Bread

Montreal’s style everything bagels

April 25, 2020 by Ariel Leave a Comment

I’ve been hoarding this recipe for a while in hope to publish it in a book instead of a blog but, one thing this quarantine has taught me is: there’s no better time than the present. Plus, nothing stops me from publishing it later on, maybe with a few tweaks or technical adjustments.

So this is the perfect recipe if you have extra time on your hands (not looking at you stuck at home reading this) and, you miss the nice chew of a Montreal’s style bagel. Personally, I miss walking up tp the Mile-end, on a warm, sunny, summer day, to go buy fresh bagels on St-Viateur and then just walk around the streets and soak in the sun. At that point I’m already snacking on my purchase and the sound of the crunch from my teeth biting in to the lightly sweetened crust to is music to my ears.

Super easy to freeze, pretty much like bread. This recipe makes 12 everything bagels and you’ll need a stand mixer. If you’re not used to making bread, this might not be the best project to start with because you’re going to play with a VERY hydrated dough which makes it difficult to handle. If you feel up for the challenge, make sure to keep your work space floured but not too much. Both of you hands should be well floured at all time.

As you’re shaping your bagels, make sure to deflate the dough before shaping it.

BON APPÉTIT!

…

Cheap brioche

August 10, 2019 by Ariel 2 Comments

There’s this really cool bread baking book that’s been gathering dust in my bookshelf for way too long. If you’re a bread making affectionado, you’ve heard of the bread baker apprentice for sure. It offers three different versions of the brioche loaf with titles like: pore man’s brioche, middle class brioche and rich man brioche. What’s being presented, today, is an adaptation of the recipe that is lower in eggs and butter content hence the title of this post: cheap brioche.

Don’t get too excited yet, this is still a pretty caloric bread but it is so worth every bit of sweat and every pieces of butter you’ll be putting in to it. The process is a little longer than a regular bread but it’s mostly proofing time. If you wanted to try something easier, there’s this old recipe for knotted bread that’s pretty decent and this one made with sourdough and pretty fast.

This recipe was also created before I officially converted myself back to the metric system so it’s using cups and teaspoons but, in the future, I’ll make the conversion and update this page. Happy bread baking everyone, it’s the perfect activity to do on a lazy Saturday.

…

Two ways dinner rolls

July 30, 2019 by Ariel Leave a Comment

I’m combining “two recipes” in one today. The reason why I’m using “…” it’s because the two recipes aren’t really different but the images displayed in this posts will show you two fun versions for these sweet, airy and soft dinner rolls. The first version is made with fancy molasses which gives the buns an incredible taste and dark colour. The second version, which I think is the most common one, is made with honey and brushed up with an egg wash, topped with Maldon salt flakes, black sesame seeds & hemp seeds.

For freshness, keep them in the fridge or the freezer (even better) and warm up what you need at dinner time. They will feel very hard and stale (even kept in the fridge) but don’t worry because the second you’ll warm them up, the soft texture will come back.

I don’t think I need to say how amazing they are warm, coming out of the oven with only salted butter O_O

This is what life is all about, warm bread with butter.

…

Under 3 hours Spelt & Buckwheat Sourdough loaf

April 2, 2018 by Ariel 2 Comments

More than two months now that I haven’t purchased any breads at the grocery and have been surviving on all the baking projects created with my sourdough starter. I decided to make the switch because not only baking breads has these peaceful and humble vibes to it but, eating sourdough everything is good for your gut health.

Up to date, two “work horses” sandwich loafs have been making their mark and this super quick to make spelt & buckwheat bread is one of those. You can whip this cutie in less than three hours from the time to mix your yeast to the end of the baking process. The longest part (if you ask me) it’s the cooling down time before you can start eating.

Hope you give this creation a chance and I’m looking forward to read your comments!

…

Sourdough maple sticky buns

February 11, 2018 by Ariel 2 Comments

If you’re nursing a sourdough starter, there’s always this one day where you have too much of it and, before feeding it, you have to discard some. Since I don’t like thinking I’ve been “wasting” all this precious flour and water, this recipe is a delicious way to use your discarded starter.

There’s only one word to describe these… AMAZEBALLS. They are drenched in maple and brown sugar and the bread texture is soft and elastic. I really hope you’ll get a chance to try this recipe because it’s absolutely delicious and really easy to do.

Definitely one of those sweet treat worth cheating on your diet.

…

Philadelphia Tomato Pizza Pie

July 7, 2017 by Ariel 3 Comments

I had no idea this pizza style, usually eaten at room temperature, came from Philadelphia. Originated from a Sicilian recipe topped with anchovies and cheese, the Philadelphia version is simply garnished with a rich homemade tomato sauce. You might have seen it at your local grocery store or the Italian bakery shop, because these tomato pizza (also known as: church pie, square pizza, red pizza, granny pizza, and red pie) were apparently created to finish left over hoagie dough hence the chewy, “breadish like” texture of the crust.

…

Maple & Carrot Semolina Cake

September 13, 2015 by Ariel 1 Comment

Just tasted this beauty I made yesterday.

Usually, it’s not my style to let some freshly baked goods wait on the counter before being honoured by our palates but, by the time it had come to the right temperature, it was getting way too late for me to indulge in such decadence. As a first “fall baking” project, I’m very pleased with the results and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to. The final texture is extremely silky soft and dense, very close to a pound cake but with a nice variation because of the semolina flour.

Cut yourself a slice, toast it the traditional way or put in the oven for a few minutes before devouring it with melted butter or cream cheese spread on top.. It’s worth it.

Bon Appétit!

…

Homemade Breadcrumbs…

April 24, 2015 by Ariel 2 Comments

There’s a few products I’m wondering why we even bother buying.. Breadcrumbs is definitely on top of the list because it’s just so easy to do. You can use pretty much any kind of bread you like, my personal favourite is the rye bread because it taste delicious and dry nicely. *^_^*

…

Ricotta Orange, Cardamom Pound Cake

March 25, 2014 by Ariel 2 Comments

Ohhh pound cakes… It’s so easy to do and so comforting. Before this one, I had never made pound cake myself but I always bought slices at the cute little coffee shop down the street. Some people call it pound cake, other bread. As far as I’m concern, I could easily put it in the same family as the banana and walnut bread or even the Anastasia bread I made last year.

Although the only difference is that this batter create a much softer cake/bread compare to the two other ones. It has the feeling of a little pillow in your mouth, thanks to the ricotta and the added egg white.

I hope you’ll also enjoy this orange and cardamom mix. It’s a new obsession of mine (I seem to develop obsessions pretty easily). I recently made a tapioca pudding flavored with orange blossom flower and cardamom and it was out of this world! Definitely a match of flavor to remember for future recipes.

On this, enjoy this soft and silky ricotta, orange & cardamom pound cake with a nice cup of tea as a fun afternoon snack or as a desert topped with ice cream!

Have a great Tuesday everyone 🙂

PS: You can even toast it and add butter on it.. it’s divine! 😉

…

Two Tones Swirl Earl Grey “Biscuits”

September 13, 2012 by Ariel 8 Comments

I’ve been debating the fact of calling them cookies or biscuits but after researching online, I think the final texture of these are closer the traditional biscuit compare to the cookies just because they are very soft and moist on the inside with a crunchy outside… Not too sweet, just the way I like it and perfect to go with a good tea or a glass of milk.

Since my Anastasia Bread, I really started enjoy cooking with delicious teas and I think I will keep going with my experimentations. Hope you will like these biscuits.

…