Pineapple marinated chicken with a shocking twist
I am no longer a bread virgin and I would like to thank Nicole from Pinch My Salt for this glorious occasion. Wait…that does not sound right so hmm…let me explain. A couple weeks ago Nicole tweeted about wanting to bake all the formulas in Bread Baker’s Apprentice and wanted equally insane individuals to help her. I still do not know if it was the booze or high hope that made me commit (sometimes what is the difference) to this massive undertaking.
Shameless celebratory double fist pump with the look of insanity.
The process for making anadama bread was pretty simple. The night before I mixed cornmeal and water and this weird mixture sits on the counter overnight. The next day I started throwing the rest of the ingredients into my stand mixer bowl, said a quick prayer to the bread gods, and cranked over the Kitchen Aid. I did attempt to hand knead the bread however, after about three minutes I was so flipping bored that I gave up and used the dough hook. Mom and dad if you are reading this thanks for the stand mixer and I have no clue how I would be able to do this challenge without it.
The hardest part for me during this whole process was patience. I was constantly finding myself finishing a step only to find out I have to wait 60 or 90 minutes for the bread to proof, ferment, or just sit on the counter looking like a goopy mess. Thankfully I can do my bread making on the weekend or I would be screwed with available time. I did cheat and the next couple of assignments do not appear to be high maintenance.
Taste wise not bad not great. The notes in Bread Baker Apprentice said to use golden molasses but I used just regular molasses. The bread has a strong almost bitter taste that I could stand maybe 1-2 slices before queasiness kicked in. If I ever decide to make it again I will definitely try to find golden molasses.
Now the million dollar question what in the freak will I do with two loaves of bread besides feed the birds in the backyard? Man can only eat so much bread before guilt kicks in and I could freeze it but honestly my frozen leftovers always sit there for a good six months before they develop an icy film that makes them unrecognizable and tossed in the trash.
After round one the score is Jeff 1 Bread Devil 0.
Enough crazy bread talk and on to the main show stopper which once again throws some joyous love to the grill and fruit juices in marinades.
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- juice of two limes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 cup of cilantro
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
- teaspoon of ground cumin
- thumb size piece of ginger
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Good squeeze of honey
Combine everything into your blender or food processor and take for a spin till fully combined. Pour the marinade over the chicken and let it marinade for a couple of hours.
(Insert picture of chicken thighs resting in a marinade that I forgot to take)
When you are ready fire up the grill and cook the chicken thighs until they are done. Make sure to baste occasionally with the reserved marinade.
Serve and enjoy!
Your bread looks great! I’ll be making mine tomorrow…fingers crossed.
Also, your chicken recipe looks good too!
Hey Jeff - Your bread turned out beautifully! I think it will make a great french toast or bread pudding…that’s what I’m planning for the 2nd loaf which is looking rather forlorn on my counter.
Bravo You made your first bread!!! Just wait till you find a recipe that you love, It’s fantastic to make a bread that is truely outstanding! I love this chicken, if it ever stops raining here long enough to use the grill I’m making this!!
i never have the commitment level required to make anything other than quick breads. i’m just so bad at prep work, and i’m such a fan of instant gratification. but this sounds tasty, as does the chicken. and of course your double fist pump looks completely awesome
who doesn’t sit in front of their webcam doing a fist pump?!
I expected a picture of you with flour all over your face and clothes!
Interesting bread ingredients!
It looks super professional for your first try!
I loved reading through your adventure with the first loaf of the challenge.
I started my loaf so early in the morning it was ready for Sunday’s lunch.
Glad you joined up,
Susie
I guess we’ll make a baker out of you after all. Bunny’s right, once you find recipes you love (and love to eat) you’ll really enjoy the process so much more. Bravo on your first attempt!
Awesome Jeff! The loaf looks perfect and the chicken divine!
You are a baker now. How does it feel?
Also, feel free to divide the recipes down, many people do.
Looks wonderful! And congrats on losing your bread virginity!
Although is it right to congratulate someone on losing their virginity? 
You are definately the grill master! I was laughing about you getting ‘bored’ when you had to knead the dough. I have a tough time with bread too…it scares me. Not sure why. I usually just make my bread maker do the mixing and rising for me.
My parents bought my KA mixer too…best thing ever!
LOL!
Yes!
Stellar loaf!
good for you, jeff–that bread devil’s got no chance. it’s no small feat to make a terrific loaf of bread, and even though i don’t know ya, i’m proud.
Congrats on making your first bread. It took me a long time myself, but now I’m (kind of) comfortable with it. Try letting the bread dry out, then grind it up and use it for breadcrumbs. And croutons.
The bread may not have tasted the best but it looked GREAT! I still have never made a loaf by hand, only by bread machine - I am a wimp.
The chicken ROCKS! I love the marinade you used - so many great flavors. Nicely done.
Nice job on the bread! Once you knock out a loaf, you want to just make bread all day.
But that chicken…WHOOO LURD THAT CHICKEN! Is it OK to eat that for breakfast? If so, a couple of pieces are necessary.
I love to grill just about anything, but chicken is my weakness. Somehow I never got them right. Either burn or undercook. Yours look perfect Jeff!
Cheers,
elra
The bread looks so perfectly gorgeous!
Congratulations on losing your bread virginity. I just recently lost mine too and I love it. I can’t believe I waited so long.
Way to go on no longer being a bread virgin! It looks really good. I bet you could freeze some of it and save it in case of some apocalyptic event that wipes out all existing bread populations. Or let it harden and use it in bread pudding or as breadcrumbs. Or feed it to the birds. Or a random homeless person.
Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits but for a while I was eating them every day and now I can’t have them without immediately getting a stomachache. I’m not sure if pineapple juice would have the same effect, but I hope not since your marinade and chicken look awesome!
Great looking loaf and fun write up of your adventure! With the leftovers, you might try a savory bread pudding (bread cubes, eggs, milk, sausage or bacon, lots of cheese, herbs). It’s a nice brunch dish and the bread can be stale.
Yay to breadmaking. You rose to the occasion:D The grilled chicken is looking pretty amazing for the summer season as well.
Yay!!! That loaf is gorgeous, by the way!
Anadama bread is not one of my favorites, so I’d probably just give it to the birds.
For your other leftover bread, bread puddings are good, bruschetta, croutons for salad, fresh bread crumbs.
I’m glad you joined the BBA. I will send you my two teenage boys to help you eat the bread. Mine was gone in a day. I halve the recipe and did use only 1 tbsp of molasses. I was afraid of a strong taste. Now I’m getting ready for that Christopsomos.
Wow! Your first bread! Looks soooo goooodddd!!!
My mom gonna envy if I show how good you baked your bread
Congrats!!!! It really looks great for your first bread baking adventure - it looks like a pro!
Congrats on your first bread. I used to make bread a lot when I was younger, but I never have the time anymore to sit at home for long stretches and wait for bread to rise. I was snowed in last year and got very ambitious and made my first brioche. I haven’t made bread again since then. Once day I hope to make a French baguette!
Your chicken looks wonderful. I made a spin on your mojo sauce hte other day that I completely neglected to post about, but I still want to give you some credit (I try to do that when I pilfer). This is another one for the must-try list.
Love the sound of your chiken marinade. Im printing that out .. will use it soon. You are a handsome dude!
Oh man. That is food porn.
I need that bread.
Congratulations! That bread really looks good and the chicken recipe left me speechless. It looks and sounds so good. Now I am having ideas for this weekend’s grilling.
believe it, it does look amazing… great job… wish i’ll be as courageous as you…
[…] a step-by-step At The Very Yeast has included a little tidbit on the bread’s origin Jeff at Culinary Disasters pumped out a lovely specimen, his first loaf […]
Jeff,
I saw your comment on our blog. Thanks for stopping by. You really can still put in a sprinkler system with lots of roots. I choose to do the system my self, but I paid a guy with a trencher to come dig the trenches for me and it goes right through those roots. I think if I were to do it again I would just pay someone to do the whole thing because they come in and do it in 1 to 2 days at the most and it would have cost us about $1000. The sprinkler part of the project took me about 2 weeks we have 6 valves 4 sprinkler zones and 2 drip zones. Anyways I highly recommend putting in the automatic system. email me if you have any questions.
Josh