bread
Although most people don’t place English muffins in a category of haute cuisine, they are a workhorse that can meet a number of breakfast tastes. They were a rare sight at our breakfast table, but since my family enjoys various bread and egg combinations with increasing regularity, their absence
dessert
One of the annoyances with recipes that use either egg yolks or whites instead of whole eggs is that I have to figure out a use for the leftover parts or feel guilty about throwing perfectly usable egg. Since I don’t mind eating egg white omelettes, it’s easier
dessert
There’s a simplicity to sugar cookies that is undeniably appealing. They are, by design, not a fancy dessert, but a clean-tasting, universally acceptable snack. Once you accept their limitations, you can enjoy them for what they are. They are also a perfect vehicle for decorating. The traditional cookie form
dessert
Just like the half-moon cookies I pursued in an attempt to recreate childhood favorites, chocolate mint brownies were an obvious addition. I’m not sure why the combination of rich chocolate and the sharp taste of peppermint go so well together, but it’s an undeniably appealing combination. Surprisingly, good
bread
Most people are familiar with whole wheat bread. Many have strong opinions. But few are familiar with a middle path between white flour and wheat: bolted wheat. White flour is ground wheat with the bran and germ filtered out. May family generally prefers the clean, slightly sweet taste of white
bread
After giving up on pure sourdough-leavened bagels, I resumed my making usual bagels using a hybrid of commercial yeast and sourdough starter. Driven to expand my bagel repertoire, I recalled my son’s fondness for chocolate chip bagels, but thought I could take it to the next level. After my
bread
After years of trying different bagel recipies, Stella Parks’ bagels from Serious Eats proved to be the best of the bunch. It produced reliably flavorful bagels with a crisp crust and chewy texture. I modified the recipe by simplifying the yukone step, switching to high-gluten flour, and adding a sourdough
bread
Having had a steady stream of good outcomes with plain white sourdough bread, I wondered about a sweeter version that might be a breakfast treat or dessert. Strangely, there aren't a lot of these recipes out there. Many recipes adapt traditional sweets (e.g. cakes, quick breads, muffins,
bread
In the mad dash to hoard flour (and, to be honest, to stuff my virtual shopping cart sufficiently to earn free shipping), I ended up with a two pound bag of buckwheat flour courtesy of King Arthur Flour. I had been curious about the nutty taste so fondly described by
vegetables
Learning to use new ingredients can be daunting, especially vegetables where the preparation and cooking techniques are unfamiliar and the guidance available is minimal. Fortunately, kabocha is fairly forgiving. I've settled on a reliable technique that works well and requires no additional ingredients like oil or seasonings. My
bread
I've kept my sourdough starter in suspended animation for years, with periodic feedings. A couple attempts at using it for leavening largely failed, so it was relegated to the role of a flavor enhancer in my yeast-based breads. Given the surge in sourdough popularity associated with the COVID-19
bread
I have kept a sourdough starter in my fridge for at least five years or so. I knew very little when I started, but followed a range of web-based instructions for how to get started. I quickly tired of the twice-daily "feedings" of flour and water (not to