Elements » Bread

Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

Sheila — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:46:56 +0000

Raise your hands if you love hot dogs. *raises mine up*

Yep…they’re good stuff, but let’s face it, they’ve been given a bad rap. I remember reading that they’re filled with all kinds of yucky stuff that isn’t good for us so I try not to eat them very often. But when we do eat them, we buy high quality dogs that are free of hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives. Maybe they’re still not the healthiest thing for us to eat, but hey…a hot dog every now and again is fine for us.

Anyway, if you enjoy hot dogs from time to time too, try making homemade hot dog buns to go with them the next time you have them.

They’re really easy to make, taste fabulous, and they don’t take very long either.

You can find the recipe at One Frugal Food/Alisa Cooks. The recipe is for hamburger buns, and I use this recipe when we have burgers, but if you want hot dog buns, just shape them like hot dog buns before baking them and there ya go!

By the way, I did try making my own vegan hot dogs

several months ago, and while I loved how they tasted, I didn’t care for the texture.

Anyway, just one final thing I wanted to mention about hot dogs. My favorite way to eat them is roasting them over a bonfire. I remember when I was a kid we used to do that cookouts my folks would have, and we’d also do that when we were camping.

Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire…*sigh*…I think that was like my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. I sure did love burning my marshmallows on the outside and have them be all ooey gooey, and soft on the outside. Yum, yum, yum!!!

What about you? Did you roast marshmallows and hot dogs on a stick over a bonfire when you were a kid?

Whole Wheat Pesto Pizza

Sheila — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:22:49 +0000

Kemal and I love making pizza, and last night we a pesto pizza with a whole wheat crust. It turned out fabulous!

The pizza dough recipe came from Simply Life. I love that the crust has flax seeds to provide added fiber, and besides that it just tastes great!

Then instead of using tomato or marinara sauce on the pizza, I made some pesto sauce from scratch. I saw a pesto pizza in Whole Foods about a month ago, and that’s where I got the idea to make a pesto pizza to begin with.

Normally, I make pesto in the blender, but after coming across this article at New Italian Recipes, I decided to try making my pesto by using my mortar and pestle to grind one bunch of basil and about 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds. (I know pine nuts are supposed to be used, but I didn’t have any so I figured sunflower seeds would work out just fine, and sure enough…they did!)

I enjoyed grinding the basil and sunflower seeds, and when I was done, I stirred in one minced garlic clove, some olive oil and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The pesto wasn’t as smooth made this way, but it tasted wonderful nonetheless.

The pesto sauce was so good I ate a spoon of it by itself. Yum!!!

Anyway, after I shaped the pizza dough in the pan, I spread some pesto sauce on the unbaked dough. Then Kemal sliced some tomatoes and onions and added them on top of the pesto sauce. Then he topped the pizza with some goat cheese and Bulgarian feta cheese, and we baked it on 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the dough was done. It was so good!

And we’re enjoying leftovers tonight!

It’s a pizza I’ll definitely make again!

So what’s your favorite kind of pizza? My is classic margherita pizza.

Masala Dosa (Rice Lentil Crepes with a Potato Stuffing)

Sheila — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:21:51 +0000

As much as Kemal and I love Mediterranean food, we also have a passion for Indian cuisine. We’re getting better and better at cooking our favorite Indian meals, and one meal I couldn’t wait to try to make myself is masala dosa which is basically crepes (made with rice and lentils) that are stuffed with soft potatoes and onions that have been cooked in warm spices.

When I tried masala dosa at our favorite Indian restaurant (Little India Cafe), I fell in love with them. The crepes were light, airy, fluffy…with a bit of a tangy taste. The Indian spiced potatoes inside the crepes were just heavenly! They were served with a coconut chutney, but honestly, I hardly touched the chutney because I thought they were perfect without any kind of dipping sauce.

Anyway, after enjoying them at the restaurant, I was inspired to try to make them myself. So I did!

The crepes are made with rice and lentils (I used red lentils) that are soaked in water for about four hours. Then after they’re softened, you drain some of the water off them and puree them to make a paste. Then you let the mixture ferment for 8-24 hours.

The potatoes can be made on the day you’re letting the pureed rice and lentil batter ferment; that way the filling will be ready when you ready to start making your dosas. Here’s a picture Kemal took of my potato stuffing which is spiced with curry, cumin, chili powder, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt, and pepper.

I had no problems making the batter or the potatoes or the crepes; however, I did have a bit of trouble in the presentation department. Let me explain.

I made them on a counter top electric grill/griddle that I have, and while they cooked just fine, the outside of the dosa wasn’t at all pretty when I rolled it up. So what I did was make sure I put the filling on the side of the crepe that is “ugly” in texture so when you roll it, the outside looks pretty. Easy fix!

So how did they taste? Mmmmmmmmmm….they were wonderful!!! I dipped a few of them in a tamarind chutney, and the sweetness of the tamarind made a lovely contrast with the slight tang of the dosas and the spiciness of the potatoes.

One word of caution though. These dosas don’t do well if you microwave the leftovers the next day. Next time I make them, I’ll let my leftovers warm up in the oven. Hopefully it’ll work better that way.

Now I just need to learn to make own tamarind chutney.

Masala Dosa (Rice Lentil Crepes with a Potato Stuffing)

Recipe Sources:

Recipe found at www.epicurious.com. Their recipe came from Gourmet, January 2006; originally published 1985
Tutorial, recipe, and step-by-step instructions submitted by Bhavna from superveggiedelight.com on www.youtube.com (This link is for part 1.)
Tutorial, recipe, and step-by-step instructions submitted by Bhavna from superveggiedelight.com on www.youtube.com (This link is for part 2.)

Buttermilk Cluster Bread with Poppy Seeds

Sheila — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:42:50 +0000

I just wanted to pass along an excellent buttermilk yeast bread recipe I came across last month and recently made. The bread just melts in your mouth, and I’m definitely planning to make it again.

If you’re interested in making it yourself, you can find the recipe here at One Perfect Bite.

I’m curious, by the way, what your favorite kind of bread is? I have a hard time coming up with a favorite because I love them all!

The only kind of bread I don’t care for is beer bread. I just find it to be way too sweet. Is there a bread that you don’t particularly like?

Fish Fry Featuring Fried Pickles, Hush Puppies, and of course, Fried Fish

Sheila — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:28:46 +0000

If you ask me, you can’t get much better than fresh fish caught in local streams, creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes. The fresh caught fish has an amazing flavor, and when it’s fried to perfection and served with all the fixin’s…well…there seriously ain’t anything that can top it!

My Dad and Uncle Boyd have been doing a lot of trout fishin’ these days with me and Kemal in mind. They caught a big ole mess of fish so we could have a nice family fish fry! Ain’t we the lucky ones! Thanks so much you two!!!

Me and Dad also spent a few hours one night fishin’ for bass and bluegill while Kemal walked around the pond taking photos of us and the property. I caught a couple of small fish, and Dad caught several as well. Here are a few of the pictures Kemal took. Here’s Dad and me at the pond.

And here’s my niece, Jessica, with her daughter, Isabella.

And here’s a picture Kemal took of the fishin’ pole I was usin’. I just love this photo!

Anyway, I came close to nabbin’ a huge bass in this very spot, but before you think I’m exaggeratin’, I want to let you know this isn’t one of those fish tales. Seriously…it was a big ‘un!!! I got it on the hook, but as I was reelin’ it in it got loose. I sure do wish I hadn’t let it get away ’cause I’m sure it was mighty tasty! Here’s one I did catch, but it’s so small you can barely see it. But hey…a small fish is better than no fish!

Here’s one that Dad caught.

But almost all the fish was the trout that Dad and Uncle Boyd caught, and let me tell you it’s the best trout I ever had! Seriously! The trout you get in a restaurant doesn’t even compare. These were small trout, and the meat was white and flaky. I’ve had the trout with the pinkish/orange meat, but it’s not as good. Kemal also said it was the best trout he ever had. He said he mostly has been disappointed with the trout he’s tried, but not the trout that Dad and Boyd caught.

Anyway, we had a huge fish fry for the family (there was nine of us there) and let me tell you the food was plentiful! Dad and Kemal were in charge of the frying and grilling. Here they are hard at work.

And here’s a few more pics of Dad fryin’ the hush puppies and fish.

Besides a mess of fried fish and Dad’s incredibly delicious hush puppies, we also enjoyed some fried pickles that I made for the first time. Here’s a few pictures showing you all three. I think the fried pickles look deceptively like potato wedges.

We also had veggie and chicken kabobs made by Kemal, Greek salad and coleslaw made by Mom, and a beautiful vanilla cake made by brother’s fiance’s aunt. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to photograph all that, but here’s a photo veggie and chicken kabobs, as well as a Greek salad made by my friend, Vesna, that I took last summer when we grilled out at our friends’ house.

All the food was wonderful, and Kemal and I totally stuffed ourselves to the gills!

Kemal said his favorite thing was the hush puppies.

He had seven of them! I’m not sure what my favorite thing was ’cause it was all so good!

Dad’s recipe for the hush puppies, as well as his breading recipe for the fish are listed below. The fried fish doesn’t have added seasonings, and in my opinion, it doesn’t need anything. It’s perfect just the way it is. You’ll notice in the photo below the plate is on the empty side. These are the first three fish that came out of the fryer. I wanted to photograph the big platter of fish when it was done, but there just wasn’t time. I’m sure you can imagine though.

As for the fried pickles…if you haven’t tasted them before, you really have to give them a try!

They’re so good you wouldn’t believe it! They’re great just the way they are but even better when you dip them in ranch dressing. Yum!!!

Everyone loved them except my brother. You should have seen the look on his face when he bit into one! Well…they look like fried potato wedges, and I reckon I forgot to tell him I was making fried pickles. Ooops!

Anyway, we sure did enjoy everything, and the leftovers were just as good! I sure was spoiled with all that good food! Thanks so much to everyone in my family for their contributions! It was a mighty fine meal!!

Easy Fried Dill Pickles

Recipe Source: www.cooks.com (Recipe submitted by Dan Man)

Dad’s Hush Puppies

Ingredients:

2 cups Martha White Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix
diced yellow onions (however much you want)
2-3 tbsp. sugar
buttermilk (or you can use milk or water instead)
vegetable oil

Instructions:

Place the buttermilk cornmeal mix in a large bowl.
Add the sugar and diced onions.
Stir enough buttermilk until your batter is the consistency of cornbread.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer (how much you use depends on how large your deep fryer is).
When the oil gets hot, use a tablespoon to drop the batter into the fryer. You should be able to fry several hush puppies at one time.
Fry the hush puppies until they’re golden brown.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the hush puppies from the hot oil, and drain them on a plate with several paper towels on it.

Dad’s Fish Breading for Fried Fish

Ingredients:

Martha White Buttermilk Cornmeal Mix

Instructions:

Press the uncooked fish into the buttermilk cornmeal mix. Make sure it’s covered on both sides evenly with the mix.
When you get ready to fry the fish, heat some vegetable oil in a deep fryer (how much you use depends on how larger your fryer is).
After the oil is hot, drop the breaded fish into the deep fryer.
Cook until the fish is golden brown.

Quick and Easy Yogurt Biscuits

Sheila — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:37:57 +0000

When it comes to biscuits, I usually stick to a recipe passed down from my grandmother to my mom to me. Nana’s buttermilk biscuits are so melt-in-your-mouth delicious that I make them again and again.

I’ve done a little experimenting with biscuits, but most other biscuit recipes I’ve tried disappoint me. Here’s one that didn’t.

I found a recipe for yogurt biscuits (Submitted by Brandi at Tasty Kitchen) which I decided to try because I had some yogurt in the fridge that needed to be used up. Since I had never tried yogurt biscuits, I was curious.

I followed the recipe exactly except I used vegetable oil instead of shortening. They turned out so good that I made them two days in a row for breakfast.

They’re very quick and easy to make, and they sure didn’t last long in our house!

They make great little breakfast sandwiches, are wonderful slathered in butter, and they’re perfect if you’re in the mood for some biscuits and gravy! Yummmm!

I’m curious if you like having biscuits or some other kind of bread/toast/muffin for breakfast? Or are you more of a cereal person?

I love it all! Some mornings I want muffins. Then there are days I’ll have granola or bran flakes for breakfast while other days it’ll be bread fresh from the oven. Reminds me…it’s time to make another batch of some bran cereal.

Muffuletta Bread and Apple Raisin Bread Pudding

Sheila — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:29:54 +0000

Have you ever heard of a Sicilian bread called muffuletta? Until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t. But when I saw the recipe and pictures of the bread at Rubber Slippers in Italy, I just had to try it to see what it was all about.

Muffuletta bread is made with durum flour, and it’s basically a sandwich bread. It’s very easy to make, I also think it’s a very pretty bread. Here’s a picture of it before I cut it.

And here it is after I cut it and made a sandwich.

I’ve made it twice so far…once by following the recipe exactly using durum flour and topping it with sesame seeds and a second time by using farina flour (00 flour imported from Italy) and no topping on the bread. We enjoyed both batches, but I think the batch made with the durum flour (as called for in the recipe) was better.

I’m definitely going to be making this bread again since it turned out so good! If you’re interested in making it, just head over to Rubber Slippers in Italy.

To learn more about the history of this bread, click here.

And if you happen to have any bread that goes a little stale like I did, you can make some apple raisin bread pudding. Here’s a picture of it after I had already eaten part of it.

I stumbled across the recipe for this bread pudding a couple of weeks ago at Insatiably Healthy, I knew I had to try it.

I made mine with agave nectar and coconut milk, and the dried fruit I used included raisins, cranberries, blueberries, and cherries. Also, instead of using chopped apples, I just used some applesauce.

It was super easy to make, and I was happy I found a yummy way to use up my stale bread.

Be forewarned that the smell of this bread pudding baking in the oven will drive you insane!! Don’t you just love the smell of cinnamon when it’s baking in something ooey and gooey in my oven!? I know I sure do!

Anyway, when it was finally done, I ate one right from the oven and ooooooh…it was so good!!! It’s also wonderful reheated the next day.

Chili Rubbed Cedar Salmon with Citrus Salsa (and the rest of the meal)

Sheila — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:41:24 +0000

We noticed some cedar planks for sale (for only a few dollars) at the seafood department at Whole Foods about a month ago and decided to buy one so would could try some salmon baked on it. We were curious if the cedar plank would flavor the salmon at all.

So last night we finally gave it a try. I just placed the salmon on the plank, brushed the salmon with some olive oil, and then because I was in the mood for something kind of spicy, I sprinkled some chili powder on top of the salmon. I then put the plank on a large, ceramic baking dish so the juices would have a place to overflow onto and baked uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the salmon was done (had an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit).

When the salmon was done, I placed the plank on a serving plate and photographed it for you so you could see what it looked like immediately after cooking. Here’s what it looked like.

The salmon comes off plank easily with a spatula. You can transfer it to a serving plate(s) and then top it with some citrus salsa that can be prepared quickly while the salmon is baking. Here’s a couple of pictures of the salmon topped with the citrus salsa which is made with fresh pineapple, clementines, cherry tomatoes, green onions, lime juice, chili powder, and sea salt.

I made some tabbouleh to accompany the salmon, and here’s a couple of photos so you can see the salmon and tabbouleh together.

And here’s a couple of pictures of the bread that I made to accompany the meal.

The bread is based on Megan’s ( of What Megan’s Making) French bread rolls, (Megan credits Mel’s Kitchen Cafe as the recipe source). But I shaped the bread differently than Megan did. I wanted bigger pieces of bread that could be used for sandwiches the next day.

The bread was quite tasty, and I oooohed and aaaaahed while eating it! Kemal also expressed his appreciation for bread and enjoyed it immensely. Just click on the links above for the recipe if you’re interested in making the bread.

Finally, for dessert, we enjoyed a citrus vodka martini

that matched the citrus salsa we made. We just blended some fresh pineapple, clementines, and tangerine juice together. Then we let it chill and poured it in our cocktails glasses. When it’s time to serve the drinks, just pour in a cocktail glass, stir in a shot of vodka, and enjoy!

Anyway, we had a wonderful meal last night from start to finish!

As far as the cedar plank is concerned…well…neither one of us felt like it flavored the salmon. Perhaps all that chili rub on the salmon overpowered the subtle cedar flavors? I guess next time we try salmon made on a cedar plank we’ll have to season the salmon with something milder (like Old Bay) to see if the plank adds a smoky, cedar flavor to the fish. I’m curious to find out!

Have you ever used a cedar plank before? If so, did you notice a difference in the flavor of the fish?

Note: The recipes for the salmon, salsa, tabbouleh, and the martini can be seen below. You’ll notice that there are no amounts listed for the salmon, salsa, and the maritini, and that’s because I didn’t measure anything. It’s really not necessary. How much chili powder you put on your salmon depends on your tastes.

As far as the salsa is concerned, don’t worry about how much fruit to use. It’ll depend on how many people you’re cooking for, as it also depends, again on your tastes. When you season the salsa, just add a little chili powder, sea salt, and lime juice at a time. Then taste it and adjust by adding more seasonings if needed. If you ended up adding too much chili powder or salt, you can always add more fruit or vegetables.

And you can’t go wrong on the martini. Just use however much fruit you want and enjoy your drink.

Chili Rubbed Cedar Salmon

Ingredients:

fresh salmon
olive oil
chili powder

Instructions:

Note: The directions imprinted on our cedar plank said to submerge the plank in water for several hours before using it and then to place the salmon on the wet plank to bake it. Please follow the instructions that come with your plank as directed before baking the fish.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the salmon on the cedar plank, and then brush the salmon with olive oil.
Sprinkle the salmon with chili powder.
Place the plank on a baking pan/dish, and then bake it uncovered in the center rack of your oven until it’s cooked to your liking. We like ours well done so we cook it until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a spatula to remove the fish from the plank.
After the plank cools, discard it.

Citrus Salsa

Ingredients:

fresh pineapple
clementines
cherry tomatoes
green onion
lime juice
chili powder
cilantro
sea salt

Instructions:

Cut and core a fresh pineapple, and then dice some of it into small pieces.
Peel some clementines, and then dice some of into small pieces.
Wash and dice the green onion and cherry tomatoes.
Mix the diced fruit and vegetables together, and then stir in dried cilantro, salt, and chili powder to taste.
Squeeze lime juice over the mixture and stir.
Refrigerate until needed.

Tabbouleh

Adapted from: Shiraz Mediterranean Grill

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
1 1/2 qts. water
1/2 of a bunch of fresh parsley (don’t discard the stems)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
3 tomatoes, diced
1 green onion, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 of an English cucumber
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste

Instructions:

Boil 1 1/2 qts. of water on high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the bulgur wheat, vegetable bouillon cube, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, the parsley stems you cut off, and about 1 tsp. of salt.
Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the buglur wheat is soft but still somewhat firm (similar to cooking pasta).
After the bulgur has cooked, remove it from the heat and remove the parsley stems. (I used a slotted spoon to remove the stems.)
Now you want to find a glass bowl and a sieve to drain the liquid off the bulgur.
Hold the sieve over the bowl to drain the liquid off the bulgur. You’ll be left with a parsley vegetable broth that you enjoy immediately or freeze for later. Here’s a picture of the broth.

Just add a little bit of salt and pepper to it if you like and enjoy!

The next thing you want to do is run cold water over the bulgur wheat.
Let the water drain off it.
In the meantime, wash and finely chop the parsley.
Wash and dice the tomatoes and the English cucumber (no need to peel it).
Peel and dice the onions.
In a large bowl, mix together the bulgur wheat, parsley, onions, cucumber, and tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and lemon juice to taste. However much lemon juice you use is up to you. I think I used 2-3 tbsp., but use however much you like.

Citrus Vodka Martini

Ingredients:

fresh pineapple
clementines
tangerine juice
vodka (we used Finlandia Tangerine Fusion)

Instructions:

Cut and core a fresh pineapple, and then put some of the cut pineapple pieces into your blender.
Peel some clementines and then remove any seeds from the segments.
Place some of clementine segments into the blender with your pineapple chunks.
Add some tangerine juice.
Puree.
Pour the mixture into a pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the cocktails.
Pour the juice into your cocktail glass when you’re ready to serve the drinks.
Stir in a shot of vodka.
Optional: Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge.

Thyme Bread

Sheila — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:38:14 +0000

Normally when I make any kind of herb bread, it’s rosemary bread or garlic bread. I decided to try something different for a change…thyme bread.

It has a beautiful flavor, makes great sandwiches, and it also went well with some wonderful chicken and wild rice soup.

I didn’t make the chicken and wild rice soup. A super sweet gal I work with, Rosa (that’s her on the left and me on the right)

made a pot and brought some for me and Kemal to have for dinner. That was just so sweet of her to do that, and it totally made my night!

Anyway, the seasonings in Rosa’s chicken soup matched perfectly with the thyme bread.

If you want to learn how to make the thyme bread,

just head over to Tasty Kitchen to see the recipe which was added by The Culinary Chronicles.

I made a double batch and changed the recipe just a little…using a mixture of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and semolina flour. I also doubled the amount of thyme and was glad I did because I really like my herb breads with a strong flavor of whatever herb I’m using.

Anyway, the bread was really easy to make and we sure have enjoyed it! I’m sure you will too!

Oatmeal Molasses Bread Using a Cold-Rise Method and Making My Own Brown Sugar

Sheila — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:43:45 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for interesting bread recipes, so when I saw one on the Merlin Menu blog for an oatmeal molasses bread that had eggs in the dough, I couldn’t wait to try it. I’ve made oatmeal bread before but without eggs so I was curious how it would taste.

Let me just say that the bread is rich, hearty, rustic, and has an incredible flavor that reminds me of my aunt Diane’s whole wheat bread that I remember devouring when I was a kid. Such wonderful memories they are. *sigh.* Every time you’d walk through her door the house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread. And every single bite was heavenly…much like this oatmeal molasses bread that I made last night.

It’s wonderful fresh from the oven slathered in butter, and the flavor is just as exquisite the next morning for breakfast.

While the bread is wonderful in terms of flavor, texture, and heartiness, the recipe is perfect for anyone who’s on-the-go and won’t be home for hours to wait for the bread to rise. Why? Well, the method of rising for this bread is a slower rising method called cold-rise.

I use the cold-rise method quite frequently for other types of bread, and it’s perfect for work days when I’m not home to be there to bake the bread after it rises. Using the cold-rise method enables me to make and knead the dough before I go to work and let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator while I’m at my job. Then when I get home, I can finish the bread. It works quite well.

Anyway, while I was making the dough, I noticed I had run out of brown sugar, but I remembered Joy the Baker’s tip on how to easily and quickly make your own brown sugar with cane sugar and molasses. So I just did as she said…mixed together one tbsp. of molasses with a cup of sugar, and there ya go…you got some homemade brown sugar. Too easy, huh!

And by the way, it tastes just like brown sugar you’d buy in the store. And I think it’s awfully pretty too.

But back to the bread. The bread has a little bit of brown sugar and molasses in it, but it’s not sweet. I’m not sure if my aunt Diane put brown sugar or molasses in her whole wheat bread, but I’d be willing to bet she did because this oatmeal molasses bread reminds me so much of the bread she used to make all the time. I really need to call her to get her recipe so I can make it to compare.

Anyway, this oatmeal bread is quite dense. It’s not airy nor is it light and fluffy. It’s hearty. It’s wholesome. And it’ll stick to your ribs. It’s also rich and satisfying. Sometimes you need a loaf like that.

Actually, I made two loaves last night. I made them to go with a huge pot of red pepper potato soup that Kemal made for our dinner tonight (and the night after that as well.) And I made it for our weekend breakfasts. There’s nothing better.

Anyway, head over to the Merlin Menu to get the recipe, and give it a try these days. I made a double batch and followed the recipe exactly except in how I baked it.

I started out baking it uncovered in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and set the timer for 20 minutes to check it. It wasn’t done so I baked it another 20 minutes. It was browned on top but needed more baking time, so I covered the bread in aluminum foil, reduced the heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then baked the bread for about 25 more minutes.

Then I removed the loaves from the oven, wrapped them in clean linens for about 30 minutes, and then set them on my counter to cool. I was quite pleased with the loaves. All in all…they were perfect!!