Blog posts

While there has been some baking going on here, most of it has been very pedestrian; basic stuff like sandwich breads and pain au levain.  With our kids and their kids coming home for the Thanksgiving weekend, an opportunity arose to inject some variety.  On the day before Thanksgiving, I made 2 dozen oat-wheat pan rolls.  On the morning of Thanksgiving, I made cloverleaf rolls.  

Time for some of the FAMOUS Irish soda bread!!

I have been meaning to make it for ever but keep finding other things to distract me...

All equally delicious and I can't say no!!

This is a fruity one, given my pennant for fruity breads:) but you could easily make it plain .

The latest Baker's Catalogue from King Arthur Flour has a recipe for “Swedish Tea Ring.” I usually just scan these recipes and go on looking for new toys, but this one caught my eye. The sub-caption described it as a “decadent cinnamon roll in the shape of a ring,” but the formula seemed the least “decadent” of any pastry I could recall – 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, no shortening! Of course the filling had butter, but still … I thought maybe this was an editing error. I did a quick internet search for other Swedish Tea Ring recipes.

Sorry for the delay in posting but it's been a crazy past couple of weeks.  First we were away for the entire week of Thanksgiving and then as soon as we got home the Monday after I had to drive to PA to start my new job.  I just got home last night after basically being away for 2 weeks so it's nice to sleep in my own bed and see my kitties and my wife of course.

For some reason, I always think of that song when I think of Venice:)

It is one of the most requested songs for Gondaliers to sing ......

Mmmm Veneziana

Yet it is a Neapolitan song.

But this lovely beauty is all Venetian!! It's a Veneziana.

A Venetian version of Pandoro perhaps or a Panettone, as the dough is similar but without the fruits.

Well I started off trying to recreate this great looking white spelt bread from "Tartine Bread Experiment" but I took some twists and turns on the way. It ended up pretty darn good considering there was a whole lot of improvising going on.

ha ha ,, just kidding:)

They sure puff up heaps for a flat bread.

Mmmmm Flatbreads

For a recipe with bugger all in it, they taste scrummy.

I have to say that dipped in Olive oil and lightly salted would be sublime.

Mmmm and it is a fabulous, fabulous base recipe to make many other weird and wonderful flat bread/ stuffed bread recipes.

I had thought that, when I retired, I would tackle more complex breads and pastries. So far, my inclinations have been otherwise. I have been working on simpler recipes that can produce good breads with lesser time demands. Go figure.

I stumbled on an unfamiliar flour at a Wholefoods before Thanksgiving:  One Degree Organic Foods (ODOF) Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with ODOF and am just a new and satisfied customer).  I was intrigued by the "sprouted" part, impressed with the packaging and bought a 5#

and they didn't murmur a word!!

It is a DIRTY word in our house.....

gobble them up!!

he he he...crafty me !!

Those naughty greedyboys LOVE the Florentine rosemary and raisin buns....