BREADS
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HAMBURGER BUNS…TO YEAST OR NOT TO YEAST!!
“It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without soup or bread in it.” M. F. K. Fisher Hamburger Buns…made at home “To yeast or not to yeast” seems to be my call these days. It’s been a while since I gained my yeastly confidence, & now, every weekend I wake up early to try a new yeast bread. Last weekend’s choice ended up being hamburgers because I found this nice recipe posted by Nicole Weston @ Slashfood. Looked like just what I wanted…perfect buns, ever so tempting. The buns didn’t come out as perfect as the ones on Nicole’s post, but they…
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RUSTIC ITALIAN FOCACCIA…IN A RING & MORE!
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”Robert Browning as rustic as it gets… Italian artisan bread… Thicker than a pizza, this dimpled bread, focaccia, gets it’s name from the Latin word focus, meaning ‘hearth’ , because it was originally baked on an open hearth. Italian bakers use focaccia dough to make many different speciality breads, such as this ring, stuffed with fragrant pesto, or for that matter, with any other flavouring you might like ( quoted from Le Cordon Blue; The Cook’s Bible). I made one with home made pesto, & the other with a mushroom, garlic, cheese filling (we liked…
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MAKE WAY FOR THE DANISH BRAIDERS…Ooooops, I mean the DARING BAKERS!!
“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight. “ M. F. K. Fisher ‘Danish Braid’ from Sherry Yard’s ‘The Secrets of Baking’ Hello from a Daring Baker who is now a Danish Braider!! The day is finally here when this ‘daring group of bakers’ present their monthly challenge. This month, we were dared to bake a Danish Braid…a challenge hosted by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’? What a fun challenge it turned out to be, even though I was overtaken by agony & ecstasy when I read about it. Agony because…
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SANDWICCIA ANYONE?…Focaccia sandwiches by another name!
“It has been well said that a hungry man is more interested in four sandwiches than four freedoms.” Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., (American diplomat) ‘Sandwiccia‘…a focaccia sandwich! Made some Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper Focaccia again the other day. This very versatile Italian bread has become quite a staple at home since the kids LOVE it. It’s a gratifying feeling that they enjoy garlic & basil as much as we do…which just means that meal times are simpler & fun to plan too. They enjoy home baked breads of all sorts. For me, it’s therapeutic. The mixing, the kneading, the rising & finally the aromas that waft through the whole…
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ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN…MAKE WAY FOR DINNER ROLLS!
“Bread, milk and butter are of venerable antiquity. They taste of the morning of the world.” Leigh Hunt Knotted All Over…for dinner! I’ve had dinner rolls on my mind for a while with the Chuck Berry song that hums in the background. Yeastophobia being a thing of the past, I’m gingerly inching my way forward to make things I dreamt about for long. The last time I bought dinner rolls was the last time I bought them. They were so ‘not real’…nothing to them. So I got on & read a few baking books about shaping & knotting breads…what fun! Dreaming of Garlicky Dinner Rolls… Then came the time for…
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LOAFING AROUND…FOCACCIA with garlic, onion & fresh basil
“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” Aesop VICTORY LOAF….FOCACCIA! Come spring & you find breads being baked with renewed fervour. Easter holiday breads are popping up all over the blogosphere…from hot cross buns to sweet braided loaves! I too have abandoned with glee my yeastophobia & jumped into the fray… though not with a sweet bread. I decided to make focaccia the other day. For me this finally symbolises victory over my fear of yeast! I’m ready to conquer the world of breads!! What better time but with the advent of Spring… Fun with dough… mastering the plait! This flat bread topped with…
