Our passion is great bread!
Take a gallon of fine flour, and a pint of good new ale barm or yeast, and put it to the flour, with the whites of six new laid eggs well beaten in a dish … Robert May, The Accomplisht Cook, 1685 (first published 1660) The challenge for the Bread Baking Babes this month was to make Robert May’s ‘French Bread the best way’ from
Have you ever let your wheat berries sprout too long? I’ve baked a lot of sprouted breads over the years, and I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. In fact, it happened just the other day. Sprouted breads are some of my favorite types of bread because they are healthy and taste great. However, the sprouting process can be a
Making Panzanella is a simple way to use up stale bread. Also known as Tuscan Bread Salad, Panzanella is made with garden vegetables and day old bread. Tuscans sure know how to do things. They take the simplest of ingredients and make delicious and comforting foods from them. However, don’t confuse simple with tasteless. They may use common ingredients, but these components are of high
When I visited Tuscany a few months ago, I learned how to keep fresh basil around all year long even when freshly-picked herbs are not available from the garden. During the Plated Stories Workshop, we participated in a cooking session with Enrico Cassini. Enrico was the owner and the renowned chef of Le Cassace, the Villa where the workshop was held. As I mentioned in
A beautiful Bradford Pear tree stood next to the cherry tree in my front yard. Over time, it grew and expanded until it’s branches spread so wide, it could hardly contain itself. Season after season, the tree adorned my yard with splendor and provided a beautiful backdrop to an otherwise boring yard. The colors of the leaves were breathtaking in Autumn and the blossoms in
