All posts filed under: bread

BA’s Best Bread – A step by step review

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  I’m not normally a person who obsesses over things. But when I received a copy of the February issue of Bon Appetit in the mail, I couldn’t stop obsessing over the cover photo. In the photo was the darkest, crustiest loaf of homemade bread, nestled in the cast iron pot it was baked in and the article inside promised a homemade bread that would rival those found in professional bakeries. The recipe was daunting. In fact, it was a recipe that would fill a weekend.  I’m more of a mix-up-a-batch-of no-knead bread kind of woman, not a woman who spends an entire weekend kneading dough. But as the months went on, I couldn’t quit this bread. The magazine kept appearing on my desk, its cover photo beckoning to me.  Once it landed on my kitchen counter, I knew there was no point in resisting anymore. So, finally, a couple of weekends ago, I tried it. The bread was high maintenance–just as I knew it would be. It stretched the boundaries of what I thought bread …

The Year I Learn to Bake: Savory Ham and Cheese Scones

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Easter has come and gone leaving behind a huge container of leftover ham that has found itself in a multitude of dishes throughout the week, and all throughout the week, I’ve been dreaming of these scones! I could hardly wait for Saturday morning to come so that I could finally make them!  Fluffy and golden, studded with bits of ham and pockets of melted cheese and slathered with butter; well, let’s just say these scones need to be in your belly, right now! With the help of a food processor, you can mix up these scones in mere minutes, and before you know it, these hot, buttery scones will be on your breakfast plate, ready to be devoured–or as in our case, snatched hot off the baking pan and devoured while standing in the kitchen!  Either way, you’re going to love these savory scones! I baked these scone in two batches. The second batch was made using the leftover dough from the first batch.  While the first batch baked in the oven, I shaped the leftover dough …

Mussels with Fennel, Italian Sausage and Créme Fraiche plus Rosemary Lemon Bread!

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I should be telling you about the steaming pot of mussels I cooked up yesterday. I should be telling you about the tender, sweet shellfish swimming in a broth of white wine, tangy créme fraiche and fennel.  I should tell you about the little bits of hot italian sausage hiding in the mussel shells, like little yummy gifts waiting to be discovered.  But, what is currently hijacking my brain right now is the crusty loaf of lemon rosemary bread that I used to dip into that tangy broth, sponging up all that goodness!  That crusty, crackly crunchy shell hid an interior so creamy and custardy (hey that’s a lot of c-words in one sentence!) that I just need to take a moment to reflect on the wonder that is home-baked bread.   Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I can go back to telling you about those mussels!   Cooking mussels in a broth of white wine is as classic as it comes, and this recipe takes that basic dish and …

My First "Artisan" Bread! Plus, Strawberry-Basil Jam

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This week, I received some new “toys” in the mail.  One, is the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and the other: two large plastic tubs to start bread in.  Embarking on a bread-baking expedition is a highly impractical thing to do in the heat of summer, since I can hardly bear to turn on the oven, but so far that hasn’t thwarted me from trying! Let me be frank and tell you that bread baking is not something I’m an expert in.  I am a total novice. Fresh-baked bread is just not something I grew up with. My mother has somewhat of an odd dough-phobia and the closest thing we ever had to fresh bread growing up was Bisquick Drop Biscuits!  So, I’m starting on this path quite late in life and it’s already proving to be a bit of an obsession!  This book basically shows you how to make a large batch of no-knead dough (hmm, this might be right up my mother’s alley) that can be stored in the refrigerator for …