This versatile chocolate wine bread has barely a hint of wine that complements the chocolate taste perfectly. In addition the chopped walnuts give this loaf a welcome crunch. These unusual flavours for a bread combine perfectly with the whole wheat and rye flours creating a loaf that goes wonderfully with cheese and also scrumptious toasted and spread with cherry or raspberry jam for breakfast. And all the work is done by your bread machine! Continue reading
This Blueberry Panettone is so easy to make with a bread machine. By now there are an infinite variety of panettoni on the market in Italy. This year I opted for a blueberry version which was nowhere to be found so I just went ahead and made one! The kneading and two rises were done by my bread machine after which I pulled out the dough and shaped it into two 1/2 kg. paper panettoni cases and two mini ones and then baked them in my conventional oven. I have to say it wasn’t much harder than making bread. I only had to add the (dried) blueberries and finish off with the last rising before popping them into the oven. This is not the overly sweet store bought panettone that can last weeks in your cupboard. There are no emulsifiers or preservatives here but it’s so wholesomely good that it wouldn’t last long anyway! Continue reading
I got this Dubliner Cheese Biscuit recipe off the back of a package of Kerrygold Irish butter (milk from grass fed cows) when I went back home to Minnesota last November for Thanksgiving. These light and flaky biscuits were a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table. The original version called for chopped walnuts and dried sage which I omitted here but can be added if you desire a richer version. Any mild and firm cheddar can be used too. Here in Italy I used a medium aged Pecorino cheese which worked well. If there are any left over the next day these biscuits are great for breakfast too, toasted and spread with any good jam. Continue reading
These whimsical teddy bears add the perfect touch to any holiday, be it Christmas or a birthday party. This pull apart wreath is fun to make as it is delicious. You only need to roll my easy dinner roll dough into three different sized balls, assemble them and pop them into the oven. Continue reading
Dukkah Seed Dip is a mix of ground seeds, nuts and spices. It’s a delicious and healthy way to accompany any kind of bread by dipping it first into a good extra virgin olive oil and then into the seed mixture. The toasted aroma of this mixture is unbelievably fragrant. It can also be used to sprinkle on salads and soups to give added flavor. Continue reading
Looking for another original shape for your dinner rolls? Here’s a creative way to use my Easy Dinner Roll recipe. A few snips here and there, a clove or peppercorn for the eye and there you have it: a leaping dolphin! I got this idea from a local bakery that recently made rolls called “pesciolini” (meaning “little fish”) – only an oval roll with a vaguely tail fin shape on one end. My daughter suggested: Why don’t you try making dolphin shapes? And that’s just what I did! Continue reading
This cute pumpkin bread ring makes a perfect table centerpiece for autumn. The recipe is the same as for the Easy Dinner Rolls below with only the addition of pumpkin puree. Continue reading
These super easy dinner rolls are really a snap to make. You only need a couple of hours to turn out these fragrant and healthy rolls from your oven. They are versatile too as you can add a variety of spices and seeds. The rolls can also be molded into fun shapes as I’ll be posting several variations of this basic recipe in my future posts. Continue reading
Questo pane di segale e’ facilissimo da fare se avete una macchina del pane, altrimenti si può farlo a mano col metodo tradizionale con almeno due lievitazioni. Rimane fresco e fragrante per almeno tre giorni e poi potete tenerlo in frigo per un paio di giorni in più’. Non buttate via eventuale pane secco! Può’ essere grattugiato e utilizzato per dei deliziosi dessert che troverete su questo blog. Continue reading
I’ve never made a perfect popover until I tried “The Joy of Cooking” version. Popovers can be tricky and all the conditions to make them must be exact: the consistency of the batter has to be not thicker than whipping cream, the temperature of the ingredients should be at room temperature and the oven very hot with all the heat coming from the bottom. I also floured the buttered tins to ease the removal of the popovers. The classic popover is made from white flour but I prefer the taste and health benefits from this whole wheat version. You can also add chopped herbs like parsley and thyme or spices of your choice for extra flavor. The English version of the popover (and probably its origin) is the Yorkshire Pudding, which isn’t a pudding as Americans would imagine but a similar recipe using hot beef roast drippings in the bottom of the tin. Continue reading