The Cheese Board (5 page)

A baking stone is a slab of heat-resistant ceramic that allows you to create artisanal-style breads and pizzas in your home oven by mimicking the effect of a wood-fired brick oven. At the Cheese Board, we finish baking focaccias and pizzas by placing them directly on the stone for the final minutes of the bake, which results in a crisp bottom crust. A baking stone is also useful when baking certain sourdough breads at home, either for the entire bake or, as we prefer, for just the final minutes.

If you choose to use a baking stone, remember that you will need to preheat your oven 45 minutes in advance rather than the usual 15; the oven will not reach the desired temperature otherwise. Transfer focaccias and breads from the baking sheet to the stone 5 minutes before the end of the bake, at which point your baked good should be firm and starting to color. Using a metal spatula and an oven mitt, loosen the bread gently and lift or slide it off the sheet onto the stone to crisp the bottom crust. Pizzas are more delicate and therefore should be baked on an inverted sheet so that they can be loosened with a metal spatula and easily slid off the baking sheet directly onto the stone.

Of the many types of cheese
graters, the most essential one is the four-sided box grater with different sizes and shapes of rasps. It is also nice to have a handheld grater that can be used at the table for grating cheese over salads, soups, and pasta.

This special two-part pot is used for
melting chocolate slowly over hot water. To
melt chocolate
in a double boiler, add 3 inches of water to the bottom pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (One can improvise a double boiler by putting a stainless steel or glass bowl on top of a saucepan. The bowl should fit into the pan snugly and not drop too far down into the pan.) Turn the heat down to low. Add the chopped chocolate to the top compartment and warm until the chocolate is just melted, stirring it
occasionally and taking care not to overheat it. Do not place a lid on top of the melting chocolate or splash water into it as this will cause it to
bloom
—white splotches form on the chocolate, and although these don’t mar the flavor, they affect the look of the finished product.

Over the years we have become more conscious of the importance of consistency, and we now use a
scale
and standard measuring equipment. The home baker should have on hand both liquid and dry measuring cups, as well as a set of good-quality measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups are spouted, graduated cups that come in 1-, 2-, and 4-cup sizes; it is useful to have more than one size. Dry measuring cups are nested in ⅛- to 1-cup sizes.

At the Cheese Board, we make our doughs in an industrial spiral mixer with a hydraulic lift that dumps the dough into waiting twenty-gallon buckets. We also have a 140-quart Hobart mixer that is more versatile. We use this mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, to make our scones, muffins, and cheese spreads; we use the dough hook attachment to knead smaller batches of bread. A home KitchenAid stand mixer is a miniature replica of the Hobart. Though all of our recipes can be made by hand, a KitchenAid mixer is a worthwhile investment for serious bakers.

Bowls of various sizes are essential. (Though, as one bachelor recipe tester found, the cavity of a wok works just fine in a pinch.) At a minimum, have small, medium, and large bowls.

Have available at least three 12 by 16 by 1-inch-high baking sheets; two heavy-gauge loaf pans (we use 8½ by 4½-inch pans, a little smaller than some loaf pans; the recipes will work fine in larger pans but the loaves will be flatter and wider); and muffin tins (enough for one dozen muffins). While all the recipes have specific pan preparation directions, note that if your pans are nonstick or well seasoned, you can often omit this step. Most of these items are easily available at a well-stocked kitchen supply store, or to mail order see the
Source List
.

We like to use parchment-lined baking sheets for baking pastries. First of all, parchment paper makes cleanup so much easier because sugar often will burn on an unlined pan, which means soaking and scrubbing. Second, this molten sugar can glue the pastry to an unlined pan, making it hard to remove the pastry in one piece. Investing in a silicone baking mat—which can be used and reused forever—saves on sheets and sheets of parchment paper.

It is important to use a sturdy, high-quality 2-inch-wide pastry brush. We use natural-bristle brushes because they give a smoother application onto the surface of the bread. Have two brushes on hand, one for sweets and the other for use with garlic and herb oils.

This old-fashioned tool is extremely handy for cutting butter into flour. If you don’t have one, use two dinner knives.

Cover your bowl of rising dough with plastic wrap (or a damp kitchen towel) to create a warm, humid environment.

We proof sourdough breads such as City and Suburban Breads in willow baskets. The baskets provide a comfortable form for breads that need an extended rising time; they help the loaves keep their shape; and they leave a beautiful imprint on the finished bread. Rising baskets are available at many kitchen supply stores, or you can order them (see
Source List
), but they can be expensive. The baskets need to be floured to prevent the rising dough from sticking. The amount of flour used should be enough so that the dough doesn’t stick to the baskets, but not so much so that the finished loaves look powdery and pale instead of brown and rustic. (Maybe this is so obvious it doesn’t need mentioning, but be sure to remove the loaves from the baskets before baking!)

You can use wicker baskets instead, but be sure to line them with a well-floured thin linen or cotton cloth, because the wicker tends to fray and leave fibers in the dough. You can also use a glass, plastic, or ceramic bowl lined with a floured cloth; it should be about 8 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep.

For sourdough breads, which have a long rising time, it is important to create a warm and moist environment. Professional bakeries have proofing rooms where the humidity and temperature can be controlled. We tried to mimic this effect at home by rigging up a zippered sweater bag made from heavy, clear plastic and held up by chopsticks, like a tent. A plastic bag also works well, though it needs to be large enough to loosely surround the rising bread and the pan that it is on. Place something (such as a 1-liter bottle of vegetable oil) inside the bag to function as the “tent pole,” keeping the bag from touching the bread as it rises, and close the bag with a twist tie. Baking supply catalogs carry less-creative options called “proof covers” (see
Source List
).

The bakers at the Cheese Board prefer to use a new single-edged razor blade every time they begin a baking cycle, since a reused blade is too dull to make clean slashes in the dough. You won’t be baking in the quantities we do in the store, but remember that
razor blades do dull easily.

A heavy rolling pin makes rolling out dough much easier. At the Cheese Board we use American-style pins, with ball bearings. For wet doughs, flouring the pin will make your job easier. Don’t wash a rolling pin in water, as the bearings can rust or get clogged; simply scrape off the pin and wipe it with a dry towel.

It’s not necessary to use a baker’s scale in every recipe, but some do require precise measurement. It’s particularly important to use a scale when attempting our sourdough bread recipes. Before using that old kitchen scale from the back of the cupboard, make sure it is still accurate; test it by weighing a known quantity, such as a stick of butter.

Our favorite kitchen tool, hands down, is the metal dough scraper. It is the only way to remove sourdough “glue.” Use one and you will never go back. Less exciting but still useful is the plastic dough scraper. These tools will get you out of lots of jams. Trust us—you will know how to use them.

Essential for breaking down troublesome clumps in flour and especially in baking soda. A sieve will do the same job.

There are two kinds of rubber spatulas we like to use: one is the traditional flat type and the other is spoon-shaped. You will also need a metal spatula.

When a recipe requires freshly ground spice, use either a coffee grinder (designated for spices only) or a mortar and pestle.

Water and steam help the crust development of rustic breads, especially sourdoughs. Some of our breads are misted with water before baking, and a few, like the baguettes, are misted again during the final stages of baking. You can purchase a spray bottle for this purpose at a garden supply store. (Remember, never spray near the interior oven light!)

Our ovens at the store are set up with internal steaming systems, which can be replicated on a smaller scale in the home kitchen. In recipes that require a steamy oven environment, you will need a large, high-sided metal roasting pan; 9 by 13 by 2 inches is a good size. Do not use glass or ceramic ovenware, since it will explode when used in such a manner.

If you are uncertain about the temperature of your oven, use an
oven thermometer.

Essential. Use one.

Choose a small whisk and a large balloon whisk, both made from medium-gauge wire. For whisking yeast and water together or making an egg wash, use the small whisk. Use the larger whisk to make the filling for sticky buns, pecan rolls, or the glaze for maple pecan scones.

All of our baked goods are cooled on cooling racks when they first come out of the oven. Have at least two wire racks on hand. A collapsible multilevel rack is a real space saver and can allow four trays to be cooled at once. They can be found at many kitchenware stores or through mail order (see
Source List
).

At the Cheese Board, we work at long butcher-block tables. When we roll out sticky bun dough, it almost covers the entire surface. A large, flat surface, such as a sturdy wooden board, is essential for kneading and rolling out dough. Put a damp towel under the board to keep it from sliding.

This tool is designed to pare off only the top, colored layer of citrus skin and release its essential oils, leaving the bitter white pith behind.

Your final product is only as good as your ingredients. Use the freshest dairy products, flours, in-season produce, and leavenings. Check the dates on products and shop at a reliable store that rotates its stock frequently.

Remember to check the expiration dates on containers of these two essential leavening ingredients, since they lose potency over time, and always sift them before using in a recipe. At the store we use aluminum-free baking powder.

We use only unsalted (often called “sweet”) butter. Salt is used to extend the shelf life of butter; by using unsalted butter, the rich, natural flavor of the butter comes through in whatever you are baking. An additional reason for using unsalted butter is that you have more control over the saltiness in any recipe. Don’t be completely put off by salted butters, though; a warm baguette with a pat of soft, lightly salted butter is the ultimate comfort food. Different brands of butter have subtle flavor differences and varying fat content. Experiment with various types to see which you like the best.

This is used to impart a deep chocolate-brown color to
pumpernickel
rye bread. Caramel color may be hard to find at your local store, but it can be ordered (see
Source List
). It does not add flavor to the finished bread, so if color isn’t an issue for you, go ahead and make the bread without it.

At the Cheese Board, any cheese we need or feel inspired to use is only a step away. For cheese breads and pizzas, have these basic cheeses on hand: sharp Cheddar, Gruyère, sheep’s-milk Feta, and the Italian contingent—Mozzarella, Asiago, Provolone, Parmigiano, and Ricotta. Of course, you can substitute any cheese that works for your palate.

The bakers at the Cheese Board always use the richest bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and unprocessed cocoa powder. In sweets where chocolate is a major flavor, it is important to use the best you can find. We use a Belgian chocolate made by Callebaut. Other good choices are Schokinag from Germany, and Berkeley’s own Scharffen Berger. We order our chocolate in ten-pound bars and break it up with a hammer and chisel, using the large, uneven chunks for
Chocolate Things
. In our muffins, we use chips of the same high-quality chocolate. See instructions on melting chocolate in a
double boiler
.