< Back Pane Pugliese Bread of Puglia Prep Time: 15 minutes to make but four hours for both rising times Cook Time: 35 minutes Serves: makes 2 large loaves, 3 bread loaves and 4 small loaves pictured here Level: About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or ½ small cake (9 grams) fresh yeast 1/3 cup warm water 3 cups water, room temperature 4/5 cup (200 grams) Biga 7 ½ cups (1000 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 grams) salt Preparation By mixer Stir the yeast into the warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups water and the starter (biga) and mix with the paddle until well blended. Add the flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 1 to 2 minutes. You may need to add another 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes. The dough will be very soft and elastic but will never pull entirely away from the bottom of the bowl. If you want, finish kneading by hand on a floured surface with floured hands until the dough loses it stickiness and is soft and velvety, about 1 minute. First Rise Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl or plastic tub cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until tripled, about 3 hours. Do not punch down. Shaping and second rise Flour your work surface generously, flour a dough scraper and have a mound of flour nearby for your hands. Pour the dough out of the bowl, flour the top, and cut into 2 or 3 equal pieces, depending on how many loaves you are planning. Flatten each piece of dough and roll it up lengthwise, using your thumbs as a guide for how tight the roll should be. Turn the dough 90 degrees, pat it flat, then roll up again still using your thumbs as a guide. Shape each piece into a ball by rolling the dough between your cupped hands and using the surface of the work table to generate tension and pull the dough taut across the skin of the dough. Place the loaves on a floured parchment paper set on baking sheets or peels cover with a heavy towel or cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Baking Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with baking stones in it to 450 degrees F. Five to ten minutes before baking, flour the tops of the loaves and dimple them all over with your fingertips. The imprints will disappear but will keep the bread from rising crazily in the oven. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. The loaves will feel as soft as a baby’s bottom when ready to bake, although you will notice a bit of resistance in the dough. Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal. Italian bakers turn the dough over into the oven very carefully with a swooping motion that scoops up some of the flour on the peel. You may prefer to slide the loaves onto the baking stones without turning them over, or, if they are on baking sheets, the loaves can be baked directly on the pans. Bake until golden brown and crusty, about 50 to 60 minutes for the larger loaves, 30 to 35 minutes for the smaller ones. Check by knocking on the bottom of each loaf and listening for the hollow ring that indicates it is cooked through, but if you’re in doubt, bake for the longer time indicated. Cool on racks. Variation To make puccia, the traditional olive-studded bread of Puglia, knead a scant 8 ounces pitted small salty black olives into the dough after it has been mixed. Let the dough rise until triples. Divide into pieces the size of a lemon (7 ounces or 200 grams) and roll each piece into a ball. Let rise again covered until doubled and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes. Or I mix in 25 grams each of wheat bran and wheat germ, 75 grams of ground flax seed and 200 grams of whole wheat flour then enough of all purpose flour to equal 1000 grams. I am not real picky on being exact except I want at least 600 grams of all purpose flour. Previous Next

< Back Hazelnut Truffles Prep Time: Several hours Cook Time: four or five hours but the more you do it the faster you can make them. Serves: depending on the size you make them around 80 to 90 Level: medium About the Recipe These semi-sweet chocolate Hazelnut Truffles will impress everyone who eats them if they love chocolate chips. They can be a little time consuming until you get the hang of it but they are worth it. I hope you, family and friends enjoy them. Ingredients 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 4 ox. Bittersweet chocolate , chopped ¼ cup half and half 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled ¼ cup hazelnut liqueur 1 cup toasted, skinned, finely chopped hazelnuts Preparation In a heavy medium saucepan combine the semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and half and half. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring constantly; beat with whisk or mixer until mixture is smooth and has cooled to room temperature. Beat in butter 1 tbs. at a time. Beat in hazelnut liqueur 1 tbs at a time. Cover; refrigerate about 2 hours or until mixture is stiff and thick, stirring once or twice. Spread chopped nuts in a pie pan; drop chocolate mixture by tsp. onto nuts. Lightly roll mixture to cover with nuts. Balls may be slightly rough and irregular in shape. If you choice to dip them in semi-sweet chocolate. You can temper the chocolate or melt a bag of chocolate chip in a double boiler with a ¼ of a block of wax. If you put too much wax/paraffin the chocolate will be too thin and you will feel the wax. Otherwise it is harmless and you can’t taste it. It is easier than tempering the chocolate. If you dip, spread wax paper over a cookie sheet. Using a teaspoon or a small scooper and drop on the wax paper and repeat. When you have them all scooped roll them into a ball. You might have to put them in the refrigerator if they get to warm. When they are all formed refrigerator for a couple of hours to make it easier to dip. When you dip them I use a toothpick and stick it in the middle of the ball and dip, shaking off the excess back into the melted chocolate. Place them onto a clean cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Twist the toothpick as you pull it out. Dip the toothpick bake in the chocolate and dab on the top where the toothpick hole is. You can sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts at this time. Sometimes I put a whole roasted hazelnut in the inside of the chocolate ball. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month or in freezer up to 6 months. 7 ½ dozen candies. Previous Next

< Back Pizza alla Sicliliana Sicilian Pizza Prep Time: 15 minutes plus rising time Cook Time: 12 Serves: 1 to 2 pizza crust Level: easy About the Recipe Ingredients 2 ½ teaspoons (1package) active dry yeast or 1 small cake (18 grams) fresh yeast 1 ½ teaspoons sugar 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoons luke warm water (105 to 110) 2 tablespoons (25 grams) lard or olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons (8 grams) salt 4 ¼ cups (550 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour Preparation BY HAND Stir the yeast and sugar into the water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lard. Whisk in 2 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time; add the remaining flour and salt then stir until the dough comes together. Knead on a lightly floured surface until soft and velvety, 10 to 12 minutes. BY MIXER Stir the yeast and sugar into the water in a mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Mix in the lard with the paddle. Add the flour then the salt mix 1 to 2 minutes. Change to the dough hook and knead at medium speed until soft and velvety, 3 to 4 minutes. (I always knead a minute to make sure it has that it truly is kneaded enough) BY PROCESSOR Stir the yeast and sugar into ½ cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and process until several pulses to sift. With the machine running, pour the dissolved yeast, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water, and the lard through the feed tube and process until the dough gathers into a boll. Process no longer than 20 seconds to knead. Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth, soft, and velvety. Rising. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled, about 1 hour. Punch it down, cover again, and let rise just 20 minutes. Shaping Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape in a thick disk. Roll it out with a rolling pin to a 12-inch circle, about ¼ inch thick, leaving a thick edge. Turn the dough over several times as you roll it, so that it won’t shrink back later. Place on an oiled baking sheet, a peel sprinkled with cornmeal, or a 12-inch oiled pizza pan. {I oil the top of the dough (this keeps the sauces from making a soggy crust) fold it in half brush off the flour and lightly oil what will be the bottom. Place the oiled side down on the oiled pizza pan. I then brush off any excess flour and lightly oil that side then flip the dough open and top with the sauce, toppings and cheese. I bake it in a 450 degree oven on the rack in the top position for about 12 minutes (my oven isn’t consistent so you might want to check it)} Previous Next

< Back Ham, Cheese, and Leek Scones Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes Serves: 12 large scones Level: easy About the Recipe Ingredients 2 leeks 2 Tbsp. (25g) unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) A good grind of black pepper ½ cup (200g) Parmesan, grated 3¼ cups (450g) all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface 2 Tbsp. baking powder 7 Tbsp. (100g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 2 cups (500g) plain yogurt 7 oz. (200g) of your favorite ham (Parma, Serrano, Bayonne, or country), cut into bite-size pieces 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 egg, lightly beaten with a little milk or water, for the egg wash Preparation Step 1 Trim the roots and the tough green stalks and outer layer from the leeks. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and run under cool water to rinse, peeling back the layers to get inside where the grit is lodged. Slice the leeks crosswise into 1⁄4-inch slices and drop into a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. All the dirt will fall to the bottom. Scoop the leeks out (rather than pouring them out with the water) and place in a colander to drain. Pat dry. Step 2 In a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-low heat, heat the 2 tablespoons of butter and the oil until the butter starts to foam. Add the leeks, flaky sea salt, and black pepper and sauté for about 10 to 15 minutes until soft but without color. When they are cooked, tip them into a bowl and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes (this can be done the day before). Step 3 Line a baking sheet (or other container that can fit into your fridge) with parchment paper. Step 4 In a medium bowl, stir together the Parmesan, flour, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork (or use a mixer) until crumbly. Add the yogurt, ham, kosher salt, and cooled leeks. Mix quickly to combine and then pat into a cube and place on a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a thick log and cut out triangles from the log—you will have about 12. Place the scones on the lined baking sheet (or other container) and put in the fridge to chill until set, about 1 hour. Step 5 Preheat the oven to 355°F (320°F convection). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, place the chilled scones on it, and brush the scones with the egg wash. Step 6 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. Serve right away. Do ahead: You can also make the scones and freeze them, then bake as and when you need them. They keep well for a month in the freezer. Previous Next

< Back Strasbourg Pastries (Strassburg-bakelser) Prep Time: ten minutes to mix together and about ten minutes to put through the press. Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 12 Pastries but you will want to double, triple or quadruple this recipe Level: easy About the Recipe Ingredients 4 oz.(1/2 cup) butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla sugar (Van-O-Van is the best) 1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour 1/2 cup potato starch flour Filling:1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves or melted chocolate morsels Garnish: powdered sugar Preparation Cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy. Add the two kinds of flour one at a time and beat vigorously. Press the dough through the #5 pastry tube into small flat rosettes directly onto cookie sheet about an inch apart,or use a super shooter (it is easier this way) with flower disc.Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes (do not brown). When cool sandwich the cookies two by two with filling between. Before serving sift powdered sugar over the cookies. Makes approximately 12 pastries Spend ten dollars and buy an electric cookie shooter you will love me for it Previous Next

< Back Cheesecake cups Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 24 Level: easy About the Recipe These individual cheesecakes are fun to have and easy to make for a buffet table or party. I play around with the filling, base and topping. I give you permission to do the same. I have even crumbled cookies and doing nothing but put them in the bottom of the paper cups and it works. Ingredients 16 oz cream cheese ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Zest of one lemon 2 eggs 1 tsp. lemon juice Large vanilla wafers Cherry pie filling Preparation Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest of the lemon until smooth then fully incorporate your eggs. Put vanilla wafers or scrap the sides off of Pecan Sandies to fit in bottom of paper cups and place in 20 to 24 muffin tins. Fill each cup 2/3 full with cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 15 min. Cool and put cherry pie filling, blueberry filling or your favorite pie filling on the top of the cheesecakes. Refrigerate. Previous Next