Honey Milk Bread

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

We’re deep into fall, so that means time for more baking. A hot oven to help warm the house and some fresh bread to snack on. This honey milk bread is a little denser than your traditional Japanese milk bread. Milk bread comes together quickly with simple ingredients. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you’ll work up a sweat kneading this dough, but it’s definitely worth it. Milk bread is so soft and fluffy, so easy to eat. Extracts and fillings could easily be added to change the taste, so customize as you wish!

Ingredients:

Heavy cream – this is where the fat comes from that makes the bread so yummy

Honey – this can be substituted with plain sugar and then other flavorings/extracts can be used to change up your type of milk bread

All-purpose flour – makes this recipe extra easy that you don’t need any other special types of flour

ingredients mixed
keep kneading
at the start
doubled!
rolled into a loaf
baked!

Honey Milk Bread

Print Recipe
Soft & fluffy bread perfect for snacking, sandwiches, or a side.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Keyword bread, honey, milk bread, vegetarian
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer highly recommended

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup honey + extra for brushing
  • 1 tbsp dry active yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix together heavy cream, milk, honey and yeast to ensure all of the yeast is moistened.
  • Add salt and flour and mix with the bread hook attachment for 10 minutes.
  • Cover the bowl with a towel, and allow to rise for about 2 hours, or until about doubled.
  • After, split dough into two loaf pans. If desired, you can shape the dough into smaller rolls into the loaf pan or just as an entire loaf. Don't worry about deflating the dough. If making into a loaf, I like to roll out the dough flat, and then roll into a log before placing into the loaf pan.
  • Cover loaf pans with towel and allow to rise another hour.
  • Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, until the top is browned. After removing from the oven, brush the tops with extra honey for a shiny top.
  • Allow to cool slightly before serving.

More bread? Try Zucchini Bread. Have leftovers? Make Bread Pudding.

Scallion & Chili Crunch Focaccia

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Summer is here and that means that farmer’s market season is in swing! I’ve been traveling quite a bit already this year with more travel plans in the future, so it didn’t make sense to commit to a CSA for the summer. I’ll be bopping around the city to all the different markets to find all the seasonal farm fresh goodies.

The other week I went to my first farmer’s market of the summer, the Snohomish Farmer’s Market! It’s located right in the downtown Snohomish area and there are so many vendors there that I circled multiple times. Spring onions were wildly large and I ended up with a lot more than I thought I could eat. These spring onions were Walla Walla sweet onions, the Washington competitor to the South’s Vidalia onion. These ended up being so fragrant and tasty mixed into a focaccia.

Ingredients

Spring onions – I used the Walla Walla ones I found at the farmer’s market, but this bread would still be lovely with onions that you may find at the grocery store.

Chili crunch – I’m loyal to what I think is the OG crunchy chili sauce, the Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp, but this could be substituted for any other chili oil. The Momofuku sauce is delicious (and expensive) and I’ve also heard the Trader Joe’s variation is lovely. If all else fails, mix together some chili oil with red pepper flakes and that works too!

big onions
i made a double batch
sliced scallions!
overnight rise
stretch + drizzle
looks so pretty!

Scallion & Chili Crunch Focaccia

Print Recipe
Course Appetizer, Snack
Keyword bread, chili oil, focaccia, onion, scallion, spring onion
Cook Time 25 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 4 1//2 tsp yeast dry active
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sliced green onion
  • 4 tbsp chili crunch
  • 4 tbsp olive oil + extra for pan/bowl

Instructions

  • Bloom yeast in warm water and honey. Mix together and allow to sit until mixture begins to foam.
  • Add flour, salt, and slice scallions. If using a stand mixer, use the hook attachment.
  • After mixing, I usually will leave the dough in the same bowl, pour some oil into the mixing bowl, targeting the sides of the bowl, making sure to coat the ball of dough. I use the spatula to separate the dough from the sides of the bowl to ensure that the oil has a chance to drip between all parts of the dough and the bowl.
  • When ready to bake, generously coat a sheet pan in olive oil and empty dough onto sheet pan.
  • Let come up to room temperature ~30 minutes.
  • Using hands, spread and stretch dough to cover entire sheet pan. Dimple dough with fingers.
  • Mix together chili crunch & olive oil and drizzle over the top of the dough.
  • Sprinkle top with flakey salt.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes at 450F until crispy and browned.
  • Enjoy!

My classic breads: My Favorite Focaccia or Sourdough

Cranberry Walnut Loaf

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

When I lived in Arizona, there was a chain-ish bakery nearby where I would love to go for lunch and grab a sandwich on their fresh baked focaccia or ciabatta. They would sell their breads by the loaf and I’d always pick up a loaf of the cranberry walnut bread while I was there. I probably haven’t been back there since high school, but I still think about the tasty breads and pastries that I had there. Here’s my easy version of the cranberry walnut loaf I used to get there.

toast walnuts
yeasty!
leave to proof
doubled!
floured and scored

Cranberry Walnut Loaf

Print Recipe
Crusty bread with sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp dry active yeast
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together yeast, honey, and warm water, ensuring that the yeast starts to bloom.
  • Add flour and salt and mix until fully combined.
  • Fold in dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
  • Allow to proof for ~2 hours, until dough has doubled.
  • Preheat oven to 450F.
  • Line a dutch oven with parchment and dust lightly with flour.
  • Shape dough into a ball and place in the dutch oven.
  • Dust the top of the dough with flour and score the top.
  • Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for another 40 minutes.
  • Allow loaf to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.

More bread snacks: Cinnamon Apple Rhubarb Loaf & My Favorite Focaccia

Sourdough

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Temperatures have dropped so I am much more willing to turn on my oven to blasting 400F+ temps. My sourdough starter has been revived from the depth of my freezer where it has been hibernating in the summer. When it gets cold, I bake sourdough (almost) every day. The oven just helps warm up the kitchen! With holiday parties coming, I find a loaf of sourdough with (don’t you dare think butter board) some flavored olive oil, a balsamic glaze, aioli and maybe a little pate is perfect to bring with a bottle of wine. I’ll share my sourdough feeding schedule, daily prep, and baking that has resulted in some fluffy loaves with a crispy crunchy crust that’s so yummy to snack on.

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour – This is a purposely very simple bread recipe that uses AP flour. If you are going to use a different type of flour, I would NOT recommend this recipe as the feeding schedule may differ and steps might be rearranged (such as autolyzing). Basically, only use this method if you are making loaves with AP flour. 🙂

bubbly starter
add starter to water
floating
mix + salt
add flour
it will look blobby
fold throughout the day
pull out to in
shape

Schedule:

Once I’ve started on my sourdough schedule, I end up consolidating all the steps into one day so that I can continuously have fresh starter and be able to bake a loaf of sourdough each day.

Day 1

Evening before, 7-9 PM: feed sourdough start with 35 g bread flour & 35 g room temp water

Day 2

Next morning, 6-9 AM: make dough, recipe below, allow to rest at room temp in the same mixing bowl throughout the day

Throughout the day: give the dough a couple folds here and there when you have chance, no big deal if you can’t

Evening, 7-9 PM: move dough into banneton or towel lined bowl & leave in refrigerator

Day 3

Next day, one hour before baking: Remove from refrigerator and allow to come back to room temp

Bake!

Sourdough

Print Recipe
An easy, passive sourdough recipe that only requires all-purpose flour, salt, water, and starter.
Keyword bread, sourdough

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 330 grams water
  • 70 grams sourdough starter bubbly
  • 12 grams salt
  • 500 grams all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • In a bowl, mix together water and sourdough starter. Starter should be floating in the water, indicating it is the most active and will give you the most lift for your bread.
  • After mixed, add salt and mix again.
  • Add flour and mix until combined.
  • Cover with a dish towel and give it a few folds throughout the day if possible.
  • Transfer to banneton or towel-lined bowl.
  • When ready to bake, transfer to a parchment lined dutch oven.
  • Preheat oven to 425F. When ready, put loaf in dutch oven with lid on for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove lid and bake for an additional 40 minutes, until golden brown on the top.
  • Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into the loaf.

Leftover sourdough? Use it in Bread Pudding or Cheesy Egg Strata.

Cinnamon Apple Rhubarb Loaf

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Goodbye summer. :’-) Apples are in season and that means fall is coming. As much as I love summer, fall might have be my favorite season. There’s a mix of sunny and cloudy days and the weather starts cooling down. I can break out my fun sweaters and fluffy coats and I can start baking whenever I want, not having to worry about how hot the kitchen will get. At dinners with friends, more red wine and darker beers come out, and desserts get a lot spicier (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, etc). This loaf is a little cakey, the tiniest bit tart, and full of cinnamon to transition you into fall.

Ingredients

Apples/Rhubarb – When baked, I think apples and rhubarb end up having a similar texture (tender but mushy), so you can only tell the difference in the loaf if you were to pick each piece out and eat them separately. The apples are a sweeter mush while the rhubarb is a more sour mush. If you don’t like rhubarb, just do all apple!

diced & sliced
wet ingredients
dry ingredients
apples, rhubarb & stray blackberries
mixed
apples, fanned

Cinnamon Apple Rhubarb Loaf

Print Recipe
The transition baking loaf to get you into fall.
Makes 2 regular 9×5 loaves or 4 mini 6×3.5 loaves
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword apple, bread, cinnamon, rhubarb

Equipment

  • loaf pans 2 regular 9×5 loaves or 4 mini 6×3.5 loaves

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups flour all-purpose
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 cups apples diced, +extra sliced to top
  • 2 cups rhubarb diced

Instructions

  • Mix oil, eggs, vanilla, cream, water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
  • Add flour and baking powder. Mix until streaky.
  • Add apples and rhubarb until fully mixed.
  • Grease baking pans.
  • Divide batter among baking pans.
  • Fan apple slices over the top of each loaf and dust with cinnamon.
  • Bake at 350F for 75 minutes until golden brown. Test with a toothpick.

Interested in a different kind of loaf? Try Zucchini Bread, Banana Bread, or Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread.

Zucchini Bread

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

It appears everywhere I turn there is an abundance of zucchini. The other week it was also “leave a zucchini on your neighbor’s porch” day? The other day I went wine tasting and they were also giving away a variety of squashes and zucchinis! There was a small farm on-site at the tasting room and it appeared their zucchini plants were exploding and they couldn’t consume them all.

The local farm where I get my produce has also been producing some massive zucchinis: some thicker than my head and longer than my forearm. When I get these larger zucchinis, I find that they can be extremely seedy and sometimes bitter. If I want to eat them roasted or in a stir-fry, the bitterness can still appear even if I’ve removed all the seeds. When I get one of these big guys, I like to just shred the whole thing and use it all in a loaf. The bitterness of the zucchini completely disappears in the loaf and the seeds dissolves into a moist bread.

This recipe already makes 2 standard 9×5 loaves of zucchini bread, but if I have a lot of zucchini, I like to double the recipe so I have extra loaves to give away! The bread keeps for months in the freezer if well wrapped.

Ingredients

Zucchini – I’ve found that you can use any variety of zucchini/squash. Green, yellow, or even the patty-pan ones make a great zucchini bread!

wet ingredients
add zucchini
add flour
it’s ok if it’s streaky
mixed
divide & bake!

Zucchini Bread

Print Recipe
Perfect for when you find yourself in a pile of zucchini!
Makes 2 regular 9×5 loaves or 4 mini 6×3.5 loaves
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword bread, zucchini
Cook Time 1 hour

Equipment

  • loaf pans

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 3 cups zucchini shredded, packed
  • 3 cups flour all purpose
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup rolled oats

Instructions

  • If zucchini is not yet shredded, do this first! If you have more than 3 cups packed, that's ok. I wouldn't use over 3.5 cups of shredded zucchini for this recipe.
  • Mix together eggs, oil, sugars, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
  • Add zucchini and mix.
  • Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until batter is just a little streaky.
  • Add in the oats and continue mixing until just combined.
  • Divide into loaf pans and bake at 350F for about 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Tent with foil if the tops brown too quickly.

Try some other baked goods like Banana Bread or Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread.

If you have extra zucchini bread, you can use it to even make Bread Pudding.

Bread Pudding

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

A crowd favorite, because… who doesn’t like bread?? Bread pudding is so customizable – the bread can be swapped for other tasty bread-like treats (cakes, cinnamon rolls, etc) and any kind of mix-in could be added too. It can be made in almost any pan (no springform pan/pans with removable bottoms – I made this mistake) so it can be in any shape.

For a large crowd, bread pudding can be made in a large casserole dish or for a celebration I like to make a bread pudding in a pie dish or cake pan for that “birthday cake” vibe. It helps to have an immersion blender to make the custard, but it isn’t required. This bread pudding recipe is an excellent base for a custard-y bread pudding that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. I usually like to pair it with a fun, sometimes boozy, whipped cream to further play with the textures.

custard mix
blend
sandwich bread + cake

Bread Pudding

Print Recipe
Customize this bread pudding with other flavors, mix-ins, or fancy sauces!
Course Dessert
Keyword bread, bread pudding

Equipment

  • immersion blender optional

Ingredients

  • 8 cups "bread"
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Cut or rip your "breads" into smaller bite size pieces. I like to use a mix of sandwich bread, sourdough, and even leftover cake.
  • In a separate container, blend or mix together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
  • Add bread to your baking dish and cover with the liquid custard mixture.
  • Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until center is set and no longer jiggly. If the top is getting too brown, tent with foil.
  • Serve straight from the oven or at room temperature!

More desserts? Have some Peach Galette or Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

My Favorite Focaccia

Posted on by Amanda 3 Comments

Nothing beats fresh bread! I love to make this focaccia when I have a big group gathering. It’s a perfect make ahead item that’s can be ready when guests arrive to snack on. I like to serve this with some butter and olive oil/balsamic vinegar on the side. It’s one of the easiest breads to make since the ingredients are so simple, you only need a sheet pan, and no kneading is required.

Ingredients

Honey – The sweetener is added to help the yeast get going. You can substitute this with other sweeteners too! I’ve tried this with sugar and agave if you’d like to make it completely vegan. Use the same quantity if substituting other sweeteners.

Herbs de provence – Typical herbs de provence blends contain savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. The one I use from Trader Joe’s also contains lavender. If you don’t like any of the herbs in the blend, you can use any singular herb! A rosemary focaccia or thyme focaccia is also lovely. You could even switch it up and use garlic powder, onion powder, or any other aromatic.

Salt – I like using table salt for in the dough and flaky salt for the top of the focaccia. After the focaccia bakes, I like that you can see the salt on top.

Olive oil – This bread requires quite a bit of olive oil. It really strengthens the flavor of the bread and helps it crisp up in the oven. Don’t skimp on the oil!

honey + yeast
add water
herbs in
flour
mix!
oil for the bowl
bread has risen
coat pan with olive oil
pour out onto pan
2nd rise!
fresh bread!

My Favorite Focaccia

Print Recipe
Crispy, fluffy, rich focaccia – perfect to bring to any gathering or have as an accompaniment to any meal.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Keyword bread, focaccia
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 1 sheet pan full

Equipment

  • Stand mixer optional

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups warm water
  • 4.5 tsp yeast dry active
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 5 cups flour all purpose
  • 2 tsp herbes de provence + extra for topping
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • flakey salt for topping

Instructions

  • Bloom yeast in warm water and honey. Mix together and allow to sit until mixture begins to foam.
  • Add flour, salt, and herbs de provence. If using a stand mixer, use the hook attachment.
  • Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise overnight in the refrigerator, up to 48 hours. OR if you're lazy like me, instead of transferring to another bowl, pour some oil into the mixing bowl, targeting the sides of the bowl, making sure to coat the ball of dough.
  • When ready to bake, generously coat a sheet pan in olive oil and empty dough onto sheet pan.
  • Let come up to room temperature ~30 minutes.
  • Using hands, spread and stretch dough to cover entire sheet pan. Dimple dough with fingers. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flakey salt and extra herbes de provence.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes at 450F until crispy and browned.
  • Cut into squares and enjoy alone, with more olive oil & balsamic vinegar or butter!

Looking for something bready but sweet? Try Banana Bread or Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread.

Try this focaccia alongside some Pumpkin Soup.

Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

Posted on by Amanda 4 Comments
pumpkin pull apart bread

I think most people associate pumpkin with pumpkin spice, not necessarily pumpkin itself. This pumpkin pull-apart bread has the essence of real pumpkin with a hint of cinnamon. None of that pumpkin spice blend. This bread is super moist, but not too sweet. I like having it for breakfast with a cup of hot tea or for as a treat to reward myself for working out. Great for freezing for later too.

I like a recipe where you can make two loaves at once so that you can have one for yourself and another to gift to a friend!

Ingredients

Pumpkin – I used fresh pumpkin puree for this bread, but you can most definitely use canned.

Buttermilk – The buttermilk adds an extra richness and moistness to the bread, but you can also swap it with any milk alternative.

Spices – I only use cinnamon in this, but you can emphasize the pumpkin in this by using pumpkin pie spice instead.

Butter –  If you don’t have time to let your butter soften, a good trick is to fill a glass with hot water, dump out the water, and then invert it over your sticks of butter. The steam and heat from the warmed glass will gently soften the butter without melting it.

Method

  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    let that yeast get foamy
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    add wet ingredients
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    we love salt
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    flour!
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    mixxxx it up
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    rise
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    split in half
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    filling
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    half stack
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    full stack
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    baked
  • pumpkin pull apart bread
    pull
pumpkin pull apart bread

Pumpkin Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Print Recipe
Cinnamon in the filling and the dough, buttermilk for extra moisture, and some pumpkin puree for extra flavor.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword bread, cinnamon, dessert, pumpkin
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 loaves

Equipment

  • Stand mixer optional
  • loaf pans

Ingredients

Dough

  • 4.5 tsp yeast dry active
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 6 cups flour all purpose

Filling

  • 6 tbsp butter softened
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Bloom yeast in warm water and honey. Mix all together and allow to sit until mixture is foamy.
  • Mix yeast mixture with remaining "wet" ingredients: pumpkin puree, buttermilk, egg, sugar, oil, and cinnamon.
  • When wet mixture is fully combined, add flour and salt, and mix using the hook attachment until combined.
  • Coat dough/bowl in neutral oil and leave to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
  • To make filling, mix softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar until combined. Set aside.
  • After dough has doubled, split in half and roll out into an approximate 12" x 18" rectangle.
  • Spread half of the filling mixture evenly onto the rectangle.
  • Cut the rectangle into 3" x 3" squares. You should have 24 squares.
  • Stack squares in loaf pan.
  • Repeat with with second half of dough.
  • Let rise additional 30 minutes.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400F until lightly browned and fluffy.

Want to try some other desserts? Check out Beet Cinnamon Rolls or Crispy Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Have extra pumpkin? Try Pumpkin Panang Curry with Spinach and Paneer.