baking

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Brioche

February 11, 2010 in February 2010 | 3 comments

Not the knit stitch, but the real thing:

Today’s version: almond bostock.  Rich, eggy brioche dough filled with an almond paste mixture and topped with sugar, orange zest and sliced almonds.

This one, along with the rum-spiked chocolate ganache filled and topped version I made for a party on Sunday, are from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  In a word: simple.  The dough took all of 10 minutes to mix up.  Let it sit for a couple of hours, cut off a hunk and then fill with your choice of heavenly things (or not – it can also be formed into a loaf, egg washed and baked).  Pop the rest in the fridge for up to 5 days and repeat when you want a little slice of heaven.  Option B – cut the dough into quarters, freeze it and defrost it when needed.  It doesn’t get any easier.  My love of this book continues…

I’m off – breakfast is waiting :)

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Baking Bread

December 24, 2007 in December 2007 | No comments

Christmas Bread

Today I spent the day baking bread for Christmas. This is my grandmother’s recipe for sweet heart bread or babka. In my family, its known simply as “Grammy’s Bread”. My Grammy (Dad’s mother) baked it for every occasion – it is an integral part of my childhood memories. Grammy died several years ago. Over the last couple of years, I have taken over the tradition of baking Grammy’s bread. It is something I love to do. Grammy was very special to me – baking this bread makes me feel connected to her and my family. A tradition I am proud to carry on. I made 6 loaves today – enough for tomorrow’s celebration and a loaf each for ourselves, my parents and each of my brothers’ families to enjoy after Christmas. Of course, Everett and I couldn’t wait until tomorrow – we’re already enjoying ours. My bread never quite tastes like I remember Grammy’s tasting – but today’s certainly came close.

I hope that you are enjoying some holiday traditions of your own. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

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