Category: Bread

Homemade Artisan Bread

12/27/2020

This bread was so popular I ended up making a new batch every single day for nearly a week! It delivered on everything that Sally's Baking Addiction promised. I'm copying the recipe here for my own easy reference when I bake at home, but I suggest checking out her page for all the tips and tricks if you're trying this out for the first time. The recipe really is as easy as it looks, but you may want to know how you can customize and adapt it to your taste - it's incredibly versatile and worth trying all the variations of!

3 and 1/4 cups (460g) bread flour (see notes on substitutions), plus more for hands and pan
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse salt (if only fine table salt available, reduce to 1.5 tsp)
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cool water
optional: cornmeal for dusting pan

In large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working till all the flour is moistened and becomes sticky. If needed, use your hands. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can.
Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on counter at room temperature. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
You can continue with step 4 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, let covered dough rest in refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. The dough will puff up, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal.
Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims and make sure it’s nonstick) with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each (doesn’t have to be exact) about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C).
When ready to bake, using very sharp knife or bread lame (or even kitchen shears), score bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. If shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes rest, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
Optional for a slightly crispier crust: After oven is preheated and bread is scored, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (such as a metal 9×13 baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
Place the pan with the shaped and scored dough in preheated oven on center rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Gently tap loaves – if they sound hollow, the bread is done.
Remove bread from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Notes:
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Dough can sit in refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 3. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 4 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit dense.
Round Loaf: If you want to shape the dough into a boule (round loaf) simply shape into a round ball instead of 2 loaves in step 4. Baking instructions are the same, but the loaf will take a few extra minutes in the oven.
Using a pizza stone: If you want to bake your bread loaves on a pizza stone, place pizza stone in the preheating oven. Transfer shaped and scored loaves to hot pizza stone and bake as directed.
No Nonstick Pan: If you don’t have a nonstick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper instead. Coat with a dusting of flour and/or cornmeal before placing the dough on top. Parchment paper can burn, so it’s best to check the box to see how much heat yours can tolerate. Lower your oven heat if necessary and bake the bread for longer until golden brown and when gently tapped, sound hollow.
Flavor ideas: Before pouring in the water in step 1, add any of the following ingredients/combination of ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl: 4 cloves minced garlic + 3 Tablespoons chopped rosemary, 3 Tablespoons your favorite fresh herb (chopped), 1 cup your favorite shredded cheese, a diced jalapeño, 3/4 – 1 cup dried cranberries and/or chopped nuts, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, etc.

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Pane Bianco (pull-apart bread)

4/21/2020

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I don't even remember how I stumbled across this recipe - I usually have 20+ tabs open in my browser, and in one of my infrequent fits of cleaning, I realized I had this particular tab open somewhere in the middle (which probably meant it was a couple weeks old) and it just so happened to use bay leaves ... which I was desperately trying to use the remainder of before they wilted. So I gave it a try, along with the tangzhong method for the first time, and while I think I made some missteps along the way, nevertheless it was a very usable bread that indeed stayed soft for several days and was enjoyed down to the last bite!

Dough (see notes for Tangzhong method)

3 cups (361g) bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm milk
1/3 cup (74g) lukewarm water
3 tablespoons (35g) olive oil

Filling

3/4 cup (85g) shredded Italian-blend cheese or other cheese of your choice
1/2 cup (113g) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes or your own oven-roasted tomatoes
3 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup (14g) chopped fresh basil, green or purple

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a bowl (or the bucket of your bread machine), and mix and knead — by hand, using a mixer, or in your bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a smooth, very soft dough. The dough should stick a bit to the bottom of the bowl if you're using a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it's doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. Note: When making anything with yeast, it's best to let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "doubled in bulk," rather than watching the clock. Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.
Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the tomatoes, patting them dry. Use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller bits. Shears are also useful for slicing/chopping the basil.
Gently deflate the dough, shaping it into a ball, and letting it rest for 10 minutes. Then flatten and pat it into a 22" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Spread with the cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal. Place the log seam-side down on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Using kitchen shears, start 1" from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" deep, to within 1" of the other end.
Keeping the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a "figure 8;" pinch the ends together to seal.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.
While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. If there are bits of sundried tomato sticking out on the surface, gently tuck them under the dough so that they don't char.
Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store, well-wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

Notes:
Don't want to use bread flour? The bread may not hold its shape quite as well, but feel free to substitute all-purpose flour 1:1 for the bread flour in the recipe. Reduce the water to 1/4 cup.

Want to make a softer loaf with extended shelf life? Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast rolls. Begin by measuring out the flour and milk you’ll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and the 1/2 cup milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour and the other dough ingredients, increasing the amount of water to 3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon). Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your loaf should stay soft and fresh for several days.

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Double Olive Oil Bread (No-knead)

10/28/2019

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I've always loved the idea of making bread but only ventured into that realm twice. Due to proofing times and my chaotic schedule, it was difficult to figure out when I was available to perform which step, and to be honest, it was difficult to make myself wait. I liked to just spend an hour doing everything and popping it into the oven - it was surprisingly difficult to perform a step, be patient for a few hours, then perform another step, then wait again, etc.

But I had just made pizza the other night and had half of a jar of olives still left over when this recipe landed in my inbox. The instructions seemed insanely easy for a bread recipe, so I gave it a try - and true to the article's claim, it really was as easy as it claimed! What came out was a beautifully aromatic, salty, crusty bread that I would be happy to pair up with all sorts of dips, spreads, you-name-it.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup olive brine from a jar of olives
1 1/4 cups warm water

In a large bowl stir together flour, yeast, salt and chopped olives.
Combine olive juice with warm water and slowly stir into dry ingredients until a shaggy dough is formed. If dough seems too dry, add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is barely wet throughout.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm place, and let it rise for at least 12 hours but preferably 18 hours.
Place a large piece of parchment paper on counter. Generously flour the parchment paper. Use rubber spatula to turn dough on surface – it will be loose and sticky – this is what you want.
Flour hands and gently lift the edges of the dough in toward the center, folding the dough over onto itself to create a round shape. Cover with kitchen towel again and let rise for another 1½ to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place large Dutch oven in oven while it preheats (about 30 minutes).
Remove hot pan from oven. Lift the parchment paper/dough into the hot pot. Cover with lid and put back in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until outside is golden brown and crispy.
Let cool to room temperature before serving.

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Porcini Popovers

10/17/2019

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I had never heard of popovers, but I adore yorkshire pudding, so I just had to give these a try when it landed in my inbox from Epicurious. I actually debated long and hard with myself on whether I should buy a popover pan, but after a bit of research, decided that I better try it first without before getting yet another pan - especially one that would take up quite a bit of shelf space.

Thankfully, I saved quite a bit of investment in both money and space, as these turned out beautifully even without the dedicated popover pans. (Though they did make quite a bit of a mess of my muffin tins!) In fact, these barely lasted the hour, much less the day ... it was one of the rare hits that every single person in the household craved, and they're so light and airy that no one felt too guilty about scarfing down multiples in one sitting.

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2.5 cups whole milk
0.5 stick unsalted butter (2 Tbsp melted and 2 Tbsp cold) plus additional for popover cups
2 nonstick popover pans with 6 (2/3-cup) cups or 1 regular 3x4 cup muffin pan

Grind porcini to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder or a blender (you’ll have about 1/4 cup). Whisk together porcini powder, flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth, then let rest, chilled, 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter popover cups. Cut remaining 2 Tbsp butter into 12 pieces.
Heat popover pans in oven 2 minutes. Remove from oven and add a piece of butter to each cup. Return to oven and heat until butter is bubbling, about 1 minute. Divide batter among cups (a scant 1/2 cup each) and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
Pierce top of each popover with a sharp knife to release steam, then continue to bake until deep golden-brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Popovers can be baked 4 hours ahead. Remove from pans and reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until hot and crisp.

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Crumbly Pumpkin Bread

10/10/2018

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I'm usually not a fan of pumpkin bread because I've tried enough of them to start forming this idea in my head that the pumpkin bread doesn't really taste like pumpkin or even bread, it just tastes like a really sweet bread-like cake. But this Fall season I made the mistake of forgetting to unpack a bunch of pie pumpkins from their grocery bags and within 2 days they were starting to get fuzzy around the stems, so I was forced to give them a bath and then bake them all at once. With bags and bags of pureed pumpkin now in the fridge, I had to go on a pumpkin-themed baking spree to try and free up some space.

Thank goodness for that, because after my family all got tired of the usual pies and cupcakes (I even tried a pumpkin-based drink) I finally broke down and tried this after it landed in my inbox ... and it has literally been the hit of everything pumpkin I've made so far. As usual, I cut the sugar (this time by quite a bit due to my usual experiences with pumpkin bread) and it turned out absolutely perfect with the sweet crumble top balancing it out.

For the bread:

Cooking spray
2 c ups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cups (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cups pumpkin purée
1/3 cups sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8“-x-4” loaf pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray (or softened butter). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat melted butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined.
Make topping: In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until large clumps form.
Transfer batter to prepared pan then scatter topping on top (you might not use all of it - use as much as to your taste). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

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James Beard's Zucchini Bread

7/6/2016

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I received this recipe in my inbox one day, and it was a perfect opportunity to use up some of the mystery vegetables lying around the kitchen. I actually don't know what the squash-family veggie it was that I ended up putting into the bread, except that it definitely wasn't a zucchini. Nevertheless, even with such liberties taken - and, after I couldn't find either my loaf pans or my muffin-sized liners, falling back to my cupcake tins out of desperation - I could see why the recipe had a 4 out of 4-spoon rating. Nobody in my entire family stopped at just one cupcake, and my dad even accused me of lacing it with opium! *eyeshifts*

3 eggs
1.25 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated raw zucchini
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Yield: 2 loaves or about 18-20 cupcakes

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add the sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla and mix lightly but well.
Whisk together flour, salt, soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to the egg-zucchini mixture.
Stir until well blended, add nuts, and pour into two 9 x 5 x 3 inch greased loaf pans, or distribute into cupcake cups.
Preheat oven to 350 F. For loaves, bake for 1 hour. For cupcakes, bake for 25 minutes.

There's now a much more thorough treatment of this recipe on Jen Reviews - Cozy, Crumbly Zucchini Bread Recipe, chock full of high-res photos! It's a great guide for anyone who has any questions about the many details that I admittedly elide here for the sake of reading and baking brevity.

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Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze

5/4/2016

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My mother likes to eat bananas just as they're coasting from raw to ripe - in other words, she usually manages to eat only 2-3 out of a bunch before the rest are too ripe for her taste. Inevitably, the rest languish away. In the past I've just thrown them into a smoothie if I notice them in time, but this time, I decided to do some serious research into a go-to banana bread recipe. This was adapted from a myrecipes.com page, and I have to say, the sweet lime glaze certainly adds a nice accent!

9" x 5" loaf pan
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
(optional) 3 tbsp dark rum or 1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked coconut + extra for garnishing

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add banana, yogurt, rum or molasses, and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until fully blended. Stir in the flaked coconut.
Spoon into the loaf pan and sprinkle with some extra coconut. Bake for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lime juice, stirring with a whisk, and drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: The amount of banana you can throw in there is somewhat forgiving - I threw in 4 bananas, and didn't bother measuring how much there was except to ensure that it was at least 1.5 cups. I also sort of eyeball the time - depending on what pan you use (the first time I made this was in a much larger pan) it may take much less than 1 hour to finish. My rule of thumb is that it should turn golden, but it should not start to brown. Try the toothpick trick every 5 minutes after the 40 minute mark to test its doneness.

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Pumpkin Bread / Cupcakes

10/4/2015

This recipe came from a good friend of mine, and even when accidentally over-baked, it still turned out more than edible, so it's quite robust! The original recipe called for 1.5 cups of sugar, but as I'm notoriously sugar-shy, I dropped it down to 1 cup and folks are still loving it. I think one can also experiment with some brown sugar substitution instead, to give it that extra holiday-taste and help keep even more moisture in. The original recipe also called for only 3 cups of pumpkin, but since my family loves the pumpkin taste, I bumped that up to 4.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
(optional) chopped walnuts

Servings: 1 loaf or 1.5 dozen small cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, then mix in the vanilla, sugar, and vegetable oil. (If the oil remains separate, use a hand whisk and beat until everything looks reasonably combined.) Combine with the dry ingredients and then fold in the shredded pumpkin (and walnuts if you're adding them). Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9" x 5" loaf pan (if your pan is not non- stick, coat it with butter and flour) or spoon into 18 cupcake molds.
For loaves, bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. For cupcakes, bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove to cool for 5-10 minutes, then move either the loaf or the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely so that steam trapped between the pan and the bread doesn't make it soggy.

Note: A sour cream cheese frosting goes GREAT with this!

Homemade Artisan Bread

Pane Bianco (pull-apart bread)

Double Olive Oil Bread (No-knead)

Porcini Popovers

Crumbly Pumpkin Bread

James Beard's Zucchini Bread

Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze

Pumpkin Bread / Cupcakes

Sweet Enough

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