Sunday, July 25, 2010

Challah

It's farm share season again, and in addition to the fresh produce in my kitchen, this means I have a lot of farm fresh eggs:

Clearly, I turn some of them into dough for Challah:

Once the dough is well kneaded, I set it to rise:

A few hours later:

I split the dough into six parts:

And braided it:

Yum.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Bread I Like: Art and Soul

It may not look like much:
But this is a delicious pull apart bread brought to you before your entree at Art and Soul, a hotel restaurant in Washington, D.C. run by Oprah's former chef.

I have to also suggest that you try their bloody mary. It comes with candied bacon.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Buttermilk Banana Bread

I am forever cursed with bananas too brown for me to enjoy. Not that I mind.

This time I added pecans and used some buttermilk:

Next time, a little more green on the ends - or baked. I don't mind:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Bread I like: Garlic Knots

They don't have to be the best garlic knots ever:
But whenever an Italian spot puts garlic knots in the bread basket, they become Bread I Like.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Microbrewery Bread

This bread is made with beer. Oh, and whole grains, too:

I started with the whole grains - oats and part whole wheat flour:

Added beer:

kneaded until smooth - this dough was great to work with:

And let rise, twice. I was hurrying my bread to the oven and missed a good picture of the dough overflowing the pan this time:

Friday, June 11, 2010

Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake

I've gone back to this recipe again and again. It makes a beautiful cake, even when my bundt pan doesn't quite cooperate and I end up missing a chunk:

The recipe itself is simple. Creamed butter and sugar, eggs, flour and leavening alternated with buttermilk. Frozen berries are used as they have less tendency to sink to the bottom of a cake pan. The berries I used were harvested locally and stayed in my freezer for a late spring treat:

The finished cake, before it was turned out:

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Bread I Like: Gourdough's

I visited Austin, TX recently and was introduced to their favorite form of street food, dispensed from Airstream Trailers. This particular trailer, Gourdough's, makes doughnuts to order from a menu filled with delights.

You can order doughnuts with maple and bacon, or peanut butter and jelly, like we did, or even get one with fried chicken. It's called a "Motherclucker."
(pardon the red tinge - red umbrella and a sunny day in Texas.)