CHOCOLATE PAN DE CRISTAL

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Decadent. First adjective that came to my mind after the first bite. It is not a sourdough, relies on commercial yeast, but I would not consider it a bread fit for beginner bakers. The high hydration level makes it very tricky to handle. However, if you don’t mind a little challenge, go for it. Absolutely wonderful!

CHOCOLATE PAN DE CRISTAL
(slightly modified from King Arthur website)

500g bread flour
520g) water lukewarm
2 teaspoons (10g) table salt
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast
20g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
olive oil to coat the bowl
130g chopped chocolate

In a medium bowl, mix the dough ingredients until thoroughly combined and homogenous. The dough starts off very slack and wet. Oil a two-quart rectangular baking dish (10” x 7”) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the dough into the dish. If you have a bread proofing box, set it to 72F and place the dish inside it. Cover the pan and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Perform a first set of bowl folds: 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 about 12 times going all around the perimeter of the dough. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

To 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. Rotate the dish 90°(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. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

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

Repeat the coil fold one last time. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

As gently as possible, turn the dough out onto a work surface spritzed with water. Gently coax the dough into a rectangle about 14” x 10” with the long side facing you. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the chocolate. Fold one of the short sides into the center, then fold the opposite third over the first, like you were folding a business letter.

Fold the dough a second time by bringing the top third of the dough down towards the center, then bringing the bottom third up to cover the top portion (another letter fold). Return the dough to the oiled dish to rise for about 80 minutes, until puffy.

Gently turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough and roll the cut sides of the dough on the floured surface so no sticky spots are exposed. Tuck any visible pieces of chocolate into the dough to prevent them from burning.

Working as gently as possible, use a bench knife or other sharp knife to divide it into eight pieces. Place four pieces on a sheet of parchment, leaving space between them. Repeat with the remaining four pieces of dough, placing them on another sheet of parchment. Let the rolls rest at room temperature for 2 hours, uncovered.

Heat the oven to 475F with a baking stone (or steel sheet) inside. Carefully slide the four rolls (still resting on the parchment) into the oven onto the stone or steel. Allow the other rolls to continue to rest.

Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to a rack to cool. Bake the remaining 4 rolls. Allow the rolls to cool completely.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I have made the original Pan de Cristal last year (check it out here). As soon as I saw the recipe at King Arthur’s site, I knew I had to try it. This bread is not sweet, the chocolate brings almost a smokey quality to the bread, but when you happen to bite into a morsel of chocolate that did not quite fully melt into the crumb, you know it is the key ingredient. Do not expect to be able to shape the rolls, divide them and let them be. The bread is great without anything but a little butter, flaky salt, a little Brie cheese, or if you are into jam, apparently cherry jam would be awesome with it. Like most breads, it freezes superbly well, so make it and enjoy it for days and weeks to come!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chicken Breasts in Creamy Turmeric-Mustard Sauce

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22Feb2026

SCALDED BUCKWHEAT FLOUR AND HONEY SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This wonderful bread was inspired by The Perfect Loaf, but I modified it quite a bit. Check his site for the original, which makes two loaves and includes a few extra instructions I omit.

SCALDED BUCKWHEAT FLOUR AND HONEY SOURDOUGH
(adapted from The Fresh Loaf)

for the levain:
27 g whole wheat flour
27g water
27g sourdough starter

flour scald:
23g buckwheat flour
37g boiling water

autolyse step:
320g bread flour
95g whole wheat flour
270g water
All of the flour scald

main dough:
45g water
9g salt
all the level
40g honey

sesame seeds for decoration (optional)

Prepare the levain: mix and allow it to ferment for 3 hours. At the same time make the buckwheat scald by mixing the flour with boiling water. Mix well into a paste. Cover and reserve.

Do the autolyse step: Combine flours, water, and scalded buckwheat in the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer. Use your hands or the dough hook to mix the ingredients until the flour is all incorporated. Cover and let it at room temperature for 1 hour.

Add the levain, additional water (hold some back and see if the dough can take the full amount), salt, and honey. Turn the mixer with the dough hook and knead for 3 minutes in low-speed. Turn the mixer off, wait for 5 minutes and turn it on again at low-speed for 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove a small portion of the dough to monitor fermentation.

Ferment for 3 hours (I used my proofing box set at 78F), with folds at every 30 minutes. Allow the dough to sit undisturbed until it increases by 50% in volume. I left mine for a total of 6 hours.

Pre-shape the dough, allow it to rest for 15 minutes and shape as a ball. Place it in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, freeze the dough for 20 minutes to make it easier to handle. Spread black and white sesame seeds over parchment paper. Invert the dough on the seeds, roll to coat it well. Slash if so desired.

Bake in a Dutch oven at 450F for 30 minutes with the lid on, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.

Allow it to cool completely before slicing the bread.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We loved this bread! It has a smoky quality, probably due to the scalded buckwheat flour, perfect for ham or smoked salmon. It is hearty, very flavorful, with a nice crumb and perfect crust. I highly recommend you try this recipe, or go for the original from The Perfect Loaf, that has a much higher proportion of whole-wheat, and uses malt syrup and aniseeds.

I am definitely going to make it again!

ONE YEAR AGO: Three Adorable Cookies

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7Feb2026

VALENTINE’S SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

You can use any recipe you are fond of, the scoring is not intricate so you can even increase a bit the hydration level if you prefer. You will need parchment paper cut with a heart shape (save the heart and the outside area), and a stencil with little hearts. I used Red Yeast Powder to add color, but air-brushing would also work. I love how the little white heart popped into the design, totally by accident! Serendipity at work…

VALENTINE’S SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

450g bread flour
50g whole wheat flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
Thai rice flour (or tapioca flour)
Red Yeast Powder for color (I used this one)

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oil bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, add the heart shape in the center, and flour the region around it (I used Thai rice flour). Lift the heart shape, place the larger parchment as a mask to cover the rest of the dough. Add your stencil, making sure it is tight on the surface. Rub Red Yeast powder over the design, lift the stencil carefully. Score the perimeter of the heart and the outer area of the dough, and place in a Dutch oven.

Close the pan and bake at 450F for 7 minutes. Remove the lid, go back and re-inforce the cut around the heart, although this step is optional. Close the pan and bake for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was a lot of fun to make, although I could have done a better job keeping the stencil tighter to the surface for a sharper edge around the little hearts. Here is the full process…

First, get the parchment paper cut and the stencil ready.

Now start by placing the heart on the top of the loaf, fresh from its little rest in the freezer… Rub flour all around.

Lift the stencil, revealing the heart underneath with no white flour on it…

Place the parchment paper as a mask hiding the areas outside the heart, the stencil on top of it…

Rub the red powder over the design…

Gently lift the stencil, score the dough and you are ready to bake!

I close this post with a baking memory from 2023 (click here for full details)

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THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Quinoa

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SIX YEARS AGO: Mini-Heart Cakes for your Valentine

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EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Chicken Meatballs

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SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: White Bread

21Dec2025

RAISED FLOWER SOURDOUGH BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I have tried quite a few times this method in which portions of a sourdough design are lifted during baking, usually by inserting small pieces of crumbled parchment paper underneath the area, something that is done once the bread is in the oven for about 7 minutes. I had failure after failure, but this time it worked better. There is a lot of room for improvement, but at least I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

RAISED FLOWER SOURDOUGH BREAD
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

480g bread flour
20g whole wheat flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
2 tsp oregano

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, with three strings equally spaced. Rub the surface with cocoa powder, and proceed to score as a flower, using the strings to guide you (check the video after this recipe).

Close the pan and bake at 450F for 7 minutes. Remove the lid, go back and its a razor blade re-inforce the petals to force them to separate better, gently slice the tip of each petal with the blade parallel to the surface, and place a small piece of parchment paper underneath each petal to force it to rise up. Close the pan and bake for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Remove the strings, and let the bread cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This is a video of the scoring before baking. It is four times faster than real-time.

Comments: I consider this bread a work in progress. My goal is to repeat this technique but with more finesse. The lifted area needs to be thinner, more delicate, which is not a very easy thing to do. But I am stubborn. Just don’t tell the husband I admitted to that. Once you open the pan after 7 minutes, it is quite hot and steamy, it is hard to get the correct angle to work with the blade without burning yourself. More practice and a lot more Zen is needed. But I am thrilled with this outcome, as I had so many frustrated attempts in the past.

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THREE YEARS AGO: Christmas Sourdough

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FIVE YEARS AGO: Cranberry White Chocolate Tart

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NINE YEARS AGO: Steam-Roasted Indian-Spiced Cauliflower

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18Dec2025

KLEBBA HOUSE ROLLS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Inspired by the traditional Parker House Rolls, this is the recipe Phil’s Mom used to make every Thanksgiving. Phil keeps a bunch of recipes handwritten in small cards, held inside an acrylic box that is very likely older than his grownup kids. I learned to love and cherish that little box of recipes because they were all part of his childhood, teenage, and hippie years. His past.

KLEBBA HOUSE ROLLS
(from Louise Wilhelmina Klebba)

One 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
1 + 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed

Make the dough. In a stand mixer mix the yeast with the water, sugar, butter, egg and salt.

Fit it with the dough hook, and add the flour in two increments, kneading it at low-speed. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes, until smooth. Remove from the mixer, transfer to a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Roll the dough with a rolling pin, cut in circles with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it rise again for 1 to 1.5 hours. Brush with melted butter before baking at 375F for 15 minutes or until golden. Brush again with butter as soon as they are out of the oven.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The traditional Parker House Rolls are shaped differently, they are shaped as rounds, then flattened and folded. I used the method that Phil’s Mom used, which is different, so if you want to check how it was originally made, read this article. I am so glad I made them with very minor modifications from Phil’s family recipe. In those days there was no instant yeast, so the whole method was slightly more convoluted. Most important thing, our Thanksgiving meal this year had a touch of loving memories from a distant past. And that made me very very happy.