they say that bread is life

"They say that bread is life. And I bake bread, bread, bread." -- Nicolas Cage as Ronnie Cammareri in Moonstruck. Pictures, recipes, and thoughts on bread (and other baked goods). I'm Stefan. I live in Philadelphia.

[breadislife]

First fruit pie of the season, blueberry apple with ginger oatmeal crumb. Recipe one part Magpie, one part Metropolitan Bakery.

[sweetoothgirl]

Bread Recipes! 🥖🍞

(recipe 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

[breadislife]

My easy but delicious Mai Tai recipe:

1 shot gold rum

1/2 shot fresh lime juice

1/2 shot pineapple-orange or orange juice

1/2 shot almond syrup

Shake, serve up or on the rocks with pineapple or lime garnish.

Almond syrup is homemade simple syrup with almond extract added to taste. Right now the rum I'm using is Mount Gay Eclipse.

[breadislife]

How to Prepare Fresh Coconut

I’ve cracked more than my fair share of fresh coconuts, and tried a number of ways to open them, including doing as the monkeys do and lifti

Prepared a coconut this morning (yes, after coffee), of course inspired by the Almond Joy and Snoballs episodes of Gourmet Makes. This is the method I used, though I did not heat the coconut to separate the shell and the meat - I just hit it more with the cleaver, and used an oyster knife where needed (apparently it's useful for all things shelled). The coconut cost $1 at Cousins and it was fresh, the water tasted great.

[metropolitanbakery]

Friday Favorites: Flourless Chocolate Cake

Although this is our most popular cake all year, it is especially appreciated this month. Try it at home for your Passover and Easter celebrations! 

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa 

¾ cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs, separated

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8" x 3" round cake pan; line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. Lightly butter the parchment paper.

2. Combine the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan halfway filled with barely simmering water. 

3. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa and sugar into another bowl. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites and salt. With a whip attachment set at medium-high speed, beat the whites until soft peaks form. Set both aside.

4. Remove the melted butter and chocolate from the simmering water. Stir until smooth and to release the heat. Add the cocoa mixture, egg yolks, vanilla, and one-quarter of the beaten whites. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whites just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake on the center oven rack for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake just barely comes out clean. 

5. Cool the cake on a wire rack. (The cake will rise in the oven. As the cake cools, it will collapse slightly. The surface of the cake will crack in a lovely irregular pattern.) To unmold, run a knife around the sides of the pan. Place a plate over the pan and invert. Remove the pan and the parchment paper. Invert the cake, right side up, onto a serving plate or cake stand. Garnish the cake with confectioners’ sugar. 

[breadislife]

Believe or not, I'm not baking bread these days! - still working my way through all of the bread in the freezer. Cakes, tho? Yes, very much baking cakes.

[breadislife]

Finally getting around to Bon Appetit Test Kitchen. Watched the 'coffee at home' episode as a sampler to see which of the chefs I want to see more of (basically, the women.) Still cracks me up to see pour over coffee presented as fancy - it's how my grandpa made his coffee for the 30 years I knew him. Can't believe none of them drink espresso at home (like me), tho!

[mermaidbones]

It’s not that I’m bored, I can think of a million things to do: paint, run, bake, read, blah blah blah but it feels like every day is so terrifying so it’s easier to just nullify the time.

That having been said I think I’ll try to make popovers again today

[cozycreaturescorner]

you ever love someone and think "i want to bake bread for you?"

[breadislife]

The best part of making shrimp etouffe is eating it, no doubt. But making a proper stock from the leftover shells, plus onion, celery, lemon, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns is also a great pleasure.

[breadislife]

Pistachio nutmeg brownies for a two year birthday party.

[breadislife]

This apple pie had goose fat and cheddar cheese in the crust. It was delicious.

[breadislife]

Recipe for Nina's cake. It wasn't bad!

[breadislife]

Chocolate babka (krantz cake) from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem.

[breadislife]

Continuing adventures in sourdough (this starter is fantastic, thanks Philly Bread Co).

[breadislife]

For Fathers' Day, E gave me a sourdough bread baking class at Greensgrow taught by the guy who started and runs Philly Bread Co. He gave everyone a little bit of starter. This is what I made with mine.

[breadislife]

Colorado crumpets! Lara, who spent last summer in Scotland eating the real thing, said she was "impressed with the authenticity". One inauthentic detail: we didn't have rings, so we used cookie cutters. Clockwise from right: lower peninsula of MI, coyote or pig, upper peninsula of MI. They came out wonderfully, I'll make them again. I followed the Guardian's recipe.

[camestela]