I did a lot of baking myself this past weekend, for Easter and otherwise: did some pita tests for my upcoming class (I think the class listing will go live tomorrow, stay tuned), made my pal Posie’s amazing chocolate cake for a birthday celebration, and made choreg (of course). I also used an extra batch of choreg dough to make that other Easter bread, hot cross buns:
They were very nice, but my “cross paste” was a little runny and I ended up having to reapply it midway into the bake. Gonna work on that for next year (I think I’ll probably work up a real HXB recipe for then.)
How did everyone else’s bakes go this past weekend?
I made a double batch of the sourdough discard granola! It turned out great, although I must confess I may up the sweetness just a tad next time, maybe add a bit of brown sugar. But I love how it doesn’t call for super fresh starter and that it doesn’t ask me to do a levain/preferment either (all issues in other recipes I had for comparison!) I’m looking forward to snacking on it for the next week or so!
I made your sourdough discard granola on Saturday. I loved the huge clumps I got out of it, as well as how unsweet it was. I'm happy/ashamed to report that, as of Monday morning, it's almost all gone. (I live by myself, so I can't blame anyone else for its rapid disappearance.)
I made lemon pound cake, then Greek Easter bread, then Maurizio Leo's cardamom rolls. I agree with mollie - split those rolls open, drizzle on a little extra glaze...oh my!
Apr 18, 2022·edited Apr 18, 2022Liked by Andrew Janjigian
I made whole grain hot cross buns, recipe from the workshop I took from sarah lemanski on the Demi app. They turned out amazingly even when I adjusted the timing for my own schedule! Instead of traditional addins I used dried prunes and figs soaked in black tea. Flipping delicious! Also, I find it CRITICAL when eating a sweet bun to ‘cut’ it open using the fork split method to allow hills and valleys for my toppings of choice to drip and pool.
I made Italian Mountain bread from “The Splendid Table” - did a version following the recipe for a yeast sponge and did a version with sourdough starter. They turned out remarkably similar with the sourdough having a little bit bigger air pockets and the yeast version being very slightly more risen.
I made Italian Easter bread, but decided to laminate in sprinkles (~4 T butter + 1 c rainbow jimmies) before braiding instead of merely topping with them. Strongly recommend!
Apr 18, 2022·edited Apr 18, 2022Liked by Andrew Janjigian
I made a full recipe of tsoureki — Greek Easter bread with my own deliciously aromatic combo of additions to the dough. I divided it in half, and used one half for a large braid with two red eggs. I divided the other half in two to make a smaller braid with one red egg, and another braid that I turned into a circle and baked in a cake pan, also with one red egg. Those two smaller loaves were gifts to our Easter guests. I also baked Amanda Hesser’s mom’s chocolate dump-it cake, a family favorite which even I, not usually a fan of chocolate cake, really enjoy.
I made HXBs, too. A cross made of equal weights of bread flour and water hit the sweet spot for me: loose enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape. Made one larger HXB to use for a bacon and egg sandwich, which was decadent and I’d do it again. Made bagels to stash in the freezer for quick breakfasts in the coming (busy) week.
I made your rye sourdough and it’s currently cooling. One questioni was a little surprised how chocolate-y it smells. What was the thought in adding the chocolate to the bread? Is it traditional?
Good weekend for baking. Made Andrew’s Sesame Spelt Sourdough Bread for morning toast and a half recipe of King Arthur Baking Parker House Rolls for Easter dinner. Quite satisfying.
Monday Open Thread 4/18/22
I made a double batch of the sourdough discard granola! It turned out great, although I must confess I may up the sweetness just a tad next time, maybe add a bit of brown sugar. But I love how it doesn’t call for super fresh starter and that it doesn’t ask me to do a levain/preferment either (all issues in other recipes I had for comparison!) I’m looking forward to snacking on it for the next week or so!
I made your sourdough discard granola on Saturday. I loved the huge clumps I got out of it, as well as how unsweet it was. I'm happy/ashamed to report that, as of Monday morning, it's almost all gone. (I live by myself, so I can't blame anyone else for its rapid disappearance.)
I made lemon pound cake, then Greek Easter bread, then Maurizio Leo's cardamom rolls. I agree with mollie - split those rolls open, drizzle on a little extra glaze...oh my!
I made whole grain hot cross buns, recipe from the workshop I took from sarah lemanski on the Demi app. They turned out amazingly even when I adjusted the timing for my own schedule! Instead of traditional addins I used dried prunes and figs soaked in black tea. Flipping delicious! Also, I find it CRITICAL when eating a sweet bun to ‘cut’ it open using the fork split method to allow hills and valleys for my toppings of choice to drip and pool.
I made Italian Mountain bread from “The Splendid Table” - did a version following the recipe for a yeast sponge and did a version with sourdough starter. They turned out remarkably similar with the sourdough having a little bit bigger air pockets and the yeast version being very slightly more risen.
Easter is the best bread holiday 👌
I made Italian Easter bread, but decided to laminate in sprinkles (~4 T butter + 1 c rainbow jimmies) before braiding instead of merely topping with them. Strongly recommend!
I made a full recipe of tsoureki — Greek Easter bread with my own deliciously aromatic combo of additions to the dough. I divided it in half, and used one half for a large braid with two red eggs. I divided the other half in two to make a smaller braid with one red egg, and another braid that I turned into a circle and baked in a cake pan, also with one red egg. Those two smaller loaves were gifts to our Easter guests. I also baked Amanda Hesser’s mom’s chocolate dump-it cake, a family favorite which even I, not usually a fan of chocolate cake, really enjoy.
I made HXBs, too. A cross made of equal weights of bread flour and water hit the sweet spot for me: loose enough to pipe but firm enough to hold its shape. Made one larger HXB to use for a bacon and egg sandwich, which was decadent and I’d do it again. Made bagels to stash in the freezer for quick breakfasts in the coming (busy) week.
I made your rye sourdough and it’s currently cooling. One questioni was a little surprised how chocolate-y it smells. What was the thought in adding the chocolate to the bread? Is it traditional?
Good weekend for baking. Made Andrew’s Sesame Spelt Sourdough Bread for morning toast and a half recipe of King Arthur Baking Parker House Rolls for Easter dinner. Quite satisfying.
I made matzoh in the rofco .. a great oven for matzoh!