thirds of the whisked egg in the wet ingredients. The remainder was used as the egg wash.

If desired, you could use a medium egg if you have one, or add a whole large egg. To compensate for the additional moisture, begin with 5 tablespoons of milk. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the right consistence is achieved.

8 ounces all-purpose flour (1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1 ounce sugar (2¼ tablespoons)
½ ounce baking powder (3½ teaspoons)
¼ teaspoon salt
3¼ ounces butter (6½ tablespoons)
1 large egg, whisked, divided use
7 tablespoons milk

Mix dry ingredients until blended. Add butter to flour mixture. Using fingertips, rub chilled butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add ⅔ of the egg and the milk. Stir until wet ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix. Dough should be as soft as can be handled. Place dough on lightly floured board or table. Knead 15-20 times, turning 90 degrees each stroke. Round up and flatted to ½-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges.

Place on greased or lined sheet pan. (I like to bake them in a skillet.) Egg wash tops with remaining egg. Bake in a 400° oven for 15-20 minutes.

NOTE: I used the King Arthur Flour "Ingredient Weight Chart" to convert ingredient weights to volume measurements.

SeabeeCook's playlists on YouTube

As I posted last year, I have several playlists on my YouTube channel. Playlists are a popular way to collect videos in a single location to share with the public. With some exceptions, these videos were created by others. Here are my current playlists:

Bread bakers -- I lead off my bread baker's playlist with a series by Ken Forkist, author of Flour Water Salt Yeast and owner of Ken's Artisan Bread & Pizza in Portland, Oregon. Ken walks you through his process for baking bread, from autolese to baking, in eight videos

Scones -- Scones fascinate me. I enjoy a good scone. They come together much like a biscuit and can be prepared in the afternoon for baking in the morning. Both videos currently in the scone playlist are imports from "across the pond." Included are the metric formula for basic scones.

Techniques for the Professional Baker -- This is a series of baking videos by King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont. Bakery director Jeffery Hamelman leads viewers through the professional bread baking process with head baker Martin Philip. Interesting watching for anyone that would like to see how the pros do it.

Filipino cooking -- My fascination with Filipino cooking grew out traveling in and out of the Philippine Islands back in the 1970s. It’s been said that Filipino cuisine was fusion long before the term was fashionable. Filipino food is a “melting pot” of food and foodways from throughout Asia, the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas. It’s a blending of wide-ranging cultural influences over many centuries.

Feather River Camp -- I've been know to shoot a video or two at Oakland Feather River Camp, where I am the executive chef each summer. Watch a Union Pacific freight train slide past the camp or view (almost) humorous videos from the kitchen.

Check back frequently as the lineup changes. From time to time, I add (and occasionally remove) videos from my playlists. I plan to add more baking videos and to develop a playlist on cast iron cooking. Enjoy ...

Open face breakfast sandwiches

Last week at the Star Valley Outfitters' camp, I was faced with an abundant supply of buttermilk biscuits. My initial thought was to use the biscuits to make bread pudding, but a shortage of eggs kept me from following through.

That's when I thought of preparing breakfast sliders. Since breakfast comes early (at 4 a.m.), I prepared the sandwiches on the afternoon before. After slicing enough ham and cheese for the open face sandwiches, I slivered an onion on the meat slicer and sliced six medium tomatoes by hand. I also prepared a batch of cilantro sauce for garnish. Everything was placed under refrigeration until morning.

In the morning, I placed ham and cheese on each biscuit half, then heated the sandwiches in the over to melt the cheese. As the hunters and guides filtered into the dining tent for breakfast, I placed cottage fried red potatoes on the place along with two open face sandwiches, two tomatoes, some onion and three dill pickle chips. The sandwiches were garnished with cilantro sauce.

Toasting the biscuits on the flat-top.

OPEN FACE BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

Use this recipe to use an oversupply of biscuits. You may use any flavor of cheese desired. I used pepper jack cheese.I didn't add fried eggs because of a shortage in camp.

24 buttermilk biscuits, cut in half
4 ounces butter, melted
24 (1 ounce) slices ham, cut in half
24 (2/3 ounce) slices cheese, cut in half
48 fried eggs (optional)
48 slices tomato
1 medium onion, shaved or sliced thin
72 dill pickle chips
2 to 3 cups cilantro sauce (recipe follows)

Brush melted butter on each half biscuit. Toast in a skillet over medium heat. Alternatively, you can toast the biscuits on a flat-top griddle. When toasted, remove biscuit halves and arrange on a sheet pan. Keep the bottom and top half of each biscuit together. If preparing ahead, place the ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles and cilantro sauce in the refrigerator.

In the morning, arrange a half-slice of both ham and cheese on top of each biscuit half. Heat the sandwiches in a 350-degree oven until the ham is warm and the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and place a fried egg (if used) on each sandwich.

To serve, place two open-face sandwiches on each plate. Arrange two tomato slices, some onion and three dill pickle chips on each plate. Spoon a tablespoon cilantro sauce over the sandwiches on each plate. If desired, the sauce can be served on the side. Serve with cottage fried red potatoes.

Makes 24 servings.

CILANTRO SAUCE

I serve serve cilantro sauce with grilled pork chops, roasted pork loin, sauteed chicken breasts and breakfast eggs.

6 cloves garlic
3alapeno chile peppers
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 cups cilantro

In a food processor or blender, process garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, oregano, parsley and cilantro to form a smooth paste. With food processor running, drizzle in olive oil. Add small amount of water until sauce is thick. Drizzle in vinegar until smooth. Adjust seasoning.

Makes about 2-1/4 cup sauce.

SeabeeCook's playlists on YouTube

I have two channels on YouTube. While I'm not sure how it happened, they are Steven Karoly's channel and SeabeeCook's channel. One day I will merge the two.

I've created several playlists on my named channel. Playlists are a popular way to collect videos in a single location to share with the public. With some exceptions, these videos were created by others. Here are my current playlists:

Bread bakers -- I lead off my bread baker's playlist with a series by Ken Forkist, author of Flour Water Salt Yeast and owner of Ken's Artisan Bread & Pizza in Portland, Oregon. Ken walks you through his process for baking bread, from autolese to baking, in eight videos. Next is a three-part series on Saveurs, a traditional French boulangerie, chocolaterie and patisserie in Dartmouth, England. Included in the 20-some videos are several that I shot at a baking workshop.

Scones -- Scones fascinate me. I enjoy a good scone. They come together much like a biscuit and can be prepared in the afternoon for baking in the morning. Both videos currently in the scone playlist are imports from "across the pond." Included are the metric formula for basic scones.

Techniques for the Professional Baker -- This is a series of baking videos by King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont. Bakery director Jeffery Hamelman leads viewers through the professional bread baking process with head baker Martin Philip. Interesting watching for anyone that would like to see how the pros do it.

Feather River Camp -- I've been know to shoot a video or two at Oakland Feather River Camp, where I am the executive chef each summer. Watch a Union Pacific freight train slide past the camp or view (almost) humorous videos from the kitchen.

Check back frequently as the lineup changes. From time to time, I add (and occasionally remove) videos from my playlists. I plan to add a Filipino cooking playlist soon. Enjoy ...

Pancit canton shrimp salad and potlucks

Sauteed green beans with shiitake mushrooms
and bacon. Two large loaves of artisan-style bread
are in the background.

This is one of those dishes that wasn't prepared with a recipe. Many of my dishes have their origin in the minute. I throw the dish together using ingredients in the fridge and cupboard. These dishes are those that I have prepared many times during my career. You could say that the recipe is embedded in my head.

For the second time in a week Debbie and I offered bread and a vegetable dish for a potluck. The first took place last week at a Thanksgiving gathering of a local church family. I prepared two loaves of no-knead bread and sauteed green beans with shiitake mushrooms and bacon. Three scraps of bread and a couple mushroom pieces were all that remained. One person asked me for the bread recipe after the meal.

Saturday we took pancit canton shrimp salad to a memorial service at the same church. For the second time, I offered a dish that was put together on the spur of the moment. The impromptu salad for the potluck, which followed the service, was inspired by my years of sevice in and of of the Philippines. I combined romaine lettuce, canton noodles, carrot sticks and baby shrimp. The salad was tossed with an Asian inspired vinaigrette. It fit in with the salad and sandwich theme for the potluck.

Pancit canton shrimp salad.

To prepare the salad, cooked 4 ounces canton noodles (called pancit canton or canton sticks) in chicken broth until al dente. (Follow the instructions on the package.) After draining and cooling, I cut one head of romaine lettuce and ran a large carrot through the mandoline using the smallest julienne setting. Eight ounces of cooked baby shrimp were thawed as well. Any number of vegetables could've been prepared at this point, including sliced radish or diakon, halved grape tomatoes and chopped cilantro.

The vinaigrette was prepared without measuring. Three cloves of finely minced garlic, tablespoon or two of cane vinegar, teaspoon or two of toyomansi (Filipino soy sauce with calamani), small spoonful of Dijon mustard, few drops of sesame oil and coarsely ground black pepper were whisked together in a bowl. I then streamed in canola oil while vigorously whisking to form a vinaigrette. While I can't tell you the ratio of vinegar to oil that I used, it was somewhere between 1:2 and 1:3. I enjoyed the garlicky sauce with its peppery bite.

To assemble the salad, I first tossed the shrimp in a couple tablespoons of the vinaigrette.While the shrimp marinated for a couple minutes, the lettuce, carrot and noodles were tossed together in a large bowl. The salad was tossed with the remaining vinaigrette, followed by shrimp. Serve cold.

Notes: Purchase Filipino products in any well-stocked Asianmarket. While Filipino soy sauce (toyo) adds a distinct flavor, any soy sauce can be used. Toyo has a mildly subtle flavor to it. Filipino cane vinegar is prepared from the juice of cane sugar (sukano ilocano). Calamansi is Filipino lime. Lemon or lime can be substituted for the calamansi in the Filipino soy sauce. I have yet to locate calamansi (fresh or bottled) in Northern California.

Baking artisan bread in camp

In the nearly two years since I first talked about artisan no-knead bread, I have baked this bread numerous times, based on my standard recipe. I currently have a batch of dough in the refrigerator at home. While camping at Upper Blue Lake last month, I was able to record notes on my baking process in camp.

These instructions are for use in temperate weather. You need to gauge weather conditions and determine how ambient temperature, humidity and wind conditions will influence internal baking temperature and cooking time. Flexibility is the key. As a rule, coals burn hotter in lower humidity and windier conditions. Cooler, wet weather reduces the heating potential of the coals.

For any Dutch oven recipe on 'Round the Chuckbox, the number of coals are calculated for average summer conditions in the Western United States. You need to experiment and learn how to adapt my instructions to seasonal weather conditions where you live and camp. Use my instructions as a starting point. Experiment at home before taking the the bread into camp to bake.

Light campfire. While hardwood is the ideal choice of wood, I usually cook with pine, cedar and fir in the Sierra Nevada. As a rule, I build a fire that's two to three times the size in volume than the Dutch oven. The fire must produce sufficient coals to heat the Dutch oven for one hour. I continue to add wood to the fire once I remove the first coals to have a ready source of fresh coals.

When you desire to bake a loaf of bread, dust surface of chilled dough with flour. Pull a 16- to 24-ounce piece dough out and cut with a knife or kitchen sears. Gently stretch dough by pulling it down to the bottom, turning the dough one-quarter turn each fold. If desired, slash load before setting it in the Dutch oven, as I did here. This dough was made with 20 percent whole wheat flour.

Gentle place the loaf inside a 12-inch deep-style camp oven. Slash the loaf if not done earlier. Place the lid on the oven. Set in shade on a warm day. On a cool day, set in a sunny location. Proof in oven for 40 minutes.

Coals are almost ready. You won't see much noticeable rise during proofing. After the 40-minute fermentation period, the load will be ready for baking. Remove the lid, splash about 1 tablespoon cold water over the loaf and replace the lid.

Hang the Dutch oven about 18 inches above the bed of coals. Shovel a solid bed of coals on the lid. Bake 15 minutes, then lift the lid and quickly check bread. If it's browning properly, remove the coals from the center of the lid. I've found that this is necessary to ensure the loaf bakes without burning. You need coals for 450 degrees (10 under oven and 23 on lid) when using charcoal briquettes. 

Continue baking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. You're looking for a nicely browned crust and firm to the touch Remove coals and cool. 

No mixer, no problem

Last Saturday I catered a banquet for the San Jose Youth Shakespeare in the Bay Area. With an ambitious menu at hand, I began meal production with rosemary-garlic dinner rolls at 12:30 in the afternoon. After unloading the equipment, food and supplies into the kitchen, I setup the scale, opened the bag of bread flour and began measuring.

With over 20 pounds of flour, along with yeast, salt, sugar, egg, oil, herbs and water to mix, I'd normally knead the dough in a 20-quart stand mixer. However, the kitchen at the rental hall was not equipped with one. With a large bus tub, I mixed the dough by hand. The pictures tell the rest of the story.

All in ingredients were weighed into a 20 by 15 by 7-inch bus tub. The formula called for 100% bread flour, 6% sugar, 4% chopped fresh parsley, 4% minced garlic, 2% instant yeast, 2 % kosher salt and 1% dried rosemary for the dry ingredients. I used 20 pounds 5 ounces flours as the basis for the dough. Click here for a discussion on baker's percent.

After pouring in about 55% water, 16% egg and 8% olive oil, I mixed the dough by hand. It took several minutes for the dough to come together.

After the dry ingredients were thoroughly mixed into the wet, I cleaned my hands and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This lets the flour begin to absorb moisture and hydrate.

I started others on separate projects before working on the dough. My niece learned how to dice 10 pounds of yellow onions as another (to my right) set up the buffet area. As the dough came together, I folded the corners into the center of the bus tub. And two gallons of apple cider reduced on the range behind me.

Once the dough was workable, I turned it out onto the bench and continued kneading.

I could only fold the dough 10 to 15 turns before it was too stiff to handle. I gave the dough a 10 to 15-minute rest between kneading sessions. I then divided the dough in half and set each piece in a bus tub to ferment.

Once the dough fermented 90 minutes in an out-of-the-way corner of the kitchen, it was all hands on deck to cut and mold individual rolls. This process took around 30 minutes. We produced 455 rolls Saturday. The diners ate 2 rolls each on average.

Cookin' on the railroad

Friday last I cooked lunch for the maintenance of way crew on the El Dorado Western Railroad in Western El Dorado County, California. The menu consisted of:

• Pork chili with adobo sauce from dried guajillo chilies in 12-inch deep camp oven
• Cheesy buttermilk biscuits with pepper-jack in 14-inch camp oven
• Mixed berry cobbler in 12-inch camp oven
• Railroad coffee

To prepare for the meal, I roasted an eight-pound bone-in pork picnic shoulder at home Thursday evening. I normally use pork butt, but the supermarket didn't have any in stock. The shoulder yielded between five to six pounds of cooked meat once I discarded the bone. I also made the adobo sauce from dried chilies, formed the biscuits with pepper-jack and Parmesan cheeses, prepared the cobbler topping and packed.

After breakfast with the crew (at a Shingle Springs restaurant aptly named the Train Station), I drove to the grade crossing closest to the trestle that we were working on and waited for the train to pick me up.

Once we arrived at the work site, the crew unloaded the kitchen. I set up on a saddle perpendicular to the tracks and began the chili. (Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the chili.) To prepare, I sweated 2 diced onions with lots of minced garlic in olive oil, then dropped about 5 pounds diced pork into the pot. One (14.5-ounce) can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1 (12-ounce) can of tomatillos went into the pot next, along with 1.5 cups of the adobo sauce, a pint of beef stock and the pork drippings.

Two teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 1 teaspoon dried oregano seasoned the chili. I later added extra dried chili powder and garlic powder to boost the flavor. The chili simmered over a bed of coal for the next hour and one-half. A couple handsful of corn chips thickened the chili.

Nineteen biscuits fit snuggly inside a 14-inch camp oven. I had intended to brush the biscuits with cream, but forgot.

The berry cobbler is similar in construction to a dump cake. You pour frozen berries (12 ounces raspberries, 16 ounces blueberries and 16 ounces blackberries) into an oiled 12-inche camp oven. Half of the topping (scratch made with a fine consistence like cake mix) covered the berries. After the first topping dump had stated to brown, I covered it with the remaining topping and baked with coals for about 425 degrees until brown and crusty.

In the picture, I set the biscuit lid in the skillet and used it for bottom heat for maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Two rings of coals provided the top heat. The picture shows the cobble just before the second topping dump.

Chef Steven's rules for sausage gravy

After four decades of cooking in military, institutional and camp kitchens, I've learned to follow a number of personal cooking rules. As self-imposed culinary guidelines, they help me prepare and serve great food to my diners, whether at home or in camp. These rules provide consistency each time I prepare a dish.

Earlier this summer, the camp director asked my if I could prepare a "mean" biscuits and gravy. Up to the challenge, we set a date where I could premier biscuits and gravy. I took my standard biscuits and gravy recipe, modified it to use a butter and flour roux (previously, I stirred the flour in with the crumbled sausage meat) and presented camp-made biscuits with my chef's sausage gravy to the staff in mid-May.

Beginning in the third week of June, we presented scratch buttermilk biscuits and rich sausage gravy to the campers every other week. By request, I broke my "pork only" rule to prepare turkey sausage gravy for our largest camp (alongside pork sausage gravy) at the end of July. I came away validating my rule. Campers selected pork gravy three times as often as they did turkey gravy! (The same held true for real bacon vs. turkey bacon!)

Here are my rules for great sausage gravy:

• Crumble, finely chop or grind the sausage. Diced sausage may look good on the plate. But it's the fine pieces that carry flavor into the gravy. Throughout the summer, I used pre-cooked patties with success. Grinding partially thawed patties in the food processor gave it the texture I was looking for.
• Don't skip on the milk. The fat in whole milk adds body and richness to the gravy. If you must, drink two percent or skim milk in a glass, not in the gravy. Whole milk works best. And a little cream makes even richer gravy! Unfortunately to some, good gravy isn't low in fat!
• A butter roux is the best thickening agent for gravy. Leave the cornstarch to pudding cookery, where its magic sheen works best. And don't forget to cook out the flour taste in the roux.
• Traditional American breakfast sausage works best for traditional American biscuits and gravy. Use pork sausage, not beef. SOS is made with beef, not pork. Though related, they're not the same.
• Think long and hard before adding a new ingredient or two the gravy. I've successfully worked a modest amount of roasted diced red peppers into my gravy. Leave the mushrooms for a great mushroom sauce or pasta dish. They don't belong in sausage gravy.
• The best biscuits are made from scratch. Develop a good recipe and stick to it.

Oh yes, there's one final rule: Good sausage gravy must leave a mild case of heartburn, especially when cased with several mugs of coffee. Sorry; it's a rule!

Whole wheat no-knead bread

My original plan was to bake one loaf of whole wheat no-knead bread on Saturday, but the events of the day interfered. Railroad work in the morning, study for Bible class and a visit with Debbie's parents precluded any bread baking. It was late in the day by the time I would've baked the loaf.

Saturday demonstrated the flexibility of any bread that's fermented under refrigeration. The dough tolerates interruptions. It accepts adjustments to your schedule and lets you bake the bread when you're ready.

I baked a 20-ounce boule of the bread Sunday evening. While it tasted like a good loaf of whole wheat bread, the loaf didn't have the complete flavor I was looking for. I'm looking for the characteristic crust and crumb of artisan bread.

I began with a 50-50 mixture of whole wheat and bread flours. Next time I plan to adjust the formula to 70 percent (by weight) of bread flour and 30 percent whole wheat flour. I may add honey to sweeten the loaf a bit. At some point walnuts or wheat berries may be a good addition to the formula.

My next step will be to try my cousin's sourdough starter. He sells it at My Sourdough Starters. You can purchase the starter or just read his insight. (Yes, this is a shameless plug for a relative!)


I baked the remaining two loaves of whole wheat no-knead bread yesterday. Each time the bread shows improvement. Patience is required when proofing refrigerator-proofed loaves. Since the dough comes out of the refrigerator at around 40 degrees, it currently requires about  2-1/2 to 3 hours to proof in my house, which is hovering around 65 to 70 degrees right now. Leave the loaves in the oven a few extra minutes so the crust has time to completely brown and develop its crusty, chewy texture.

I baked a loaf of whole wheat no-knead on Sunday. After a three-day ferment in the refrigerator, I gently shaped a 20-ounce piece of dough into a boule, or ball-shaped loaf. The load proofed on a piece of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal for a little over two hours. Following my recipe for no-knead bread, I baked it inside a cast iron Dutch oven in a 450-degree oven, lid on for the first 20 minutes. It took an additional 15 minutes to develop the nice crust on the boule. The parchment paper lets me gently lower the loaf into the Dutch oven without deflating.

Last Thursday, I combined two flours, water, kosher salt and instant yeast in a six-quart lidded plastic tub. Pillsbury's Better for Bread made up 50 percent of the flour by weight. The remaining 50 percent was King Aurthur organic whole wheat flour. After a thorough mix by hand, I left the dough to ferment on the counter for about three hours. I then set it inside the refrigerator. The slow ferment at cool temperatures favors alcohol and acid production in the dough. These are the elements that give artisan bread its great flavor.

Never cross the cook on the open range

Enjoy the opening sequence to the 1968 Western Classic Will Penny. Slim Pickens played the chuckwagon cook. All I have to say is never steal biscuits from the cook!

"Chuck! Come on you cow nurses," hollers the wagon cook, played by Pickens. "Come and get it or I'll throw it out. Chuck's on!"


Video description: "Will Penny -- (Movie Clip) Open, Git Along
"Elongated opening sequence featuring star Charlton Heston and Slim Pickens as the crusty cook, in writer-director Tom Gries' Western Will Penny, 1968, photographed by Lucien Ballard."

Using baker's percent to adjust challah bread recipe

I recently set out to bake whole wheat challah bread at home. The decision came late one Friday evening, too late to shop for ingredients. The quantities of flour, both whole wheat and bread flours, plus the sugar, salt, eggs and oil in my kitchen would have to do.

My standard recipe for challah bread calls for 3 pounds 8 ounces of bread flour. My plan was to substitute 50 percent (by weight) whole wheat flour for the bread flour. The adjusted formula called for 1 pound 12 ounces each of bread and whole wheat flours.

Once I weighed the flours, I learned that 1 pound 8 ounces of whole wheat flour and a little more than 9 ounces of bread flour were all I had on hand. Though insufficient to prepare the recipe as written, I adjusted the amount of yeast, salt, sugar, water, eggs and oil in proportion to make the recipe work. My adjusted recipe prepared 3 pounds 12 ounces of dough, enough for two loaves of whole wheat challah bread.

This dilemma is one encountered by professional and home bakers alike. The question is, how do I adjust the recipe while maintaining the relationship of each ingredient to the flour? To develop a successful product, you need to use the ingredients in the correct proportion. The answer is found in the baker's percent method.

Baker's percent

Commercial bakers use the baker's percent method to adjust recipes. It gives the baker with an easy format to convert recipes from small to large batch sizes. It works for bread and pastry recipes and can be applied American system of measures as well as the metric system.

Since most bakery recipes contain flour, flour is the basis for baker's percent. Flour is always considered to be 100 percent. All other ingredients are measured by weight as a percentage to the flour. Baker's percent allows the baker to quickly -- and accurately -- adjust the formula of a product to yield any quantity of dough that he desires.

The same unit of measure must be maintained when using baker's percent. Pounds must must be used with pounds. Kilograms must be used with kilograms. The formula breaks down when you mix pounds and kilograms. I recommend using a calculator when working with baker's percent.

The flour is always listed as 100 percent. To determine the percentage of the other ingredients, take the weight of the ingredient and divide by the weight of the flour. Then multiply by 100. The product is the baker's percent of the ingredient. The formula is displayed like this:

Weight of ingredient / weight of flour x 100 = baker's percent

Here's an example using instant yeast:



1 oz instant yeast / 50 oz flour x 100 = 2% 

In the example, the formula uses 2 percent by weight of instant yeast. That means that for every 100 pounds of flour, the baker adds 2 pounds of instant yeast to the dry ingredients. A baker that uses the metric system adds 2 kilograms of instant yeast for every 100 kilograms of flour.

The home baker also uses baker's percent as effectively as the professional. The same principle applies even though he uses much smaller quantities of flour. For evey 10 ounces of flour the home baker adds .2 ounces (that's two-hundredths) of instant yeast to the dry ingredients.

Remember we are talking about the relationship of each ingredient to the flour. The sum of all wheat flours used in the recipe is considered 100 percent. If your formula calls for bread flour and whole flour, the weight of the two flours are added to give you the total amount of flour used in the recipe.

Challah bread formula conversion

Let's use my formula for challah bread as an example for our calculations in baker's percent. Here is the formula that I used:

Bread flour -- 100%
Instant yeast -- 1.25%
Granulated sugar -- 7.5%
Salt -- 1.9%
Water -- 42%
Eggs -- 14%
Oil -- 10%
TOTAL = 176.65%

Other than an indication of the method used to produce the dough (straight dough in this case), this all the information that the baker needs to produce his bread. Ingredient quantities aren't noted because he most likely prepares a different amount each time.

When I weight the flours, I found that I only had 1 pound 8 ounces of whole wheat flour and a little more than 9 ounces of bread flour, not the 3 pounds 8 ounces called for in my recipe. (I rounded the bread flour to 10 ounces with some all-purpose flour.)  The two flours equaled 34 ounces when added together. This became the starting point (or 100 percent) for my adjusted formula.

I then multiplied the baker's percent of each ingredient times 34. The formula for the conversion is as follows:

Baker's percent for ingredient / 100 x weight of flour = quantity to use



Here's an example using the eggs:



14 / 100 x 34 ounces = 4.76 ounces eggs

I repeated this process for each ingredient. Since we're dealing with small quantities, I rounded the quantity of each ingredient to the nearest tenth. Here's the formula that I used to bake two loaves of whole wheat challah bread:

1 pound 8 ounces whole wheat flour (71%)

10 ounces bread flour (29%)

.4 ounces instant yeast (1.25%)
2.6 ounces granulated sugar (7.5%)
.7 ounces salt (1.9%)
14.3 ounces water (42%)
4.8 ounces eggs (14%)
3.4 ounces oil (10%)
TOTAL weight = 3 pounds 12 ounces

Weighing tenths of an ounce is easily done on a digital scale like the one pictured above. A 2009 article addresses my use of digital scales (and it gives you a recipe for four cheese pizzas). I will post the recipe for challah bread soon.

This recipe produced two loaves, each with 1 pound 9 ounces of dough in a standard 5 by 9 by 3-inch loaf pan. You could also mold the dough into one large loaf and place it on a sheet pan. Since my adjusted formula produced 60 ounces of dough, I used the remaining 10 ounces to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

At a later date, I will show another way to use baker's percent. Starting with the quantity of dough needed for production, the baker can work backwards to determine how much flour to use in his formula. We'll save the article for another day.

Now that you understand how to use baker's percent, a world of baking possibilities opens up. I used it to adjust my recipe to the amount of flour I had in the kitchen. It's used to express the relationship between flour and the other ingredients in bread and pastry recipes. Once you know the basic formula, you can produce bread in any quantity desired.

Notes on yeast

Yeast is one of the most important baking ingredients. It contributes much to bread and pastry in contrast to the small amount used in most formulas. Through a process known as fermentation, yeast gives bread its light, airy structure and helps produce a pleasingly soft texture in pastries.

During fermentation, yeast feeds on sugars in the dough and changes them into carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol. The yeast releases sugar from the flour through enzymatic action. It also feeds on sugars added by the baker in richer doughs.

Fermentation takes place when as carbon dioxide gas accumulates in the structure of the dough. Since these gasses can't escape, the dough rises as gasses are trapped in air pockets in the dough. This leavening action turns breads and pastries into the products that we all treasure.

Types of yeast

Three forms of yeast are available to the baker. While pre-ferments such as the Italian biga or Western sourdough starter provide leavening action through yeast or other microorganisms, my focus here is on commercially available yeast products for the baker. They are:

Fresh or compressed yeast is often used by professional bakers. Since it's a perishable product, fresh yeast must be stored  in the refrigerator as it has a relatively short shelf life. Red Star Yeast advises that one (2-ounce) cake will leaven about three pounds of flour.

The baker uses more fresh yeast by weight than any other form. To use, dissolve fresh yeast in 90- to 95-degree F. liquid (usually the water in the formula). The liquid must come from the total moisture in the recipe.

Active dry yeast is a dry granular form of yeast. Fleischmann's Yeast developed it during World War II for the U.S. armed forces. It's longer shelf life gave military bakers a yeast product that was stable at room temperature and one that tolerated transportation over long distances. Active dry yeast remains the standard for the Armed Forces Recipe Service. While active dry yeast can be stored at room temperature, refrigeration extends its shelf life.

To use, the yeast must be re-hydrated in warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.), a process called blooming or proofing. After five minutes, the yeast solution is added with the other wet ingredients in the formula. The baker uses about 50 percent less active dry yeast by weight than fresh.

Instant yeast is also a dry granular form of yeast. Unlike active dry yeast, instant yeast doesn't have to be dissolved in warm water before use. The baker mixes it directly in the dry ingredients. Instant yeast is formulated to quickly absorb water and give off more carbon dioxide gas. The baker uses about 50 percent less instant yeast by weight than active dry. Instant yeast is also called rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast.

Conversion between forms of yeast

Active dry yeast leavened my career as a ship's cook and baker in the U.S. Navy. After using active dry yeast for most of my civilian career as well, I've switched over to instant yeast. It's easier to use and doesn't require blooming in warm water with a bit of sugar. I like it because you mix it directly in the dry ingredients.

With three yeast products on the market, the baker must first determine the type of yeast used in the recipe. A well written bakery formula will state the type of yeast used. Many cookbooks will explain the type of yeast used its recipes.

Convertion from one form of yeast to another requires a bit of math for the baker. Since many recipes call for active dry yeast, let's begin there. These instructions are based on weights and not volume measurement. I will explain my rationale behind the use of weights in baking in a future article.

Fleischmann's and Red Star both package dry yeast (active dry and instant) in strips of three (1/4-ounce) envelopes for the home market. Each envelope is equivalent to 2-1/4 teaspoons. I purchase Red Star's SAF brand instant yeast in 1-pound packages for home and work.

To convert from active dry yeast to instant, multiply the weight of active dry yeast by .70. A recipe that calls for .75 ounce of active yeast, for example, you'd make the following calculation:

.75 oz active dry yeast x .70 = .525 oz instant yeast

To convert from fresh yeast to active dry, multiply the weight of fresh yeast by .50. A recipe that calls for .75 ounce of fresh yeast, for example, you'd make the following calculation:

.75 oz fresh yeast x .50 = .375 oz active dry yeast

To convert from fresh yeast to instant, multiply the weight of fresh yeast by .35. A recipe that calls for .75 ounce of fresh yeast, for example, you'd make the following calculation:

.75 oz fresh yeast x .35 = .253 oz instant yeast

Modern digital scales will accommodate decimals to the hundredths. To make the reverse calculation, divide target yeast by the conversion factor. For example, the recipe calls for instant yeast. Since you have active dry yeast, you need to convert from instant yeast to active dry yeast. Make the calculation as follows:

.50 oz instant yeast / .70 = .71 oz active dry yeast

The Artisan website contains an useful yeast conversion table. Conversion factors on the chart appear to be close to mine.

For the home baker, I don't see any reason why you can't round the amount of yeast used to the nearest tenths or hundredths. Please leave a comment if you have questions regarding the use of yeast. I'll answer as soon as possible.

Note that newer recipes at 'Round the Chuckbox call for instant yeast. Older recipes, including those borrowed from the Armed Forces Recipe Service, use active dry yeast. Unless I decide to experiment with fresh yeast, my recipes will continue to use instant yeast.

Artisan no-knead bread recipe for camp

My premise for artisan no-knead bread in camp is simple. Mix the dough inside a food storage container at home one or two days before you head to the campground. Flavor builds as the yeast works in the refrigerator. Ignore the dough as you prepare for the trip.

Just before you leave the house, pack the dough inside securely the ice chest. Once in camp, bake a fresh load of artisan bread each night in a cast iron Dutch oven. With little effort or mess, this recipe will let you enjoy freshly baked bread on the table each night.

I suggest you read the instructions two or three times until you understand the recipe. Most effort on your part takes place at the beginning and the end of the process. The dough spends the majority of its time under refrigeration. This lets you focus on your enjoyment of the wilderness.

ARTISAN NO-KNEAD BREAD FOR CAMP

The recipe and instructions are adapted for camp from the Artisan Bread in Five website by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Franscios.

3 cups plus 3 tablespoons (26.6 ounces) warm water (80 degrees F) (baker's percent: 83%)
1 tablespoon (.35 ounce) instant yeast (1.1%)
4 teaspoons (.85 ounce) kosher salt (2.7%)
2 pounds bread flour (100%)

You will need a 5- to 6-quart food storage container with lid. I used an 8-quart Cambro brand square storage container for the test batch. While a 5- to 6-quart container will accommodate this recipe as it rises in the refrigerator, the larger size lets me multiply the recipe for larger groups. The smaller container will be adequate for most batches.

Mix the dough at home. Start this process at least 48 hours before you intend to bake your first loaf of bread in camp. For example, mix the water, yeast, salt and flour on Thursday evening so that you can bake it Saturday evening in camp. The dough needs a minimum of 48 hours to ferment and develop flavor. You can mix the dough up to a week in advance of the camping trip if desired. It'll just taste that much better in camp.

Dump the water, yeast and salt into the storage container. Dump in the flour and stir with a long handled wooden spoon. The dough will be wet. Loosely place the lid on the container. Do not snap it shut as you want gasses to escape during the long fermentation.

Let the dough sit at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough should rise to the 4-quart mark (or a little beyond) on your container. Place the container in your refrigerator. The yeast will continue to work in the cold environment.

Pack for camp. Remove the container of dough from your home refrigerator and set it inside your cooler. Make sure it sets on the floor of the cooler to lessen the chance of spilling. If necessary, snap the lid closed for the trip. Unsnap the lid when you arrive in camp.

Bake bread in camp. Begin the process of baking a loaf of bread three or more hours in advance of the meal. The dough will take 1 to 2 hours to rise before you bake it in a 10- or 12-inch Dutch oven. Proofing time is dependent on ambient temperature, altitude and wind chill factor at the camp site.

Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour. This will make it easier to pull off a piece of dough. Pull a piece of dough out, cut with kitchen shears and form into a ball. The dough ball should equal 1/2 or 1/3 of the total dough (14 to 29 ounces). This batch will give you 2 or 3 loaves. Return the remaining dough to the cooler.

Set the dough on a piece of parchment paper. This will make easier to set the dough inside the Dutch oven. Otherwise, rest the dough on a cutting board or pizza peel dusted with cornmeal. Rest the dough for 60 to 120 minutes.

I prefer to proof the dough until it feels like a soft pillow. It should jiggle when touched. You will notice that the dough won't spring up like a standard loaf of bread. The dough will spread, however. With experience, you'll learn the optimum time to bake the loaf. The longer rise gives the bread its characteristic open crumb texture. Cut the loaf with 1/4-inch slashes using a serrated knife or razor blade.

Light a chimney of charcoal briquettes around 30 to 45 minutes before you bake the bread. When the coals are ready, pre-heat a 12-inch Dutch oven for 10 to 15 minutes with coals for 450 degrees (11 under the oven and 22 on the lid).

Remove the lid and carefully set the dough inside the Dutch oven. Replace the lid on the oven. Bake the bread 30 to 35 minutes or until a deep brown color develops. Remove the parchment paper after 20 minutes. Continue baking until the bread is done. Cool the bread before slicing.

This batch will yield 2 or 3 loaves of wonderful bread. Keep the remaining dough in the ice chest. Bake one or more loves for subsequent meals. you can certainly bake two or more loves at once with additional Dutch ovens.

No-knead bread

I baked two loaves of no-knead bread on Saturday afternoon. Click for the recipe. Though both loaves came from the dough that I started on Thursday, I baked one indoors and the other outside. The sliced loaf was baked in a 12-inch deep-style Dutch oven with coals for 450 degrees. I set the other loaf inside a deep fry skillet with a lid and placed it inside my oven at 450 degrees. The lid came off after 20 minutes.


The bread had a wonderful flavor, one that was reminiscent of sourdough. The long ferment (48 hours under refrigeration) helps boost its flavor. I should note that while this method is not a replacement for true sourdough, it does yield a descent loaf of bread.



Artisan bread in camp

After reading an article at the Camp-Cook.com forum this week, I was inspired to bake a batch of no-knead bread. As one who's invested in the traditional view of kneading dough, I've avoided no-knead bread until now. I studied the picture with interest. The rustic crust appeared typical of artisan bread. The open crumb, complete with large holes, impressed me. And the bread was baked in a Dutch oven, a definite benefit for 'Round the Chuckbox.

An Internet search led me to Michael Rhulman's story of his conversion to no-knead bread. I followed a link to Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, the popular website operated by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francios. Once I located the page titled, "Back to Basics ~ tips and techniques to create a great loaf in 5 minutes a day," I quickly saw potential for great bread in camp.

As I see it, you'd mix the master recipe for artisan bread at home, then place the large container of dough inside the refrigerator. Next pack the dough into the ice chest. Once in camp, you bake a fresh load of artisan bread each night in a cast iron Dutch oven. With little effort or mess, you'll have fresh bread on the table each night.

I will post the results over the weekend. The batch that I mixed this morning is fermenting in the refrigerator until Saturday. My main interest is to see how the bread behaves inside the Dutch oven. Since I've baked a lot of bread in Dutch ovens, I'm confident of success.


To prepare the dough, I mixed 32 ounces bread flour, nearly 27 ounces warm water, 1 tablespoon instant yeast and 4 teaspoons kosher salt inside an eight-quart Cambro container. I plan to take the bread to a soup and bread potluck on Sunday afternoon at a friend's house.



After a two-hour ferment on the counter, the dough doubled in size, from approximately two to four quarts. It will ferment in the refrigerator for 48 hours before I bake four or five loaves in a 14-inch deep-style Dutch oven. With only four ingredients (flour, water, yeast and salt), the long ferment dramatically improves the flavor of the loaf.



Parmesan garlic dinner rolls for camp

Here's my recipe for Parmesan garlic dinner rolls. I baked the bread inside a 14-inch camp-style Dutch oven. This is a good recipe for camp when you have a crowd to feed.


I placed 15 rolls in the outside ring, 8 in the middle ring and 2 in the center. In cold weather, I set 2 to 4 coals on the lid to assist in proofing.

PARMESAN GARLIC DINNER ROLLS IN 14-INCH DUTCH OVEN

I encourage you to invest in a digital scale if you are a frequent baker at home. I purchased one for $35 years ago and use it for work and home. Please leave a comment if you prefer volume measurements.

20 ounces bread flour (Baker's percent: 80%)
5 ounces whole wheat flour (20%)
1-1/2 ounces (6%)
1/2 ounce instant yeast (2%)
1/2 ounce salt (2%)
1 ounce garlic, minced (4%)
2-1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (4%)
1/2 ounce parsley, chopped (2%)
4 ounces egg (about 3 meduim) (16%)
2 ounces olive oil (8%)
14 to 15 ounces warm water (65%)

In a large bowl, mix flours, yeast, sugar, salt, garlic, cheese and parsley. Mix eggs with oil, then whisk in water. Add wet ingredients to dry and hydrate flour. Cover and rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Knead dough 40-50 strokes by hand. Rest 5 to 15 minutes. Knead second time 20-25 strokes, but more gently. Let dough rise, covered, in a warm place until double, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Deflate dough and fold. Relax dough 15 to 20 minutes. Divide dough into 2 ounce pieces. Shape into balls and place in greased 14-inch Dutch oven. About in a warm place about 30 minutes or until double in size. Bake with coals for 350 degrees until done, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and serve. Makes 25 dinner rolls.

Yeast raised hotcakes for camp

This recipe looks forward to spring and summer when campers head outdoors. It began as another blog post, one prepared in my home kitchen. As I mixed the batter last night, my thoughts carried me to our camp kitchen at Upper Blue Lake last September. Why not offer the recipe for the camp kitchen?

"Yeasted pancakes ... have a bubbly texture and a clean, slightly earthy (from the cinnamon) flavor that I can't resist," promises Daniel Leader. "It is easy to make this batter just before bedtime, so that it is ready for the griddle when you are the next morning." He wrote Simply Great Breads: Sweet and Savory Yeasted Treats from America's Premier Artisan Baker (The Tauton Press: Newtown, Conn., 2011) with Lauren Chattman.

Other than to slightly adjust the quantity of the flour and modify the instructions, the recipe remains true to Leader's original. Even though I tested the recipe for yeast raised hotcakes at home, it can be quickly assembled in camp.

 

Mix the dry ingredients in a zipper top bag, expel excess air and you're ready to travel. The only other task is to make sure you pack buttermilk, honey, butter, eggs and vanilla. While you can measure precise quantities for the wet ingredients, I pack them in their original containers so they can used for other dishes.

As Leader explains, mix the dry and wet ingredients (except eggs and vanilla) on the evening before your hotcake feast. After "kneading" with a wire whisk, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set inside the cooler. The yeast will work through the night, giving the batter a sour edge. 

Light the campfire first thing in the morning. As the campfire burns, mix the eggs and vanilla into the batter and set aside. Cook the hotcakes on the griddle when the fire is ready. Have the butter and hot syrup ready so your hungry campers can begin eating as each hotcake comes off the griddle.



Oat hotcakes on the griddle last September at Upper Blue Lake Campground in Eldorado National Forest.

YEAST RAISED HOTCAKES

While I haven't tested the recipe for larger groups, I see no reason why doubling it won't give you the same wonderful results.

Dry ingredients (mix at home):

12 ounces all-purpose flour (2-1/2 cups)
2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet ingredients (prepare in camp):
1-3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

At home. Measure or weigh flour, yeast, salt and cinnamon in to a zipper top bag or other container. Pack the buttermilk, honey, butter, eggs and vanilla.

In camp, during the evening before breakfast. Pour dry ingredients into a bowl. Stir in buttermilk, honey and butter. Slowly whisk to moisten

ingredients. Continue whisking for about two minutes until batter is smooth, about 250 strokes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the cooler overnight, taking care so it doesn't spill.

In camp, on the day of breakfast. Light a campfire and burn until you have a bed of hot coals. When coals are ready, spread under a lightly greased cast iron skillet or griddle and heat just until it smokes. (Hotcakes can be cooked over a campstove if desired.)

Stir eggs and vanilla into batter. For each hotcake, pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot greased griddle or skillet. Turn when the surface of each hotcake is bubbly and edges are slightly dry. Cook until golden brown.

Serve immediately. Dish hotcakes directly onto the plates of hungry campers. Serve with butter and brown sugar syrup (recipe follows). Makes 15 to 16 hotcakes.

BROWN SUGAR SYRUP

Some things are just too easy to make at home, including hotcakes and brown sugar syrup. I figure, why buy the bottled stuff when you can easily produce quality syrup at home.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugars, corn syrup and water to a boil. Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer until thickened to a syrupy consistency, about 30 minutes. Stir in butter. Let cool slightly. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.