FOCCACIA

For the month of April Rachael of pizzarossa and Sawsan of Chef in Disguise took us on a trip to Italy. They challenged us to try our hands at making focaccia from scratch.  Focacica is a family favorite on visits to Italian Restaurants so I was looking forward to doing this challenge.  I halved the recipe as I didn't think our family of four would be able to finish the full recipe.  I kept it simple and decided to top the focaccia with sea salt and fresh rosemary from our garden.  The house smelled fantastic while the focaccia was in the oven.  We could hardly wait to dive in once it came out!  My husband and I only got to try a little piece while our girls polished off the rest of the focaccia!  Needless to say it was well liked by all!  We will be visiting Italy for a few days this summer and are excited about trying truly authentic focaccia ... screw the carbs!   

{Basic Focaccia}

Prep: 15 min

Servings: 8 slices

{Ingredients}

2-3/4 cups (660 ml) (385 gm) (13½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) white sugar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8½ gm) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) garlic powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) dried oregano

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1¼ cups (300 ml) milk (you may need up to 1½ cups (360 ml))

2 tablespoon (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

{For the topping}

Fresh rosemary chopped

Sea salt (or regular salt)

Olive oil for topping

{Directions}

In a bowl mix the milk, yeast and sugar and wait until it becomes foamy and bubbly (This indicates that your yeast is active, if the yeast doesn’t bubble and foam it has gone bad and you can’t use it)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, , garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Mix in the vegetable oil, then add the milk-yeast mixture.

Stir with a wooden spoon till the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (around 10 minutes)

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil.

Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. (If you are tight on time you could heat your oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 then turn it off and place the bowl with the dough in it)

Center your oven rack, preheat oven to hot 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8.

Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a ½ -inch (15 mm) thick rectangle or any shape you desire.

To give the dough the dimples effect, use your fingertips , pushing gently all over the surface of the dough

Place your selected topping

Brush top generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, rosemary and salt.

Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes

Bake in preheated hot 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8 oven for 15 minutes, or until the sides begin to brown then place under the broiler (grill) till the top becomes golden brown.

Serve warm

TARTE TATIN

I was very excited to read that this month's challenge was Tarte Tatin as I've never had it or made it before.  I'm always happy when it is a recipe that I've been meaning to make, but haven't gotten around to it.   I decided to go the traditional route and make an apple tarte tatin.  The puff pastry recipe came together very quickly and is a good one to keep handy.  I like that it made a manageable amount of pastry and was quick to make.  I made a small version of the tarte as we'd wouldn't be able to finish a large one and it doesn't store well.  The finished tarte tasted delicious even though the apple overcooked a bit.  It looked beautiful when inverted as the apple slices were glistening in caramel ... yum! 

Blog-checking lines:  For the March Daring bakers’ challenge, Korena from Korena in the Kitchen taught us that some treats are best enjoyed upside down. She  challenged us to make a tarte tatin from scratch.

Recipe 1: Rough Puff Pastry

Servings: one single pastry crust

{Ingredients}

1 cup (250 ml) (4½ oz) (125 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour

2/3 cup (160 ml) (5 oz) (140 gm) unsalted butter, cold

¼ tsp fine salt

¼ cup (60 ml) ice cold water

{Directions}

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the flour. With a pastry blender (or two table knives) cut in the butter until the mixture in crumbly but even, with pea-sized pieces of butter. Make a well in the middle and pour in the ice cold water. Toss the flour/butter and water together with a fork until the dough starts to clump together.

Turn the dough out onto your work surface – don’t worry if there are still pockets of dry flour. Gently knead and squeeze the mixture a few times just enough to bring it together into a square (a bench scraper is helpful for this). Be careful not to overwork the dough: there should be visible bits of butter and it should still look very rough.

Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, and roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10” (25 cm) long. Fold the bottom third of the dough up into the middle, and fold the top third down, like you are folding a letter. This is one fold. Turn the dough a one quarter turn so that one of the open edges is facing you, and roll out again into a 10” (25 cm) rectangle. Fold again - this is the second fold. Repeat the rolling and folding 3 more times, for 5 folds total. Your dough will get smoother and neater looking with each fold (the pictures show the first and fifth folds).

 If your kitchen is very warm and the dough gets too soft/sticky to do all the folds at once, chill it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes between folds. After the fifth fold, use your rolling pin to tap the dough into a neat square. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for a least 1 hour, or overnight.

Recipe 2: Tarte Tatin

Servings: 8-10

{Ingredients}

6 large or 7-8 medium-sized apples (see “Notes” above for the best type of apple for this dish)

Juice of half a lemon

6 tablespoons (90 ml) (3 oz) (85 gm) unsalted butter (or use salted and skip the salt)

1-1/3 cups (320 ml) (9½ oz) (265 gm) granulated sugar, divided

pinch salt

Rough Puff Pastry, above

{Directions}

Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Remove the cores in such a way that each apple quarter has a flat inner side: when placed rounded-side-up, it should sit on a flat base. Place the apples in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup (80 ml) (2-1/2 oz) (65 gm) sugar. This will help draw out some of the moisture from the apples and prevent an overly runny caramel. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to moderately hot 375˚F/190°C/gas mark 5. Melt the butter in a very heavy, 9” or 10” (23 cm or 24 cm) oven-proof saucepan over medium heat, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) (7 oz) (200 gm) sugar. Stir with a whisk until the sugar melts and becomes a pale, smooth caramel. The sugar will seem dry and chunky at first, then will start to melt and smooth out. If the butter appears to separate out from the caramel, just keep whisking until it is a cohesive sauce. Remove from the heat.

Discard the liquid that has come out of the apples, then add the apple quarters to the caramel, round side down. They won’t all fit in a single layer at first, but as they cook they will shrink a bit. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, pressing down gently on the apples with a spoon to cover them in the caramel liquid. Move the apples around the pan gently so that they all cook evenly, trying to keep them round side down. When the apples have shrunk enough to mostly fit in a single layer and are starting to soften but still keep their shape, remove the pan from the heat.

With a wooden spoon, arrange the apples, round side down, in a single layer of concentric circles covering the bottom of the pan. Set aside until the filling stops steaming before covering with pastry.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, and trim it into a circle about 1” (25 mm) in diameter larger than your saucepan. Lay it over the filling, tucking in the edges between the apples and the sides of the pan, and cut a few steam vents in the pastry. Place the saucepan on a rimmed baking sheet (just in case the filling decides to bubble over the sides) and place in the preheated moderately hot 375˚F/190°C/gas mark 5 oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, increasing the oven temperature to moderately hot 400˚F/200°C/gas mark 6 during the last 5 – 10 minutes of baking if the pastry isn’t browning properly.

Remove from the oven and let sit just until the caramel stops bubbling. Immediately place a serving platter (slightly larger in diameter than the saucepan) over the pastry. Wearing oven mitts, grab hold of the saucepan and platter and quickly invert everything to un-mold the Tatin onto the platter. If any of the apples stick to the pan or come out of place, rearrange them with a spatula. The Tarte Tatin can be served warm from the oven or at room temperature. Suggested accompaniments include vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche.

{Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips}

Tarte Tatin doesn’t keep or store particularly well: it is best served warm from the oven, but can also be served at room temperature the same day it is made.

SIOPAO

The February Daring Bakers’ challenge is hosted by Julie of One-Wall Kitchen. She challenged us to an easy, simple filled bun using no-knead dough.  I halved the recipe and decided to do a savory version using a spiced samosa filling.  The girls ended up eating half the filling by itself, before the dough even had a chance to rise!  The baked buns were delicious with a slight crunchy texture on the outside and soft on the inside.  They tasted delicious with some chutney!

{Siopao Dough and Siopao}

Servings: 12 large buns

{Ingredients}

 1/4 ounce (7 gm) (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast (1 packet )

1-1/2 cups (360 ml) warm water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) melted butter

1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

4 to 5 cups  (20 oz to 25 oz) (560 gm to 700 gm) all-purpose (plain) flour

1 egg for egg-wash for the buns

{Directions}

• Mix yeast, water, sugar, melted butter, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Slowly mix in flour until it's fully incorporated and you have a shaggy, very tacky dough, but not wet and sticky.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for up to an hour in warm place until doubled. While dough is rising, you can make your filling if you haven't already pre-made it to let it cool (see recipe below).
• Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Depending on how much flour you added, it will be somewhat tacky to pretty tacky. Fold it over several times and shape it into a smooth ball, then divide into 12 equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it intRoll each piece into a ball and flatten it into a disc about 6 inches (15 cm) wide.
• Place a heaping tablespoonful of filling into the center of the disc, wrap the dough around the filling, and firmly pinch it closed over the top of the filling.
• Place filled buns on a baking sheet and loosely cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 1 hour. On the top sheet, you can see where a lot of my dough was too thin. Those were the first siopao I made, before I worked out the technique.
• Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
• Beat 1 egg in a small bowl for egg wash and brush on top of each bun. In the photo, you can see that I decided not to risk baking the busted siopao as freestanding buns, so I put them in a small oven-safe dish to bake up as a loaf.

ESTERHAZY CAKE

A new year brings new beginnings .... I decided to restart doing the Daring Bakers' challenges this year. I used to really enjoy doing them and waited with anticipation for the first of the month to see what the new challenge for the month was.  I'm looking forward to rekindling that excitement this year!

I had never heard of Esterhazy Cake, but it looked so interesting and unique.  I made the dacqouise layers and hazelnut cream on one day and completed the white glaze, chocolate decoration, and assembly on another day.  The cake came together without any issues.  The cake tasted wonderful ... next time I would add a chocolate component so it would taste closer to a Ferrero Rocher!

For the month of January Jelena from A Kingdom for a Cake invited us to start this year with a dreamy celebration cake. She challenged us to make the Esterhazy cake a.k.a the Hungarian dream. What better way to start the year than with a sweet dream?

{ESTERHAZY CAKE}

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients

HAZELNUT SPONGE LAYERS

12 large egg whites

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (9 oz) (250 gm) caster (superfine) sugar

2 tablespoons (2/3 oz) (20 gm) vanilla sugar

2½ cups (9 oz) (250 gm) ground hazelnuts

2/3 cup (2¾ oz) (80 gm) plain (all purpose) flour

HAZELNUT CREAM

12 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (9 oz) (250 gm) caster (superfine) sugar

2 tablespoons (2/3 oz) (20 gm) vanilla sugar

1 -1/3 cups (10½ oz) (300 gm) butter at room temperature

1½ cups (5-1/3 oz)(150 gm) toasted ground hazelnuts

APRICOT JAM GLAZE

around 3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1-2/3 oz) (45 gm) apricot jam

1 teaspoon (5 ml) water

WHITE ICING

2½ to 3¼ cups (10-2/3 to 14 oz) (300-400 gm) icing (powdered) (confectioners') sugar

2 teaspoons (10 ml) sunflower oil

3-4 teaspoons (15-20 ml) lemon juice

around 4 tablespoons (60 ml) hot water

CHOCOLATE DECORATION

¼ cup (1¾ oz) (50 gm) dark chocolate

1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil

¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) roughly chopped hazelnuts

Directions

HAZELNUTS

 Place the hazelnuts on an oven tray in a cold oven, increase the temperature to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4, and bake until a nice aroma starts to come out of the oven and the nuts have become darker.

Continue until their skins almost turn black or dark brown and the hazelnut 'meat' becomes a caramel colour. You will need to watch the oven carefully since the nuts can easily burn. From time to time, just open the oven and carefully try one to see if the centre is nice and crispy, but be careful not to burn yourself. It should take about 15-25 minutes.

This baking process brings out the aroma of the hazelnuts needed for the cake. (If you are using almonds instead of hazelnuts, they need to stay white. Hazelnuts are not good in this cake if their aroma is not present.)

Let them cool.

Set aside ¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) toasted nuts and roughly chop them. These will go around the cake at the end.

The rest need to be ground. A grinding machine is best since a food processor might turn the hazelnuts into a creamy mush. If you are using a processor do it in short pulses so they do not have the consistency of peanut butter but of fine powder.

Divide the ground hazelnuts into 2 batches of 2½ cups (9 oz) (250 gm) and 1½ cups (5-1/3 oz) (150 gm) for the sponge layers and the filling respectively.

HAZELNUT LAYERS  (Dacquoise layers)

With an electric mixer beat the egg whites while gradually adding the sugar and vanilla sugar for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add in the hazelnuts mixed with the flour and beat until just combined.

Cut baking paper into five squares large enough to draw a circle of 10 inch (25cm) in diameter on the squares.

Turn the paper over and place one piece onto an up-side down oven tray and delicately spoon inside the circle one-fifth of the beaten egg white mixture.

Place the tray into an preheated moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3 (no fan) oven and bake for 14 minutes. It will look soft but that is how we want them. Your finger should not stick to the layer when you touch it.

Take the layer out together with the paper and place on an even surface

Cool the oven tray and repeat with the next 4 layers. It is important that the up-side down oven tray is cool when you start to bake the layers.

If you have a 10 inch (25cm) diameter spring form pan with a removable bottom just cut out five pieces of baking paper to fit the bottom and spoon the mixture in the pan.

Make sure to cool the bottom of the pan after removing each layer and before placing the egg white mixture for the next layer into it.

Place all the layers next to each other.

HAZELNUT FILLING

The filling is cooked in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler just take two pots so that the smaller one fits perfectly in the larger one and there is no gap between them.

Fill the larger pot with about 1-inch (2 cm) water place on the stove and bring the water to a slow boil, the water should not touch the smaller pot bottom.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar with an electric mixer in the smaller pot for 30 seconds. Place the smaller pot into the larger one and cook for 14-15 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes for a short while with a wooden spoon always scraping the sides and the bottom. Stir constantly, near the end.

Let the filling cool.

Beat the cooked yolks for 30 seconds with an electric mixer.

Beat the room temperature butter for 2 minutes until light and fluffy then beat into the cooked yolks.

Add in the ground hazelnuts and beat again until combined.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of the filling to spread around the torte at the end.

Divide the rest of the filling into 4 cups.

Line a large tray with some baking paper.

Remove the baking paper from one of the dacquoise and place it onto the tray, spread one quantity of filing evenly over the dacquoise, then place another layer on the top.

Repeat, making sure that the last layer is placed bottom-side-up (do not place filling on this surface) which will make it easier to obtain a smooth looking finish.

Place some baking paper over the torte. Press a bit with your hands to even it out, put another tray over the torte and now place something heavy on the top to allow the torte to level up. A pan half-filled with water will be fine.

Place the whole torte with the pot in the fridge for one hour.

APRICOT JAM GLAZE

Heat the apricot jam and water on the stove.

Remove the top baking paper from the torte and spread the jam on top of it. We want a very thin layer, just barely covering the torte.

Place the torte back in the fridge for 30 minutes for the jam to cool.

When the 30 minutes is up, spread the 2 tablespoons of reserved hazelnut filling around the cake.

WHITE ICING

By hand mix the powdered (icing) (confectioners') sugar, oil, lemon juice while adding teaspoon by teaspoon of hot water until the mixture is creamy, but not runny. Mix vigorously for a couple of minutes. The sugar should be lemony.

With a hot wet large knife quickly spread the icing over the apricot layer.

You will need around 2½ to 3¼ cups of powdered sugar but it is better to have more than less, since when you start spreading you cannot go back. You will have some left over icing. If it is a bit uneven just turn on the hair dryer and heat the icing so it will smooth out a bit.

DECORATION

Before starting with the icing have the chocolate ready since it needs to go onto the soft icing in order to get the web.

Melt the chocolate with a teaspoon of oil, place in a pipping bag, or a  plastic bag with a cut in the corner that will act as the tip.

Draw four (4) concentric circles onto the cake, then with a knife (not the sharp side) or a wooden skewer run six (6) lines at 30 degree angle to the cake to get the decoration (see pictures for more details). Each line should be in a different direction. One running away from you and the next one running to you.

Press the remaining crushed hazelnuts around the cake to complete the decoration.

Let rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours before tasting. This cake that gets better as times goes by. We usually enjoy ours for 7 days.

POVITICA

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk.  When I first read that we were going to be making Povitica I had no idea what it was.  I had never heard of it and didn’t know how to even pronounce it!  As I read in the challenge Povitica (pronounced po-va-teet-sa) I discovered that it is a traditional Eastern European dessert bread that is traditionally served during the holiday season. 


I was excited about making this bread as it looked gorgeous and it started getting rave reviews for taste from the Daring Bakers who had already completed the challenge.  The recipe came together pretty easily once all my mise-en-place was done.  I was worried whether I would be able to roll the dough paper thin, but it was pretty easy to do.  I stuck with the traditional walnut filling and made a quarter batch.  While it was baking, the house smelled wonderful and the warm bread was delicious!  I was very happy that I had learned to make a beautiful looking sweet bread!

{INGREDIENTS}

{Yield:  one loaf, 1.25 lbs/565 grams}


{Dough Ingredients} 


* {To activate the Yeast} *


½ Teaspoon (2.25 gm) Sugar
¼ Teaspoon (¾ gm) All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Warm Water
1½ Teaspoons (3.5gm, ½ sachet) Dry Yeast


* {Dough} *


½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
3 Tablespoons (45 ml/43 gm/1½ oz) Sugar
¾ Teaspoon (3¾ ml/9 gm/0.17 oz) Table Salt
1 Large Egg
1 tablespoon (30 ml/30 gm/¼ stick/1 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted
2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz/0.62 lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided


* {Topping} *


2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee
1½ Teaspoons (7 gm) Granulated Sugar
Melted Butter

 {Filling Ingredients}

 

1¾ Cups (420 ml/280 gm) Ground English Walnuts
¼ Cup (60 ml) Whole Milk
¼ Cup (58 gm, ½ stick) Unsalted Butter
1 Large Egg Yolk, Beaten
¼ Teaspoon (1.25 ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
½ Cup (115 gm) Sugar
¼ Teaspoon (1 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ Teaspoon (¾  gm) Cinnamon


{METHOD}
                                   
* {To Activate Yeast} *

• In a small bowl, stir  sugar, flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.
• Allow to stand for 5 minutes

* {To Make the Dough} *

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.
• In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, sugar, and the salt until combined.
• Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and  flour.
• Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick.
• The dough should weigh about 1.25 pounds/565 grams
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.

* { Make the Filling} *

• In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
• Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
• Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
• Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
• Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
• If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk

* {Roll and Assemble the Dough} *

• Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
• Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
• Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in diameter.
• Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.
• Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.
• As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
• When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.
• Spoon filling evenly over dough until covered.
• Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.
• Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced
• Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of cold STRONG coffee and sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.
• Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
• Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
• Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.
• Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.
• Check the bread at 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 1.25 lbs and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape.
• It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

* {Storage} *

• The Povitica will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature.
• The Povitica will keep fresh for 2 weeks if refrigerated.
• The Povitica can be frozen for up to three months when wrapped a layer of wax paper followed by a layer of aluminum foil. It is recommended to not freeze Povitica with cream cheese fillings as it doesn’t hold up to being thawed really well – it crumbles.

* {Notes} *

  I had fun making this bread and will can see myself making various sweet and savoury versions of it … yum!  This month challenge was one of those challenges that made me realize why I am a part of the Daring Baker’s … discovering new techniques and recipes that I normally would never make!