MyKitchenInHalfCups

February 16, 2026
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 2 Comments

18 Years Bread Baking Babes

Some may speak of water under the bridge, I speak i of loaves out of the oven. In the last 18 years I’ve been baking bread with the Babes, I’ve taken many a loaf out of any number of ovens and I hope for many more to come. But today … Today marks 18 years of the Bread Baking Babes pulling amazing fresh bread from our ovens.

Happy Anniversary 18 Years Babes!!!

Many of our loaves have been beauties but this loaf … well this loaf is a doozy.

I first came across this recipe in the book “Richard Hart Bread”.

This is his introduction:

“This is a variation on the most famous bread made at Della Fattoria (in Petaluma, California), where I got my start as a baker. After you have been working at Della for a while, you are totally over this bread. They make bloody hundreds of them a week, and you need to chop a ton of rosemary on a daily basis. We never had enough, so we used to drive around town, nicking rosemary from everywhere and anywhere we could find it. I’m sure the poor bakers who are working there still have to do this. So this goes out to you rosemary choppers and the local gardeners wondering about your stunted rosemary bushes. But it is really here as a tribute to my original mentor, the lady who started my baking career, Kathleen Weber. I’ve made the dough formula my own, but the method I learned from Kathleen. This recipe uses a beautiful technique that adds a spoonful of a flavored oil to the dough. In final shaping, it is worked to the top of the crust, which makes the bread pop up into a crown.”

Well, when you read that, you really just have to go to the source. I already had Kathleen Weber’s Della Fattoria Bread in my library. Her introduction gives us a lovely story of how this bread came about.

“A request from Thomas Keller right after he reopened The French Laundry in 1995 got me into making pain de campagne. So I asked Thomas lots of questions. (How do you envision serving this bread? Do you like lots of crust? What shape would look best on your bread and butter plate?) In the end, I created the bread he was looking for. For Thomas, I shaped the dough into bâtards. Here we make both a bâtard and a boule.”

In her book, Weber created a base recipe and then gave numerous variations in shaping and flavoring. I think I’ve seen look-a-likes many times and always felt there was no way to get those fine looking tips of crust like show in both the above mentioned books. That is what most spooked me about trying this.

I look at this as not only a flavor opportunity but a shaping necessity. Feel free to flavor however you can imagine but do try the shaping technique because … it really does give perfect tips; the more cuts you make the more tips/points and more like a crown. I am in awe.

However, my ultimate flavoring for this bread is always going to be rosemary and garlic. It is unbeatable out of this world heavenly.

P A I N D E C A M P A G N E D O U G H

150 grams (I used my 50% rye flour) starter

126 g Water at 80°F/27°C

325 g All-purpose flour

181 g King Arthur golden wheat flour

1 Tbsp Fine King Arthur pink bread salt 19 g

**Put the starter in a bowl with flour & water and mix. This is going to be a very sticky dough so be prepared if you try mixing by hand. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes to combine. Use a dough scrapper to scrap to the bottom of the bowl leaving no dry flour.

** Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

** Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the bowl scraper and add the salt. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed for 6 minutes. Using the bowl scraper, turn the dough back into the bowl.

** Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

* For the first fold, wet your hands, then loosen the dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold it underneath itself from left to right and then top to bottom. I found I could use water or olive oil on my hands and either worked equally well.

*Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

** For the second fold, repeat as for the first fold. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

*** For the third and final fold, repeat the folding as before. Cover and let proof in a warm, draft-free spot until there is bubbling on the surface of the dough, 2 to 3 hours.

* Fold 1 **Fold 2 ***Fold 3

* The dough is ready to be pre-shaped and shaped as a Campagne Boule.

Weber’s recipe for the Lemon-Rosemary Boule:

1 tablespoons (8 grams/0.3 ounce) grated lemon zest, preferably from Meyer lemons

1 tablespoons (6 grams/0.2 ounce) chopped rosemary

About 3 tablespoons (40 grams/1.5 ounces) olive oil

1 to 1.5 teaspoons (4 to 6 grams/1.4 to 2 ounces) coarse sea salt***I really missed the opportunity to salt the out side of my loaf … that will not happen again. **My second bake I got the salt on and it is marvelous.

I am not going to try to find Meyer lemons, I know it would be an exhausting energy search with a poor result. If I ever do the lemon it will be a regular lemon. Thinking about lemon, preserved lemon might make for an interesting flavoring.

What I did use for my flavoring was dried rosemary (didn’t have fresh); 6 cloves crushed garlic cloves, and olive oil to make a paste. It was subtle but heavenly. I tried a little parmesan and almond flour with the aim being to thicken it just a little. I was pleased with the thickening I got from the almond flour but not taken with the Parmesan. The next bake my flavoring is going to be rosemary, fresh minced garlic, butter and olive oil.

**Combine your flavoring choice in a small bowl. Add enough olive oil to create a pesto-like slurry.

** After the 10-minute rest, turn the dough over and gently press into a 9- to 10-inch round.

This was way more than needed for my two loaves.

Dimple the top, make a well, and add the flavored olive oil mixture to the well. Fold the sides in, as when forming a boule, enclosing the mixture, then tighten the boule against the work surface until you just begin to see the rosemary mixture under the surface of the dough.

The video that the Richard Hart ‘Bread’ allows you to access is the best I have found to see what those words translate to in action. However, I will tell you I never saw the rosemary under my dough skin even though I feel I got an excellent look on the bread.

** Generously dust a 9-inch bread basket or linen-lined bowl with flour or a mixture of four and wheat bran. I always use rice flour; the wheat bran idea is intriguing and if it occurs to me some time I may try that.

Final shape: Sprinkle rice flour into the bannetons and sprinkle a very light dusting of all-purpose flour over the tops of the loaves. Using your bench scraper, shimmy the dough into a round. Hold one hand over the center of the loaf, take your scraper in the other hand, and scrape evenly across the surface of the table toward the loaf, lifting it up and into the other hand. Put down the scraper and cradle the loaf in both hands. Now fold it inward and gently place it into the basket seam side up.

If it tries to fall back open, you can gently pinch it together at the top. That’s it. It’s safe and happy just the way it is. No need for aggressive shaping.

***** Cold retard: Lightly flour the loaves again. Leave them on the counter in your kitchen for 1-2 hours. I did not use a towel, I used my trusty shower cap to cover and placed the dough in the refrigerator and let the loaves sit overnight in the refrigerator, or up to 12 hours (at most 15 hours), to develop flavor. Then you will be ready for fresh bread in the morning.

Next morning, preheat the oven to 500°F/ 260°C for at least 1 hour, AND with the Dutch oven that you will be baking the bread in to get radiant hot. The Dutch oven will be an oven inside the oven. Put the lid on the top shelf and the bottom of the Dutch oven in the middle.

Once the Dutch oven is preheated, I usually place it on the oven door covered with two folded in half t-towels, but be careful: it’s radiant hot. Use heavy-duty oven mitts or a few layers of dry tea towels when handling it. Or you can take it out and place it on a sturdy, heatproof surface. I prefer not to move it too far from the hot oven. These vessels are designed to hold their heat, so don’t panic or rush; you have time.

When the oven and Dutch oven are fully preheated, take the dough out of the refrigerator, turn it seam side down, and score it. I mist the top with water and sprinkle the sea salt over the top.

Scoring: I made four slashes, you may chose to do fewer. I suppose if you chose to make just one loaf with all the dough you could do more slashes. That would be an over the top crown. The loaf/loaves is/are now ready for the super hot Dutch oven.

Use those heavy-duty oven mitts. Take the bottom of the Dutch oven out of the oven, drop the scored dough round into the Dutch oven, put the lid back on and place all back in the hot oven..

Bake the loaf: With Dutch oven back inside your oven, reduce the temperature to 450°F/ 230°C, and set a timer for 20 minutes. As your bread bakes, water will escape from the dough. Baking the bread in the closed environment of your Dutch oven ensures that those water vapors are trapped, steaming the bread in the process and allowing the loaf to rise fully.

After 20 minutes, that steam will have done its job. Remove the inverted pot, so the loaf is directly exposed to the oven’s heat. Set the timer for 20 more minutes and let the loaf finish baking. I baked my two loaves together. Generally speaking I bake my loaves to between 198 and 205° F internal temperature at which point I consider them baked. Since I used more whole grain than the recipe called for I baked my loaves another 15 minutes.

Depending upon how caramelized you want your crust, you decide when to pull it out because you are in charge not the recipe and not the oven.

You should let the loaf cool on a cooling rack before cutting it open unless you like a gummy shiny crumb, give it at least an hour. My rule is when the internal temperature has reached whatever my room temperature is, it’s ready to slice.

My total weight was 692 grams which I divided into two balls one slightly larger than the other because my bannetons where not equal.

My oval/rectangular loaf did not come out with nice points. I believe if I had more carefully thought through scoring and done it as below:

I might have gotten a much better result.

This is truly a marvelous loaf and I know it will be on my table many times in future … like in two weeks for a special occasion.

Happy Baking to all and to all the aroma of fresh bread from the oven.

MyKitchenInHalfCups

And the Bread Baking Babes are:

December 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 10 Comments

Soboro Ppang(Korean Peanut Streusel Bread) Peanut Streusel Rolls … Peanut Butter Streusel Rolls … Oh fiddle sticks just call it Peanut Butter Smiles Rolls

I figure the first question here is: What is your secret/individual/unique way to eat peanut butter? The almost universal answer is probably: on a spoon straight out of the jar … and yes I certainly have enjoyed my share of peanut butter that way. But from a very long time ago, 65 years ago, my favorite peanut butter sandwich has always been open face peanut and mayo. In the last year that has morphed into bacon hot chili jam, peanut butter and mayo on toast.

One should never worry about pronunciation when bread is this easy to put in the oven and brings smiles when someone takes a first bite.

Aparna is our Kitchen of the Month and she will have the full recipe on her site. True to the Babe Code, she gave us lots of room to play with this recipe. Recipes on offering: Aparna adapted this recipe; make it with SourDough; make it NoKnead; Google the title and you can find any number of variations. Filling? Don’t be silly, sweet red bean maybe the traditional but in true Babe Fashion please use your imagination, I certainly did.

For something of a demo on applying the streusel check out this video. BUT what ever you do DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE STREUSEL! This is a winning topping. I have some left in the refrigerator and know I will find another fantastic way to use it.

Change? Fiddle with a recipe? Well of course. In the STREUSEL I replaced cornstarch with oat bran (my theory was oat bran will make it more crumbly, I think it did). I cut any place the recipe called for any kind of sweetener by 5 to 15 grams. To make the DOUGH, I used 140 g white whole wheat flour + 100 g AP flour to replace 238 g AP flour. FILLING I totally ignored any amounts and mixed some canned red beans, peanut butter, bacon hot chili jam and coconut flour to a consistency I could roll into balls.

It’s not really about the filling, it’s all about that streusel topping. Go for it. Bake with us if you dare! Put your own touch on it and Smile!

We would love for you to bake along with us this month and try out these crispy topped rolls. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants’ baking results. If you would like to post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

And the Babes are:

Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
Bread Experience – Cathy
Thyme for Cooking – Katie
My Kitchen in Half Cups – That’s me.
Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen

October 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 10 Comments

BBB Hawaiian Rolls

What happens when you refresh your sour dough yeasties and then ask them to stay alive for 33 days in a dark refrigerator … I find they are VERY reluctant to greet you with bubbling smiles upon your return. I had 7 days to coach the little boys and girls back into bubbles. It didn’t go as well as one would hope.

I took the two that seemed to have the most bubbles yesterday … and I spiked it with a pinch of yeast.

Our Kitchen of the Month, Judy of Jody’s Gross Eats, presented us with SourDough Hawaiian Rolls and gave us two options … I should have gone with the sourdough discard seeing’s as how I was discarding everyday for over a week. I tried for the straight sourdough. My yeasties were sluggish and I didn’t get the light fluffy ones like I’m imagining all the other Babes did BUT I did get some incredibly glorious aromas and delicious rolls that my husband is crazy for.

I followed Judy’s Sourdough recipe in every way except I replaced 100 grams of bread flour with King Arthur’s Golden Wheat. So right there is a small degree that accounts for the lack of fluffy.

Ingredients added to the mixer and the dough comes together easily.

BAKE!

The aroma of these is not not pineapple but it’s not pineapple … I think the vanilla does some alchemy with the pineapple and it is glorious.

All in all, I’m very happy. I believe anyone would be happy with these.

I’m giving my starter one more try before I start over. We’ll see.

August 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 14 Comments

Sourdough Croissant Loaf ~ BBB

Long ago and far away, I dreamed a dream … of a Sourdough Croissant Loaf … can there be such a thing?

Leave it to a Babe, in this case it is Cathy of Bread Experience who tuned us onto this one and is Kitchen of the Month.

Did I get any croissant effect? Um, well. You can always count of something unique if you’re coming to a Babe’s Bread Baking Kitchen Table.

Cast Iron bread loaf pan … is that butter?

Yes, dear friends that was butter that baked out of the loaf baked in the special French cast iron loaf pan. I divided Cathy’s recipe and baked one loaf for a friend in a cast iron casserole pan with lid.

And I put both loaves into the fridge for a slow overnight rise covering them with a shower cap.

Kept it frozen until I folded into the dough.

With butter folded in and dough now ready to shape.

After resting overnight in fridge, turned out of baskets, scored and ready for the preheated pans and oven. You do want to preheat the pans and lids. You will note the special French pan comes with a mesh liner which makes it easy to drop into the super hot cast iron pan and I used a parchment round to drop the other loaf into the casserole cast iron pan.

I got two beautiful loaves I was very happy to share one with a friend.

Did I care? Not so much! and I think fairly close to what Cathy’s looks like. Just do not compare me with Kelly’s A Messy Kitchen!

Even though so much butter leaked out of the one loaf, they both shared the croissant butter flavor and especially when toasted, the croissant flavor. Why did the one leak and not the other? Was it the liner? OR Was the special French pan so much heavier and so required longer preheating to reach the same heat as the other? OR Was it hotter because it was heavier and absorbed more heat than the casserole cast iron pan? I will try some alternative baking but didn’t have time for this bake.

How much did I change Cathy’s recipe? It’s pretty much a given that a Babe must! So yes I did but all I did was use 50% sprouted rye and 50% bread.

Bake it. There will be no regrets! This is just fabulously tasty!!!

Bake on …

And check out the other Babes bakes as well. I know each will be beautiful and as always Babe unique.

The Baking Babes:

Blog from Our Kitchen – Elizabeth
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna
Bread Experience – Cathy
Thyme for Cooking – Katie
A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
Karen’s Kitchen – Karen

June 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 11 Comments

BBB ~ Oatmeal Buns ~ sort of sourdough

Oatmeal … how do I love you … let me count the ways … #1: Burger Buns

I do love oatmeal.

Elizabeth – yes that Elizabeth of blog from our kitchen, has given the Babes our June bread, Oatmeal Burger Buns, and let me tell you, this is one not to miss that will be the star of your summer grill … and since I can attest that it works great in the oven and on the indoor grill, the star of your winter indoor grill as well. In fewer words, this is a star keeper. I suggest you check out all the Babes, because we all have our ways with the same recipe.

For my part – my way: in place of Elizabeth’s whole wheat starter, I used 200 grams of my refreshed the night before excited rye starter, in place of all purpose flour, 100 grams sprouted spelt, 20 grams bread flour and 130 grams white whole wheat, I added 20 grams of ground flax seed. I topped the buns with King Arthur’s Everything Babel Topping. I did use the added dry yeast, not sure why. For the ultimate ‘my way’ I added 50 grams of slow cooker caramelized onions! I highly recommend the caramelized onions!

Here’s where I added those caramelized onions!

I think because I added those caramelized onions and all the liquid, my dough required more flour. Because I used whole grain flours, my buns required an extra 15 minutes (30 minute total) in the oven.

Let me count the ways after that first burger: #2 used for avocado toast, then #3 topped with Dishoom’s House Black Daal (page 215 from Dishoom: From Bombay with Love by Shamir Thakrar, Kari Thakrar and Naved Nasir – WOW of a Daal), next #4 topped with mushrooms & spinach, and finally #5 topped with black beans and broccoli!

If you bake this we’d love to hear about it. I can just about guarantee you won’t be disappointed and more than likely it will become your routine bun.

April 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 19 Comments

It’s just bread … oh, not just bread … It’s Dollywood Cinnamon Bread!!

I’ve baked bread and I’ve baked BREAD and then I’ve baked BREAD and then some. But, I’ve never gotten tired of baking bread. Karen from Karen’s Kitchen Stories suggested the Babes bake Dollywood Cinnamon Bread. It’s bread but it’s also Cinnamon Bread but then it’s Cinnamon Bread like you’ve knot known it before. Oh and it’s not a knot! It’s more pull apart log but different even so.

Karen found this recipe in a beautiful new book – and yes I succumbed and now have a copy in my library. I love all the stories Anne Byrn has, one for each recipe. And I’ve bookmarked too many to ever get them all baked but life should be full of challenges one chooses!

I used two rolling pins about the same size so I could cut without going through to the bottom.

To filter down and permeate the loaf … I will confess, the two best slices are the ends…heaven.

I did observe the overnight rest in the fridge. I will make it again with double the topping and open those slices more to allow that topping further in if that’s at all possible.

Karen’s got her adaption of Anne Byrn’s recipe on her site but I’d encourage you to check out the book and the other Babes baking this month.

Kelly’s A Messy Kitchen

Elizabeth’s Blog from Our Kitchen

Judy’s Gross Eats

Cathy’s Bread Experience

There truly is an endless number of breads out there to discover so I really can’t imagine ever getting tired of baking bread.

Bake On.

Here’s where the original recipe was found.

February 16, 2025
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 12 Comments

Anniversary … 17 … 17 years

You are correct. I have been absent over 3 years now. But, well, I feel I must make a come back for this one.

It is a simple bread. It isn’t even a yeast bread. But it is none the less for using baking powder and baking soda. I will be so bold as to say this has proved to be one of my favorite quick breads. I rate this one up there with my two all time favorites: Irish Soda Bread and Chili CornBread.

Our host Kitchen of the Month is Kelly at A Messy Kitchen. Thank you so much for a perfect Babe bread rich with variation opportunity!

I found recipes for Rieske in three of the books I had. Considered savory toppings for the first bake. By the time I got to the second bake surprisingly I went sweeter – to please the resident sweet tooth.

I baked this one twice: perfect Babe bread rich with variation opportunity…both times I used the King Arthur recipe but took liberties both times.

First Bake – Savory

I replaced the all purpose flour with barley flour but and topped the bread with King Arthur’s ‘The Works’ bread topping.

Oh, yes, I also added a few walnuts to this one. We really enjoyed this multiple ways/times. The barley flour I think made it fairly crumbly but still delightful and delicious.

Second Bake – Sweet

The fellow resident sweet tooth ask for raisins, apples and walnuts – a wonderful addition! The recipe calls for 2 T sugar – did I put that in – I did not. Unless a recipe calls for over 1/4 cup of sugar it gets left out, over 1/4 cup I reduce some amount.

I baked this the 17 minutes, took it out, brushed it with melted butter and then sprinkled Turbinado sugar on the top, returned it to the oven for 2 minutes.

This one I baked in a ceramic casserole 9X13 … I prefer the quarter sheet pan.

What did I gleam from this: bake it in a quarter sheet pan; apples add needed moisture to balance the dry oatmeal and barley flour; add ins, add ons are delightful!

Happy Anniversary! Seventeen years is cause for celebration and a time to reminisce. On this anniversary I am sorry to say we have lost one of our original Babes: Mary Cook – Bread Chick. Mary would have been leading us all from the back bench in a rousing cheer. I will always miss Mary.

I’ll be checking out all the Babes today because I know the variations will be beautiful and ones that may not have occurred to me.

Cheers to all of us who love baking breads. There are always new ones to discover. If you haven’t already checked out the latest King Arthur book “Big Book of Bread” get on it because it is beautiful. One recipe that has me making preserved lemons again (recipe from Paula Wolfert) is ‘Preserved Lemon and Olive Bread’. It is WOW! Perserved lemons are so unique and change things in surprising ways. King Arthur gives a short cut way to do the lemons but I prefer the 6 week wait.

Stay warm and bake on.

March 16, 2022
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 15 Comments

Glass Bread ~ Pan Crystal ~ BBB

Flour Water Yeast ~ Basic Simple Same

Every bread recipe is the same simple basic: flour, water, yeast. And every time it comes out of the oven it’s

Dramatic Complex Different ~ Flour Water Yeast

Years ago, the Babes baked the infamous “Crock” aka Coccodrillo, Crocodile Bread AND Babe’s Nightmare. You will find the recipe in Carol Field’s The Italian Baker. At the time, it was the highest water ratio the Babes had ever dealt with. Now, along comes Kelly in AMessyKitchen bringing us Glass Bread with 106% water! There was at least one Babe with hellish memories of the “Crock” and the outcry was deafening. That Babe shall remain nameless at least here. It was not I. I found the “Crock” good bread and had no issues. Yeast can be fickle.

I strongly urge you to catch this sourdough version video because it shows the coiling turns so beautifully. I guess I would say this is a bread to be handled delicately once you turn the dough out to cut and then move to parchment paper. I was overwhelmed with how this dough transformed between coiling turns. Kelly advocates strong gluten bread flour to stand up to the huge amount of water and I would second that advice. Even I did not add flax or any whole wheat HOWEVER when I did the sourdough version I confess my starter is a whole grain rye and that is what I used.

Comparing my yeast and sourdough bakes, I think you will find the yeast has better color, better rise and many more holes. Both had wonderful oven spring but still the yeast was the winner there as well. The crust was crisper on the yeast. I did leave the yeast bread in the oven longer. I consider both versions excellent breads and would bake them again. I cut 6 rolls when doing the sourdough and find that the optimal size for sandwiches. I made travel sandwiches both times and it is excellent either way.

King Arthur recipe:
    500g water
    500g King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
    2.5g (3/4 teaspoon) instant yeast
    10g salt
    15g olive oil, for the pan

    To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. (To measure by volume, see “tips,” below.)

    In a medium bowl, mix the water, flour, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined and homogenous. Note: The dough starts off very slack and wet. That’s OK; it will transform itself through time and folds.

    Oil a two-quart rectangular baking dish (10” x 7”) with the olive oil. If you don’t have a 2-quart dish, an 8” or 9” square pan will work. Don’t worry about any pan you use being oven-safe; you won’t be baking the bread in it.

    Pour the dough into the pan. Check the dough’s temperature by inserting a digital thermometer into the center. If it’s less than 72°F, move the pan to a warmer spot, e.g., your oven with the light turned on.

    Cover the pan and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    Start with a bowl fold: Use your wet hands to grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Repeat this eight to 12 times.

My amateur video

    Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    Then do a coil fold: With wet hands, reach under the dough and stretch the middle upward until the dough releases from the dish. Roll it forward off your hands, allowing it to fold over (or “coil”) on itself. This is called a coil fold. Rotate the dish 90 degrees (a quarter turn) and repeat. Continue performing this folding action until the dough feels like it won’t stretch and elongate easily, usually four to five times initially. Note: You’ll be doing this three more times, each time building strength and developing the dough. See “tips,” below, for more details,

    Cover the pan and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    Repeat the coil fold. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    At this point, the dough should be easier to handle and feel tighter. Repeat the coil fold using only two or three folds this time. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    Repeat the coil fold one last time, using only one or two folds if the dough is relatively strong. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for about 80 minutes.

    To divide the dough: As gently as possible, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, maintaining the rectangle or square shape – be careful not to deflate the delicate dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough, leaving no exposed sticky spots. Then, working as gently as possible, use a bench knife or other sharp knife to divide it into four pieces. Gently place two pieces on a piece of parchment, leaving space between them. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough, placing them on another piece of parchment.

    Allow the loaves to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, uncovered. While the loaves are resting, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on a lower rack. (If you don’t have a stone or steel, see “tips,” below.) Allow the oven to preheat for 1 hour to ensure it’s thoroughly heated. The loaves are ready for the oven when there are a few large bubbles on the surface of each loaf and they feel light and airy.

    To bake the bread: Carefully slide the two loaves (still resting on the parchment) into the oven onto the preheated stone or steel. If space is tight and the full sheet of parchment won’t fit on the stone or steel, cut the parchment between the two loaves and arrange them as best you can. Allow the other two loaves to continue to rest.

    Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then transfer them, from the stone or steel, directly onto a rack in the upper third of the oven for an additional 13 to 15 minutes. (Leave the stone in place.) Moving them to the rack allows the baking stone or steel to become hot again in preparation for the next two loaves. After a total of 27 to 30 minutes of baking, remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack.

    Repeat the process with the two remaining loaves. Cool the bread fully before slicing.

    Storage information: Wrap the bread loosely and store it at room temperature for up to several days; freeze for longer storage.

SOURDOUGH VERSION

Formula for four:
470g strong flour
470g water (400+70)*
10g olive oil
11g salt
100g whole grain rye starter (100% hydration)

Method:
Mix flour and water.
Autolyse above for 45min.

Add 100g starter to autolysed flour and water and work it together well;
Give that a 60 minute rest.
Combine 70g reserve COLD water & 11g salt,
add half and fold/mix together.
Allow 10min rest
Add remaining water/salt & mix well;
add EVO & mix,
Allow 15 min rest
1. Folds: Oil square cake pan,
add dough and do a few large (coil) folds.
45 min rest
2. Folds: Large (coil) folds in thirds, then rotate 90 and fold in thirds,
rest 45 min
3. Folds: Repeat folds,
rest 45 min Folds:
4. Repeat folds,
rest 45 min Folds:
5. Repeat folds,

In retrospect I believe I should have given the dough another 2 folds; every fold and rest really give this dough strength.

Overnight in fridge for cold bulk
Room temp rest 60 minute .
Heavily flour table and pour the dough out, ~ if you watch the video you’ll see I think the move that works the best: just turn the pan upside down, hold it 2-3 inches above and let it fall out.
divide into 4 pieces – I did 6 for my 2nd bake and place on parchment.
60 min rest
Bake on steel at 500ºF for 8min with steam,
drop to 410 and bake for 20 minutes – I would give it 5 or more minutes more next time.

*Note that the 70g is mixed with the salt and kept aside to incorporate after initial autolyse..

Sample timeline:
_______p.m. Mix the dough ____________
_______p.m. Bowl fold ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #1 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #2 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #3 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #4 ____________

_______p.m. Coil fold #5 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #6 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #7 ____________
_______p.m. Coil fold #8 ____________
______p.m. Coil fold #9 ____________
______p.m. Coil fold #10 ____________

_______p.m. Divide ____________
_______p.m. Bake ____________

Want to bake with us? We’d love to have you bake the Glass Bread with us.

This bread makes sparklingly crisp sandwich rolls. Really, you just need to try it!

February 16, 2022
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 9 Comments

BBB ~ Sfincione Bagharese

Aparna, our kitchen of the month, you may have thought it was hard to find a bread we haven’t baked but honestly even though this little group has been baking for these many years and it does seem like we’ve baked just a huge number of breads, every month I marvel that wow it’s just water yeast flour, the same ingredients as last month BUT it’s just never the same and it NEVER gets boring. Thank you so very much for this introduction to this our 14th anniversary bread.

Check out Aparna’s post on this bread at My Diverse Kitchen.com.https://www.mydiversekitchen.com/sfincione-bagharese

From Aparna’s site you can travel to all the other Babes who baked this bread.

SFINCIONE BAGHARESE

(Partly adapted from here)

POOLISH:

150 g white whole wheat

150 ml water

1 tsp dry active yeast

DOUGH :

All the Poolish from above

150 gm AP flour

250 gm semolina flour

300 ml water (more or less)

30 ml olive oil

15 gm salt

ONION LAYER :

5 medium sized onions (one a red onion)

30 ml olive oil

Salt to taste

CHEESE LAYER :

300 gm mozzarella sliced (thinner slices will work best)

400 gm Ricotta

BREADCRUMB LAYER :

Some chopped scallions

4 to 6 slices of BEEKEEPER’S PAIN DE MIE

100 gm grated Parmesan cheese

50 grams walnuts

Salt to taste

Red chilli flakes or crushed pepper to taste

1 tsp dried oregano

Also two very well oiled round 23cm trays

HOW TO MAKE IT :

Make the Poolish by mixing together in a medium sized bowl the flour, dry yeast, and water until a sticky dough is obtained. Add more water if necessary to achieve this. Cover loosely with a plastic film and leave to rise for about 2 hours. The polish should be somewhat bubbly and have doubled in size.

I mixed the dough by hand. Mix together the flours, water (more or less as required), oil and the poolish. The dough will be sticky. Add the salt and knead till it is soft, very pliable and smooth. Shape it into a round and place it in a bowl greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl loosely and leave it to rise till double in volume. Mine took about 2 and a half hours.

Cook the onions. While the dough is rising, get the toppings ready. Heat the oil in a pan and add the sliced onions. Sprinkle a little salt and cook the onions on low to medium heat until they turn translucent and soft. Do not brown or caramelized them. Take the pan off heat and let them cool to room temperature.

Prepare the breadcrumb mixture. Run the bread slices (with or without crusts) in a food processor to make the crumbs. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Mix together with the oil, salt, red chilli flakes (or crushed pepper) chopped scallions/ spring onions, oregano and grated cheese. The texture should be of loose but moist crumbs.

Once the dough has risen, gently knead to deflate it. Divide it into two equal portions. Press out each portion into a roughly 9-inch circle (or oval) using your fingers. ****Since Aparna and I both seem to think the topping is the show of this bread, next time I will bake mine in a 10 inch or larger pan and make more topping to cover the larger surface area. If the dough feels sticky, oil your fingers lightly. Place in the oiled trays. I used a pie dish. Let the dough rise again, for about an hour till almost double in thickness and quite puffy.

Top with anchovy (maybe one day I’ll try anchovy but not this time), then the cooked onions. Next comes the Ricotta and a hard cheese (I used Parmesan ). Make sure to cover the surface of the dough evenly. Finish layering by spreading the breadcrumb mixture on the top.

Bake the Sfincione at 250C (480F) on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. The underneath of the bread should become golden and crisp. Then move the pan to the middle shelf of the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until it is crisp and golden brown on the top as well. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

Next time I will use parchment on the bottom so there will be no issue of sticking AND if the bottom seems too moist, I can take it out of the pan and return it to the oven rack for 2 to 5 minutes for crisper texture.

Cut and serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Hahaha. I did give one loaf away but the other loaf we very quickly took care of.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ALL BABES, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

We know you’ll want to make Sfincione Bagherese too!

To receive a Bread Baking Buddy Badge to display on your site: make the topped flatbread in the next couple of weeks and post about them (we love to see how your bread turns out AND hear what you think about it – what you didn’t like and/or what you liked) before the 28 February 2022. If you do not have a blog, no problem; you can also post your picture(s) to Flickr (or any other photo sharing site) and record your thoughts about the bread there. Please remember to contact the Kitchen of the Month to say that your post is up.

For complete details about this month’s recipe, the BBB and how to become a BBBuddy, please read:

BBB Kitchen of the month:
Aparna, My Diverse Kitchen, BBB February 2022

January 15, 2022
by MyKitchenInHalfCups 17 Comments

BBB ~ Pepperoni Rolls

When I first saw the post for January’s Babe bread, I thought here’s a simple easy fun bake perfect for after the holiday crazy actions. A small stuffed roll perfect for just about anytime, anyplace and any occasion. Our host kitchen, FeedingMyEnthusiasms, has a good story on finding this bread you should find fun.

A quick read through the recipe and … Pepperoni…ha, I’m in!

My next reading brought me up short. I left the following on the blog: Ye gad, I’m just looking at that 3/4 cup of sugar! Really with pepperoni?! Sounds terribly sweet. How much sugar does this need? What amount of sugar will change the texture here? Adding this much sugar to something that seems savory is REALLY foreign to me. I get the feeling this is a very Americanized food, we just add sugar to everything.

Simple and easy … Then there was a long discussion of what if you don’t want meat!! That how I happen to have the sautéed mushroom with pepperoni spices idea. VERY good.

Holy Batman! I made them. Did I follow the recipe? Better than I thought I had on initial inspection but I divided the ingredients in half and only added 20 grams of sugar … and when the dough just wouldn’t come together – fully 3/4 of a cup of flour was not going to incorporate – I threw in the rye sourdough throw out from the night before. I threw that in and it was perfect. This took a full 90 minutes to double. We were having our “pod” friends (pod being like minded fully vaccinated friends) for pepperoni pizza dinner. SOOOO for filling I used pepperoni seasoned baby Bella mushrooms sliced, there were 4 half slices of cooked bacon added to the mushrooms … then there were two dough balls left when I ran out of mushrooms and bacon, perhaps there was a slice or two of cheese as well. The last two dough balls: one I filled with pepperoni and one I filled with ……..see below.
These were seriously good 😊!!! They were a terrific appetizer for hungry boys before pizza!

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