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!

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30Jan2026

KAREN’S THIN CRUST POTATO PIZZA

Posted in Pizzas, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

She raved about it (click here), and I jumped on making it pretty quickly. I was never quite sold on the idea of potato on pizza, but it is absolutely delicious! I made a few modifications to suit our way of cooking, which maybe by now you know, does not involve onions. But please go to her site for the original version. Preparation is super straightforward, commercial yeast, a couple of hours and voilà: PIZZA AT THE TABLE!

THIN CRUST POTATO PIZZA
(slightly modified from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

for the dough:
250 grams (about 1 3/4 cups plus) bread flour
5 grams (1 + 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
150 grams (2/3 cup) room temperature water
Extra virgin olive oil

for the topping:
1 quart lukewarm water
4 teaspoons salt
3 to 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices of Prosciutto, cut in small pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Salt to taste (I omitted)
Shredded Parmigiano cheese to taste

Whisk the dry ingredients for the crust together in a medium bowl. Add the water and mix it into the dough with a dough whisk or your hands until all of the flour is incorporaed, no more than a minute.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled, about 2 hours.

In a medium-large bowl, combine the water and salt and stir to dissolve the salt.
With a mandoline slicer, cut the potatoes into thin (1/16 inch) slices. Immediately place the slices into the salted water. Let them soak for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Drain the potatoes and press out as much water as possible. Toss the potatoes with the black pepper, rosemary, and olive oil.

Heat the oven to 500 degrees F with a rack in the middle. When the dough is ready, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a half sheet pan and spread it with your hands to coat the pan.
Place the dough in the half sheet pan, and flip it to coat both sides of the dough. Stretch it out to a long column to fit the middle of the pan. With your fingers, begin to press the dough to the sides of the pan. This may take awhile. When the dough resists your efforts, let it rest for a bit while you work on the potatoes. Eventually, your dough should just about cover the entire pan. If holes develop, just pinch them together.

Spread the potatoes over the top of the dough, all the way to the edges. Add the pieces of prosciutto scattered over the whole surface.
Bake the pizza for 15 minutes, add the Parmigiana on top, and continue baking for 15 minutes longer, until golden brown and the edges of the crust are beginning to pull up from the sides of the pan. The pizza will be very crispy.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This one goes into our rotation for sure! If you can have onions, go for it. The crust is very crisp, so don’t expect it to have that regular pizza vibe. It is addictive, and satisfying. You know I adore leftovers, so I am here to inform you that the leftovers were mine all mine next day.

The prosciutto gets very salty when it bakes, so if you add it, make sure to omit any additional salt, you won’t need it. I hope you make this recipe, it was perfect for us on a Saturday evening…

Karen, thank you for this gem of a recipe, cannot wait to make it again!
.

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13Jul2025

MEXICAN CONCHAS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

This recipe has been waiting for a long time in that list of “To Make Soon”. Better late than never, I actually made it twice, because I wasn’t totally happy with my first attempt. This is a classic Mexican sweet bread, with a colorful coating that is sweet and addictive…

for the concha press I used, click here

MEXICAN CONCHAS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

makes 8 large conchas

4 cups (550g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (85g) butter at room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup warm milk

Topping
1 1/2 cups (185g) all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup (180g) powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coco powder
1 tsp freeze dried strawberries, ground
Food coloring (optional)

In the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, yeast, and butter cut into pieces. Using the hook, mix for a few minutes until the butter is fully incorporated. Add one egg at a time, mixing for a minute after addition. Slowly add the milk, and once the mixture is smooth, knead it for a full 15 minutes, until the dough is super smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a buttered bowl, and let it rise until doubled. About 2 hours.

Make the topping by kneading (by hand is fine) flour, powdered sugar and butter until a dough is formed. Divide it in four pieces, add cocoa powder to one of them fourths, strawberry powder to the second half, vanilla to the remaining pieces. Add food color of your choice, if so desired. You can leave one of the vanilla pieces plain. Place in the fridge to set while the dough rises.

Punch the risen dough down, divide in 8 pieces and form little balls. Place them over parchment paper, four per baking sheet. Divide the colored dough into two, so you have a total of 8 pieces, 2 of each color. Use a tortilla press to roll them out, placing parchment paper squares on top and bottom to make it easy to move the dough around. Place the dough over the little rolls, and cut around to make it neat. Use the concha press to make the design on top. Cover, let them rise for 30 minutes and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Add a baking sheet with ice at the bottom of the oven to generate steam. You can also spray some water lightly over the dough after 2 minutes during baking.

Cool on a rack before eating.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Talk about a fun baking project, this is definitely it! When I made it the first time, I did not cover the breads fully with the colored dough, and later learned that the traditional way covers them fully. They get a more polished look that way. Below you see my first attempt, I used a heavier hand with the colors also…

When I make them again, I will either make half the recipe and form 6 little breads, or make the full recipe and shape 12 because I think these turned out slightly too big. Also, I think it would be fun to gather the different colors of topping and knead them slightly together to make a fun marbled topping. I just love the look of the bread as it goes through the final proofing.

I donated the whole batch, but of course had to ‘test taste” one. Love the cinnamon flavor, the bread is soft, tender, moist. And the topping, yes, addictive!

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7Nov2024

BOLO DO CACO, A BREAD FROM MADEIRA ISLAND

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Think of an English muffin, but richer, more tender and with the most beautiful color offered by orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. Very easy to make and thanks to instant yeast, pretty quick to have at the table. Some recipes call for cooking it exclusively on a griddle, but I find it almost impossible to bake it fully without getting the surface too dark. I prefer to start them on a griddle and finish baking in the oven. They turn out much better this way.

BOLO DO CACO
(from The Bewitching Kitchen, adapted from several sources)

2 sweet potatoes (enough to have 250g cooked flesh)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
400g bread flour (about 3 cups)
2/3 cup water (adjust depending on softness of the dough)

My favorite method to cook sweet potatoes is low and slow. Prick the potato skin with a fork and bake it at your favorite temperature until soft. Remove the skin and rice or cut the flesh in small pieces, measure 250g for this recipe. While warm, add to the bowl of a KitchenAid type processor and mix with the paddle attachment until soft. Add the butter, honey and salt, mix well. Allow it to cool until lukewarm. You can cook the potato in advance and reserve it.

Mix the yeast with the flour, add to the potato and work with the dough hook, adding water until a dough forms. It should not be dry, it is best if it clings a bit to the bottom of the bowl. Do not add all the water at once, go a bit at a time, as the moisture in potato might differ.

Transfer to a slightly oiled bowl, and let it rise at room temperature for 90 minutes. Cut the dough in 8 pieces, form each one into a ball, flatten it and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375F.

Heat a griddle until water evaporates quickly on contact with the surface. Cook each side of the little buns for a couple of minutes, until a golden crust forms. Place them all in the oven for 20 minutes to finish baking. Internal temperature should reach 200-205F.

Place them on a rack to fully cool before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I honestly don’t know how some recipes would advise to cook them on a griddle and call it a day. No way it would cook all the way through, unless you rolled them out super thin, but I believe they are better as “muffin” creatures, a bit on the plump side.

The crumb is very delicate, they have a slight sweetness, and go superbly well with some Roquefort cheese. Or many other tasty things you can think of. They also freeze well, I like to freeze slices in half as they will defrost quicker.

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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.