Entries categorized as ‘Breads’
Despite its relative utility, chemistry never held much sway. Instead of chemical compounds and balanced equations, I preferred studying the subjunctive tense for être and avoir, or drawing the shape of parabolic curves, or studying the machinations of medieval European princes. Even looking at plant cells seemed more interesting than mixing chemicals.
Admittedly, some of my classmates saw things differently. Walk into a French, Algebra, or History classroom, and the setting is sedate and similar: rows of desks, facing a blackboard. Walk into a chemistry classroom, and the mood is one of potential and excitement: Bunsen burners, microscopes, lab coats, test tubes, fire extinguishers, and an emergency chemical-bath. As one of the Chemistry teachers liked to boast, “You can’t die in English class.”
And yet, all I could muster up was a stifled yawn. Chemistry (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Chemistry of Cooking, Comfort Food, Corn, Honey, Sour Cream, Southern
In a country divided between twelve political parties, finding common ground can be no easy task.
Indeed, Israelis are as likely to disagree about politics as they are about food. Ashkenazim (Jews of European ancestry) have their culinary traditions, and Sephardim (Jews of Spanish and Middle-Eastern ancestry) have theirs. Even the origins of falafel and hummus have been bitterly debated, with Arabs and Jews alike claiming the food as their own.
Fortunately, all Israelis can rally around sufganiyot. Sufganiyot, or jelly doughnuts, are (more…)
Categories: Breads · Holidays
Tagged: Doughnuts, Frying, Holidays, Jewish, Joan Nathan, Middle Eastern, Yeast
In addition to cranberry sauce, cornbread and turkey just seem like one of those perfect pairings.
Cornbread is a so-called quick bread, because it doesn’t contain yeast, and doesn’t require any rising or kneading. These traits make it perfect for Thanksgiving, when the number of dishes and burners going at once can be overwhelming. Beyond being quick and easy to prepare, its hearty, yet uncomplicated – requiring basic pantry staples.
Another advantage to cornbread is its adaptability. Cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt are a given, but beyond that, (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Cheddar, Cheese, Corn, Quick and Easy, Southern, Thanksgiving
From a Croque Norvegien to an ABB&M, I’ve been in sandwich mode recently. Which got me thinking. Instead of running out and grabbing a new loaf of bread, maybe I could make my own.
I settled on brioche, a butter- and egg-enriched yeast bread, French in origin. Yet, despite its French origins, the French put their brioche in the viennoiserie basket. Unlike something in the bread basket, a viennoiserie (meaning “in the Viennese style”) boasts the addition of eggs, butter, milk, cream, or sugar, which gives it a pastry-like character.
Viennoiseries are leavened, often layered, and commonly served in the morning. Beyond brioche, (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Bread, Dough, French, Ina Garten, Yeast
I tend to stock-pile bananas. Every weekend, without fail, I buy enough bananas to get me through the work-week. Unfortunately, I tend to overindulge my banana enthusiasm. And before I know it, I’ve tossed another two overripe bananas into the freezer – with the idea that some day soon they would find themselves in banana bread.
“Soon” soon took on new meaning.
Last week I opened my freezer to a veritable army of frozen bananas, their ranks having swelled over the (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Banana, Brunch, Quick and Easy
The modern banana may be a dying breed.
Unlike apples and oranges, supermarkets only carry a single variety of banana – the Vietnamese Cavendish. And unlike other fruits, domestic production of bananas is virtually nonexistent. Instead, the vast majority of our bananas come from Latin America; Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia represent three of the four largest banana-exporting nations.
The concentration of a single banana variety in a single area helped popularize the banana by creating large economies of scale with respect to harvest periods, and shipping and distribution routes. These economies of scale made the banana the cheapest fruit in the produce section – a modern miracle considering that the banana has traveled thousands of miles, in cooled containers, and has a shelf life of but a few weeks.
This concentration and homogenization may, unfortunately, also lead to the banana’s demise. In the early 1900s, the banana of choice was the Gros Michel – a banana superior in taste, size, and texture to today’s Cavendish. Sadly, the Gros Michel was all but wiped out by Panama disease, a resistant fungus.
Today, the Cavendish is threatened (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Banana, Tyler Florence
Unlike most of her recipes, Ina Garten jokes, this one does not start with a pound of butter. And yet, her lemon yogurt cake is no worse for the wear. In fact, I’ve made this recipe countless times without ever growing tired of it. And because it’s so good and so easy to make, it’s become my recipe of choice for pot-lucks and parties.
Over time, I”ve made my own small changes (more…)
Categories: Breads · Desserts
Tagged: Baking, Favorites, Ina Garten, Lemon
When I first started cooking, the first effort was just that – a rough, initial effort to make something edible. If things went awry, it was helpful to have ingredients in reserve. So I got in the habit of stockpiling my cooking ammunition. If a recipe called for a cup of something combustible, I tried to have an extra cup (or two) on hand.
But as my learning curve has progressed, (more…)
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Pumpkin
Like any good American, I often buy things I don’t necessarily need. And I’m particularly susceptible to this urge when I’m around kitchen gadgets. Exhibit 1 would be my recently purchased 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Fortunately, the Food Network came to my rescue.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved sweet potatoes. In grade school, our class was putting together a cook book, and we were all asked to bring in our favorite recipe. All the kids brought in recipes for typical kid fare: grilled cheese, ice cream sundaes, macaroni and cheese – normal kid stuff. My recipe involved a root vegetable: sweet potato pie.
Categories: Breads
Tagged: Baking, Bundt Pan, Sweet Potato, Vegetables
