Tag: bread recipes

French Loaf

Categories bread, RecipesLeave a Comment on French Loaf

I miss the local Boulangeries in France, with all the amazing pastries and warm baguettes. This recipe is from the NYT Cookbook, and I was thinking that it was for a baguette; I was very wrong. The bread is more of a sandwich bread, not as crispy and crunchy as baguettes are. This is the perfect loaf for weekend sandwiches, garlic bread, or even homemade croutons. Bread-skill wise I give this about a 2.5/5 difficulty.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/8 TSP Active Dry Yeast
  • 1/4 Cup Lukewarm Water
  • 1 Cup Cold Water
  • 2 TBSP Unsalted Butter
  • 3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 TSP Salt

Let’s Get Bakin’

In a small bowl, blend the yeast + lukewarm water until the yeast is dissolved, let sit until foamy.

In a small saucepan, combine the cold water + butter. Heat on LOW until the butter melts.

Combine the flour + salt and mix well. Add in the yeast mixture and combine using a mixer or your hands. Add in the dissolved butter and mix until it forms a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough quickly and gently into a ball. Place the dough ball into a buttered bowl and let rest covered for about 30-40 minutes.

After the first rise, turn out into a lightly floured surface and briefly knead and shape into a ball. Return to the bowl and cover and let rest for about 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

After the second rise, turn the dough out onto a floured surface, roll into a loose ball, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Turn the dough seam side up and flatten with your fingers into a rough rectangle shape. Fold one-third of the dough toward the center of the rectangle, then roll it up like a jelly roll.

Transger the loaf to a baking sheet seam down and the ends folded under. The NYT says the loaf should be about 13 1/2 in long.

Cover with a clean town and let proof again for about 15-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Using a sharp knife cut 3 parallel diagonal slashes in the top of the dough.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and put 4 ice cubes into the floor of the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then add an additional 4 ice cubes.

Turn the pan and bake for 10 more minues. Reduce the heat to 400F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Use for sandwiches, make garlic bread, dip in your soup, do whatever you please with it!

Enjoy,

Hannah

Chocolate Babka

Categories Desserts, Recipes1 Comment on Chocolate Babka

Holidays are the time that you get to show off your cooking and baking skills. At least that is how it is for me because I am usually cooking for one. I know I am a few weeks late, but I made this chocolate babka for Easter and I have to say it was an absolute hit. This recipe is from the New York Times Cookbook and makes 2 loaves. It is a long process, so I say get started three days before you want the loaf done. I made the fudge filling and chocolate streusel beforehand and it made the process go a lot smoother. As the New York Times said, read this recipe a few times before committing to making it, you’ll need it.

Ingredients

For the Dough:

  • 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
  • 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
  • 1/3 Cup Sugar + a pinch
  • 4 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 TSP Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 TSP Vanilla Extract
  • 1 TSP Grated Lemon Zest
  • 1/2 TSP Freshly Grated Nutmeg
  • 4 Large Eggs, at room temp, lightly beaten
  • 10 TBSP Unsalted Butter, softened

For the Fudge Filling:

  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 3/4 Heavy Crem or Half and Half
  • Salt
  • 6 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (66-74% cocoa), coarsely chopped
  • 8 TSBP Unsalted Butter, diced and softened
  • 2 TSP Vanilla Extract

For Chocolate Streusel

  • 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 3 TBSP Sugar
  • 1 1/2 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 TSP Salt
  • 4 1/2 TSBP Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1/3 Cup Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips

For the Syrup:

  • 2/3 Cup Sugar
  • 2/3 Cup Water

Let’s Get Baking

Let’s start with the dough. Warm the milk in a small saucepan on the stove until it’s lukewarm. Remove from heat, and add in the yeast + pinch of sugar and let bloom for about 5-10 minutes.

Using a mixer with the dough hook [you can also do this by hand it just takes a bit more time] combine flour + 1/3 cup sugar + salt + vanilla + lemon zest + nutmeg and mix. Slowly add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients along with the eggs. Beat until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.

Add in half of the butter and beat until the dough is smooth, add in the rest of the butter and wait until the dough is smooth and stretchy about 5-7 minutes. Add in 1 TBSP of flour if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Butter a large bowl and form the dough into a ball. Roll the dough around in the buttered bowl so all sides are buttered. Cover with clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours.

Press the dough down and recover, let rise in the friedge over night.

Onto the filling: Combine the sugar + cream + salt in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Add in the chocolate + butter + vanilla stirring until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This can be made up to a week beforehand.

Onto the streusel: stir together flour + sugar + cocoa powder + salt in a bowl. Stir in melted butter until it is distributed and the streusel forms large crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. This can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge.

To make the syrup: combine sugar & water into a small saucepan. Simmer over MED heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

Butter 2 9-inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper

Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it in half. On a floured surface, roll one piece into a 9×17 inch rectangle. Spread with half the filling all over. Starting with the long side, roll up into a tight roll, transfer to a dish towel, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Do the same with the other piece of dough.

After the 10 minutes, slice the rolls length-wise in half and twist the halves together as you were braiding them. Fold the braid in half and place it in one of the prepared pans. Repeat with the other dough. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rise in the fridge overnight.

When it’s finally the day to bake remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temp. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using your hands, clump the streusel together and scatter along the bread. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean with no dough.

As soon as the bread comes out, pierce it with a knife going all the way down to the bottom of the bread. Pour over the syrup. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before serving.

Serve and share with family and friends.
Baked with Love,

Hannah

Claire’s Focaccia

Categories Recipes5 Comments on Claire’s Focaccia

We all love Claire Saffitz, right? High-key very happy she left Bon Appetit and the now madness that is that magazine. But that’s besides the point. I got her book Dessert Person for Christmas and finally got around to making one of her recipes. I decided to go with the Focaccia, it’s so crispy and warm and soft on the inside, UGH. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t stand in front of the oven and try and eat it when it was still incredibly hot. It’s recommended that you have a stand mixer for this, I do not have one in my little apartment and it still turned out good; just have a strong arm on stand-by. Eat this on it’s own, slice in half for sandwich bread, do whatever you want with it really I don’t care, just enjoy it.

Ingredients

  • 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
  • 6 Cups/780g Bread Flour
  • 2 TBSP/17g Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 Cup/110g Extra Virgin Olive Oil + 1/4 Cup for topping and for oiling hands
  • Additional toppings: 4 Cloves crushed garlic [or whatever you’d like]

Let’s Get Baking

First we are going to dissolve the yeast. In a small sauce pan, warm 1/2 cup water over low heat, just until it’s lukewarm, about 105F. Pour the water into the bowl of the stand mixer and whisk in the yeast to dissolve. Set this aside until the mixture is cloudy and slightly puffed, will take about 5 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups [567g] room-temp water to the yeast mixture + add in the flour and kosher salt. Using the dough hook, mix on the lowest speed until a loose dough comes together, for about a minute. Then increase the speed to med-high and mix until the dough is smooth and wrapping around the hook, about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Mix again on med-high speed, the dough should be smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the bowl, for about 10-15 minutes. ** THE DOUGH WILL BE STICKY**

In a separate bowl, pour 1/4 cup of the oil into a separate large bowl and coat. Scrape the dough into the bowl and coat the dough. Take a photo before covering so you can gauge the rise. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

BEFORE RISE
AFTER RISE

While the dough is rising, prepare your toppings. For this recipe that involves crushing and chopping the garlic.

Drizzle 1/4 cup oil across a cookie sheet, coating the entire thing. With your oiled hands, slide your hand around either side of the dough and lift it out of the bowl. Let the dough weigh itself down back into the bowl. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this process two more times. This allows the dough to rise more. Place the dough on the oiled baking sheet. Stretch the dough out in all directions, it’s not going to fully cover the pan yet, don’t stress. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

Uncover and stretch the dough again so it fits all the sides of the sheet. Cover again and let rise in the fridge for 24 hours. OR you can let is sit for another 40-55 minutes before cooking.

24 HOUR FRIDGE PROOF

Preheat the oven to 450F, place two oven racks on the highest and lowest positions. Uncover the risen dough with oiled hands and with wide hands, press your finger tips into the dough making dimples across the surface.

Top the focaccia as wanted: I added 1/4 cup olive oil+ chopped garlic + salt.

Bake on the lower rack for about 20-25 minutes and then transfer to the top rack until it begins to brown for about 5 minutes. Pay attention to the color here.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes [hardest 10 minutes ever]. Scrape out with a spatula and let cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy in whatever way you wish!

Always Hungry,

Hannah