snow day

today is a great day to stay inside and play in the kitchen as the view outside turns into a winter wonderland. we know everyone in nyc is sick of the snow but the beauty and stillness of the white powdery stuff is still exciting to these west coast kids! cookbook santa was very good to us this holiday and we have loads of inspiration to share. a few books at the top of our list that we received are noma, tartine bread, my sweet mexico, and baked explorations. the oatmeal sandwich bread recipe for today's post comes from another wonderful cookbook, good to the grain, filled with recipes that bake with whole grain flours. it's a perfect loaf to toast, smear with butter and jam & nibble with a cup of tea on this snowy day. enjoy!

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

(from Good to the Grain)

makes 1 large loaf

1 pkg active dry yeast

3 tbs unsulphered molasses

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 tbs kosher salt

add 2 cups warm water, yeast and molasses to the bowl of a standing mixer. stir, allowing yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes, until it begins to bubble. add flours, oats and butter to the yeast mixture. stir together with a wooden spoon, cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes. attach the bowl and the bread hook to the mixer. add salt and mix on medium for about 6 minutes or until the dough slaps around the sides of the bowl without sticking. if the dough is sticking at any time, add one or two tablespoons of bread flour. the dough will be soft, supple and slightly tacky.

scrap the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel. let it rise for about one hour or until it's doubled in size.

to shape the dough, scrape onto a lightly floured work surface. press down, working into a square shape and depressing any air bubbles. fold the dough down from the top to the middle, then up from the bottom to the middle. next, bring the newly formed top and bottom edges together and pinch the seam in the middle, sealing the seam with your fingers. pinch the sides together and roll the shaped dough back and forth, plumping it so that it's evenly formed and about the size of your loaf pan. place the dough in a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and press it gently into the corners of the pan. cover and let it rest for about 1 hour or until dough rises to half it's size or puffs up over the edge of the pan.

preheat oven to 400 degrees F. bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. the loaf is ready when the top crust is dark as molasses and the bottom crust is dark brown. give the top of the loaf a thump to see if it sounds hollow. remove the loaf from the pan and cool for at least 2 hours on a baking rack.

focaccia

i went through a serious bread baking phase in culinary school. if bakers didn't hold such odd hours, i definitely would've loved to be one. the simplicity of fresh baked bread still amazes me - yeast, flour, water and salt - so simple! and such a wonder to watch the dough grow, filling with tiny air bubbles and rising tall within the bowl. and then that yeasty smell - aromas just as delicious from the raw dough as when it's baking in a hot oven. we've had a few bad experiences with unsuccessfully baking focaccia but can now say it no longer turns out heavy and dense. after 2 1/2 years of marriage, i can also finally say that i've found my husband's weakness - warm rosemary garlic focaccia! the recipe is adapted from this book which is one of our favorites and a fantastic reference for any bread recipe you can think of. baking is a time consuming process but most of that time if taken up by simply waiting for the dough to do its thing - so make a cup of tea, grab a good book and get baking!

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

makes one 12x17-inch loaf

2 3/4-3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/8 teaspoon instant yeast

2 cups minus 2 tbs water (70-90 degrees F)

3/4 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs fresh rosemary

8-10 cloves garlic, roasted in olive oil until soft and lightly brown

1 tsp maldon or large flake sea salt

in the mixer bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 3/4 cups flour and yeast. with the mixer running on low, gradually add the water and mix until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes. increase the speed to medium and beat until dough thickens a bit and is very smooth. add extra flour a few tablespoons at a time if needed until a bit stiffer but still a very runny dough resembling melted mozzarella. add sugar and salt and beat until just incorporated.

spray or oil a large stainless steel bowl and scrape the dough into bowl. lightly spray the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap. allow the dough to rise in a warm place until at least doubled, about 2-3 hours. coat a 12x17-inch sheet pan with a heaping tablespoon of olive oil. pour the dough out onto the sheet pan and coat your hands with some of the remaining olive oil. spread the dough as thin as possible without tearing it. let it relax for 10 minutes and continue until the dough fills up most of the pan. cover with greased plastic and let rise about 1 hour or until doubled.

preheat oven to 475 degrees F. once dough has risen, use your fingertips to gently dimple the dough. place the whole cloves of roasted garlic in some of the dimples, sprinkle with fresh rosemary leaves, drizzle with remaining olive oil and salt. place the pan on the lowest shelf in the oven preferably directly on top of a hot pizza stone. bake 13-16 minutes or until the top is golden brown. remove from the oven and serve immediately - enjoy!

irish soda bread

a quick and easy recipe for irish soda bread packed with whiskey soaked raisins to help you celebrate today! it would be perfect with a cup of irish breakfast tea tomorrow morning, after a night of a few too many pints of guinness. the recipe is from this cookbook, a fabulous guide to baking all things bread which i'm sure we'll be posting many more recipes from soon. happy saint patrick's day!

Irish Soda Bread

makes 1 loaf

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup irish whiskey

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tbs sugar

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

4 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

3/4 cup plus 1 tbs buttermilk

soak the raisins in whiskey overnight or for at least 30 minutes. drain and set aside. preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. in a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. using your fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. stir in the raisins. with a rubber spatula, stir in the buttermilk until just combined. knead lightly until the dough is smooth and fully incorporated. shape the dough into a 6-inch round and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. make 1/2-inch deep slits to across the top of the round, forming a cross. bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean. cool on a rack completely. this bread can be frozen for up to one month and reheated in the oven at 300 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. enjoy!

my first cookbook

i was lucky enough to grow up in a home that loved food and had a mom and grandmas who were wonderful cooks and shared that love with me. apparently they were shaping my future, although i don't think any of them knew what food styling was at the time. one of the first recipes i remember making was from a kid's cookbook called My First Cookbook for cinnamon raisin bread. it was fun to see how yeast made the dough rise, i loved kneading with my little hands and then eating the beautifully swirled bread warm out of the oven with a little butter was a perfect end to the lesson. i'm sure there are much more interesting cinnamon swirl bread recipes out there but this one is such a wonderful memory and when i made it again recently, i realized that it's actually really good - the loaf didn't last long in our house!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

makes 2 loaves

2 cups milk

1 pkg active dry yeast

5-6 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

heat milk over medium heat until it steams and tiny bubbles come to the edge. cool 10 minutes. place yeast, 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and combine. add 2 tbs of butter and milk and stir until a stiff dough is formed. knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour. punch air out of dough, cover and let rise 30 minutes. grease 2 loaf tins and 1 tbs of butter. combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. roll out dough into a thin rectangle. spread 4 tbs butter over dough and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and raisins, if using. tightly roll the dough, starting from one long edge and cut the dough in half. place each half in a loaf tin, seam side down. cover and let rise for 30 minutes. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spread remaining butter on the tops of the loaves and bake 35 minutes or until lightly golden and hollow sounding when tapped with your knuckle. cool on a wire rack & enjoy!

pretzel rolls

wow, does anyone else feel like 2010 is already flying by? can't believe it's this far into january and we've only posted once, oops. also can't believe how gorgeous the weather has been in nyc so far - we walked all over the city yesterday with our light coats on and stopped here for some excellent fish & chips! we've been busy, but not too busy to make homemade pretzel rolls. this recipe is dangerous because when the rolls are warm out of the oven and slathered with a little salted butter or some spicy mustard, you won't stop at just one or two! the dough is from a fall issue of martha stewart and would also be great adapted into sweet pretzels with cinnamon & sugar or dusted with fresh parmesan. experiment and enjoy!

soft pretzel rolls

makes 12

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp sugar

1 cup warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk plus 1 tbs water

1-2 tbs pretzel salt or Maldon salt

in a small bowl, mix yeast, salt, sugar and warm water and stir to dissolve sugar. let sit 5 minutes until foamy. in a large bowl, mix flour and cayenne. use your fingers to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. slowly pour yeast mixture into flour and stir with a fork to combine. use your hands to gather dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until no longer sticky and fairly smooth. return to bowl, cover with plastic and let rise 30 minutes. cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball between the palms of your hands. then roll ball on surface forming into a roll with slightly tapered ends. transfer to an oiled baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. let rise 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 475 degrees F. in a large pot, combine 10 cups of water with baking soda and bring to a boil. boil rolls in batches until puffy about 45 seconds per side. transfer to wire rack to drain. return to baking sheet, brush with egg yolk wash, sprinkle with salt and lightly score with a sharp knife about 1/8-inch deep. bake until golden to dark brown, 13-15 minutes. pretzels will keep uncovered, at room temperature for about 12 hours. rewarm in a 250 degree F oven and serve with salted butter and assorted mustard.

christmas stollen

as you finish your holiday shopping and last minute running around before Christmas this friday, maybe you'll have some time to bake this yummy holiday bread. we did our baking before we headed west for warmer weather and to see family, but this recipe was a hit. it takes some time with the rising and resting but is definitely worth it for two beautiful braided loaves filled with dried fruit. the recipe is adapted from martha stewart's traditional xmas bread in the december issue. happy holidays to all our readers and hopefully we'll have some time to post from our CA and AZ adventures before the new year.

Christmas Stollen

makes 2 loaves

5 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup milk, warmed

5 oz unsalted butter, melted

1 tbs plus 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 oz raisins

6 oz dried cranberries

1 cup applejack or brandy

1/3 cup crystallized ginger

zest of 1 orange

confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

whisk together flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. stir in milk and melted butter. add dissolved yeast and eggs. turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. combine raisins, cranberries and applejack in a small bowl and soak until plump, about 15 minutes. drain well and add to bread, with ginger and orange zest. continue kneading for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if dough is too sticky. transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. cover with plastic and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1-2 hours. punch down and divide into 6 equal pieces. roll each piece into a 15-inch long log. braid 3 logs together and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. repeat with remaining 3 logs. cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 more hours. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. bake stollen until golden brown, 36-40 minutes. let cool completely on a wire rack and dust with confectioner's sugar before serving. enjoy!

bite size

these cute little muffins are super moist and packed with spices. i normally am not into mini baked goods but when i set out to make these, i discovered that we were missing an important piece of baking equipment - a muffin tin! not sure why i have every other shape under the sun - muffin top, mini muffin, mini loaf, multiple tart pans, bundt pan, panattone, on and on. needless to say i went out and bought a regular muffin tin to add to the collection. this batter is originally for making a loaf but it's great as muffins as well. it came from a family friend over twenty years ago and we've been baking it ever since. i never measure the spices too exactly and you get something a little different each time. enjoy!

Applesauce Spice Muffins

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

3/4 cup raisins

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. mix all ingredients well and stir in raisins. pour into a well greased tin and bake until done in the center when poked with a cake tester, about 12-15 minutes for small muffins, 25-30 minutes for regular muffins or 50-55 minutes for loaf.

dessert for breakfast

this morning we had dessert for breakfast. some people can't eat sweet syrupy things in the morning but i am blessed with that ability. i've always loved french toast and just recently started experimenting with stuffing it. the possibilities are endless but here's an indulgent chocolate filling to be eaten at any time of day. enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Stuffed French Toast

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

4 1-inch thick slices crusty bread

1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

3 tbs raspberry jam

2 tbs unsalted butter

3 tbs confectioner's sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a shallow baking dish, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. with a pairing knife, carefully cut a small slit in bottom of each slice of bread to create a pocket. in a small bowl, combine chocolate and jam. spoon a small amount of filling into each slice of bread. soak slices in egg mixture for 3 minutes per side. heat butter in a large skillet and cook slices for 2-3 minutes per side until nicely browned. transfer to a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. to serve, cut each slice in half and dust with confectioner's sugar. top with fresh raspberries and maple syrup.

trick-or-treat

we just got the great new cookbook Baked by these guys and this is the first recipe we've tried. so far so good and just in time for halloween! the recipe makes two loaves so you can keep one and give one to a friend.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

(from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

15 oz canned pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

12 oz dark chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. whisk flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. in another bowl, stir together pumpkin and oil. then add sugar and combine. stir in eggs one at a time and add vanilla. add 3/4 cup room temperature water and then stir in chocolate chips. fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture and combine but do not over mix. divide between two loaf pans and bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.