The Cheese Board (28 page)
Authors: Cheese Board Collective Staff
We used to make the Suburban Bread in a little tin pie plate. I think that then everyone wanted to be an artisan baker. There was no science. Then it was touch, feel, and pray: “Maybe magic will be in the air tonight.”
—D. W.
The perfect Suburban dough is not too wet, not too dry. It gets a good, long rise, so it’s light. If the dough is too wet, the breads slump and the slashes aren’t as definite. If it’s too dry, the slashes are beautiful but it’s not that nice to eat. It should be baked dark enough so that the crust holds its crunchiness for a while. When you take the bread out of the oven, it should have a mahogany look and be upright in shape.
—MARTHA
For Suburban Bread, I like to make a two-circle slash, like a bull’s-eye. I make a small circle and then a larger one around the outside. It can take two movements for each circle. I always use a fresh razor blade. The drier the dough, the more beautiful the slash. You can flour the razor if it’s a wet dough.
—ERIN
Cheese Rolls
The optimal time to eat a cheese roll is hot from the oven. There are customers so determined to get the hottest cheese roll that they time their shopping to coincide with the baking schedule. The rolls are a favorite of neighborhood kids and anyone else who loves a rich, flavorful snack.
MAKES 12 TO 14 ROLLS
Preparation time including rising and baking: 9 hours (unless rising overnight); active time: 45 minutes
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
1 recipe
Suburban Bread
dough, prepared through the first rise
Suburban Bread
dough, prepared through the first rise
Combine the cheeses in a medium bowl.
Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes. Begin to gently flatten and pull the dough into a rectangular shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 by 18-inch rectangle. Evenly distribute the cheese over the entire surface of the dough. Roll the rectangle up
jelly roll
–style. (If cheese slips out from the roll, simply stuff it back in.) With a knife, cut into 1½-inch-thick slices. Place the rolls onto the prepared pan; it’s fine if they touch each other. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for at least 3 hours, or until increased in size by one-half and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
jelly roll
–style. (If cheese slips out from the roll, simply stuff it back in.) With a knife, cut into 1½-inch-thick slices. Place the rolls onto the prepared pan; it’s fine if they touch each other. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for at least 3 hours, or until increased in size by one-half and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
Fifteen minutes before the cheese rolls are finished rising, remove all but the middle rack from the oven. Place a metal roasting pan on the floor of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Pour ½ cup cold water into a measuring cup and add enough ice cubes to bring the volume to 1 cup. Using a spray bottle, heavily mist the rolls with water. Working quickly so that you don’t lose too much heat, place the baking sheet in the oven and pour the ice water into the roasting pan. Immediately close the oven door to maintain a steamy environment.
Bake for 5 minutes, then prepare another round of ice water and repeat the process. Bake for 15 minutes longer, then rotate the baking sheet front to back. Bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, for a total baking time of 35 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is a rich brown and the cheese is hot and bubbly. Using the spray bottle, mist the rolls. Close the oven door and bake for 1 more minute. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the rolls cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.
The best thing about working at the Cheese Board was a sense of family, a connected community. I liked how people came together in a crisis and to celebrate happy events.
—GIORGIA NEIDORF
Even people who don’t know we are a cooperative say, “Something seems different here.”
—LYNN
MONDRAGÓN, SPAIN
I was on the NOBAWC (pronounced “no boss”) Committee (a group made up of representatives from most of the collectively run businesses in the Bay Area), and a woman came to a meeting and passed out flyers. She wanted us to go to Mondragón, in Spain, to check out the cooperatives there. I said that I’d pass the flyers out at the Cheese Board and see if anyone wanted to go. Then Julia pushed
me
to go. I didn’t think that I could get away with going. It cost two thousand bucks or something, and I would need to take a week off of work. So, on the off chance, I posted it up, and people voted yes, and off I went!
me
to go. I didn’t think that I could get away with going. It cost two thousand bucks or something, and I would need to take a week off of work. So, on the off chance, I posted it up, and people voted yes, and off I went!
It was great. We went to Mondragón, which is a little community in the Basque country filled with cooperatives, where Arizmendi started his cooperative thing. I met a lot of great people through the seminars and workshops.
I just couldn’t believe life was that good there—too good to be true. So I started walking around on the streets, asking people what they thought about the cooperatives. I went in the bars and asked people, and they said, “Well, if you work for a cooperative here, you’ve got it made for life. Everyone is trying to get into a cooperative.” It was a great experience. The people were beautiful.
I’m used to walking down the street in the United States and having old ladies grabbing onto their purse or crossing to the other side of the street to try to avoid me. In Mondragón, I was walking down the street at 3
A.M.
one morning on the way back to my hotel. There was an old woman walking on the street coming toward me in the rain. There was no one on the streets, just her and me. I thought, “Ooh, here we go … she’s going to grab her purse or cross the street.” But she walked
right
up to me and asked me did I need help, was I lost? Because I didn’t look like I was from around there! Wow, I just could not believe it.
A.M.
one morning on the way back to my hotel. There was an old woman walking on the street coming toward me in the rain. There was no one on the streets, just her and me. I thought, “Ooh, here we go … she’s going to grab her purse or cross the street.” But she walked
right
up to me and asked me did I need help, was I lost? Because I didn’t look like I was from around there! Wow, I just could not believe it.
—Guillermo
Wolverines
We are always asked about how this crusty little bread got its name. The fact is, it’s not always easy to think up a new name for a bread as it comes out of the oven (but this is usually when the name sticks). A forward-thinking Cheese Boarder had been hoarding a name for the next new product, and as the first tray of these rolls was pulled out of the oven, she blurted out, “Now,
these
are Wolverines!” As no one else had an idea of what to call them, they were duly labeled and put out on the shelf.
these
are Wolverines!” As no one else had an idea of what to call them, they were duly labeled and put out on the shelf.
Wolverines were first created when we were training the Arizmendi cooperative members in our bakery many years ago. Inspired by the many Bay Area sourdoughs that include nuts and dried fruits, we chose sweet cherries, golden raisins, and tangy apricots, mellowed by the buttery crunch of pecans, to contrast with the sourness of the dough. Spread with fresh Ricotta cheese and jam, these small rolls are great for breakfast.
MAKES 12 ROLLS
Preparation time including rising and baking: 9 hours (unless rising overnight); active time: 45 minutes
1 recipe
Suburban Bread
dough, prepared through the kneading stage
Suburban Bread
dough, prepared through the kneading stage
¼ cup diced dried apricots
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried sweet cherries
½ cup golden raisins
Flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Add the apricots, pecans, cherries, and raisins and knead for 2 minutes, or until the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for at least 5 hours, or until increased in size by one-half.
Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 12 pieces. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Shape the pieces into
small rounds
, creating a taut skin on the surface. Place the rolls on the prepared pan and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 3 hours, or until increased in size by one-third and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
small rounds
, creating a taut skin on the surface. Place the rolls on the prepared pan and cover with a floured kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 3 hours, or until increased in size by one-third and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
At least 15 minutes before the rolls have finished rising, remove all but the middle rack from the oven and place a metal roasting pan on the oven floor. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Pour ½ cup cold water into a measuring cup and add enough ice cubes to bring the volume to 1 cup. Using a spray bottle, heavily mist the rolls with water. Working quickly so that you don’t lose too much heat, place the baking sheet in the oven and pour the ice water into the roasting pan. Immediately close the oven door to maintain a steamy environment.
Bake for 5 minutes, then prepare another round of ice water and repeat the process. Bake for 15 minutes longer, then rotate the baking sheet front to back. Bake 15 to 20 more minutes, for a total baking time of 35 to 40 minutes, or until the rolls are deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Using the spray bottle, mist the rolls. Close the oven door and bake for 1 more minute. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.
Once I forgot to put salt in the dough. That’s called a “doughsaster.”
—ARTHUR
DID I ADD THE SALT?
You would think that making bread is simple. In its most basic form, the only ingredients are flour, water, salt, and starter or yeast. It is the way these ingredients are combined, how long they are kneaded, and how long they rise that produce a great bread. But the most important thing is to remember to add
all
of the ingredients. There have been awful moments when the mixer is filled with 200 pounds of flour, 120 pounds of water, and 6 buckets of starter. I’ve set the mixer to knead and everything looks fine for about eight minutes. Then the fear creeps over me: Did I add the salt? I look at the dough. It is a sticky mess: no salt. Can I save the dough? If I realize the problem soon enough, dissolving the salt in some water and adding it to the dough and praying may work. Otherwise, I will have to throw the whole thing out (not an easy task) and start all over again.
all
of the ingredients. There have been awful moments when the mixer is filled with 200 pounds of flour, 120 pounds of water, and 6 buckets of starter. I’ve set the mixer to knead and everything looks fine for about eight minutes. Then the fear creeps over me: Did I add the salt? I look at the dough. It is a sticky mess: no salt. Can I save the dough? If I realize the problem soon enough, dissolving the salt in some water and adding it to the dough and praying may work. Otherwise, I will have to throw the whole thing out (not an easy task) and start all over again.
On Friday mornings when I’m the dough maker, I try to be very methodical about my procedures. I like to proof the yeast in the same see-through container, and I combine the ingredients in the same order. I check the progress of the dough midway through the kneading time, and finally I taste the dough to make sure all the ingredients have been included.
I offer this as advice from someone who learned the hard way. And still the salt mocks me.
—Cathy
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