Donut Army

I made bread fairly regularly, but I don't know that I'm any good at it. I can tell you that when I used a modified version of the below to make my very first fougasse, it was the best loaf of bread I'd made in my life. The part that I modified was baking one half of the dough on the same day as making the dough. Peter Reinhart is an advocate for cold and slow fermentation -- of assembling the dough and putting it in the fridge, where you then take a chunk off on the day you want to bake. And I often use one of his dough recipes in this very format. But this time, I was hungry for bread that day, and baked a loaf the same day. Again, best crust I've ever manufactured, and a nice taste to the bread. In fact, it was a far superior loaf to the other half, which I baked a few days later. Pain a l'Ancienne Rustic Bread (modified) from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day 4 1/2 c unbleached bread flour 1 3/4 tsp salt 1 1/4 tsp instant yeast 2 c c...

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times - there isn't a great way to take a photograph of porridge. But, I would like to share this recipe with you. I have been making it for 5 years and I still find it tasty and filling -- far more filling than standard oatmeal. Note - this freezes very well. Make according to the instructions below, then let cool to room temperature. Spray muffin tins with Pam, and then fill each muffin tin to be level with the surface. Pop in the freezer for an hour or so, until firm. Turn frozen "muffins" out and pop into a Ziploc bag for storage. Repeat as necessary. To re-heat, pop 1-2 per serving into a microwave-able dish and reheat. Hearty Five-Grain Porridge From 3 Bowls: Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery 3/4 c bulgur wheat 1/2 c brown rice 1/2 c millet 1/3 c barley 1/2 c oats 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla The night before you plan to serve, bring 6 1/2 c water to a boil in a large sa...

I once had the pleasure of sitting next to Terry Thompson-Anderson at a group dinner and found her charmingly open to questions and input from those of us who are far less knowledgeable about cooking and baking. That dinner led me to explore her own published recipes, the vast majority of which have been home-runs for me. I was curious about this tortilla bread, which she described in the recipe as having the heft and texture of bread, but the flavor of a tortilla. The flavor does complement any Southwestern-themed dinner, but I'm still working on the texture - it felt more like a quick bread than a proper yeasted bake with bread flour. Next time I make these, I might consider turning them into yeasted rolls, either freestanding or in muffin tins. Tortilla Bread From Texas Food & Wine Gourmet , Terry Thompson-Anderson 1 1/3 c warm water 1 T sugar 1 T instand yeast 3/4 c Maseca masa flour 3 c bread flour 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 T canola oil 1 T jalapenos, seed...

Like everyone, my schedule can get a bit busy. And I find myself in that all-too-familiar situation of being tired from work, uninspired to cook anything, but too hungry to wait for food to be delivered. This is the time to remember that I have individual meals waiting for me in the freezer. And, one of the best ones -- especially in wintertime -- are these individual chicken pot pies. While I am lucky enough to have individual casseroles by Staub that makes these dishes both convenient and cute, you can make the same in any small casserole, or, by using those smaller loaf tins (disposible or not), you'll have enough for 2-3 servings in each pot pie. Also, since these are going into the freezer, I tend to cheat and just use boxed pie dough as my crust. Homemade crust is obviously better, but it does lose some of its charm from having been in the freezer. While this recipe comes from Cook's Country, I have often found that it produces a watery roux that I'm n...

This is a popular dish in my house. I make it probably once a month or so. Assuming you have the ingredients on hand, it is a fast light dinner to assemble, leaving you with breakfast portions for days to come. Or, you can assemble it in two parts the night before, and pop it in the oven in the morning if you have guests. It was originally intended as a full-on casserole with no crust, no edges. Probably baked an 8x8" square dish. And, I'm sure it would taste great in that format. However, I prefer a crust and a defined edge to my quiches -- even when I'm cheating and using an alternative "dough" -- like I am here. The crust in this quiche is made from cooked couscous, which gives it a nice nutty crunch in every bite, and also an extra added sense of healthiness instead of eating quiche or pie dough. Note - I don't worry too much about the balance of ingredients in here. You could easily make it more to your tastes by, say, lessening the amount o...