side dish

• In bowl of bread machine, place the sourdough starter, water, soft butter, egg, and sugar. Gently whisk. Add flour, placing the yeast and salt on separate sides. Start machine on DOUGH setting. Check during the mixing to ensure the process is going well, and let it complete an initial rise.
• Lightly grease the two cake pans. Set to one side. In a microwave safe bowl, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Stir in paprika; it will add color and mild flavor to the swirled bread.
• Transfer dough to a lightly greased surface. Roll the dough out to a 12×16-inch rectangle. Use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to coat the top of the dough. Starting with a long side, roll it into a log.
• Use a sharp knife or a looped piece of dental floss to cut dough slices 1 inch apart; there should be about 16. Place 8 rolls in each pan, slightly spaced out.
• Cover pans with a towel or plastic wrap to rise in a warm spot for an hour. The rolls should look puffy. Near the end of the hour, start preheating oven at 350 degrees.
• Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter. Uncover the pans. Spread most of the butter atop the buns.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They will remain fairly pale. A digital thermometer plunged into the center of a bun should read over 190 degrees.
• Remove the buns from the oven. Turn them out onto a cooling rack. Brush with any remaining melted butter.
• Serve hot or warm. The oven is best for reheating. Leftovers will keep sealed at room temperature for a few days. They can also be frozen for weeks.

OM NOM NOM!

• Put the butter in the skillet and place it in a cold oven. Start heating at 425 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, milk, and eggs until combined.
• Meanwhile, the butter is browning in the oven. When it is fully melted with a nice golden brown hue, remove the skillet and let cool for only a few minutes. Carefully pour most of the butter into the wet mixture, leaving roughly a tablespoon in the skillet.
• Mix the wet ingredients again to fully incorporate the butter. Add the dry ingredients, mixing to form the batter.
• Carefully swirl the remaining butter in the skillet to coat the bottom and sides. Pour in the batter and spread it into an even layer.
• Bake the sourdough cornbread for 15 to 20 minutes. It should look set and golden at the edges, with the middle passing the toothpick test.
• Remove from oven and allow cool briefly before serving warm or at room temperature. Cornbread is best enjoyed the day it’s made. However, leftovers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for a day, or freeze for longer storage.

OM NOM NOM!

• To make the soaker: Place oats in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir. Allow to cool while you start to prepare the dough.
• Using a kitchen scale and weighing everything is highly recommended.
• Combine the sourdough starter, beer, flour, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well, by hand or with a mixer, the dough forms a cohesive mass.
• Cover and let it rest (autolyse) for about 30 minutes.
• Add the soaked oats, honey, and salt to the dough, fully incorporating. By hand or with a mixer, knead dough until it’s smooth, though it will still be tacky.
• Cover dough and let it rise for 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Fold it over itself and stretch gently several times. Return the dough to the bowl and cover.
• Let dough rise for another hour.
• Repeat the stretching and folding process one more time. Return dough to the bowl to rise for a third, final hour.
• At the end of the rise, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Place a clean cotton towel to cover the interior of a large bowl (or use a brotform). Add a heavy dusting of flour.
• Shape the dough into a tighter round by tucking dough underneath to tighten the top. Place it seam-side up in the bowl.
• Cover and let proof for 2 1/2 to 3 hours in a warm place; if your house is cool, it may need 4 hours. An oven with a proofing mode can also be used. When the dough is ready, it will look puffy and will jiggle when gently shaken.
• When the rise time is nearing end, begin preheating oven at 450 degrees with a baking stone or cast iron pan inside (obviously, if the proof mode was being used, remove the bread to continue rising in a warm spot elsewhere). To use steam during the baking process, to create a crunchy crust, place another empty pan (such as a cast iron skillet or a cake pan) beneath the baking vessel.
• Gently tip the risen loaf onto a piece of parchment. Slash the loaf several times with a sharp knife or lame–this creates vents for steam inside so the bread doesn’t grossly split–then use the parchment as a sling to CAREFULLY place the loaf on the very hot stoneware or cast iron.
• While wearing thick oven mitts, pour 1 cup water into the empty pan on the lower rack, with the bread in the pan on the level above. Close oven and keep it closed as the bread bakes.
• Bake bread for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce temperature to 400 F. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is deeply browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from the oven and carefully transition to a cooling rack. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
• Store leftover bread in a paper bag or loosely covered by plastic wrap for up to a few days. To preserve it longer, freeze and place in a freezer bags. Slicing the bread before freezing makes it easy to pull out portions to quickly defrost for later meals.

OM NOM NOM!

• If you plan to bake this right away, preheat oven to 375-degrees. Butter or spray a 9×9 baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente. Drain the water and return the macaroni to the pot. Add butter and stir until it has melted.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk and egg. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Place about 1/3 of the macaroni in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish. This should be just enough to cover the bottom. Cover with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat twice more with remaining macaroni and cheese.
• Pour the milk and seasonings mixture evenly over the contents of the baking dish. At this point, you can stash the dish in the fridge overnight or during the day until it’s meal time.
• When you’re ready to bake, make sure the oven is preheated. Sprinkle the top of the macaroni with paprika and bread crumbs.
• Bake until top layer is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes; note that if the dish is cold, bake time will likely need to be extended to closer to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• OM NOM NOM!

• Preheat oven at 425-degrees.
• In the container of a blender, place milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon melted butter, flour, and salt; process just until smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, toss together grated cheese and chives.
• Place a 12-cup muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes to preheat.
• Remove muffin pan from oven, and quickly spoon the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter into the 6 muffin cups that are being used. Return pan to oven for 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven. Working fast, spoon or pour batter into buttered muffin cups, dividing as evenly as possible. Top each with a spoonful of cheese mixture.
• Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Garnish with more chives, if desired. Serve immediately. Yorkshires are best fresh as they deflate after baking.

OM NOM NOM!

• Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir frequently as the contents warm through so that nothing sticks and burns. After 10-15 minutes, the cranberries will start to burst and the mixture will turn jammy. Cook another couple minutes as more berries break down. Remove from heat and cool before serving.
• Sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve with meats such as turkey and ham, or with ice cream or within a baked dessert.

OM NOM NOM!