Chef James L. from Tennessee points out that true Southern Cracklin’ corn bread is made from white corn bread, ideally White Lily if you can find it. Yellow will work too, of course, but for that extra touch of authenticity, well, you know what to do. Like all truly great things to eat, this is […]
READ ONWhat’s a great use for cracklings? Brothers and sisters, here’s one of the best: cracklin’ corn bread. Talk about a definitively southern bread, this one has it all: lard, corn, buttermilk. Pleasantly coarse and rustic, you’d have found southerners eating something almost exactly like this 150 years ago. To give it that extra country flare, […]
READ ONThis is a very American scone. It’s big, it’s triangular, it’s rich. Note, however, that it’s possible to do a lot of different things with this dough. I generally favor small scones, and indeed I normally make 12 little triangles with this recipe instead of eight large ones. You can use round cutters if you […]
READ ONThis is probably my favorite scone recipe. The ginger adds what I think is the perfect zing and textural contrast. 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for the tops 12 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour 2.5 ounces sugar pinch salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest 6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into […]
READ ONFluffy, salty and redolent of aromatic olive oil and fresh rosemary, these little hunks of bread are great as casual appetizers, simple snacks, or as substitutes for dinner rolls (man, I should be writing ad copy). Begin by combining your ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Add about 5-6 ounces of the water, and […]
READ ONThere are several possible ways to go with focaccia, depending on the texture you like. Here’s my base recipe, and I’ll do my best to show you how to vary it. 16 ounces bread or high-gluten flour (substitute durum flour for up to half of it) 16 ounces poolish (a double recipe) or starter. 1/4 […]
READ ONThere’s almost no limit to what can go on focaccia, but like pizza, the sparer you are with your toppings, the better the result. Salt, herbs and oil is the classic combo, and the herbs can be whatever you like: rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, tarragon, chervil…either by themselves or in combination. Roasted […]
READ ONAs I mentioned earlier, a great baguette, at least for the home baker, is a journey and not a destination. Still, I’ll have my journey slathered with plenty of raspberry jam, thank you very much. Am I still finding my way toward my perfect baguette? Most certainly, but the following method yields a baguette that […]
READ ONYes, I know what I’ve been saying about baguettes, that they’re the ultimate “fast” bread, that bakeries whip them out in as little as four hours. The thing is, that’s only true if you’ve got your preferments on-hand and ready to go (like full-time bakeries do). Home bakers need to mix up their preferments a […]
READ ONThis makes enough for my baguette recipe, but of course it can be increased if need be for some other application. The amount of yeast employed in a poolish is tiny relative to the flour and water. So tiny, in fact, that for a poolish sponge this small, we’ll need to dissolve some instant yeast […]
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