Malted Coffee, Chocolate & Pecan Brack

Do I have any coffee lovers out there? I’m sure I do, so ya’ll are just gonna love this recipe – Malted Coffee, Chocolate & Pecan Brack! This delicious quick bread has a toasted malted flavor and is brimful with rich, coffee soaked fruit, nuts and with a bit of both dark chocolate thrown in for good measure.

This is my first time baking a coffee brack. I’ve done quite a few tea bracks in my day and I did couple of lovely Barmbracks, both yeasted and quick, a few years ago,

but never a coffee brack. In case you did not know, the word brack comes from the Irish word breac which means speckled or freckled. Bracks, which are kind of like a cross between bread and cake, are always shot through with fruit which gives it that speckled appearance. Most of the sweetness in the loaf comes from the fruit. Tea bracks are made with…well – tea if you didn’t guess. This one is made with…Coffee. I couldn’t wait to try it and was delighted with the results. The coffee flavor really shines through. So if you are a fan of coffee, you really must bake this quick and easy bread.

I found this recipe in a cookbook I got ahold of on my most recent trip to Ireland – Bake:Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich.

I love this cookbook! Visually it is gorgeous, but it doesn’t rely on looks alone. This book is chock full of fantastic recipes. Graham Herterich, better known in Ireland as the Cupcake Bloke, initially trained as a chef and then went on to open The Bakery in Rialto Dublin. In this, his first cookbook, he offers a traditional recipe followed by a modern twist on that recipe. This Malted Coffee, Chocolate & Pecan Brack is a delightful twist on the very traditional tea brack mentioned above.

I have been telling you all about my most recent trek to Ireland. Yesterday I told you all about our stay in the luxurious Cliff House Hotel and showed you a bit from our stroll along the cliffs. Today I wanted to show you a bit of charming village of Ardmore. Ardmore, from the Irish Aird Mhór meaning great height, is a gorgeous seaside resort and fishing village. It is home to 430 people but the population swells in the summer months. We visited in October, so the beach traffic was gone and the town had settled into its sleepy, off-season laid back vibe. Ardmore is the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland and was founded by St. Declan in the 5th C. Not to steal any glory from St. Paddy, seeings how his day is coming up very soon, but Declan was in Ardmore before St. Patrick arrived on the emerald isle.

Ruins of 12th Century Cathedral and earlier 9th Century Oratory.

12th Century Round Tower.

Ogham Stone.

Relaxing at the fun & funky beach themed Urchin Pub

But let me get back to that scrumptious Malted Coffee, Chocolate & Pecan Brack.

It was so easy to make, the hardest thing about it was remembering to soak that fruit in the coffee overnight. And do actually give it that soak. The fruit plumps up wonderfully and becomes infused with coffee goodness. In making this I ended up only dirtying one bowl. Less clean up is always better than more! The brack is so moist and rich and actually improves with age. So you can get it done well before your St. Patrick’s day festivities kick off. Have a slice (or two) slathered with butter along with your tea or coffee to start the day. That jolt of caffeine will give you all the energy you need to hit the parades!

• Servings: one loaf
• Difficulty: very easy, but allow for overnight soak of fruit
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recipe from: Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists by Graham Herterich.

Ingredients:

• 300 grams sultanas (yellow raisins)
• 50 grams pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 25 grams pecans, chopped, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 300 grams almost cold coffee
• 125 grams light brown sugar
• 25 grams dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 Tablespoon barley malt extract (You can ind this in health food shops, but if you can’t get it – substitute in 1 Tablespoon malted milk powder dissolved in 2 teaspoons cold water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 225 grams self rising flour

Directions:

Place the sultanas, dates, pecans and coffee in a large bowl and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (356F). Line a 900 gram (2 lb – I used a 9X5x3″) loaf tin with non stick baking powder, or you can butter and flour the pan. Your choice.

Add the brown sugar, chocolate, egg, barley malt extract and vanilla to the fruit/coffee mixture and mix well. Gently mix in the flour being careful not to crush the fruit. Transfer to the prepared baking tin. Sprinkle with additional pecans. (optional)

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 -65 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool fully in the tin before cutting into slices.

Serve with butter or a soft creamy cheese like ricotta or mascarpone.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Malted Coffee, Chocolate & Pecan Brack:

Malted milk powder

9X5X3″ Loaf Pan

Travel Planning Guide:

Getting there: Icelandair! We love Icelandair and have always had great experience with them. Icelandair flies to Dublin, Ireland. Take advantage of their Stopover program on your next flight to Europe.

Car Rental: New Way Car Hire – Love the all-inclusive pricing on these cars as well as the Dublin Airport pickup!

Ardmore, County Waterford Ireland

Pubs and Restaurants:

The Urchin – Fun and funky beach inspired pub featuring a full bar and signature cocktails. Serving snacks, burgers and pizzas. We loved their Gubbeen pizza! Their chips were also perfectly crisp! In the summer months, Urchin Adventures offers all kinds of sea activities like kayaking and paddleboarding.

The Pantry at Cliff – serving tea, coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and artisan lite bites.

Shopping:

Criostal Na Rinne – Criostal Na Rinne is is a hand cut crystal studio workshop situated in Ireland’s Ancient East in the picturesque Irish-speaking area of An Rinn, the Waterford Gaeltacht. Eamonn Terry, a master craftsman glass cutter, established the business in1987, producing Irish crystal of breathtaking quality and beauty. We purchased a couple of pieces on our trip and are now totally obsessed with it, which is strange because we never really cared for crystal before. It was always a bit much for us, a bit old-fashioned with all of its thousands of cuts. But this crystal is different. Gorgeous in its simplicity, it is sleek and modern. Each collection named with an Irish word reflecting nature and the environment. You can tour the workshop, which we did and were lucky enough to have met Eamonn. He was absolutely charming and spent a lot of time chatting with us. We have ordered several more pieces since we arrived back in the States and shipping has been quick and easy. You may have noticed it (champagne glass and whiskey tumbler from the Tonn – Irish for “wave” Collection) in the pictures of the Irish Coffee Truffles that I posted yesterday. Highly recommended!

Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread

Oh my goodness! Just look at this gorgeous Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread! You’ve likely seen a loaf of this impressive bread before. It took the internet by storm earlier this year and folks were instagramming it not stop. I gotta tell you, there is a good reason for its popularity among bakers. Not only does this bread look amazing, like a wool roll in fact, but it also delivers on taste. Beneath the crispy light crust, your teeth are going to sink into the most pillowy soft, cloud like bread you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. And is completely customizable. I made this one with a delicate swirl of cream cheese and left over Boozy Orange Cranberry Sauce.

But this bread works fantastically with any filling you can dream up, whether sweet or savory. Yup…you could do chocolate, Nutella, cinnamon and sugar or any flavor of jam. You might want try mozzarella and basil pesto, maybe some gruyere and herbs. Seriously – you can’t go wrong!

Today is February 1st. This particular day lies half way between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. It is St. Brigid’s Day. Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints along with St. Colmcille and St. Patrick. Starting this year, Ireland will be marking her Feast Day with a new permanent Bank Holiday on the first Monday in February, which is February 6th this year. Hooray! Who doesn’t like more holidays?!! According to Irish hagiography, Brigid was an early Christian nun & abbess who preformed many miracles. She also shares the name with an important Celtic goddess who is associated with the festival of Imbolc which was celebrated at this time as well, which suggests that the early church might have adopted the legends of the goddess and transformed them into the Christian persona. Interesting huh? I don’t know how many of you folks out there remembered to put a scarf out last night. You see on St. Brigid’s Eve you should always place a scarf or other piece of fabric outside.

When Brigid passes over the land that night she will bless it. You then can fetch it back inside the next day and thanks to Brigid, it has the power to protect and heal headaches, sore throats and fevers throughout the coming year! What with all the Covid still lurking around, I wasn’t going to take any chances. My little scarf was frozen solid this morning, but is happily thawing away now, freshly imbued with healing powers. As I mentioned, today marks the festival of Imbolc as well as Candlemas, both of which are associated with fertility, fire, purification and weather divination. And speaking of weather divination, tomorrow my favourite varmint, Punxsutawney Phil, will be stepping out of his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob and letting everyone know if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or if instead Spring is on the way.

One extraordinary rodent!

I don’t know if good ole Phil will see his shadow tomorrow or not. I must admit, I’m kind of hoping he predicts more winter. We haven’t really seen a winter at all this year. We had a few days of really cold weather, but only a few. And barely a flurry at all. Certainly no snow accumulation. I love winter, so I am feeling a bit cheated. But no worries, I might have some plans to head out to a really cold destination in the future, so even if Spring is on its way here, I’ll get my snow fix regardless! So this is quite an auspicious time of year! I’m very happy to be marking another event today as well. February 1st just happens to be the 11th year anniversary of  the my cooking blog! Yup… Eleven years ago today I posted my first recipe. It was for Cream Tea Scones with Currants.

I’ve managed to do an anniversary post nearly every year since. Pretty impressive considering how slack I can be! Last year I shared another Cranberry focused dish – this exquisite Cranberry Chiffon Pie!

And a couple of years ago I was all about this rich & creamy Ground Beef Chili with Chocolate & Peanut Butter. Get. out!

And the year before, I posted about these scrumptious Morning Buns!

One of my favorite recipes that I shared with you on an anniversary was: Model Bakery’s English Muffins:

Then there were those decadent  Banana Rum Muffins:

That jaw-dropping, over the top Crack Pie:

And who can forget that magical “caviar of the South” – Pasture’s Pimento Cheese. Keep this one in mind for the Super Bowl!

But let me get back to today’s recipe – That magnificent Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread.

This bread is made with a tangzhong, which you can actually prepare up to five days ahead of time. Tangzhong is an Asian yeast bread technique in which you cook a small percentage of liquid and flour. Think of it kind of like a roux. Once this mixture has cooled down, you add it to the rest of the ingredients. What will this technique do for your recipe? Well, it pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour, meaning they can absorb more water. In fact, the flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it would with the cool/lukewarm water or milk that you’d usually use in yeast dough. And the starch is able to hold onto this extra liquid all through the kneading, baking and cooling process. This not only makes the dough less sticky and easier to work with than usual yeast doughs, but the bread will also rise higher since that retained liquid is turned to internal steam during baking. Furthermore your bread will be softer as well as have a longer shelf life. I can definitely vouch that this dough is easy to work with. In order to get that roll of wool appearance you have to divide the risen dough into 4 pieces, roll them out and then cut the bottom half of each piece into little strips or fringe. I was thinking “Good Lord. This is going to be one of those fiddly endeavors that I hate.” But nope! Super easy. Wow, right?!!! But don’t take my word for it (actually you kind of should…) give this recipe a whirl!

• Servings: one 9 inch round loaf
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: customized from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients:

For the Tangzhong (starter)

• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) water
• 3 tablespoons (43 grams) milk, whole preferred
• 2 tablespoons (14 grams) bread flour

For the Dough

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) milk, whole preferred
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon (9 grams) instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) bread flour

For the Filling

• half an 8-ounce package (113 grams) cream cheese, softened*
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• zest (grated rind) of 2 medium lemons
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons (4 grams) freeze-dried raspberries, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) bread flour

*The cream cheese should be at warm room temperature, at least 68°F.

*For the bread pictured above I simply mixed 113 grams of softened cream cheese with a pinch of salt and 3 Tablespoons of Boozy Orange Cranberry sauce and 2 tablespoons of bread flour.

Topping

• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) milk, whole preferred

Instructions:

To make the tangzhong: Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner.

Remove the tangzhong from the heat and transfer it to a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bucket of a bread machine (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).

To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Place the flour into the bowl with the tangzhong and add the remaining dough ingredients. Mix to combine, then knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low speed of a mixer. (The dough may be tacky and stick to the sides of the bowl slightly; that’s OK.)

Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest in a lightly greased bowl or dough rising bucket, covered, for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

To make the filling: Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and salt, mixing until smooth.

Add the freeze-dried raspberries and flour, mixing until the berries are completely crushed and evenly distributed.

To assemble: On a lightly floured surface, gently deflate the dough, divide it into four pieces (about 170 grams each), and shape each piece into a ball.

Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

Line a 9″ springform or a 9” round cake pan (at least 2” deep) with parchment and lightly grease the parchment.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a 6” x 12” rectangle. If the dough begins to snap back during rolling, set it aside and begin rolling out the second piece. Return to the first piece to continue rolling it to the full size after a couple of minutes, giving the gluten a chance to relax.

Portion 2 heaping tablespoons of filling (about 50grams) onto the top half of the rectangle. A tablespoon cookie dough scoop works well here; use two rounded scoops per piece of dough.

Position the rectangle so its 12” sides are vertical. Starting at the top, spread the filling across the entire width of the rectangle (leaving about 1/4” bare on each side) and down about 6” or 7”, leaving the bottom 5” to 6” bare. If the filling is difficult to spread, warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir; check the consistency. Repeat, if necessary, until it’s an easily spreadable consistency.

Using a bench or chef’s knife or a pastry wheel, cut the uncovered dough at the bottom into very thin strips (anywhere from 1/8” to 1/4″ wide).

Fold the long edges of the rectangle in to prevent any filling from seeping out.

Starting from the filling-covered top and rolling toward the uncovered strips, roll the dough into a log about 6” long.

Lightly press the strips into the rolled log to secure. Place the log, seam-side down, into the bottom of the pan so it’s snuggled up against the pan’s outside edge.

Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing them into the pan to form a complete circle around the pan’s outside edge.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cover the wool roll and let it rise for 60 to 75 minutes, until puffy.

To finish and bake the roll: Brush the roll with milk, being careful not to deflate the delicate dough.

Bake it for 28 to 32 minutes, until it’s golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read at least 190°F.

Remove the roll from the oven and cool it in the pan until you can transfer it safely to a rack to cool completely.

Storage information: Store leftover wool roll bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Orange Cranberry Filled Wool Roll Bread:

Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Lavatools Javelin Pro Instant Read Thermometer

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Norpro Ravioli/Pastry Wheel

Irish Brown Bread

Hearty Irish Brown Bread, slathered with salty butter. YUM! It’s great with both savory or sweet toppings and is a perfect accompaniment to any soup or stew. It has an incredibly satisfying crunch to it when toasted. Delicious! This dense, craggy bread may not be for you if you prefer something akin to Wonder bread, but if you like the whole grain experience, this bread is to die for. And, guess what? It is very easy to make.

Traditionally, brown bread was made with whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. This version is enriched with a bit of sugar and butter as well as some baking powder for a bit of extra lift. I use a special blend of Irish Flour from King Arthur Baking company, rather than just plain whole wheat flour. I also brush the loaf with melted salted butter and sprinkle with just a bit of sea salt before I pop it in to bake. Oh and don’t forget to cut a cross in the top as well. Some folks say this helps the bread cook evenly. I’ve also heard it is done as a blessing to keep the devil away. My favourite reason is that you cut a cross in to allow the fairies to escape!

I have no doubt you will be pleased as punch with this wholesome Irish Brown Bread. And don’t forget to slather on that rich salty Kerry Gold Butter!

• Servings: One large 10
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe slightly adapted from: King Arthur Baking

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (439 grams) King Arthur Irish-Style Flour
• 2 to 3 tablespoons (25 grams to 35 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) melted butter plus a bit more for brushing over top
• flaky sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and the butter. Stir together until blended — some lumps will remain.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead about 10 times, or until it all holds together.Form the dough into a large ball, flatten slightly and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top. Brush melted butter over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Bake the bread for approximately 40 minutes, or until it tests done (a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean).

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Serve with sweet butter and a dollop of marmalade, if desired. Or alongside some Irish Stew or Cottage Pie.

Store, well-wrapped, for a couple of days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.

Enjoy!

Irish Four Leaf Clover Rolls

Bring about the luck of the Irish when you bake up a batch of these buttery & tender Irish Four Leaf Clover Rolls.

Everyone is familiar with those old fashioned, yeast risen, pull apart Clover Leaf Rolls right? I bet you’ve seen ’em on your grandma’s table at many a meal. They are particularly awesome, because you can separate them into three pieces easily, and then slather butter on each and every piece. The more butter the better! Am I right? Here if taken a bit of an Irish riff on those oldies but goodies by adding a bit of Irish-Style Wholemeal Flour into the mix as well as giving them an extra leaf for luck.

These adorable rolls are baked in 5 – 6 ounce ramekins. But don’t despair if you don’t have those on hand. You can easily bake these in a standard muffin tin. The only difference is, due to the smaller size of the muffin tin wells, you will probably want to lose one of the leafs and just do three leaf clovers. Just divide the dough into 33 pieces and you’ll get 11 rolls. Easy-peasy.

These lovely Irish rolls will no doubt be a welcome addition to any St. Patrick’s Day feast your have planned. And just think about this. You’ll have one more leaf, not only for luck but also for providing more surface area for butter!

• Servings: 8 large rolls or if you would like to do 3 leaf clovers, you could make 11 rolls in a standard muffin tin
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (241 grams) All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup (110 grams) King Arthur Irish-Style Wholemeal Flour (you can substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour if you don’t have Irish Flour)
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 2 tablespoons (43 grams) honey
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) soft unsalted butter
• 1 cup (227 grams) lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) toasted walnuts, optional
• 1/2 cup (71 grams) currants, optional
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) melted salted butter, optional; for a glossy finish

Directions:

Mix and knead all the ingredients — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine set to the dough cycle — until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl or rising bucket, cover, and let it rest for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.

Grease eight 5-ounce or 6-ounce ramekins.

Gently deflate the dough, divide it into 32 pieces, and shape each piece into a ball. It helps to first divide the dough into eight medium balls, and then further divide these into four balls each. Or just use a kitchen scale to figure out the weight each ball should be. (Mine weighed 20 grams each).

Place four balls into each of the ramekins. Cover the pans and let the rolls rise for 45 to 75 minutes, until they’ve crested over the rims of the ramekins.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, until they’re golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into their centers reads 200°F.

Brush the rolls with the melted butter, and let them cool for 5 minutes in the ramekins. Turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Four Leaf Clover Rolls:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

SAF Instant Yeast

Dough Scraper

King Arthur Flour Wholemeal Irish Style Flour

Soft Sandwich Bread & Butterflake Rolls

Aaaand……I’m back to bread today – Peter Reinhart’s Soft Sandwich Bread to be exact. This Classic Sandwich Bread is wonderful! It comes together very easily and bakes up very tall with a lovely soft crumb.

And bonus! This recipe can also be used to make these gorgeous little Butterflake Rolls, or a combination of one loaf of bread along with some rolls, such as I did.

This dough does require an overnight rest, but otherwise everything about this recipe is quick and easy. And the bread…oh so amazing! There are few things that beat the smell of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen.

This bread is lovely and soft, but sturdy enough to hold up to any sandwich. Wonderful for grilled cheese and delightful when simply toasted and slathered with butter.And speaking of butter – these Butterflake Rolls are the bomb! To make them you roll the dough out, brush melted butter all over the surface, cut it into strips, stack them and then bake them in muffin tins. Just look at all those lovely flaky buttery layers just waiting to be pulled apart!

Truth be told, I originally baked this loaf of sandwich bread to use in another recipe that I have been working on. I don’t want to give too much away, because I hope to post that one soon, but lets just say it is a sandwich like none other! How’s that for a teaser?!! And this bread was nothing short of perfection!

 

 

Take my word for it! You will LOVE this Soft Sandwich Bread!

• Servings: 2 loaves or 1 loaf & 10 -12 rolls or a whole bunch of rolls
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon (.33 oz/9 grams) instant yeast
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons (15 oz./425 grams) lukewarm (35°C/95°F) milk
• 6 1/4 cups (28 oz./794 grams) unbleached bread flour
• 2 teaspoons (.5 oz./14 grams) salt, or 1 Tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 5 1/2 Tablespoons (2.75 oz. /78 grams) sugar, or 1/4 cup honey
• 6 Tablespoons (3 oz./85 grams) vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
• 1 egg

Directions:

Whisk the yeast into the lukewarm milk until dissolved. Set aside for 1 to 5 minutes.

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, oil and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer, then pour in the milk mixture. Using the paddle attachment mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 4 to 5 minutes, until the dough is soft, supply and tacky but not sticky.

Knead the dough by hand for 1 minute, then form it into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.

On baking day, remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 1/2 hours before you plan to bake.

If you would like to bake two 8″X4 1/2″ loaves, divide dough in half. Each piece should weigh about 25 ounces (709 grams). For a 5″X9″ loaf, like I baked, you will need 794 to 907 grams (28 – 32 ounces). I then used the remaining dough to make the Butterflake Rolls.*see below for shaping method.

Shape the dough into sandwich loaves and place in greased loaf pans to rise. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 2 1/2 hour, until it domes about 1″ above the rim of the pans.

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. (177°C)

Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for another 20 -30 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown, the sides are firm and brown, the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is at least 185°F (85°C) in the center.

Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.

For the Butterflake Rolls:

Roll the dough to a 1/4″ thick rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with melted butter. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into four even strips, then stack the strips neatly on top of one another. Use a pastry scraper to cut the stacked strips into 1″ wide     pieces. Place the small stacks on their sides in an oiled muffin tin. Proof and bake following the recipe. It should take 15 -20 baking time total for rolls.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Soft Sandwich Bread & Butterflake Rolls:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

SAF Instant Yeast

Wilton 9″X 5″ Loaf pan

Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Everyday Cookbook

 

Bon Appétit’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits

I have been all about bread recently…Skillet Cornbread and then, most recently, Buttery Potato Burger Buns. And guess what? I must be on a roll (ha! pun intended), but I’m going to stay the course today and share a recipe with you for Buttermilk Biscuits. And not any ole buttermilk biscuits, but these golden delicious darlings happen to be Bon Appétit’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits!

Now I must admit the Husband and I do love our buttermilk biscuits and have always been on the lookout for the “best” recipe. I took a look back at my catalog of past recipes and found four different ones for the elusive best buttermilk biscuit. There were the Buttermilk Biscuits that I baked for my Spicy Pork & Chorizo Breakfast Biscuits

The Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits

The Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

And finally those Buttermilk Biscuits that I baked to go with my Nashville Hot Chicken

That is a lot of Buttermilk Biscuits, no? So what makes these biscuits Bon Appétit’s best?  And perhaps more importantly are they our best? Well, there does not  seem to be any secret ingredient to be found in this recipe – it’s flour, butter, buttermilk, baking powder and soda, a little salt and sugar. Nope, it isn’t the ingredients. It is all about the technique. You need to use cold butter. You need to work quickly and have a very light touch. Overworking the dough will result in tough biscuits. Nobody wants that. Tender, fluffy & flaky are what we are going for!

As you are mixing these biscuits up, you are probably going to think that the recipe is too dry. Resist the urge to add any more buttermilk. Just continue to lightly work that shaggy, craggy, crumbly dough as best you can into a square that is 1″ tall. As the dough sits it will continue to hydrate. Believe me. I was skeptical as I was doing it, but it really does work! Another trick that makes these biscuits so irresistible is the stacking of the dough. This ends up creating layers of thin sheets of butter. Kind of like that laminated dough I told you about when I made these Spinach Croissants

It is these little butter rivers running through the dough that expand upon baking to create this lovely tall layers.

Final tip – when you cut the dough into biscuits, use a sharp blade and push your blade straight down to cut. Do not saw back and forth. This will help to give you biscuits the tallest rise possible.

And perhaps the best thing about this recipe for me is that you can make up a big batch of biscuits ahead of time and freeze them. Then when you get a hankering for a biscuit, be it for breakfast with some egg and sausage or even country ham, or slathered with butter and drizzled with honey or maybe to go along with your Sunday dinner, just grab however many you want out of the freezer and pop them right into a hot oven. A mere 20 -25 minutes later these exquisite golden tall flaky biscuits will be ready. Now you can’t beat that! But back to that question “Are these Buttermilk Biscuits our best?” Hmmm…these are definitely up there! They were so buttery & golden and rose so high with lots of flaky layers, but I’m not sure the quest is over. Certainly the continued pursuit will lead to even more biscuit sampling, which is always a good thing in my book!

• Servings: 9-12 depending on how big you cut them
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces, plus more melted for brushing over the tops
• 1 cup chilled buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Pulse baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda, and 3½ cups flour in a food processor to combine. Add chilled butter and pulse until largest pieces of butter are the size of a pea. Transfer to a large bowl and gradually drizzle buttermilk over top, tossing with a fork as you go to incorporate. Knead mixture a few times in bowl until a shaggy dough forms (mixture will look a little dry), then turn out onto a clean surface and pat into a 1″-thick square.

Using a knife or bench scraper, cut dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, sandwiching any loose dry bits of dough between layers, and press down to flatten. Lift up dough with bench scraper and dust surface with flour. Roll dough into a 1″-thick rectangle and trim a thin border around sides of dough to create clean edges. Cut into a 4×3 grid to make 12 biscuits (don’t reroll scraps). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart; freeze 10 minutes.

Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you desire and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400° and bake biscuits until deep golden brown on bottom and golden on top, 20–25 minutes.

Do Ahead: Biscuits (unbaked) can be made 1 month ahead. Freeze, uncovered, on baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Do not thaw before baking, but add a few minutes to baking time.

Enjoy!

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Bon Appétit’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits:

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Oxo Multipurpose Scraper

Dough Rolling Mat

Buttery Potato Burger Buns

So let me get this right…last weekend we had a freeze/frost warning which had all the gardeners out there scrambling and me cooking up a pot of chili. Today, just six short days later, it is forecasted to be 86° F (that is 30°C)!?! That is insanity from the weather. Kind of goes along with the surealness of this Covid-19 crisis. I am definitely not pleased about either one. However, I know that a lot of folks out there will be happy to see this what I will call “hot” weather. They will be firing up their grills. And I’ve got a great Burger Bun recipe for you just in time: Buttery Potato Burger Buns!

Apparently pandemics bring out the bread baking in everyone out there. Folks have bought up all the flour, all the yeast. Hopefully you’ve managed to score some. Besides regular all purpose flour, this recipe does also call for potato flour, which I know is an ingredient that you might not have on hand. Don’t despair, you can just sub in some instant potato flakes and you’re good. Also, don’t worry if you don’t have a hamburger bun pan, you can make due with a parchment lined baking sheet.These buns are so amazing! I could not have been anymore pleased with them. If you’ve ever had a Martin’s Potato Roll – they are like that ‘cept better! I didn’t have any fresh hamburger meat in the house when the whole lockdown thing started, but we had some burger patties in the freezer. Believe me, these buns stole the show! I can’t wait until the day, you know a year or so from now (just kidding! I hope…) when I can actually get some ingredients that will be worthy to put between these fantastic, tender, buttery buns. In the meantime, I’m thrilled that these Buttery Potato Burger Buns are the thing that truly make us look forward to our quaran-burger dinners.

servings = “6 Burger Buns” difficulty = “easy”]

recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (361grams) All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup (43grams) Potato flour or 1/2 cup (43grams) dried potato flakes
• 1/4 cup (35grams) nonfat dry milk
• 2 Tablespoons (25grams) sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 Tablespoons (57grams) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (227grams) lukewarm water (95° F)

Directions:

Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it’s almost doubled in bulk.

Turn the dough onto a lightly greased surface, gently deflate it, and divide it into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Place the balls into the greased cups of a hamburger bun pan, flattening gently. Or place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2″ to 3″ between them; flatten gently.

Cover and let rise until the buns have doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the buns for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they’re light golden brown.

Remove them from the oven, and brush them with melted butter, if desired.

Transfer the buns to a rack to cool. Store buns, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Enjoy!

Buttery Potato Burger Buns brought to you by: RuncibleEats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Buttery Potato Burger Buns:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

SAF Instant Yeast

Hamburger Bun Pan

 

Skillet Cornbread

So Winter hasn’t given up yet around here! Over the past weekend there were frost warnings and forecasts of snow out in the mountains. Not that I’m complaining…I’d rather keep things on the cool side rather than move right into the hot, muggy unpleasantness that is often a Virginia summer. With the chilly weather, I decided to make up a big ole pot of chili, White Chicken Chili to be exact. And what goes better with chili? A big ole pint of beer? Well, yes. Beer is good. But how about a big ole hunk of cornbread slathered with butter! Now you’re talking!

The Husband and I love cornbread. And I’ve posted quite a few recipes in the past. But I gotta say – I think we’ve found a new favorite: Skillet Cornbread. This cornbread has it all! It is moist. It is buttery. It has crispy crunchy edges. And it is not too sweet. A little brown sugar and a bit of honey gives it just the right amount of sweetness.

I’ve always thought that Northern Cornbread was sweeter than Southern Cornbread. When I did a bit of snooping around online, I found out that I had stumbled into a raging debate. A lot of folks out there have some definite ideas about that topic and can get downright prickly over it with statements such as “If God had wanted sugar in cornbread he would have called it cake”. Hmmm…

There is no doubt that cornbread is associated with the South. This is likely due to the fact that cornbread was the bread that was eaten there daily from colonial times up to the 20th Century. As it turns out, corn was the South’s main crop. Wheat tended not to do so well in the heat & humidity there. So although I know Buttermilk Biscuits are also considered a Southern thing, in the past they were only baked for special occasions or maybe for Sunday dinner. Folk’s daily bread was cornbread.

I was fascinated to discover that back in the day, the type of corn predominantly grown in the South was a white corn. This corn was left in the fields to ripen completely and then taken to a water mill to be stone ground. Eventually, with industrialization, these stone mills were replaced by steel roller mills. This type of mill took away much of the corn kernel and thereby the flavor. Furthermore, these roller mills preferred to use unripened yellow corn, which was not as sweet. In order to get that sweet flavor back in their cornbread, guess what folks added – you got it, sugar.

So, this recipe does have a little bit of sugar in it, but not so much sugar that you are going to be thinking you are eating a cake. But I think the thing that really makes this cornbread so spectacular is that it is cooked in a blazing hot cast iron skillet. Pouring the batter into that hot skillet sears the edges and caramelizes the sugar in the batter to give you that scrumptiously crunchy crust, while keeping the middle nice and tender and moist.

Yum, yum and yum! Whether you’re from the North, or the South or any other place, you are going to agree, this is some super tasty, buttery delicious cornbread! Pull out your cast iron skillets and bake a batch of this cornbread today!

• Servings: 6-8 servings
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (120grams) cornmeal
• 1 cup (125grams) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/3 cup (67grams) packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) honey
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons minced jalapeño peppers (optional – you could also throw in some cheese or bacon or even dried cranberries – or leave it plain, your choice)
• 2 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
• Maldon flaky sea salt to sprinkle over top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease a 9″-10″ cast iron skillet. Set aside.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and honey together until completely smooth and thick. Then, whisk in the egg until combined. Finally, add in the buttermilk and mix to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the jalapeños if you are using them and whisk until just combined. Take care not to over mix, or beat the batter or the cornbread will be tough.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and the center is cooked through. Use a toothpick to test. Edges should be crispy at this point.

Paint melted butter over the top of the cornbread and sprinkle with a bit of flaky Maldon sea salt.

Allow to slightly cool before slicing and serving. Serve cornbread with butter, honey, jam, or whatever you like.

Wrap leftovers up tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

Skillet Cornbread brought to you today by Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Skillet Cornbread:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet

Le Creuset Handle Sleeve

 

Corn Muffins with a Kick!

How does that saying go… Thirty days hath September, April, June and November? Yeah right! By my reckoning March had about 2 years worth and April has about 8,ooo days at this point and counting! Just kidding!!! I know there are folks out there quarantining with toddlers, so the Husband and I who are just locked in with some talkative cats, have it pretty dang good, all things considered. Although Spring is definitely in the air, some chilly weather keeps trying to wiggle back into play. I’ve been cooking up quite a few warming, hearty stews, lentil dishes and chilis. These spicy Corn Muffins have been the perfect accompaniment to many a dinner.

These muffins are very easy to make and come together quickly. I think it is quite likely that you will have most of these ingredients ready to go in your pantry as well. And these spicy devils do have a good kick to them. But if you aren’t a fan of spice, simply leave out the jalapeños and cup back on the cayenne. These moist flavorful muffins are not really sweet at all, which is how the Husband and I like our cornbread. They are delicious all on their own and you just can’t beat them when slathered with butter!

• Servings: 12 muffins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. (1 cup) milk
• 4 7/8 oz. (1 cup) cornmeal
• 6 1/4 oz. (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/2 oz.(1/2 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 7/8 oz (3/4 cup) minced scallions (could sub. in shallots)
• 3 Tablespoons jalapeño peppers, minced
• 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded pepperjack cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F and heavily grease the wells of a 12 muffin baking tin.

In a small bowl, pour the milk over the cornmeal and set the mixture aside to soak while you assemble the dry ingredients.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Beat the eggs and add them to the cornmeal mixture with the oil. Add the cornmeal and milk to the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended; don’t beat this batter or your muffins will be tough. Fold in the scallions, jalapeños peppers and 1/4 cup of the pepper jack cheese. Using a 1/4 cup muffin scoop, place the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the muffins and bake them for 18 – 22 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Corn Muffins with a Kick:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Oxo Good Grips Ice Cream Scoop

Mason Cash “Into the Forest” mixing bowl – Sure…you don’t need this mixing bowl to make these muffins, but I absolutely love my Mason Cash bowls, so just thought I’d give them a shout out!

No-Knead Crusty White Bread

Here is a fantastically easy yeast bread recipe for everyone out there practicing social distancing: No-Knead Crusty White Bread. This recipe bakes up a crusty artisan loaf that anyone would be proud of.

And here is some more awesomeness about it – once you mix the dough up it just sits in your fridge, developing more and more flavor, until you are ready to bake it! Yup, just pinch off a bit of the dough – as much as you want for your evening meal – and leave the rest in the fridge.  You heard me – multiple loaves of fresh bread in a week with minimal effort! Oh – bestill my heart!!!

I know some folks are a little nervous about baking anything with yeast. I was that way in the past. But seriously, you’ve got to just get over it and take the plunge. Well, I guess you need to make sure you have the ingredients. There was a run on flour and yeast when all of the lockdowns started happening. I had yeast, but found myself running low on flour. I had mentioned to you in a couple of posts back that I was eagerly awaiting a delivery from Giant’s Peapod grocery delivery service. I had to wait about three weeks to get a delivery time slot and had no idea what I would be getting from my list as the service had stipulated that certain items might be removed depending on availability. So, it would be a surprise – kind of like Christmas morning. It turned out it was more like Christmas morning than I had intended as the time slot I got was 6:30 am – 8:30 am and don’t you know it, that driver was at my door at 6:30 am sharp. Yeah, we are definitely not early birds around here but it was a pretty big day for us, so while not bright eyed and bushy tailed, we were awake and ready. While I am grateful to get anything without having to venture to the store, I must say Peapod did not win me over. I ended up not getting about 1/2 of the items on my list. The biggest disappointments of the missing items for me were no flour and no sugar. And some of the produce that was sent to me were not items I would have picked – ie. the apples had big brown spots and were going bad. The other delivery services I was aware of, like Instacart,  had absolutely no availability. So I decided to take a look at Harris Teeter ExpressLane. They offered an express service whereby you could order and pay online, then one of their personal shoppers would pick out your items and finally all you would have to do is just drive up to the store and someone would come out and put the items in your trunk. Nice & contactless! The problem there was getting a time slot. When I looked, everything was booked out for six days. So I readied the items in my cart and just sat there refreshing the page. Kind of like trying to score tickets to a hot concert. And voila – a time slot suddenly came available just two days away, so I grabbed it immediately! I must say, it was a much better experience. Not only did I not have to wait nearly a month, but I was also able to purchase two bags of King Arthur Flour and two bags of sugar! Score! And I know you will find this hard to believe, but they even were able to grant my toilet paper wish! SUPER AMAZING score!!!

Oh yeah, but back to this wonderful Crusty White Bread I was telling you about. This is such an easy-peasy recipe!

I will say that if you are an experienced bread baker, this dough is much stickier than what you will be used to. You will end up using a good amount of flour while shaping it! But don’t fret, it will actually bake up very nicely. I experimented with baking one of the batches I made in a dutch oven and was very pleased with the result. The bread did rise up higher and the crust was absolutely phenomenal – crisp and chewy, glossy and golden – as if it came out of a professional bakery!

Apparently the steam that is created and sealed in when you slip the dough into the preheated Dutch oven is the thing that transforms the crust. I have included some info on how this is done below and here is a helpful article from King Arthur Flour on Bread Baking in a Dutch Oven. Just for comparison, I also baked a couple of loaves simply on a bread stone, following the recipe below, and they came out quite lovely as well. The crust was not as crackly or crisp but still had a deliciously chewy texture.

If it is your first time baking yeast bread, I urge you to give this recipe a try.You will be amazed at the masterpiece that will come out of your oven. No doubt you’ll be a bread baking convert!

• Servings: 3 or 4 loaves - depending on size
• Difficulty: ridiculously easy!
• Print

recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 7 1/2 cups (907g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 cups (680g) lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (14g) instant yeast or active dry yeast

Directions:

The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe, so measure carefully. Your best bet is to weigh the flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, “lukewarm” means about 95° – 105°F, but don’t stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; “OUCH, that’s hot!” is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don’t have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk until everything is combined.

Next, you’re going to let the dough rise. If you’ve made the dough in a plastic bucket, you’re all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you’ve made the dough in a bowl that’s not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it’s going to rise a lot. There’s no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it’s time to bake bread.

Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you’re pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it’ll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it’ll rise, then fall. That’s OK; that’s what it’s supposed to do.

When you’re ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, (Seriously. Grease. Your. Hands. This dough is really sticky!) and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It’ll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface (let me repeat that – FLOURED. Work Surface. Again – this dough is Sticky!), and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don’t fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can. If you would like to try your hand at baking in a Dutch Oven – see notes below*

Place the loaf on a piece of floured parchment (if you’re going to use a baking stone); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the bread moist as it rests before baking.

Let the loaf warm to room temperature and rise; this should take about 60 minutes (or longer, up to a couple of hours, if your house is cool). It won’t appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it’ll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven to 450°F while the loaf rests. If you’re using a baking stone, position it on a middle rack while the oven preheats. Place a shallow metal or cast iron pan (not glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go.

When you’re ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2″ deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that’s OK, it’ll pick right up in the hot oven.

Place the bread in the oven — onto the baking stone, if you’re using one, or simply onto a middle rack, if it’s on a pan — and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It’ll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it’s a deep, golden brown.

Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Enjoy!

* Notes on Baking in a Dutch Oven:

When you are ready to bake, measure out a two pound ball of dough. Shape the dough as best you can, on a piece of floured parchment. Leave the dough ball seam side up. Again this dough is ridiculously sticky. Be very liberal with the flour.

Preheat your dutch oven 30 minutes prior to your loaf being ready to bake. I used a 3.5 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven. A 4.5 quart oven should work as well.

When ready to bake, remove the hot Dutch Oven and spray the interior with a burst of vegetable oil non-stick spray and sprinkle cornmeal in the bottom of the pan to prevent the bread from sticking.

Slide your hand under the parchment paper and plop the dough into the hot pan. Don’t fret if the dough sticks to the parchment a bit. Mine did and it caused the dough to deflate a bit, but again all was well.

Make a few slashes in the top of the loaf. A bread lamé would work great here. I did not have one and had difficulty fitting my knife into the hot pan without hitting my wrist on the edge – OUCH!

Bake 25 – 30 minutes and then remove the lid and bake for another 5 – 10.

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for No-Knead Crusty White Bread:

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

6 Quart Dough Rising Bucket

SAF Instant Yeast

Dough Scraper

Emile Henry Pizza/Bread Baking Stone

Le Creuset Signature 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven

Upkoch Bread Lame