Pizza Napoletana

November 24, 2009

I have used the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Pizza Napoletana recipe for a long time now, and I’ve written about it in a previous post.  It’s been my hands-down favorite, and I first found it on Heidi’s blog, when I lived in Austin.  Curious to see how all my bread baking/learning affected the way I made [...]

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Blissful Birthday

November 23, 2009

Today I turned forty-nine, and there’s only one thing I know for sure: I’m older than I’ve ever been.  I also like to think I’m wiser than I’ve ever been, though not as wise as I hope to someday be.  Which means, all in all, this is a pretty good day.
The air is warmer than [...]

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Panettone Saga

November 9, 2009

I have to admit, it was a little strange making a traditional Christmas bread during Halloween.  But when we committed to baking through a entire bread book, one recipe at a time, in order, those of us in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge knew we were in for some odd timing.
I also have to admit [...]

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Pumpkin Leftover Rice Pudding

November 6, 2009

I hate dislike having a refrigerator full of bits of food.  Do you?  In fact, I dislike it so much that often our best meals come from using up those leftovers in creative ways, purely for the pleasure of emptying container after container.  Because I also abhor waste.  I firmly believe our world would be [...]

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Pane Siciliano

November 4, 2009

Bread number 4,652 for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is a gorgeously-browned loaf.  Okay, I made that up.  I think it’s really only bread #23, but my hips look as though I have made many more types of bread than that.  Most of the time now, I only make a half-recipe, which is not something [...]

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Pain de Campagne

November 2, 2009

Time is once again rushing by faster than Canadian geese flying south for the winter.  Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and I will be wondering how I managed to age yet another year in what surely must have been the blink of an eye.  The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is more than halfway over, and [...]

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Spinach Quiche

October 26, 2009

Some days, I just want something completely different for dinner.  Does that ever happen to you?   Chicken, fish, and meat recipes suddenly stop inspiring you?  (Of course, if you’re a vegetarian, that happens daily!)  Last week, I had several of those days.  So we had curried lentil soup one night, and chana masala for another [...]

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Pain à l’Ancienne

October 20, 2009

Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge Pain à l’Ancienne is a challenging bread for some people.  Specifically me.  I like to eat bread that comes from wet dough (crispy, crunchy, airy, and chewy), but I’m not so good at handling the sticky wet stuff.  So I approached this bread as though it needed kid gloves.  And it [...]

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Corn Chowder

October 16, 2009

It’s time for a tribute.  The Brentwood corn stand had its last weekend at the farmer’s market until next May.  That might not seem very important, given that other stands are still selling corn here, but the Brentwood corn is special.  The line is always long, and they always sell out.  Some days they have [...]

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Multigrain Struan Bread Extraordinaire

October 8, 2009

Back when I lived in Sonoma County, and Brother Juniper’s Bread was a way to “eat local” long before anyone actually said those words, Peter Reinhart’s (Brother Juniper) Struan Bread was one of my favorite breads to buy at Food 4 Thought Natural Foods Grocery Store (which of course got bought by Whole Foods long [...]

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