Featured Recipe
Bread Triangles with An Old Bread Soaker
Thursday, August 17, 2023| |
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An exceptional bread, made with sourdough, with a fresh, smooth and tender crumb and cracking crispy crust. Using old bread to make new bread is certainly nothing new. The practice of adding an “old bread soaker” to dough has been used in Europe, especially Germany, for hundreds of years.
A soaker is when an ingredient soaks in water for a period of time. The process lasts anywhere between 2 and 20 hours before adding to the dough. It enhances the flavour of the ingredients, prevents dry ingredients from soaking up water in the dough, and allows large grains to be used for making bread. Typical ingredients that are soaked include grains (cracked, whole, flour and flakes), seeds and many more. Here I am using old bread that has been diced and toasted. It’s a great use for leftovers from previous bread and also gives a depth of flavour to the new breads with a moist crumb and helps the water absorption of the dough and thus, improve the shelf-life of the bread.
An autolyse(oh-toe-lease), aka autolyze, autolysis, or dough autolysis, is the gentle mixing of the flour and water in a bread recipe, followed by a 20 to 60 minute rest period before adding other ingredients. This hydrates the flour, which encourages enzymes to begin gluten development. Salt can be added at autolyse, along with your sourdough starter. Autolyse hydrates the flour, which encourages enzymes to begin gluten development, which makes the dough less sticky and more workable. Besides that, the bread using autholyse will look nicer, taste beter and keep longer.
Brioche with Coconut Pudding Cream and Apricot
Tuesday, August 15, 2023| |
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This 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.
Apricot Salad with Roquefort and Honey Thyme Vinaigrette
Sunday, August 13, 2023| |
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This delightfuly and complex midsummer salad hits all the taste notes by using endive for the bitterness, tri-coloured lettuce for freshness, Roquefort, one of the most-prized French blue cheese for the saltiness, fersh apricots and honey for the sweetness and lemon for the tartness. Perfect to serve as a delicious meal or as a side dish. Roquefort, a world-famous blue cheese with pungent smell and a sharp tang, is traditionally made of sheep's milk. If you find this "King of Cheeses" is too strong for your taste, use other types of blue cheese or creamy tangy Lesbos Feta.
Easy Berry Crumble
Friday, August 11, 2023| |
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This easy Berry Crumble is loaded with juicy berries and topped with a sweet nutty buttery topping. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, custard sauce, or just simply with a dust of confectioner's sugar.
If the berries are still tart, you might want to add a bit more sugar or maple syrup. Both fresh or frozen berries work for the recipe. No need to thaw the berries if using frozen.
Zucchini Tomato Casserole
Wednesday, August 09, 2023| |
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I often make this colourful summer squash casseole during summer months when they are in peak season or when I am looking for something healthy, flavourful and delicious for the family.
This classic summer meal couldn't be easier to prepare. Start by slicing the zucchini and tomatoes (about 1/4-inch thick) and place them in a baking dish. Prepare a Parmesan cheese and pork rind topping (use regular breadcrumbs if you ain't on keto) to scatter over the vegetables. Bake the casserole in oven until the crumb topping is golden and crispy. Enjoy!


