February 17, 2013No Comments

Poppy Vanilla Pseudo Challa

Foto

The traditional Challa is a very rich bread, full of sugar and eggs, yet scrumptious and a feast for the senses. There are many recipe variations available, even some eccentric ones and recently we ran into an adaption that sounded too good not to be tried. The Poppy-vanilla Challa. We changed the recipe slightly to a more everyday bread, but kept the slight vanilla-butter-sugar tone.

As with every bread, we start a basic list… If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn’t be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups white flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 350 ml water

The Add-on

  • 1 tbsp of poppy seeds
  • +4 tsp sugar (so we have 6 in total)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 egg

The dough then is rolled into rope-shaped pieces which are braided and brushed with an egg yolk wash before baking to add the golden sheen.

And Beer? No, this is just our little cheap trick to keep vanilla sticks sealed and accessible.

June 24, 2012No Comments

Pine Pesto Pane

2013-01-12 17.28.52

This is the result of a tiny experiment. My wife and I love bread with a thin spread-like layer of genovese pesto. Now we were curious how the taste would evolve if we bake the pesto directly into the rolls. We tried a couple of combinations and liked this combo quite a lot. Basically we are taking a basil pesto (pesto verde i.e. olive oil, pepper, fine pine nut pieces, some parmesan and garlic) and some halfed pine nuts to create a nutty emphasis and some structure. Nom Nom Nom

As with every bread, we start a basic list... here the Guerilla Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 4 tsp pesto verde
  • 100g halfed pine nuts

Bon appetit!

May 20, 2012No Comments

Rosemary Sourdough

2013-01-24 23.43.13

Wholefoods, please come to Germany! One of my favourite food temples in London and across the States is wholefoods. A haven for every food snob. Their bakery sections are incredibly good for a chain and I always wanted to reverse engineer the bakery goods. Now that we live back in Germany, I had to get my grips on it and start to bake those wholefoods goodies myself. The first success story is the rosemary sourdough.

As with every bread, we start a basic list... here the Guerilla Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (less prominent than the usual olive oil)
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 4 tsp chopped up rosemary
  • 75g sourdough

Bon appetit!

August 3, 2010No Comments

Pumpkinseeeeds

Pumpkin seeds are great, super delicious and a regular guest in our oven.

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 125g pumpkin seeds
  • If you can, swap the 2 tbsp olive oil with 2 tbsp pumpkin oil. Pumpkinseed oil can be hard to get, but is absolutely worth it. Also for salads... Nom Nom Nom :-)

Bon appetit!

July 12, 2010No Comments

Onionbread


A pretty folksy bread recipe that you don't see a lot these days in Germany anymore is onion bread. Though incredibly tasty it is hard to find in a typical bakery. Thanks to a recent tip from grandma, we have a new addition to the recipe box.

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 2 medium sized onions. Chopped and fried in a pan with a little bit of butter. Idealy fried to an almost golden, brownish colour.

Bon appetit!

June 29, 2010No Comments

Paninio Pomodoro


A recent visit to Milan brought a new discovery. A clever master of subtle bakery mixed dried antipasti tomatoes into a nice but strong wheat-dough. Another one for the recipe box, as they come with a strong flavor and nice texture.

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 150g dried and chopped antipasti tomatoes

Bon appetit!

April 27, 2010No Comments

ChilliCheese


Ever thought about creating some bakery that brings a little bit of the unexpected? We wanted to create something, that puzzles our fellows for a bit. The solution: Cheese that doesn't melt. No rocket science, just a little trick. Into our normal bread dough, we mix frozen cheese cubes that won't melt while baking and therefore leave a little bit of scepsis about how you managed to weave that cheese into the bread. Moreover, texture and taste are remarkable :-)

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 100g pickled green chilli
  • 100g frozen feta. We cut the feta into little cubes and put it into the freezer for about 2 hours. If you throw the frozen cheesecubes into the dough directly before you bake it in the oven, the cheese won't melt and stick to its shape and original taste.

Bon appetit!

April 21, 2010No Comments

Dinkelspeck


Aka Spelt'n'ham. A substantially tasty companion that doesn't even require any kind of spread or topping. However, with some fresh cheese (mixed with chili or pepper) makes a very fancy snack.

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups spelt flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 125g ham cubes (smoked)

Bon appetit!

April 13, 2010No Comments

Olive Rolls


A classic, that doesn't require a big introduction. Salty, rich and flavourful. A wonderful addition to amy tomato based dish, especially them italian ones :-)

As with every bread, we start a basic list... If this is your first bread, here is the Baking Guide about all the basic steps it takes to end up with delicious loaf. It couldn't be simpler. Next up are the ingredients:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

The add-on

  • 125g chopped kalamata olives and if you like, a pinch of thyme or oregano.

Buon appetito!

February 17, 2010No Comments

A Guerilla Guide To Bread Baking

I am a German living in London. Although this is one of the most exciting cities in the world I can't help it. Every once in a while I get homesick. Regularly, the reason for homesickness is food. More regularly it is about bread.

British bread is awful. To be fair, there a number of great places to get excellent bread in London. If you have ever been to wholefoods or Yasar Halim, you will know what I mean. On average however, british bread makes people unhappy.

Some weeks ago I decided to end this misery. I started baking. Try and error. My intent was not just to kill time. I wanted to include delicious and healthy bakery goods back in to my daily diet. And not surprisingly, out of the need evolved a passion.

I love bread baking. Simple ingredients, no rocket science, myriad options for modifications and a yummy output that draws smiles into peoples faces. What more could one want? And it is so easy. So easy, that there is nothing you can do wrong. Over the time, I determined a base recipe. One that will make delicious bread, but one that can be alternated in every way you like. There are only a couple of things to pay attention to. And this is how it goes:

Ingredients

Bread only has 3 ingredients. Flour, Water, Yeast, that's it. I always add a couple more, but for sure by far less then you get in a store-bought loaf. Good news is that we can also say good-bye to a lot chemicals that are used to make bakery look good or help to stay fresh for a longer period of time.

Anyways. Here is what we need:

Flour
Any kind will do. Wheat, spelt or rye make delicious dough and can be bought almost everywhere. Whole-wheat, kamut, barley, oat, corn or whatnot sort of flour might be harder to get, but worth the try in any case. My base recipe is usually all about wheat flour simply as a matter of personal taste. A very important factor however, for every kind of flour is its amount of dietary minerals. In my personal perspective I have to say, the higher the better. Wikipedia can help you understand flour type numbers. Those numbers are no rocket science. In most countries they just indicate how much ash would be left if you burn a certain amount of flour, thus indicating its mineral content. For the beginning, any kind will do.

Water
Again, any kind will do. In some countries, you just need to open the kitchen tab. In London you might like to filter it or buy it in the store to begin with.

Yeast
Yeast can be found in every supermarket. Use whichever you want. Despite the conversion, depending on the recipe you are using (1 tsp active dry = 0.75 tsp instant = 0.3 tsp fresh), there is no noticeable difference in terms of texture of taste according the a couple of internet forums and some professional bakers. Many professional bakers use fresh yeast, as it is simply more potent, some believe in a better structure. Instant yeast is the solution of the lazy man and therefore my preferred one.

Addons
Salt, Sugar, Oil as well as Nuts, fruits, vegetables etc. are great additions to craft delicious bakery goods. Just throw in, what you think could make a great dough and see what the people say.

The base recipe:

  • 5 cups wheat flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1,5 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 350 ml water

Preparation

A bread maker is a pretty solid investment. Not only will it serve for bread doughs, your fellow folks will also benefit from home-made pizza, cakes, brioche or jam. The Panasonic SD-2500 is the Porsche amongst the bread machines and will do all the work for you. There is no need to spend a lot of money on a bread machine though. The only thing you you'll actually need is a little tool that takes over the kneading for you. Any little bread machine available in discount stores or the internet for around 30 bucks will do the job just fine.

The base recipe will leave you with a good sized loaf or, what I personally prefer, the amount of dough to portion 8 fist size rolls, that make perfect lunch time sandwiches. You can half, quarter or portion the recipe in any way you want.

Overall, there is actually not much to it. Throw the ingredients together, knead well, let it sit for about an hour (this is where a bread machine comes in handy) to allow it to rise and your ready to go. Form eight little rolls out of the dough, place them on a buttered tray and let them bake for about 20 minutes in the oven (recirculating air, 200° Celsius is ideal)

Now what?

As mentioned above, this is only the beginning: the base recipe. From here on it is all about creativity. For inspiration and to share some ideas with friends and family, I will post a couple of recipes in the near future and tag them as bakery. All the posted recipes will use the basic recipe.