INCREDIBLY SIMPLE PROSCIUTTO BAKED EGGS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Incredibly simple, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

This recipe was inspired by a version from Mark Bittman published back in 2022. I really like the modifications I included, and hope you will also. In typical Sally’s fashion, I got so hooked on it that it was my lunch several days in a row. Yeah, that’s the way I roll. Sometimes.

BAKED EGGS WITH PROSCIUTTO AND TOMATO
(inspired by Mark Bittman)

serves two

2 low-carb tortillas (or any other flour tortilla you like)
olive oil spray
2 slices beefsteak tomato
2 slices of prosciutto di Parma
2 eggs
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
drizzle of heavy cream (optional)
salt (very little)

Heat oven to 375F.

Cut the tortilla to fit snuggly and the bottom of your dish. Spray the dish with olive oil, add the tortilla, spray the top lightly with oil.

Place a slice of tomato on top, a slice of prosciutto, break the egg over it. Add cheese, and if you want, a little drizzle of cream. Salt lightly, the prosciutto will be very salty.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until egg yolk cooked to your liking. If egg white is not fully cooked, run under the broiler. You can also start the baking covering the dish with aluminum foil to help steam the egg white and cook it properly.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To me, this is almost a perfect lunch. You can kick it up a notch using a slice of sourdough bread instead of tortilla, but I like to keep it light. Beefsteak tomato is underrated, in my opinion. I love it and in this preparation it is really the best kind to use. It stands to baking and contributes moisture and flavor. You can use ham instead of prosciutto, although I rather stick with the latter. The only tricky part is baking long enough to cook the egg white without overcooking the yolk, but play with it and you’ll find what works best in your oven.

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12Nov2024

BARBARI BREAD AND HUMMUS

Posted in Appetizers, Breads, Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

A match made in heaven!

Barbari Bread originates in Iran, formerly known as Persia, a name that evokes beautiful things in my mind. Barbari is a flatbread with ridges and a dark golden color provided by a glaze that often contains baking soda. I share a recipe that makes one small flatbread, fitting in a quarter sheet pan.

BARBARI BREAD
(adapted from cookingorgeous)

160 ml water (lukewarm)
250 g all-purpose flour
4 g instant yeast
5 g salt
3 g sugar
10 ml olive oil

For the Topping (you won’t need the full amount)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup water
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoon Sesame seeds

In the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer combine the flour, salt, sugar, olive oil, and yeast. Add warm water gradually, stirring to form a sticky dough. Knead at low-speed for about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.

Make the glaze: in a small saucepan, combine flour, water, olive oil, and baking soda.
Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens into a smooth paste. Set aside to cool.

Shape the Dough: Flatten the dough into an oval or rectangular shape on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the dough resists too much, form into a ball and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. The dough should end as 12 inches long and 5 inches wide. Using your fingers, gently press lines into the dough from top to bottom to create the signature ridges of Barbari bread. Brush the glaze mixture over the surface, covering the dough evenly. This will help to keep the bread moist and create that golden crust during baking. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Second Rise and Baking the Bread: Cover the shaped and topped dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rise for one hour.

Heat the oven to 390F. Bake the bread for about 20 minutes or until it turns golden brown with a crisp crust.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

For the hummus, I used a fantastic recipe from Milk Street, which is available online (click here). I advise you to halve the recipe because it would feed an army. I am not too fond of freezing hummus, so half the recipe was perfect for us. Can you tell how luscious and creamy it is?

Comments: Barbari bread is definitely one to consider adding to your rotation, because it is super easy to make and absolutely delicious. As to the hummus, Milk Street recipe is pretty involved, but worth it. Thick, intensely flavored, a real hit of sesame with each bite.

I hope you try both this recipes, they were perfect together. Hummus is often a breakfast item in Israel, consumed warm with Kawarma (spiced ground meat) spooned all over it. We took the less authentic route by enjoying it as a dip. If you have The Milk Street Cookbook that goes along with the TV show, both recipes are there.

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10Oct2024

MJUKKAKA, A SWEDISH SOFT FLATBREAD

Posted in Breads, Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

Totally in love, I must admit… Huge thank you to Mimi, a food blogger and friend I’ve been following and learning from for so many years! Check her detailed post about it clicking here. If you want to make the real authentic version, a special rolling pin is a must, but you can probably get by with a dough rolling docking gadget of even the tines of a fork. I have a tough time resisting gadgets, as you may have noticed, so I got one (amazon is your friend, I suppose).

MJUKKAKA
(from Chef Mimi’s blog)

2 cups bread flour plus an extra tablespoon or two if necessary and more for rolling the dough
3/4 cup barley flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup water room temperature
1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil plus more for oiling the bowl and cooking the flatbreads
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Whisk bread flour, barley flour, yeast, salt and sugar together by hand in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add water, yogurt and 1 tablespoon oil to the dry ingredients.

Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook and begin mixing at medium-low speed until dough just comes together. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead dough for three minutes. If dough is sticking to the sides or the bottom after the first 3 minutes of kneading, add an additional tablespoon of bread flour before continuing the kneading process. Continue kneading at medium speed until the dough is tacky but not sticky and clears the bottom and sides of the bowl, approximately 2-3 more minutes. Add an additional tablespoon or two of bread flour if dough continues to stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl during the kneading process.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Transfer dough to a clean countertop and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 80 g each. Roll each piece into a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to create a thin circular flatbread (like a thin tortilla). If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle a little flour on top. It’s okay if the dough is sticking to the work surface. Finish by rolling the flatbread a couple of times with a deep notched rolling pin. Brush off any excess flour from the top of the dough.

Using a dough scraper and your fingers, gently release the flatbread from the countertop. Add to a skillet with a little oil heated over medium heat. Cook the first side for 1 to 2 minutes, flip and cook the second side. Remove the flatbread from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, if so desired (I omitted the butter).

Repeat the process with the remaining portions of dough. Eat immediately or wrap tightly and freeze once the flatbreads have cooled to room temperature

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the pattern that the rolling pin makes on the dough, and also how it prevents the bread from puffing too much during cooking. I used a dosa flat pan to cook it over the stove, but you can use cast iron and probably a griddle might work too. As to oiling the pan, what worked better for me was brushing oil right on the bread after rolling and brushing the excess flour off. I used a silicone brush and added a very light coating. I did not add more oil to the other side before flipping the bread, it was not necessary.

We had it for a weeknight dinner with several different goodies: smoked salmon with yogurt dill dipping sauce, ham, prosciutto, mortadella, mustard, hummus… It was simple and fun at the same time. I placed all flatbreads wrapped in foil in a very low oven (used our Breville small oven for that), and the bread stayed soft and warm through the whole meal. We did not bother slathering the bread with butter, but feel free to do so.

This one is definitely going into our rotation, and I hope you will give this recipe a try. Thank you so much, Mimi!

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25Aug2024

PUFF PASTRY TWISTS WITH CINNAMON AND CARDAMON

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets, Sweets by sallybr

You can conceivably use store-bought puff pastry (try to find a brand that uses real butter, not shortening), but a lot of the fun is making your own. For this type of pastry, no need to do too many folds. Great project for a weekend, but avoid days of excessive heat.

PUFF PASTRY TWISTS WITH CINNAMON AND CARDAMON
(from The Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 cup ice water (you may not need the full cup)
for butter square:
3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

Process flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined. With processor running, add vinegar, followed by ¾ cup super cold water. Add remaining ¼ cup water as needed, a little at a time with the machine always running. Stop adding water when the dough comes together, and immediately remove from the processor, gathering the dough gently with your hands. Form into a square, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 full hour.

Start working on the butter block: Lay the three butter sticks side by side over a sheet of parchment paper and cover with a plastic wrap. Gently pound butter with rolling pin until butter is softened, then roll out as an 8-inch square, trying to keep the thickness equal all over the extension of the butter. Wrap the square in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Roll chilled dough into 14 inch square on lightly floured counter. Place chilled butter square diagonally in center of dough. Fold corners of dough up over butter square so that corners meet in middle and pinch dough seams to seal (see first photo of the composite below). Gently roll dough into 14-inch square, dusting with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, then fold rectangle in thirds to form a square, try to make it as neat as possible. Wrap dough in plastic, freeze for 30 minutes and remove to the refrigerator, keeping it there for 60 minutes more.

Repeat the folding and rolling twice, if you can do it fast no need to refrigerate, but if at any time you feel the butter warming, place it in the fridge for 45 minutes before the next rolling out. Once you complete the foldings, let the dough rest for 2 full hours before finally using it.

MAKING THE TWISTS
1/2 of the puff pastry made as above
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix sugar, salt and spices in a small bowl. Reserve. Heat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it works better than silicone for this type of bake, disregard what you see in the composite picture below, I switch to parchment on the second batch).

Roll the puff pastry into a large square (about 12 x 12 in), the thinner the better without allowing it to crack. Brush melted butter all over the pastry, then sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture, pressing gently with the fingers. Fold the pastry sheet in half, enclosing the sugar mixture. Cut narrow strips with a pizza roller. Twist each piece and place on the parchment-lined sheet.

Bake for 14-15 minutes until golden brown.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These turned out absolutely delicious, although they un-twisted quite a bit during baking. I should have pressed the ends harder on the parchment paper, but still it didn’t compromise the experience. I cut the long strips in half because I did not want to have very long twists, so do what you think is best for you.

Yes, making puff pastry from scratch takes a bit of work, but quite a bit of it is waiting for the dough to chill. I will make turnovers pretty soon, so stay tuned!

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14Jun2024

BRIOCHE ROLLS WITH PISTACHIO FILLING

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I went back to a favorite recipe to make brioche dough, found in Helen Fletcher’s blog Pastries Like a Pro (click here to retrieve it). After the overnight proofing in the fridge, I took 60g amounts and shaped as little rolls, enclosing a tasty pistachio filling.

BRIOCHE ROLLS WITH PISTACHIO FILLING
(from Helen Fletcher and The Bewitching Kitchen)

for the dough, click here

for the filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 + 1/4 cup pistachio flour

In a medium bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and butter with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Mix in the salt and egg white (reserve the egg yolk for the egg wash), and then add the vanilla extract. Stir in the pistachio flour. Place in a large piping bag and reserve.

To shape the rolls: grab 60g portions of the dough, still cold from the fridge and roll as a rectangle so that the shorter dimension will fit in your baking pan of choice. Cut small strands on 3/4 of the length as shown in the pictures below. Add the filling to the top and roll it to close. Place in your baking pan and let it rise covered loosely for 1 hour to 90 minutes. Brush the surface with the egg yolk reserved, and bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I saw this cool shaping technique over at Instagram in the page of Chef Antonis, from Greece (click here to visit his page. Worked like a charm with this brioche dough, I intend to try other shaping methods in the future.

The picture above is slightly out of focus, but when I noticed it was too late and I did not want to cut another one, as they were to be donated later that day. The dough has the right amount of sweetness, and the pistachio cream complemented it well. I highly recommend you play with this recipe and come up with new combinations of flavors and shaping.