Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread, World Bread Day 2007
World Bread Day premiered in 2006 with a bang and 113 delicious entries. The event was such a success that this year the illustrious host Zorra offered bloggers another opportunity to celebrate beautiful breads and share them with everyone. I missed my chance last year as I was in the post-partum recovery and no sleep period, thus baking bread was the furthest thing from my mind, but I promised myself I would not miss it this year. But guess what? I nearly missed it! I just baked my bread this morning! In the midst of a clogged head fog and Michael being gone, I had completely forgotten until last night around 10pm. Experience has shown that I should not attempt baking projects late at night, so I waited until this morning to tackle the bread.
I’ve had Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads (1995 edition) on my shelf for about eight years now, and I’ve lost track of how many different breads we’ve tried and enjoyed from his book, but in honor of World Bread Day 2007 I felt I should choose something that I have not tried before. Truthfully I can’t believe that I’ve not made this particular bread before, especially since it has one of my little Post-It flags and it has cinnamon in it. So today I have rectified this situation by making Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread, which is actually a contribution from one of Clayton’s first readers in Austin, Texas.
The story goes that Clayton sent a loaf of his California sourdough to an editor at Simon & Schuster along with an introductory letter. The loaf sealed the deal and he got his first book. Read more
Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Sometimes the events of the day catch up to me and everything that I’ve planned just goes out the window…and I’ve had a week of those days. My two older boys have been sick with upper respiratory illnesses, so my energies have been focused on the kids. Fortunately Michael made a large pot of minestrone for dinner on Sunday, so we’ve had plenty to eat this week and I haven’t had to worry about cooking every night.
But in the midst of 24 hour doctoring and soothing, I did manage to squeeze in some time to try a new recipe for a multigrain bread, and I’m really glad that I did. The baked bread has a nutty flavor and a soft crumb, perfect for slicing for sandwiches. Using the Bob’s Red Mill Hot Cereal for the multigrain component worked Read more
No-Knead Bread
On November 8, the New York Times ran a piece in the Food Section that turned the homemade bread world on it’s ear. Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery made public his recipe and technique for making the ultimate minimalist bread, one that requires no kneading and only four ingredients. Lahey claims that a six-year-old can make this bread.
Food blogs buzzed last week with discussion, reports of success, and some gorgeous photos. I was a bit late in joining in the discussion due to an equipment dilemma, but I did spend some time over the weekend experimenting with the method, and I am very excited about the results. The crust is crispy, so crispy that it actually crackles audibly as it cools. I could hear it across the room. The interior is chewy and full of holes, like a good artisan-style loaf should be. The flavor is rich, and Michael asked me a couple times if the bread had butter in it, which it does not. Read more
Experiment: Black Forest Gateau (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)
Nearly six years ago, we did our honeymoon trip through Germany. We visited Frankfort, the Rheingau wine region, Cologne, Berlin, Munich, the Black Forest region, and a number of other cities. And due to a little advance planning, we were able to be in Munich for the opening day of Oktoberfest. Excellent beer, huge pretzels, lots of brats, interesting city = great time! And of course we enjoyed some Black Forest cake on our trip through the Schwarzwald. So when Michael gave me the choice of making either a German chocolate cake or a Black Forest cake for his birthday last week, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to try my hand at a traditional schwarzwälder kirschtorte.
But I quickly ran into a problem. The recipes I found called for a box cake mix or just didn’t ring “traditional” for me, that is until I found this one on Food Network—a Black Forest cake recipe from a German baker. Thank goodness I didn’t have to try translating it with my rusty German. Read more
Experiment: Coconut Cream Sorbets
When the weather turns hot, I start thinking of icy cold desserts, and this summer is no exception. I have ice cream on the brain these days, which got me to thinking about how to make a sorbet reminiscent of tropical “umbrella” drinks…something fruity, icy cold (and nonalcoholic for my summer pregnancy).
I found a recipe on Allrecipes that uses cream of coconut and lime juice and I thought that it would adapt to other tropical juices as well. So I tried two batches, one Persian lime and one pineapple, and I made the sorbet mixes in a blender bottle for easy cleanup. We tasted the sorbets right after they were finished and again after they had sat in the freezer for 24 hours, and we decided that the sitting period was important. Read more
Experiment: Jamaican Jerk Chicken
We both enjoy jerk chicken, but we’ve never made it, so with the summer grilling season upon us, it just seemed like a good time to give it a go. Boy, do we feel silly for not trying it before now! It’s really, really simple—you just marinate and grill. I used only one habanero instead of the recommended two simply because they are so devilishly hot. Call me a wimp, but I’m pregnant and those things will eat me alive. Even with only a tiny bit of habanero and no seeds, the marinade was very flavorful.
The recipe calls for seven to eight pounds of chicken, enough for a small party. For just us and the boys, we grilled two large chicken breasts on the bone and used only one-fourth of the marinade. Read more
