Never Judge a Book By the Cover...

One of the nicest perks about writing a food blog is that many major publishing houses contact you to ask if you would be interested in reviewing a new book that they have published and tell your readers about it. Sometimes I agree to do the review, other times if I don’t think my readers will enjoy the topic, I decline. There is never any compensation involved; I just do it for the fun of it and to keep a finger on the pulse of what’s new in the world of food. Once in a while, a request comes along that is a little out of the ordinary.

I was recently asked if I would look at a new book that was being published by Harper Collins, called More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay. The book is what I would categorize as a romance novel with a historical flare to it…what on earth would that have to do with a food blog. When I contacted the company, they said that there were some recipes in the book. I thought, why not?

 I always do cookbooks so this will be a little different. I received my copy of the book while I was out of town and didn’t get to it for a few days. Once I picked it up, I didn’t put it down until I finished. I don’t know why it intrigued me, maybe it was all the references to Syracuse, New York, or the fact that the author was from Upstate, New York, and that I guess after living here so many years, I am now an Upstate, New Yorker myself (albeit, I’ll never give up my Brooklyn roots.)

The book takes place in the 1940’s and in the present day through a series of flashback. Chelsea Enright inherits a cottage in the Adirondacks from her grandmother Brooke. She has no interest in the cottage and tells her grandmother’s attorney that she just wants to sell it. He tells her that her grandmother left a letter for her to read before making any decisions, and so she does. After the contents of the letter are revealed to her, she goes up to the cottage to check out the contents of the instructions left in her grandmother’s letter, thus uncovering some family secrets that she had known nothing about. In the course of staying in the cottage, she meets her new neighbor and tremendous changes take place in her own life as well. I don’t want to reveal too much more without giving away the entire plot.

However, in the course of discovery, she also received a copy of a handwritten cookbook of her grandmother’s from her mother. She takes the book with her as she embarks on her journey to uncover the person that was her grandmother. Her grandmother was an accomplished artist and cook. She kept a record of her recipes, naming them after prominent people involved in World War II, which also sets the background for the flashbacks. Chelsea begins to learn about her grandmother through her journal and her cookbook and begins to use the recipes and her discoveries to forge a new life for herself. Although, there are not too many recipes in the book, those that are there are intriguing. In fact, I am going to make the MacArthuroni this week. Who could turn down a great Mac and Cheese?

This book would make a great beach read, a great book club selection, and a great idea for a fun progressive dinner. I urge my readers to get a copy of the book, share it with a few friends, and then to a progressive dinner based on a forties theme party. Dress up in clothes from the forties and bring a recipe to share from that time period – perhaps discuss a family member that you had that was involved in the war, a grandmother who had a favorite recipe from the time, We all need an excuse to party today, but with the economy being what it is, money is tight – very much like the times described in the book…become creative and make your own recipes from your past and just have some fun with this – you won’t be disappointed.

 Here is a link to the book: Here are two recipes from the book that you might want to try as well:


MacArthuroni and Cheese Of all the recipes listed here, this one is the most surefire favorite. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a nice dish of macaroni and cheese! This recipe is especially good, because it’s made with two kinds of mushrooms and Gruyère cheese. Just be sure to not skimp on the Gruyère, and use only good quality mushrooms. During World War II, General MacArthur made his famous pronouncement, “I shall return!” Make this dish correctly, and your guests will “return” repeatedly for second (and maybe even third) helpings!

 Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes Serves 6–8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Good olive oil
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ½-inch pieces
½ pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons cream sherry
Kosher salt
1 pound pasta, such as cavatappi
3 ounces white truffle butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, scalded
12 ounces (4 cups) Gruyère cheese, grated
8 ounces (2½ to 3 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, grated
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1½ cups fresh white bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.

Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the sherry and continue to sauté for a few more minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well. While the pasta cooks, melt the truffle butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Remove from the heat and add the Gruyère, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and the nutmeg.

 Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour into a 10-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until they’re minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.

MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY. Copyright ©2012 by Robert Newcomb. All rights reserved.

Roosevelt’s Roast

Back when rationing was in effect, it was difficult to acquire all the ingredients for this one, named after FDR. But these days, it’s a snap! The trick with this one is the proper preparation of the bourbon-and-mushroom sauce. Don’t let it simmer too long, or you’ll run the risk of burning it. But do it right, and it will be worthy of serving at the White House!

Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Serves 4–6

2 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, for searing
¼ cup coarse sea salt
¼ cup coarse cracked black pepper
1 whole beef strip loin, trimmed with some fat remaining

Bourbon-mushroom sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 300˚F.

Add the oil to a sauté pan. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes each side. Place the meat on a sheet tray with a rack. Roast the meat for 30 to 40 minutes. Crank the oven up to 450˚ F and roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until crust forms and meat is nicely colored. When done, allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. In a small bowl, reserve the drippings for the bourbon-mushroom sauce.

A+ AUTHOR INSIGHTS , EXTRAS & MORE . . .
Bourbon-Mushroom Sauce

5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup bourbon
3 cups beef stock
Salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely browned. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Before serving with the beef, add the reserved juice to the mixture.

MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY. Copyright ©2012 by Robert Newcomb.  All rights reserved.

It's Grillin' Season

Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes

Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas & Sally Jackson


"I'm not telling you, 'Never eat a hamburger.' Just eat the good ones with real beef, you know, like the ones from that mom-and-pop diner down the street, ... And it's so good that when you take a bite out of that burger, you just know somewhere in the world a vegan is crying." - Homer Simpson

When Bobby Flay first started on the Food Network so many years ago, I wasn’t a fan. I thought he was cocky and arrogant, but I had to admit, he had charisma. I remember one of his earliest shows with Jackie Malouf (who by the way disappeared never to be heard from again), Boy Meets Grill, and some others. I began to change my mind, and decided his cockiness was just New York City moxie, that those of us born in the city seem to carry with us. I then, with the exception of Iron Chef, which I don’t really enjoy, started to watch him in earnest. The boy has matured into a fine man and a Top Chef. I started to buy his cookbooks and love his throw downs – hear that Bobby, I’m up for the challenge!

In his ninth and latest book, Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes, I think you see the essence of who Bobby Flay really is. I simple kid who made it big in New York City, working his tail off to be a success, but at heart is just a local boy who has lived his dream, and now wants to share it with the world.

Bobby’s newest restaurant, which opened in Lake Grove, Long Island (NY),in the Smithhaven Mall, is the culmination of a life long dream of Bobby’s, to own a successful burger joint, and Bobby’s Burger Palace is that reality. In fact, Bobby has opened two others as well, one in
Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, New Jersey, and another in Bergen Town Center, in Paramus, New Jersey.


As Bobby tells it, when he goes home at night, he doesn’t want foie gras, or caviar, he craves a nice tasty burger with great fries and a shake. He wrote this book to share his passions with his fans, and those who crave a better burger. To be fair, this is not a book for vegetarians. For the health conscious, you can substitute turkey, and there are some tuna burgers.

Bobby starts with the essentials of what makes a great burger – his preference is ground Angus chuck, some good Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. His philosophy is the burger is simple and then you build the toppings. From there, he goes on to describe the skillets, cooking times for the perfect burger, and then the cheeses. From there, he takes you through about 30 of the most delicious hamburgers you can imagine. From the Cheyenne Burger topped with Cheddar Cheese, bacon, barbeque sauce and French fried onions, to the California Burger topped with Avocado relish, onions, cilantro, lime, jalapeño chilies, to the Arthur Avenue Burger topped with olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, ketchup, oregano, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper and a Fontina cheese Frico, there is something for everyone.

Then, it’s on to the fries, and the secret to the perfect fry – no telling – you have to buy the book! He goes through the different types of fries, regular fries, shoestring, steak house, oven roasted, sweet potato fries, plantain fries, Beer batter onion rings, buttermilk onion rings, if your mouth isn’t watering by now, check your pulse and see if you’re breathing!

From there, it’s on to condiments, sauces, and seasoning mixes, pickles, ketchup, jalapeños, recipes for spice mixes, pickling, you name it, it’s here.

To end this book on a sweet note, the final chapter is dedicated to the milkshake. If you can’t find shake you like, I can’t imagine where you would go from here. There are over twenty different types of milkshakes, from Blackberry Cheesecake to Dark Chocolate with Fluffy Coconut Cream, to Toasted Marshmallow, to Black and Whites, to a Lemon Meringue Pie Milkshake…they are all here and look good enough to lick the pages.
I may have to go right out and order a milk shake maker, lol

The food photography in this book, taken by Ben Fink, makes you want to go in and eat the pages, as you read the book. It gives new meaning to devouring the book!

Of all of Bobby’s books, this is my favorite thus far because, these are recipes you can successfully make at home, and your family (unless they are vegetarians will love them) although I bet a vegetarian could get some ideas for their toppings on a veggie burger too.
I would definitely recommend buying this book, whether or not you are a fan of Bobby’s is inconsequential, it’s a great cookbook, standing on its own merit. It will be a welcome addition to any cookbook collection, a great gift for a Bachelor, a great Father’s Day gift for the Dad who loves to grill, a great book for newlyweds, singles, just about anyone who enjoys a nice juicy burger.

As Julia Child once said, “"It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire."

Contents:

Introduction
Burgers
French Fries, Potato Chips, and Onion Rings
Condiments and Seasoning
Milkshakes
Resources and Acknowledgments
Index

This book is a culmination of Bobby’s dreams, and you will feel a part of his world. I think you get to know a little of the man behind the persona when reading this book. Filled with one delicious recipe after another, it’s like Bobby’s way of giving back to his followers, a cookbook for the real people.

Take a deep breath, can you smell the grill heating, smell the aroma of the burgers grilling, the onions sautéeing, the fresh smells of the fruits and berries in the shakes. Are you hungry yet? Start grilling, ‘tis the season!

I always include a recipe from the book I am reviewing and this is no exception. As always, it is difficult to make a choice, but I chose the Cheyenne Burger because it looked so good, and I am a fan of those delicious shoestring onion rings


Cheyenne Burger

1½ pounds ground chuck (80 percent lean) or ground turkey (90 percent lean)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons canola oil
8 slices smoked sharp cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns, split, toasted, if desired
½ cup barbeque sauce (recipe in the book)
8 slices crisp cooked bacon (optional)
½ recipe shoestring onion rings (recipe in the book)
Chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

1. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4 –inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Cook the burgers, using the oil (see page 16) and topping each one with a slice of the cheese and a basting cover during the last few minutes of cooking (see page 21.)

3. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and slather each one with the barbeque sauce. Top with bacon, if using, shoestring onion rings, parsley, and then the bun tops and serve immediately.

Book Title: Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes
Author: Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas & Sally Jackson
Category: Celebrity Cookbooks
ISBN 978-0-307-46063-9
Publisher: Clarkson N. Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, New York 10019
Website: http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/clarksonpotter.html
Published: 2009
Edition: First
Description: Hard Cover
Illustrations: No
Photographs: Beautiful Color Photos
Price: $25.95
Reviewed by: Elise Feiner – April 26, 2009


Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes can be ordered by scrolling down to the bottom of the blog to our Foodfanataholics Cookbook Nook, go to the sidebar on the right and click on Cookbook of the Month or by hitting the button on the sidebar.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes with Fresh Roasted Garlic

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

I purchased this book a while ago having heard about it on the radio. I put it on the shelf where it sat forever. One night, I flipped through it quickly, and thought when I have some time, I’ll try it. I forgot about it and then suddenly, everywhere I turned this book or comments about it kept popping up. I took it out again and decided to read it.

How could it be possible that you could make delicious artisan bread in five minutes, with no kneading, no proofing – I wasn’t sold…how could this be? I was torn here...as I love bread. If I was stranded on a desert island and could pick one food I would probably choose bread (as long as I could make butter!)


One of the authors, Jeff Hertzberg, is a New York City person like me. I actually know the area that he grew up quite well, as I lived very close by. He was right about the bakeries and the breads that we were able to buy when we were growing up. They were delicious, crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and they didn’t turn to mold in one day.

We have a running joke in my family. My Uncle Frank, who was a surgeon used to have an office in Brooklyn, on Kings Highway. Every Sunday, after he made rounds on his patients he would stop at this little shop in Brooklyn and buy several loaves of what we called “Chinzullo’s bread”. It was a huge round loaf, which they would pre-slice and you could freeze it and it would taste just as delicious thawed as the day you brought it home. Of course, my Aunt Edith and I would slather ours with butter and eat it right away.

Shortly after I got married, I asked Marc to go to the store and get some Chinzullo bread (thinking he knew I meant a round hard crust loaf). He went to five bakeries on Staten Island, asking for Chinzullo bread and no one knew what he was talking about. We never told him that Chinzullo was the baker’s name (he is reported to be actor Vince Edwards' father by the way), and not the name of the bread. We still laugh about that until this day. It was my revenge for a pickled herring story, that I’ll save for another day!

The point of the story is that I finally tried the recipe in the book for the basic boule, and lo and behold, I had created Chinzullo bread in my own kitchen in five minutes. I still can’t believe it! This bread was the most delicious bread and so easy to do. You mix the four ingredients in a large bowl (with a spoon or a mixer), let it rest on the counter two hours to rise, refrigerate it, and in three hours, you’re good to go. It doesn’t get any easier than that. The book is everything it promises to be.

Jeff Hertzberg, who by the way is a physician, met his co-author Zoe Francois, at their childrens' music class. He had been working on this recipe of trying to recreate the breads of his youth, and she was a professional baker, a match made in heaven! They have perfect the perfect bread recipes. I tried the basic one, and I am going through this book until I have baked them all!

The book begins with how the recipe came about. It then goes on to tell the secret of this recipe, moist and wet dough. It continues with an introduction, ingredients, equipment, tips and techniques, and then the bread recipes, and there are so many, but they all stem from about four or five basic recipes…it’s mind boggling!

I love this book, and I love this bread. I have recommended it to so many of my friends, and bought copies for all my kids along with a pizza peel and a baking stone, which is about all you need to be a success. If I had to pick the one cookbook I couldn’t do without , (other than my own of course) this would be it.

Among the recipes included in the book are recipes for Rye, and Pumpernickel breads, Egg Breads, Brioches, Olive Bread, Pita Bread, Pizza Dough, Bagels, Oatmeal Bread, Vermont Cheddar Bread, Challah, Pastries, Pretzels, and on and on. I can’t wait to be able to try all the others – olive bread is next up for me!

The convenience of being able to store bread in your refrigerator and bake a loaf every night with dinner is amazing, especially when all you have to do pull a piece of dough, let it rise on the peel for 1 – 1½ hours, pop it in the oven and bake it 30 minutes, let it cool for about 20 minutes eat and enjoy!


Contents:
Acknowledgments
The Secret
Preface
1. Introduction
2: Ingredients
3: Equipment
4: Tips and Techniques
5: The Master Recipe
6: Peasant Loaves
7: Flatbreads and Pizzas
8: Enriched Breads and Pastries
Index
Sources Bread-Baking Products

There was no contest as to which recipe to choose to post on the blog. The recipe is for The Master Recipe or Boule. It is so easy, one, two, three, and you’re done.

The Master Recipe – Boule

3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees)
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packages)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups flour, unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose (use individual measuring cups and scoop and level off the top with a knife being careful not to press down on the flour
Cornmeal for the pizza peel

I am giving you a quick synopsis of the directions here because they are a few pages long. You can go to their website Artisan Bread in Five and see an actual video of the process. Besides, you are going to run right out and buy this book. Actually, call the book stores first, they are always sold out, then just click on the side and order it from Amazon, because that’s what you’ll have to do if you want a copy anyway.

Mixing and storing the dough:

In a large storage container (one that is not airtight - I used a cereal storage container), add the warm water, yeast, and salt. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or a mixer with a dough hook. You really just need a spoon, and stir until all the flour is incorporated.

Don't knead, it isn't necessary. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. It takes a few minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

Allow to rise on your counter at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours. Cover with lid (not airtight or it could explode the lid off). Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approx 2 hours, depending on room temperature, and initial water temperature Longer rising times, up to 5 hours, won't harm the result.

You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period, but it is better to refrigerate the dough for use the next day. Fully refrigerated dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature.


On Baking Day:

Place some cornmeal on a pizza peel to make it easier to slide your dough onto a baking stone.
Preheat a baking stone in a 450 degree oven for at least 20 minutes, on the middle shelf. Place an empty roasting pan on the bottom shelf at the same time.

Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a grapefruit-size piece of dough (about 1 lb), using a serrated knife. Sprinkle with a little more flour. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all 4 sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off - that's fine, it isn't meant to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will sort itself out during resting and baking.

The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30 - 60 seconds.

Place the loaf on the peel, and let it rise for at least 1 1/2 hours if the dough was refrigerated. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period. That's fine, more rising will occur during baking.

Just before placing the bread in the oven, dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a quarter inch deep cross, diagonal lines, or tic-tac-toe pattern on top using a serrated knife.

Just before you open the oven door to slide the loaf onto the stone, fill a measuring cup with hot water and put it right on top of the oven.

After a 20 minute preheat you're ready to bake, even though the oven thermometer won't be at full temperature yet. Put your loaf in the oven. Quickly, pour about 1 cup of hot water (from the tap) into the roasting pan and close the oven to trap the steam.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch.

Store the rest of the dough in the fridge in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days. The flavor and texture improves, becoming like sourdough. Even 24 hours of storage improves the flavor.

This is the standard bread. There are tons of variations - both savory and sweet in the book. You will never be bored and it's so easy!

Makes 4 (1 pound) loaves






Book Title: Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day
Author: Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois
Category: Specialty Cookbooks
ISBN 13 978-0-312-36291-1
ISBN 100-312-36291-9
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 1010
Website: http://www.stmartins.com
Edition: First
Description: Hard Cover
Illustrations: No
Photographs: Black and White, and Color Photos
Price: $27.95
Reviewed by: Elise Feiner – April 28, 2009


Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day can be ordered by scrolling down to the bottom of the blog to our Foodfanataholics Cookbook Nook, or, go to the sidebar on the right and click on Cookbook of the Month or, by hitting the button on the sidebar.

Here are the pictures of Lauren and I making the bread - you will see how easy it is!

This is what you will need for the recipe:

In a large storage container (one that is not airtight-

I used a large plastic storage container at Laurens),



Measure the yeast




Place the yeast into the large container

Measure the warm water -it should be about 100-110 degrees
(it should feel warm on the wrist, but not burning)

add the warm water

measure the Kosher salt

add the salt to the yeast mix in the container

Measure the flour


Carefully level off the top with a knife or scoop
be sure not to pack the flour down, just level it

add the flour


and mix with a wooden spoon or a mixer with a dough hook
You really just need a spoon,

and stir until all the flour is incorporated

Don't knead, it isn't necessary
You're finished when everything is uniformly moist,
without dry patches
It takes a few minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet
and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

Allow to rise on your counter at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours.
Cover with lid (not airtight or it could explode the lid off).
Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse
(or at least flattens on the top), approx 2 hours, depending on
room temperature, and initial water temperature
(longer rising times, up to 5 hours, won't harm the result.)


This is how the dough will look as it's rising on your counter


You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period,
but it is better to refrigerate the dough for use the next day.
Fully refrigerated dough is less sticky and easier to work
with than dough at room temperature.

Put the dough into the refrigerator overnight

When you are ready to use the dough,
figure you will need 45 minutes to 1 hour
to let the dough rise on the counter,
at least 20 minutes for your pizza stone to heat,
35 minutes to bake the bread,
and about 25 minutes to let it cool so you can cut it.

Baking Day:

Turn your oven to 450 degrees
with your pizza stone on the middle rack, and an
empty baking pan on the bottom of the oven

Take your pizza peel
(I use a wooden one at home)

and sprinkle it very liberally with cornmeal




Remove the dough from the refrigerator

Remove the cover, this is what the dough looks like

Sprinkle top with a small dusting of flour

Pull up a grapefruit size ball of dough
(Put the rest of the dough back in the refrigerator
when you are done shaping the ball, it will
keep for up to 14 days)

Gently pull it under to form a ball

Place on the pizza peel and let it rise

see how much it grows as it sits on the counter


While the dough is rising, I put a very sharp knife
a measuring cup, and flour on the counter -
you will need these as you get ready to bake the bread

Let the water run so it is very hot

Fill a pyrex measuring cup with the hot water

Place it on the stove or near the stove so you can get to it quickly

The dough has risen at room temperature for 1 hour
and it's ready to go into the oven

Sprinkle the top with a little flour

Take a sharp knife and make some
slits in the dough
(you can do a tic-tac-toe shape or a
series of cuts - the book shows several)

I like to center my knife at the back and come down on
an angle to make a starburst type shape


You don't need to cut very deeply

Ready for the oven

Shake it off the peel
(if it sticks, run a knife under it -
if the shape changes a little it's fine
(one of the loaves shown at the beginning was
my first loaf on my new peel and it stuck
so the loaf was a little elongated -
it still tasted delicious!)
This peel was new too, so it stuck a little as well

Safely on the stone :)

Quickly throw in the cup of water to the baking pan
on the bottom and close the door

30-35 minutes later depending on your oven delicious bread!

Let cool on a rack for about 20 minutes
if you can resist the aroma,
it makes it easier to cut

Enjoy!!

Note: All the loaves shown here were made by me using this recipe. I make mine a little larger than the directions say, so I usually get three loaves to a batch. This is the best recipe.

Do not leave this page without ordering the book, your taste buds, stomach, and your family will thank me :)