Foolproof Oven Baked Brown Rice is the only way I ever cook brown rice. We do own a rice steamer, which I am utterly devoted to for jasmine or California calrose rice, but this oven recipe gives brown rice an extra something that it doesn’t get in a rice steamer. I even made this for a party once, and it was a big hit. Sometimes I freeze individual portions in baggies for those times when I don’t have a whole hour to devote to cooking my rice; it freezes well.
Tag: recipe
Easy Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Easy Homemade Ciabatta Bread is hands-down my favorite bread recipe. As this is a yeast bread, you still need a couple of hours’ rising time, but as most yeast bread recipes require either multiple risings or an overnight rot, this is still the simplest bread recipe I know. We originally got the recipe from crepesofwrath.net, which doesn’t seem to be in existence anymore.
This bread makes a great side for any soup, and we learned almost accidentally once that the leftover bread makes fantastic French toast. As we live in the wet northwest, I reduce the water quite a bit — down to just 1 1/4 cups of warm water.
Easy Homemade Ciabatta
Ingredients
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 C warm water
2 tsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl
Directions
Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together. Pour in the water and beat for five minutes. You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step.
If using a stand mixer, disconnect the bowl from the mixer. Flour your hands, and for five minutes, use your hands to pull up different parts of the dough and slap them back into the bowl.
Oil a large bowl with olive oil, then nestle the dough into the bowl. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap and put the wrap sprayed side down on top of the bowl. Cover with a clean towel. Put in a warm spot and allow to rise for two hours.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and sprinkle the sheet lightly with flour. Use a dough scraper to gently scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured baking sheet. Put in the oven immediately and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is lightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Roasted Garlic Chicken
Roasted Garlic Chicken is the only reason I keep oregano growing in my backyard. I recommend using dark-meat, skin-on, bone-in chicken for this. If you have the time, dry off the skin with paper towels, and let the chicken hang out uncovered on a platter in the fridge for two or three days before you prepare it. Doing this will allow the skin to dry out, resulting in extra crispy skin. Serve with fresh corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, or bread so you have something to drizzle your garlicky chicken juices onto.
April's On-line Cookbook 