Hey BakeHouse . . . what's for lunch!

If only I could post Aroma Blogs . . . now THAT would be amazing! Wednesday morning I roasted the Pork Loin made German Potato Salad and cooked up the Sauerkraut. The aroma reminded me of being at my Aunt Elsie and Uncle Paul's house as a kid. Even though we're Hungarian, many of these basic recipes are common throughout Europe. I've decided to include them at the end of this blog in case you wish to create your own amazing lunch :) I do know that you can purchase Vollkornbrot at any fine grocer, and on the East Coast you can get loaves at ShopRite and also Aldi. Aldi being my first choice since they are a German Grocery Chain and import the bread from Germany:) I wish there were an Aldi here in Las Cruces!

Cutting the very first slice of Vollkornbrot was like opening my very first gift on Christmas morning - the one with the biggest bow of course.

The crumb was dense and just moist enough. The loaf weighs 3 1/4lbs!

I did end up making a second loaf on Thursday since it was obvious the first loaf was going to disappear by the end of the week.

It's so dense that it's very easy to slice it very thin with a bread knife.

And then I assembled my sandwich . . .

Sliced Vollkornbrot, a slather (my Grandmother always used this word) of German Mustard, Havarti Cheese,
Sauerkraut (just warm enough to soften the cheese) and sliced Pork Loin.
To balance out my meal, I added 4 fresh figs from our fig tree (these are Celeste Figs) and
finished it off with a serving of German Potato Salad.

I filled my glass with Peach Ice Tea and headed out to our little dining sanctuary  . . .

Located right outside the BakeHouse Oven building

I closed my eyes and took my first bite and  . . . . .visions of Nienburg danced in my head . . . opps, there it goes again, what is the deal . . . . . . anyway, THIS my friends is what fuels my passion for the breads I bake. I love the way food can literally transport you to some wonderful place and for a moment, even if only a brief moment, you take a deep breath, and as you savor the food, you let out a long breath and all the troubles and stresses of the day just melt away . . . 

Ich werde nach Nienburg Deutschland gehen, um zu lernen, wie man authentische Roggenbrot zu machen.

Wait - what the heck is going on with this blog?

Stay tuned friends, stay tuned :)

RECIPES: 

Sauerkraut is my own concoction:

1 15oz can of Sauerkraut - rinsed and drained really well.

1 medium Red Onion - or white Onion - the Red makes it sweeter

1 large clove of Garlic minced

2 TBSP Butter and 1 TBSP Olive Oil

1/2 Cup of dry white wine

Melt the butter with the Olive Oil and sautée the onions until they are softened.

Add the minced Garlic and stir in the pot for a few minutes with the onions. Don't let the Garlic brown.

Add white wine and then the Sauerkraut. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

Put on very low heat and cook for about an hour or more. You'll need to add little amounts of water along the way so that the mix doesn't burn. The goal here is to cook it on low heat for a long time to soften the sauerkraut. A crock pot would do the trick too, just make a larger amount unless you have one of those mini crock pots!

A few of my favorite things . . . .

I get the same question almost every Saturday when BakeHouse is at the market, "which bread is your favorite?"

It's one of the questions that I sometimes find hard to give a straight answer to. So basically I share that it depends on the rest of the meal. I know, it's a rather vague answer, but it does allow me to ask a question back, "what are you thinking of serving with your bread?".

We sure love to talk about what we like to eat don't we! I enjoy how excited our customers get when they plan a meal around one of our loaves of bread. When they arrive at the market to make their purchase, we get to hear all about it. And this time of year, they usually have their tote bags and arms filled with amazing fresh produce to go along with their menu!

Today was my day off and I had fun making my favorite bread, Vollkornbrot. We don't currently make this bread to sell at the market, so it's a real treat. This bread is 100% Sourdough Rye. It's very dense, dark and extremely aromatic. And now that it's baked, I have to wait two more days before I can slice into it! It's pure torture, but worth the wait. After it cools I'll wrap it in a linen and put it aside to let it continue to mature and develop layers of flavor, almost like a fine wine.

I'm going to roast a small pork loin, purchase some Havarti and German Mustard, and on Thursday I'm going to make my sandwich, close my eyes and take that first bite and find myself transported to Nienburg Germany in March 2015 . . . ohhhh yum. Opps! Wait, what did I just say?

Vollkronbrot is 100% Rye. Rye sour; Rye Chops & Rye Meal.
Sunflower Seeds are traditionally added.

The dough is very dense and sticky!

It proofs up in the pan for about an hour before it goes into the oven.

Total bake time, one hour and fifteen minutes.

I'll revisit this post on Thursday when I'm making my sandwich . . . maybe post a picture of my sandwich . . . . that's sorta cruel isn't it?

What is the deal with this blog . . . these photos, they keep popping up?

All I can say is stay tuned my friends, stay tuned :) Thoughtfully ~ Kath