A DUET OF ST PATRICK’S BAKES

Posted in Breads, Cake by sallybr

If you follow my baby blog, perhaps you’ve noticed I ran out of time to blog about St. Patrick’s cookies? It turns out I also got in trouble right here in the Bewitching Kitchen. Today I share a bread and a batch of cupcakes made in honor of that special holiday. Included in this post, a little cupcake decorating video, that you can find right after the recipe.

Better late than never, let’s start with the bread…

SHAMROCK SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

450g bread flour
25g spelt flour
25g dark rye flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
Thai rice flour (or tapioca flour)
shamrock shape cut from edible paper

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 shamrock shape in the center, and flour the region around it (I used Thai rice flour). To make the paper stick, you can spray the surface VERY LIGHTLY with water. Score the perimeter of the shamrock and the outer area of the dough, and place in a Dutch oven.

Close the pan and bake at 450F 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: I used my Supersonic blade to score the dough, but a sharp razor blade will do, of course. This composition of sourdough, with mostly white flour, but a touch of spelt and rye might very well be my favorite these days.

Moving on, time for cupcakes!

ST PATRICK CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes 10 cupcakes

100g all-purpose flour
20g cocoa powder
140g granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
40g unsalted butter
1 large egg
120ml milk
1 + ½ tsp baking powder
buttercream for topping
Mini-golden Oreos painted with gold luster powder + vodka

Heat your oven to 350F and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.

In a small, bowl, whisk the milk and egg with a fork. Reserve.

Put the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, butter, sugar and salt into the stand mixer
bowl with the paddle attachment. Mix on a medium speed until the butter turns into the consistency of sand.

Pour in half of the milk and egg mixture into the stand mixer bowl with your other
ingredients and mix on a slow speed until it all fully combines and becomes a thick
paste. Pour the remaining milk mixture and mix on low-speed until the batter is smooth.

Fill the lined pan with batter, a little more than halfway full. Bake for 16 minutes, testing with a toothpick. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM FOR CUPCAKES

226g butter, unsalted, softened
452g powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Vanilla extract, about 1 tsp or more to taste
a couple or more tablespoons of milk (to adjust consistency)

Place the softened butter in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer with the paddle attachment, add the pinch of salt, and whip at high speed for about 7 minutes. It needs to be really soft and lighter. Stop the mixer. Eyeball the amount of powdered sugar, add 1/3 and mix at low speed at first, once the sugar is starting to get incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high.

Add the second portion of the sugar, and incorporate the same way. Add the final portion, start at low speed, clean the sides of the bowl well with a spatula, add the vanilla and increase the speed slowly all the way to high. Whip it until very smooth. Add milk to desired consistency. Divide the buttercream in two portions, dye one with light green, one with darker green. Place both portions over a plastic wrap, enclose them as a sausage, drop inside a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip. Decorate the tops of the cupcakes as shown in the video. Add the gold Oreos.

EENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I was pretty happy with the way these cupcakes turned out. It was fun to decorate, and to show the process in more detail, here is a little video for you.

That’s all for now, friends! If you like a little St. Patrick’s trivia, here is a very interesting article for you…

ONE YEAR AGO: Happy Birthday to me!

TWO YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple: Air-Fried Salmon Bites

THREE YEARS AGO: Chocolate-Covered Oreos

FOUR YEARS AGO: Pan-Steamed Broccoli with Miso Vinaigrette

FIVE YEARS AGO: Cookies and Rubber Stamps

SIX YEARS AGO: Macarons for all Seasons and Reasons

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Lentils and Radicchio? Yes, please!

EIGHT YEAR AGO: Tres Leches Cake

NINE YEARS AGO: The Joys of Grating Squash

TEN YEARS AGO: Auberge-Pecan Walnut Bread

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese

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

TWO YEARS AGO: Ube Sourdough, Two Ways

THREE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Dulce de Leche Cookie Cups

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chicken Poblano Tortilla Soup

FIVE YEARS AGO: Kung Pao Chicken

SIX YEARS AGO: Galette de Rois

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sous-Vide Overnight Oatmeal

EIGHT YEARS AGO: A Valentine’s Day Opera

NINE YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four

TEN YEARS AGO: Walnut-Cranberry Sourdough Bread

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Ottolenghi in Brazil?

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso-Lime Dressing

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: 2012 Fitness Report: P90X2

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Caramelized Bananas

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread

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).

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)

ONE YEAR AGO: Yogurt and Pistachio Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Chinese-Style Orange Chicken goes Light

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Quinoa

FOUR YEARS AGO: A Savory Phyllo Pie

FIVE YEARS AGO: Nut-Free Lady Grey Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Mini-Heart Cakes for your Valentine

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Blue Moon Milk

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Cooked Chicken Meatballs

NINE YEARS AGO: Zesty Flourless Chocolate Cake

TEN YEARS AGO: Maple Pumpkin Pecan Snacking Cake

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Sweet Fifteen!

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Sesame and Flaxseed Sourdough

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones

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.

ONE YEAR AGO: Air-Fried Sourdough Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Ube Macarons

THREE YEARS AGO: Christmas Sourdough

FOUR YEARS AGO: Star-Shaped Sun-dried Tomato Bread

FIVE YEARS AGO: Cranberry White Chocolate Tart

SIX YEARS AGO: I dream of Madeleines and a Tower of Cheesecakes

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Dominique Ansel’s Chocolate Mousse Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Eye of the Round Beef

NINE YEARS AGO: Steam-Roasted Indian-Spiced Cauliflower

TEN YEARS AGO: Creamy Zucchini-Mushroom Soup

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Ken Forkish’s Pain au Bacon

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Carrot and Cumin Hamburger Buns

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Potato Galettes a l’Alsacienne & Book Review

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Caramelized Carrot Soup

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Pain Poilane

5Dec2025

THE NUOVVA PAN, MY NEW SOURDOUGH TOY

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I admit it. I didn’t try to resist the temptation to buy this pan. It was too adorable and I needed it in my life. Today I share my very first adventure with the Nuovva double Dutch oven (click here for ordering info).

The pan is available in several colors, but my heart was set on this gorgeous red version. It is almost exactly 16 inches, so unless your oven is really small, you should have no issues using it.

DUET OF SOURDOUGH BOULES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

580g bread flour
20g whole-wheat flour
420g water
11g salt
85g starter (I used stiff, at about 75% hydration)

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, divide the dough in two equal parts, shape them as two small balls and place in a floured banetton. 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 the paper liner, place in the loaf pan, you can invert it over 3 strings if you like to make a pumpkin/flower shape. Score in any way you want, or use a stencil.

Close the pan and bake at 450F for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and allow the bread to bake further for another 15 minutes or so. I found that the surface of the bread was not browning enough so after 40 minutes I removed them from the pan and let them bake for additional 10 minutes over the rack, outside of the pan.

Let it cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Cannot tell you how much we loved these loaves! They look adorable and baked perfectly side-by-side in the pan. I will be using it often. The loaves would be perfect for a dinner party, a sure way to impress your guests.