Shital's-Kitchen: Green House Sandwich on Crusty Bread

Baking is fascinating!! It is science of a tiny living microorganism. Understanding this tiny creature and understanding the basic ingredients can help you create wonders in the kitchen. Yeast has been my best friend since few years now. We have been best buddies...I have given what it needs and it has given me delicious and beautiful end results. I hope our love and affection stays like this always!! :)

Outside the kitchen I like to grow veggies...fresh, tender, juicy, organic, I mean it is just amazing to see the little seed sprout and grow into a beautiful nutritious leaf. Now that we have a green house, I can keep my sprouting seeds protected from snails and slugs and harsh climatic conditions. I started growing fresh salad greens and herbs in containers...spinach, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, basil, green garlic, jalapeno.

Few days back I came across King Arthur Flour video on crusty bread and I learnt that the bread is made crusty by creating steam inside the oven while it bakes. So with my regular pav bread recipe I had to try this out :) It was just amazing, out of the world experience, the aroma of fresh bread was everywhere in the house. With so easy recipe, I am sure I am never going to buy crusty bread from the store anymore. The sandwich was made with homemade bread, homegrown greens, sprouts, loquat fruit from my backyard.

Recipe for Crusty Bread
Ingredients

1+1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. sugar
1 pack yeast
3 cups all purpose flour/maida
Extra flour for kneading the dough
1 tsp. Salt
Grilled garlic, Grilled Jalapeno, grates Parmesan cheese.

Start with 1 1/4 cup warm water (100F) in a large bowl. Add 1 packet Yeast, (2 1/4 tsp.) and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
1 tsp. salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
Mix together to make a sticky dough.
Lightly dust your clean counter. Empty the dough and knead it for 8-10 minutes. This is the most important stage to develop gluten, and make the dough elastic. It is okay to use around 1/4 cup flour while kneading (if needed).
Keep the dough in a greased large bowl. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
Knead the dough again for 7-8 minutes.
Divide into 5 parts. Stuff with your favorite stuffing and make a log of dough. You could use a baking tray or a pizza stone to bake the bread. If using baking tray, grease and dust the tray and place the log of dough in it. Dist it well on the top. Cover with a dry napkin or cloth and let it rise for 45 minutes. If baking on a pizza stone, preheat the pizza stone too. Make a log of dough on a plastic mat from where it can easily be transferred to the pizza ston in the oven.
Place a big metal pan in the oven under the baking pan.
Preheat oven to 450F
When dough is about to go into the oven for baking, use a sharpe knife, angle it and lightly and quickly make 3-4 cuts in the dough. transfer the dough on the baking stone inside the preheated oven.
Pour 4 cups of hot water into the metal pan that was placed under the baking shelf. be careful as the metal pan is hot and might create bubbling and steam.
Immediately close the oven door.
Bake the bread for 40 to 50 minutes or till you get a beautiful even color and crust. Baking time may vary depending on the amount of dough and shape of the bread.
Remove bread on a wire rack and let it cool.
Enjoy with garlic infused olive oil or in sandwiches.

Caramelized onions and Loquat Relish
Heat 1 tbsp. oil and add 1/2 cup of sliced onions. Saute till they brown well. Add chopped loquats or any fruit or your choice like orange or pineapple or pears. Add 1 tsp sugar and let the mixture cook well and fruit get soft. this will be a sweet and sour relish to spread in the sandwich.

Garlic, Cilantro, Basil Chutney
Blend 1/2 cup cilantro, few basil leaves, 2-3 green garlic, 1 Jalapeno, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. lime juice. Add water if needed to make a smooth paste.

Here are step-by-step pictures.

Parmesan bread.

Roasted garlic and Jalapeno bread.

Pour water into the metal pan.

Baked crusty bread ready!

Baby Spinach

Arugula

Lettuce

Alpha Alpha Sprouts

Soak 2 tbsp. alpha alpha seeds in 1/2 cup of water for 6-7 hours or overnight. Remove water and spread the seeds in a sieve or a seed sprouter. Seed sprouter in just a perforated box for air circulation. A sieve works the same way. cover it from the top. rinse the seeds or sprouts at least once everyday. That would give them water to sprout. The seeds sprout in a day and it takes 4-5 days for sprouts to grow long and delicious.