Garlic, Chard and Parmesan Bread
Here’s a loaf that is stuffed full of garlic, chard and Parmesan cheese. Read More
Category: Recipes
Grilled flatbread, my workhorse summer bread
I’ve spent a lot of time this summer talking about how easy it is to do loaf breads on the outdoor gas grill, but if truth be told, this is the bread I make every day when it’s hot. Why? Because it’s crazy easy and fast. I go into the yard and do it in the morning, before the kids go off to day camp– this is the bread they take for sandwiches. It’s very, very simple. Read More
Swedish Limpa Rye Bread, in a Cloche, on the Grill
OK, it’s finally 85 degrees in Minneapolis, so we really have to get outside and do everything on the gas grill. Even Swedish Limpa Rye. Here’s how to do it, in a cloche, on the Grill: Read More
Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring
Many people have written in to ask about assembling the Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring from page 228. I already had a bucket of Brioche dough, and some lemons rolling around in my refrigerator, so this ring was simple to throw together.
The brightness of the lemon and berries is perfect folded into the rich Brioche dough. The ring is simple enough to make on any day of the week, but so impressive that you can serve it on special occasions.
Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse
When interviewers ask me for my favorite bread from the book, I always give the same answer–it’s this gorgeous roasted red pepper fougasse (foo-gass)– a stuffed flatbread originating in the south of France. It may be because of where I first ate it (perfect fall day, after a bike ride with my wife). The rustic colors and flavors of Southern France burst out of this flatbread– carmelization of peppers highlighted by thyme, olive oil, and salt. It’s festive, but so easy to bake from stored dough. Read More
Lemon-Poppyseed Mini-Brioches (with a couple of healthy tweaks)
On Mondays, it’s my turn to pick up my older daughter from school, and then stop for tea and treats before her guitar lesson. We’ve been doing this for six years, and I think I love the tradition as much as she does. Our downtown coffee shop has great coffee and tea, but the baked goods leave a lot to be desired, especially by the time we roll in at 4:00pm. There’s one exception– they have a lemon-poppyseed pound cake that is just terrific (or it would be, if it were fresh!). I wondered if we could adapt the brioche from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day to the bright fresh flavor of lemon and the crunchy texture of poppyseed, topped with a simple glaze. They baked up perfectly in cupcake tins so if you’re inclined to call these cupcakes, go right ahead. And I snuck in two healthy tweaks to the recipe: canola oil instead of butter, and even a little whole grain. Read More
Who Can Fix My Kaiser Rolls?
OK, I’m pretty happy with this photo, but… well, they aren’t really Kaiser Rolls. I was on a “roll” from last week (sorry), when I thought my Brotchen were more than passable. So I wanted to re-create another German roll style– the famous 5-petal Kaiser roll. I have to say that even though the picture is pretty, the rolls didn’t retain the 5-petal shape that defines the Kaiser roll– it ended up as just a round, though beautiful and tasty roll.
And so fellow bakers, I turn to you for help! What did I do wrong? Please make suggestions that help me perfect this beast… Read More
German-Style Rolls: Brotchen (the crusty secret is an egg white glaze)
Many people have been writing to ask for German-style hard rolls. The most common are Brotchen (little breads). They’re made from egg white-enriched white dough, and brushed with more egg white before baking at high temperature with steam. In the book, Zoe and I concentrated on French-style crust techniques, which tend not to use egg white for high-temperature crisp crusts on lean breads. Turns out that the egg white creates an incredible crust and crumb. Read More
Homemade Soft Pretzels!
Food writing can be very, very memorable. In 1978, I read a marvelous essay in the New York Times by Mimi Sheraton. They say that tastes and smells are the most memorable senses, which explains why when we re-create food we ate as children the smells bring us back in the blink of an eye. The same’s true of great food writing, at least for me.
Mimi’s article on homemade pretzels she ate in Stuttgart, Germany is one of those great food articles that stayed with me. I clipped the article and forgot all about it.
Testing recipes for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (click here to purchase), I finally made Mimi’s recipe, adapted from her Stuttgart hosts, so I adapted it for Artisan Bread (page 127 in the book). Read More
Bacon and Eggs in Toast!
It is the quintessential breakfast combination; bacon, eggs and toast. But I had no bread to make toast (seems hard to believe, but true). In a desperate race to get my kids to school on time I decided to bake the eggs right into the dough. Not only was it fast, but my kids may never settle for regular eggs and toast again. I threw a bit of Emmenthaler cheese and bacon into the mix and 15 minutes later breakfast was ready!
Jeff and I finished up the manuscript for book #2 yesterday. We are thrilled to be done with this first phase of the book. Now we look forward to months of testing recipes, editing copy, testing recipe and editing more copy! First we will CELEBRATE! 🙂