Ballpark Breads

I'm a great fan of baseball, and since Spring Training games have begun, I thought I'd share a page of bread recipes inspired by ballpark foods.

Get Your Beer Here Bread

2 ½  cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer, room temperature.

1/2 cup shredded smoked Cheddar cheese

½ cup chopped pepperoni

1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, seasoning, soda, and sugar.  Gently stir in beer, then cheese and pepperoni. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Pour melted butter on top of loaf.  Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Notes

—I recommend that you use a dark, flavorful beer rather than some pale, light brew, and choose a seasoned salt with more than two or three ingredients.   Also be warned that this is not a fluffy batter bread, but a dense loaf with a lot of character.  Even the batter smells delicious!  The finished loaf smells even better, and makes a flavorful accompaniment to any soup, as well as a great snack while watching a game on TV at home.

Funnel Cakes

3 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

½  cup of sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

In a medium size mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and vanilla together until well blended. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients.  Depending on the weather, you may need to add more flour or more milk---the batter should be about the same as what you use for waffles.  Put batter into a pitcher or an extra large squeeze bottle. Put oil in a 10" frying pan over medium heat until the oil reaches 365°.  Pour batter in a swirling or crisscross motion to form the cake.  Fry until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and/or cinnamon sugar.  You may also place a dollop of ice cream on top, or use fruit toppings.

Notes

---If you use a larger frying pan or a square electric skillet, you can cut the bottom out of a disposable aluminum cake pan to use as a form.  You can experiment with other grains, using up to ¾ cup of cornmeal or whole wheat flour.  

--Funnel cakes get their name because originally the batter was poured from a pitcher through a funnel into the oil, which requires a certain amount of practice. You can often find those special funnel cake pitchers at thrift shops for cheap. They definitely can make the process easier, but they aren't necessary. If you use an extra large squeeze bottle, you may need to clip the top to make the batter come out in larger swirls.

When you make these at home, you do some extra food styling!

Inside Out Nacho Bread

¼ cup (half a stick) butter, chilled, + 1 tablespoon

1 cup chopped onion

1 ¼ cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs, well beaten

1 ½ cups sour cream

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup chopped black olives

¼ cup minced jalapeno peppers 

Over medium heat, sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of butter until tender, about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Sift cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a medium size bowl and stir to blend.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add sour cream and eggs and stir until blended.  Mix in the cheese, olives, and peppers.  Pour the batter into a greased 11 inch stoneware deep dish pizza pan, or a 9 x 9 x 2-inch cake pan.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool for 15 to 20 minutes in the pan before cutting into wedges or squares.  Serve warm, topped with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

Notes

---Nachos have become standard fare at baseball stadiums across the country.  Usually there’s one food stand at the ballpark that serves the best ones, and if you arrive early, finding that stand is a worthwhile activity. This sour cream- based cornbread uses all the toppings that make nachos such a popular snack, but mixed on the inside rather than on top..  Normally the monks of Saint Bede are not big fans of Tex-Mex cooking, but this cornbread disappeared rapidly when I served it for the first time at a Lenten lunch, topped with sour cream and homemade salsa.

—This bread is not that spicy, but you can substitute roasted bell peppers if you think the jalapenos are too much.  Try to find a good sharp cheddar cheese at the deli and grate it yourself rather than using that bland pre-grated stuff in the dairy case.

Corn Dog Bites

¾ cup cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon oil

12 hot dogs 

oil for frying

In a medium size bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and dry mustard (if desired).  In a separate container, combine milk, egg and oil; beat until well blended.  Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients; stir until smooth.  Cut hot dogs into small pieces (1 to 1 ½ inches long) and pat them dry with a paper towel so the batter will stick to them. (Some people also roll them in flour. Heat oil to 375 degrees.  Skewer a section of hot dog and dip it in the batter, swirling it around to coat completely.  Drop the piece immediately into the heated oil; use a pair of tongs to pull it off the skewer.  Repeat with more pieces.  Do not fry more than five or six pieces at a time, and use the tongs to turn them over as needed to fry evenly on all sides.  Corn dog bites are done when they are golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes.   Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Notes

--They used to serve these at Dozer Park in Peoria (home of the Chiefs) but this batter will work for regular corndogs as well.  Just pour the batter into a tall glass (which makes it easier to get them completely coated), put the skewers through the dogs, and dip them into the batter.  You can only fry one or two at a time, and they have to cook a bit longer, but it’s worth the wait.  These taste like the ones I used to enjoy at the Heart of Illinois Fair as a kid, not the pre-fab ones served in the school lunch room.

I actually prefer these to the corn dog bites, especially when they are fried crisp and slightly darker.