Rainy Days Are Baking Days

Today was a dreary, rainy day, so what better thing to do but do some baking! I've been working with sourdough for about a month now, and instead of using my bread machine today, which I almost always do because I never have the time to do otherwise, I decided to break out my baking stone for a round loaf of sourdough bread.

I have a ton of recipes for different types of bread but not too many for sourdough, so I did an Internet search and found a terrific recipe at anoregoncottage.com.

Here's the recipe:

Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread

• 3 c. flour (white whole wheat, whole wheat, unbleached, or a combo)
• 1-1/4 c. water (may need less if your starter is “wetter”- mine is a 100% hydration starter, fed an equal ratio of flour to water)
• 3/4 c. active sourdough starter
• 1 Tb. honey
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt

1. Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer just until combined and then let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Using a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, lightly coated with oil. Cover with plastic and let rise for 3 hours, turning and folding the dough once or twice.
4. Remove dough, turn and fold again, and place it back in the bowl, seam-side up. Let rise for another 2 hours.
5. After the second rise, place a square of parchment on a cookie sheet and gently shape the dough into a ball or oval (using lots of flour, as the dough is moist) and set on the parchment. Make sure there’s a good coating of flour on the top, as this will make slicing the top later easier.
6. Set an enameled, cast iron dutch oven into a cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees (alternately, use a baking stone), and set the timer for 40 minutes.
7. When the timer goes off, slash the top of the loaf with a serrated knife (in 2-3 places) and transfer it to the hot pot by holding the edges of the parchment (or stone).
8. Replace the hot lid and bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 13-14 minutes, until golden brown (if using a stone, Gina at Homejoysuses an old roaster lid to cover her loaves to get a similar result!).
9. Remove to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Makes 1 loaf

After I got the bread going, I was looking for something else to bake, so I decided to pull out my trusty, go-to New York-Style Cheesecake recipe. I first made this cheesecake recipe when Kevin and I first were married over 20 years ago. I had borrowed a bunch of cookbooks from the local library, and I came across this recipe. While I've since made hundreds of cheesecakes in lots of different flavors, this one is still one of my most favorites.

Ricotta Cheesecake

• 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1-1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter (not margarine), melted and cooled
• 1 pint sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.

2.  Mix the cream cheese and ricotta cheese together in a mixing bowl until well combined.

3.  Stir in the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, and butter. Add the sour cream last and stir. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.

4.  Place springform pan in larger cake pan (I use my extra-large lasagna pan). Fill pan with boiling water so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

5.  Bake in the preheated over for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave in the over for 1 hour or more. (This helps prevent the top from cracking.) Allow cheesecake to cool completely in the refrigerator before serving. Top with your choice of fruit toppings, or enjoy as is!

Serves 8.