Start your ovens. Weigh your flour. And get baking. Charlie van Over’s book, The Best Bread Ever, turns 25 years! We love you and your bread, Charlie! (Notice how fermentation often shares its magic in unexpected ways.) There is nothing more rewarding than having a book of one’s unique ideas published. And Charlie is one lucky guy. Thanks to many people, his simple yet sophisticated technique for using a food processor to make
Chocolate Cherry Babka

Babka is a rich dough usually filled with ground nuts, jam, chocolate, dried fruit or any combination of those things. This Chocolate Cherry Babka recipe is baked under a dome, which traps in moisture causing the rich dough to rise. The dough is filled with a creamy chocolate spread and plump dried cherries. Although complicated in appearance, it is easy to make. This is my final post celebrating national flour month. It’s been a great
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Artisan Wheat Blend Slicing Loaf

When you want a large crusty loaf of bread for slicing, what do you do? Rush out to the grocery store? Call a local bakery to ask them to hold a loaf for you? Might you consider making your own? This savory Artisan Wheat Blend Slicing Loaf incorporates some whole wheat for flavor. It is easy to make because it requires minimal kneading. Use the amount of yeast as listed to have a loaf ready
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Rustic Ciabatta

A pillowy loaf of rustic ciabatta makes the perfect accompaniment to antipasto, a bowl of minestrone or a salad. There is nothing better to go with a plate of Italian cold cuts or prosciutto either. This Italian loaf takes its name from its shape, which resembles a dusty, old slipper. Properly made, a loaf of ciabatta has a thin and dimpled crust. The pronounced holes in the crumb demonstrate its long fermentation. Jump
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Oatmeal Stout Bread

All the flavors of whole wheat and oatmeal come together in this moist Oatmeal Stout Bread liberally flavored with intense dark beer. Make this bread for sandwiches, to serve with cheese or hearty Irish stew. Whichever you choose, know that this dough is a joy to mix by hand and delivers great flavor with the minimum of fuss. Jump to Recipe Welcome to my celebration of National Flour Month and of making quality bread at
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Bread Makes the Meal Celebration for National Flour Month March 2022

Join me for my Bread Makes the Meal Celebration for National Flour Month March 2022! And an exciting Emile Henry giveaway. Starting March 1, I will share new recipes, tips and tricks to help you bake delicious, crusty bread at home. This is my personal campaign to help you craft delicious bread at home. Each Tuesday for four weeks, I will introduce a new recipe. The four featured recipes – Oatmeal Stout Bread, Rustic Ciabatta,
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Stout Bread

The name of this bread doesn’t refer to its size or shape, but rather to the heavy, strongly flavored brew that flavors this dark loaf. This robust Stout Bread complements cheddar cheese, smoked fish and meats, stews and hearty vegetables. It’s perfect for wintertime baking. With a large percentage of wheat flour, the bread has a springy interior crumb. The flavor of the dough improves with a long fermentation and oatmeal or cracked rye on
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Fig, Goat Cheese and Rosemary Ficelles

In fig season we can’t get enough – juicy ripe figs stuffed with cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, roasted with honey or eaten whole in one bite if they are small enough, just delicious. These Fig, Goat Cheese Rosemary Ficelles take advantage of fresh figs and their affinity for tart goat cheese. We serve the bread as an appetizer course. It’s also a great accompaniment to salad for a simple meal. This firm dough holds its
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Olive Rosemary Focaccia

Salty, crispy crunchy flatbread like this green olive focaccia with rosemary and garlic calls to me when I want a savory snack or unusual sandwich bread. For months I’ve imagined how this Olive Rosemary Focaccia would taste. My palate craved crunchy and chewy dough squares topped with briny olives. I made this recipe to use up a jar of briny olives and some excess sourdough starter. (You can make it without the starter, but your
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Sourdough Parchment Crackers

For anyone that loves crunchy foods, these Sourdough Parchment Crackers are for you. Sturdy yet paper thin, they deliver the kind of snap I cannot resist. I call them parchment because you can see right through them. Delicate yet crisp, I defy you to eat just one. Jump to Recipe With everyone exploring sourdough bread making, there is a good deal of starter to discard. (For the uninitiated, when you make starter to leaven your
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"Let no man fancy he knows how to dine Till he has learnt how taste and taste combine."
-Horace, Satires, 2.4