I love bread, I love apples...oh and I love cheese danish! So, this apple and sweet cheese bread is all encompassing for me. It is a nice enriched sweet dough with sauteed cinnamon apples and rich cheese danish filling. There are a lot of parts to it, but it is worth the extra … [Read more...]
Apple Crisp
I am an apple pie girl and always have been. I just love its buttery crust that is only slightly sweet paired with the tart of a cinnamon spiced apple filling. My husband is quite the opposite though. He loves apple crisp and you can double load the topping too! It is just too … [Read more...]
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
A few weeks back I was prepping for an upcoming class and had to go to three different stores to find a can of pumpkin puree. The only kind I could find was an organic one that cost $4 for 15 ounces. I did a little research and found there was a pumpkin shortage back in … [Read more...]
Apple Muffins
I feel like for the last few weeks all I have been doing is peeling and slicing apples. I think my hands are actually going to revolt if I pick up one more apple and peeler. I love apple season though, it always brings back memories of apple picking at the orchard and that … [Read more...]
Homemade Graham Crackers
I have an eighteen month old little guy at home and I am always looking for snacks that he will really want to eat (and I won't feel too guilty about feeding him) and it turns out he loves graham crackers. Now, I have always gone the route of, if I can make it at home I am … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Muffins
September is half over which is just about the time I start thinking of all the things I want to bake with apples and pumpkins. I have made many different pumpkin muffin recipes throughout the years, but this one stands out as something really unique and special. These are … [Read more...]
Raisin Walnut Levain with Spelt
This bread has a thick chewy crust with a silky interior crumb. I really like the spelt flour, because it adds a nuttiness to the finished loaf and compliments the walnuts and raisins nicely. Sometimes this loaf rises really slowly, especially if your levain isn't quite as … [Read more...]
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
A couple months ago I was searching around the internet for interesting local things that were happening around me, when I stumbled across the website of Brod and Taylor. They are a company in the final stages of product development for a home bread proofing box. I thought it … [Read more...]
Semolina Filone
This recipe is adapted from Artisan Baking by Maggie Glezer. I have made some tweaks to this recipe that make it work better for me, but I would definitely recommend Maggie's book. It is filled with beautiful pictures, great stories and amazing recipes. This dough is really … [Read more...]
Country Wheat Hearth Bread
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to stumble across a local store that grinds their own wheat flour. The sign above the flour said "yes, it really does taste better", and I couldn't agree more. I am not a huge fan of whole wheat flour, because most time I find it to be a … [Read more...]
Kaiser Roll Recipe
With the Fourth of July holiday almost upon us I was thinking of what things I would like to make and bring to the family picnics. So I thought, what would be better than bringing your own homemade rolls for burgers and sandwiches? It is something a bit unexpected, yet sure to be … [Read more...]
Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
I was really in the mood for a peanut butter cookie that was fully loaded with extra peanut butter flavor and crunchy bits. These cookies are soft on the inside with a slightly crunchy exterior. I love them still warm out of the oven when the peanut butter chips are still … [Read more...]
Raspberry Cheese Danish
This past Father's Day I thought it would be nice to bring my father some danish to enjoy before his golf match. Who can resist flaky pastry filled with creamy cheese filling and a touch of raspberry? This recipe is a very similar dough to my apricot danish recipe, but slightly … [Read more...]
How to braid a 4 strand challah bread
Dough shaping technique - how to braid a 4 strand challah bread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL5cuTpvp0U Divide your dough into 4 equally sized pieces and preshape them into short rough log shapes. On a minimally floured counter roll each piece of dough out into a … [Read more...]
How to shape a batard or torpedo shaped loaf of bread
Dough shaping technique - how to shape a batard or torpedo shaped loaf of bread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcENyn6uO-M … [Read more...]
Rustic French Bread made with Levain
This is my mainstay bread. It is always in my freezer ready for an impromptu dinner party or just an accompaniment to Wednesday night's pasta dinner. I just pull it out of the freezer and place it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes with the foil on, then remove the foil and … [Read more...]
Raisin Rye Sourdough Bread
This past weekend I was dreaming of a bread that I had at a local restaurant a while back. It was a hearty sandwich bread studded with raisins with a hint of cinnamon in the background. I had it as toast with my breakfast, and it held up really well to a thick layer of butter and … [Read more...]
Whoopie Pie Recipe
This recipe came to me from a friend of mine. She made them for my birthday this year and I really loved them, because of their dense texture and rich sweet filling. I asked her to share her whoopie pie recipe with me after I had a few failed attempts at making my own. The … [Read more...]
The Baker’s Percentage
The baker's percentage or formula is very important for the professional baker, but it can be very helpful for the home baker to know and understand how to use it. A professional baker rarely would use a recipe, instead he would call it a formula because it is more exact and can … [Read more...]
Deli Rye Bread
This recipe is adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. This was the first bread baking book that was ever purchased for me, and it was and still is a great go to guide for me. I appreciate her dedication to getting her recipes so exact that they are almost … [Read more...]
English Muffins
My husband loves these English muffins, so I try to always have some around. These are slightly different than the store versions because they are not sweetened and when you toast them up they retain a wonderful crunch on the bottom. If you like your English muffins to be … [Read more...]
Traditional Bagels
Ingredients: 2 cups (16 oz) warm water 1 ¼ tsp. instant yeast 2 TB malt syrup or sugar 1 TB vegetable oil 7 cups (32 oz) bread flour 1 TB salt Toppings of choice 1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer place the water, yeast, and malt syrup. … [Read more...]
Shaping your dough into loaves
Learning how to properly shape your dough will result in beautiful finished loaves that you can proudly show off to family and friends. The different shapes of breads are usually done because of a long standing tradition, but don't be afraid to try out different shapes. If you … [Read more...]
Cooling and storing your freshly baked bread
Most people don’t realize that the final stage of baking bread is to let your bread cool properly. Slicing into a hot loaf of bread can cause bread to tear instead of slicing cleanly through, or it can be gummy on the inside . To cool your loaves properly you need to transfer … [Read more...]