Chef Mik's Old Fashioned Milk Bread

Today I am baking some nice old fashioned “Milk Bread” which had its hay day back around the turn of the last century. Fundamentally this is a simple bread to bake, close to French bread save for the fact that one employs milk instead of water. Not quite pan du mie which requires a starter but still great sandwich bread nevertheless. Many people to this day use it quite regularly in that regard. As for myself, I don’t typically buy bread out here in L.A. as good bread is hard to find. Not to mention I had a bakery myself for a number of years (for those of you familiar with it don’t worry, I still do only we don’t have the store front café any longer) so if I want a sandwich or a dinner roll for my meal, I just bake it myself, for the record when we bake these for work we do so a bit differently but this recipe and method work perfectly well, a great bread!!

Shopping List

Milk

Flour

Yeast, fresh or instant

Sugar

Salt

My Mad Method

Ready to serve!

Begin by combining your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: 8-9dl flour, 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 2tsp instant yeast

 Mix to incorporate

 To this add 3dl milk 1/3 at a time

Mix to a nice smooth dough

Transfer to a well greased bowl, cover with a cloth and proof for 45-50 minutes, punch down the dough, cover proof again for an additional 45-50 minute

When the dough is ready it will be nice and smooth about double in size and feels lighter

  Work the dough, portion and transfer to a well greased mold, and proof for an additional 45-50 minutes (under a cloth). These have already been proofed. I have divided the dough for my form in two for a nice presentation when baked

Brush the top of the dough with an egg wash with just a touch of milk added. Bake in a preheated 200c oven for 1 hour or until it sounds hollow if taped and has good color. I have scored the bread

Here is a roll I made with the additional dough which I coated in black and white sesame seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chef Mik's Swedish Style Pizza Salad

Swedish Pizza Salad

I have always been of the mind that if coleslaw and sauerkraut got together and had a baby it would be named pizza salad. That said it does rather resemble Israeli egg less coleslaw among countless others found in that part of the world. So I suppose it’s not all that surprising to consider as pizzerias began to sprout up around the Sweden, and people from that region began to migrate up to Sweden to work them, this particular salad also started to pop up around the country. In the end while it may not really be truly Swedish per se, nevertheless it has become a staple which can be found at any pizzeria one stumbles into anywhere in the land! More over it’s super simple to make and well worth the effort. Personally I have been making this salad myself sense the late 80s, and have enjoyed it still longer then that.  One more thing I will confess is this recipe is based on the one in my school cook book, which I went on line and compared to a couple others and they were practically identical so there you go…

Shopping List

White or green Cabbage

Pimentos + juice

Distilled vinegar or better still ättiksprit

Sugar

Canola or extra virgin olive oil

Oregano, dried is the norm but I have chosen fresh

Salt

Cracked black pepper

My Mad Method

Ready to eat!!

Shown here with pizza bread (rolls made of pizza dough) 

Choose a nice cabbage devoid of blemishes and firmly packed

Portion it into 8 equal sections

Finely shred the cabbage and transfer it to a mixing bowl

Dressing ½ dl distilled vinegar, ¼ dl sugar, ½ dl oil, 2 ts pimento juice, 1 ts oregano, salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside

Combine one 113g jar pimentos and dressing to the cabbage mix well

Weight down the salad to help break down the cabbage helping it release its juice, store in the refrigerator over night

One day later ready to serve!!

   

 

 

 

Cranberry Orange Muffins

These are some of my favorite type of muffins and one of my favorite flavor profile combinations for any baked good in this category!

Some tips for baking a good muffin would be first and foremost don’t use flour with too high a protein percentage such as bread flour. Try whole grain pastry flour, there are several that are produced by employee owned companies. Another alternative is a combination of unbleached AP flour and cake flour.

Sometimes when baking with a dairy product such as milk I also like to add crème fraîche, a thick curd, kefir or yogurt and this time is no exception so I am using Greek yogurt but they are not deal breakers just personal preference is all.

Another thing I like to do sometimes depending on the muffin is top them with a nice streusel, here’s the recipe for the one I used here but again if you don’t want to add it, not a deal breaker.

Streusel: 1 part sugar, 1 part butter, 2 parts flour, cinnamon to taste, chopped nuts optional, using food processor quickly pulse together butter and sugar, add flour and cinnamon pulse together, add nuts if using any

Shopping List

Granulated sugar

Brown Sugar

Butter

Eggs

Vanilla

Oranges

All Purpose Flour (AP Flour)

Cake Flour

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Walnuts

Cranberries

My Mad Method

Cream together 115g butter together with 1 dl white bakers sugar, plus 1 to 2 TBSP brown sugar

Add 1 egg, and mix to combine

Add 1 tsp vanilla

Add 3 dl whole milk, and 1 TBSP yogurt

Add 6 dl AP flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking Soda, 1/4-1/2 tsp salt sifted together, mix but be careful not to over work the flour

Fold in 1 dl each: dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts, scant 1 TBSP orange peal, and 1-2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice

  Scoop the muffin batter into lined muffin tins, bake for circa 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean, in a 200c preheated oven. 

Ready to serve!

 

 

 

 

Chef Mik's Brownies

Brownies have been around for over a hundred years now and are a true American treat, first created in Chicago but made their way from coast to coast faster then it takes to bake them! If your kid is failing in school these are all the incentive they'll need to turn those grades around... At least they were for me...

While recipes may very, for me at its core is good quality semi sweet chocolate and unsalted butter. As for nuts I love walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts in my brownies but any nut is fine or none at all

so easy and so yummy!!

Shopping List

Semi sweet chocolate bars or chips

Unsweetened butter

Coco

Coffee, optional

Sugar, (you can blend sugars if desired)

Eggs

Vanilla

Flour

Salt

Nuts, optional

My Mad Method

Working over a water bath melt 150g chocolate and 120g butter, stirring while doing so, when melted half way through, remove from heat and finish mixing until smooth

 Add 2-3 TBS coco powder; you may also add 2-3 TBS coffee or espresso if desired

Add 200g sugar, mix to combine 

Add 3 eggs (I like to beet mine first before adding them), and 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add a pinch of salt and 100g white flour, sifted (its ok if you don't sift it)

If using nuts fold them in now, you may also use chocolate, white chocolate or other chips

Pore into greased sheet pans or cupcake pans 

Bake in a 175c preheated oven until a toothpick comes out slightly sticky

  I am topping my brownies with a chocolate ganache which will firm up when chilled 

Serve at room temperature or chilled, ready to eat!!!

 

 

 

 

 

   

Chef Mik's Pan-Fried Pork Loin

Today I preparing a pan-fried pork sirloin which comes from the front end of the beast but the loin or tenderloin also work well for this dish. I will be using a spice rub as my key flavoring agent and wetting it with olive oil. I love pork in general while some might not eat it do to religious restrictions which I respect and would suggest substituting chicken, I have to say that part of me that harks back to the Viking era comes out every time I eat it! As a people we have been eating pork products as far back as civilization can recall, spices and sauces came along not just as a means to season the meat but to hide the flavor of spoiling flesh do to pore preservation techniques that were pervasive before refrigeration, the most common and oldest of all techniques is undoubtedly air drying which we still employ to this day other means of preservation include salting, smoking, preserving in oil or fats and so on. The cooking of meats and other foods is one of the most widely used ways to extend the shelf life of the product. But I digress as for this recipe it’s a great one and my favorite part super easy!

Shopping List

Pork loin, sirloin or tenderloin

Olive or canola oil

Cumin

Granulated garlic

Paprika

Smoked paprika

Cayenne pepper

Chipotle chili powder

Ancho chili powder

Brown sugar

Kosher salt

Black pepper, try smoking the pepper wrap it in foil and toss it in the next time you use the BBQ

My Mad Method

Spice mix: 1 TBSP each brown sugar, granulated garlic, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, 1 tsp each chipotle chili, and ancho chili, to taste cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt

Portion the meat and clean it well, but leave a little trim for cooking purposes

Cover with the spice mix

 Add enough oil to coast about a ½ dl, mix to combine well, let rest at least 2 hours or over night in the refrigerator 

 In a hot iron skillet add a little oil heat to just smoking, add the meat presentation side down (make sure it is room temperature before hand)

When browned flip the meat and place in a 175c preheated oven for about 7 minutes or until the meat is cooked through (77c recommended by board of health)

Ready to eat!!

Shown here with grilled asparagus, rice pilaf, and a homemade apricot – jalapeño chutney