Brioche with Coconut Pudding Cream and Apricot
Tuesday, August 15, 2023This yeast brioche dough is the perfect base for fruity buns. Apricots or peaches are the ideal accompaniment: a creamy well-scented coconut pudding cream goes perfectly with the juicy and slightly tart stone fruit, while almonds provide the crunchy component. They are great for in between meals, but are also delicious for breakfast. You can made the pudding cream ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 3 days and use regular milk instead coconut milk if desired, and flavour it with vanilla or rose water. They are best served fresh, slightly warm, or at room temperature.
Easy M&M Banana Bread
Friday, July 28, 2023This is such a delicious and easy recipe that is great for any occasion. It's moist, flavourful, perfectly dense, filled with leftover white chocolate eggs, dried fruit and topped with lots of M&Ms. One of the keys to getting a natural, strong banana flavour and a tender texture is to use over ripe bananas. I used erythritol, a sugar alcohol which has a very similar taste to sugar, to sweeten the bread, feel free to use regular white sugar instead. Store any leftover banana bread slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Icelandic Rye Bread
Thursday, July 20, 2023Icelandic rye bread, or rúgbrauð, a staple of Icelandic cuisine, is traditionally baked underground, buried in a bubbling geothermal pit for 24 hours. Since I don't have a hot spring in my back yard or live in a geothermal area, baking the bread in a simpler and more convenient modern oven is an ideal alternative way to get to taste this iconic Icelandic Rye Bread, which you would think it's healthy. Well, not this one as it contains a whole cup of honey and molasses in it, but it's DELICIOUS with a light caramel note and dense texture. Since it’s leavened with baking powder and baking soda, it’s very easy to throw together. This delicious traditional rye bread can be served in a variety of ways, topped with smoked fish / lamb, skyr, cheese or even just butter or simply with your favourite toppings. Store leftover bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for several days or up to 3 months in the freezer.
I adapted the recipe from King Arthur Baking, as 2-hr-baking time seems reasonable for me. Other recipes suggested baking at 100C/200F for 6 hours. Alternatively you can make this in a slow cooker, covered with aluminum foil, for 4 hours. I haven't tried it myself yet, so if you do please let me know how it turns out!
Dried Cherry Tomato Bread with Parmesan and Thyme
Thursday, July 06, 2023A quick, savoury spelt bread recipe without yeast and ready in an hour. It comes together quickly and is easy enough for a weekday, but special enough to take this tomato loaf along to a picnic or garden party. Serve with butter or cheese spread.
Buttermilk brings a pleasant tang to this quick bread while adding very little fat. Buttermilk brings a pleasant tang to cakes, breads, biscuits and other bakes while adding very little fat. Like yogurt and sour cream, this acidic ingredient also helps tenderize gluten, giving baked goods a softer texture and more body. The acids in buttermilk also helps tenderize gluten, giving baked goods a tenderer texture and more flavour.
Smoked Salmon Breakfast Flatbread
Tuesday, July 04, 2023Feed your family with this no-fuss and delicious breakfast / brunch recipe with thin, unleavened lavash (a popular flatbread in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey), creamy herby goat cheese and lots of rich, buttery smoked salmon, briny, salty baby capers, nutrients-loaded red radish sprouts and peppery arugula. Smoked salmon is a great ingredient, especially when you’re short on time but still want a healthy and fresh meal. But other omega-3 rich fish would be just as good. If desired, add in a couple of soft boiled eggs. You can also cut this into small bite-sized pieces and serve them as an appetizers.
Beernana Bread with Oats and Figs - Egg, Sugar and Dairy Free
Wednesday, June 14, 2023Walnut Boule with Wild Yeast Water
Thursday, June 08, 2023Rich, wholesome with roasted walnuts, combined with medium rye flour gives this rustic, hearty artisan boule a darker colour and more robust rye flavour. It's perfect for any sandwich or toasted and slathered with butter and honey for a deliciosu and fulfilling breakfast. The bread is naturally leavened with wild yeast water - the most organic, natural and fascinating way of leavening bread. The bread has a thin, super crispy crust that crackles in your hand with even a gentle squeeze and a soft open crumb with some nutty bites.
Seedy Low Carb Bread with Goat Cheese and Thyme
Monday, May 29, 2023This nutrient-dense low-carb bread is chock-full of seeds (pumpkin, chia, golden flax, and buckwheat), fiber and B vitamins rich wheat germ that are good for our hearts and our moods. However, people who are allergic to gluten, should avoid wheat germ, as it contains gluten. Use rice bran or oat bran instead if you need to go gluten-free.
This bread is absolutely perfect with softened butter and shaved truffle, goat cheese and raspberries, or liver parfait, black pepper and fresh herbs. It is grain-free, nut-free, sugar-free and super crispy when toasted.
Poppy Seed Buns with Blueberry Craquelin
Tuesday, May 23, 2023Sweet fluffy yeasted buns filled with an irresistible poppyseed filling and a delicious blueberry flavoured cracked topping made with butter, sugar, and flour. They make the best afternoon tea snack with a strong cup of tea, or on the go breakfast or anytime you feel like indulge a bit. Craquelin, literally means cracker, is a cookie topping that is added to a choux pastry bun to give it a distinct sweet and crunchy texture. Traditionally, it is made of 3 simple ingredients: flour, butter, and sugar. I added a bit of egg here to make it pipable and some dried blueberry powder to flavour the mixture, but any other superfood powder would work great too. Here is another one I made with blackberry powder.
Egg, Dairy and Gluten-Free Keto Tortillas
Monday, May 15, 2023These keto tortillas are made with almond flour and have a soft and pliable texture thanks to the whole psyllium husks. You can easily double the recipe and freeze them to have on hand anytime you need a healthy wrap or Turkish pizza. Layer them in between parchment paper, so you can pull them out one at a time, if needed. They are egg, dairy, gluten-free too. The recipe creates 4 large tortillas, but you can make 6 medium or 8 small ones. Use a tortilla press to shape them if you have one, otherwise, make sure to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.
Low Carb Tahini Bread with Hemp Flour
Thursday, May 11, 2023Hemp flour (not hemp protein powder), aka hemp bran, is made from raw hemp seeds after cold pressing to extract the hemp seed oil. It is rich in dietary fiber (a whopping 30%), protein and rich in vitamins and minerals. Plus, it's gluten-free, low in carbohydrates and completely free from cholesterol, contains no saturated fat and is low in sodium. It has a nutty taste and deep greenish colour.
This low-carb, dairy-free, gluten-free and fibre-packed hemp tahini loaf is very satiating, nutrient dense and great topped with avocado, hummus, or seasonal fruit for a wholesome breakfast. The bread is better stored in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days and it freezes well too.