just baked
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I had fun reading again Alice’s adventures. For example, I paid more attention to the way she talks to herself and about herself. Truly one of those books that tell us something more or a bit different each time we read them.

Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words “EAT ME” were beautifully marked in currants.

I knew immediately I’d make cookies for Alice: when I like a cookie, it’s like it has EAT ME written on it. Also, in my opinion, the best foods with tea are cookies and scones, and Alice really goes with cookies. After deciding to bake cookies, the question was: which kind?

the right size, the right shape, balanced flavor
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Some time ago, I developed my version of chocolate chunk cookies, so I turned my attention to another traditional sweet morsel of goodness: oatmeal raisin cookies. They are made with ingredients I like, but not necessarily in a way that appeals to me.

Guided on one hand by my Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies¹ and on the other by the recipe for Oatmeal raisin cookies in Stacy Adimando’s The Cookiepedia², I experimented with various versions until I settled on the recipe below, which includes a few steps to execute ahead of preparing the cookie dough: browning the butter, re-hydrating the raisins, and toasting rolled oats and sliced almonds. Additional personal touches include the use of coconut sugar, rye and whole-wheat flour (farina integrale), and okara flour³, a protein-rich, gluten-free flour derived from the soybean pulp (okara) generated during soymilk (latte di soia) production.

some of the ingredients, ready for use
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

The cookies are tender, sweet enough, with a contrast between plump raisins and crisp sliced almonds (mandorle). The rolled oats give the texture more body. I like them a lot.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies

Ingredients for 11 cookies:

1/4 cup / 2 ounces / 56 grams unsalted butter (to make brown butter, recipe below)
1 1/2 ounces / 42 grams raisins
1 tablespoon / 15 ml warm apple juice OR tea OR water
3 ounces / 85 grams rolled oats
1 ounce / 28 grams sliced almonds
Avocado OR other mild-flavored vegetable oil to add to the brown butter to obtain 2 ounces
1 3/4 ounces / 50 grams sugar: 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 light brown sugar
1 egg about 2.1 ounces / 60 grams, at room temperature
1 teaspoon / 5 ml vanilla extract
2 ounces / 56 grams total of a combination of flours:
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams okara flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams whole rye flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams sprouted whole-wheat pastry flour OR whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (cannella)

Prepare the following four ingredients ahead of making the cookies: brown butter, plumped raisins, toasted rolled oats, toasted almond slices.

1) Cut the butter into small pieces and put them into a small saucepan. Melt the butter while stirring then keep the melted butter on the heat, stirring. The butter will foam as water evaporates then the solids will caramelize. Remove the saucepan from the heat, pour the brown butter into a ramekin and let cool. The process is fast and requires full attention as the solids go from brown to burned in a few seconds⁴.

2) With your fingers, separate the raisins that are clumped. Place the raisins in a ramekin. Pour the warm liquid over them and stir well. Stir again a few more times.

3) Heat the oven to 350 F / 170 C. Spread the rolled oats on an unlined baking sheet. Toast rolled oats in the oven for 4-5 minutes, shaking the sheet half-way through.

4) Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet to ensure even toasting and prevent burning. Transfer the almonds onto a plate.

Finally, make the cookies. Let the brown butter soften in a mixing bowl. Weigh the butter and add enough vegetable oil to get to 2 ounces / 56 grams. Add both sugars to the mixing bowl. Cream the butter and sugars. I do all the mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon, but you can use an electric mixer until otherwise noted. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and stir until combined.

Sift the flours into a small mixing bowl. Sift in the baking soda, then add salt and cinnamon. Add about half of the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir briefly. Add the rest and mix just until the flour is incorporated. Add the toasted oats and incorporate them `using a spatula. Finally, add the raisins and incorporate them using a spatula.

Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to firm up the dough (it will be easier to handle and the cookies will remain chubby), but not too firm, since there is one last ingredient to incorporate.

Heat the oven to 350 F/177 C.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Add the toasted almonds to the dough and stir to incorporate. Weigh approximately 1.2 ounces / 34 grams of dough for each cookie. Shape each piece of dough into a half dome, tap the top to flatten it slightly and place on the baking sheet, leaving 1 1/2-2 inches / 4-5 cm of distance between them.

Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the backing sheet. Bake for another 6 minutes. The cookies will still be soft. The edges should be golden brown.

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Store the cookies in a sealed container.

brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies / IMG_4550

hard to photograph them without nibbling on one or two
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

I imagine Alice’s EAT ME cake was prettier than my cookies, but they make up in flavor what they lack in good looks. I enjoy one in the afternoon with roiboos tea—and so far there has been no change in my height.

¹ From briciole’s archive: Brown butter chocolate-chunk bookies and review of The Cookiepedia
² Recipe for Oatmeal raisin cookies from The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando
³ The Okara flour I use
⁴ A more detailed post on how to brown butter

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

biscotti al burro nocciola con fiocchi d’avena e uvetta

or launch the biscotti al burro nocciola con fiocchi d’avena e uvetta audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Debra of Eliot’s Eats. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

cookies, oatmeal, raisins, oatmeal raisin cookies, brown butter

recipe: brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies

September 16, 2022 | Simona

Brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 25 minutes active + 30 minutes rest + time to prepare some ingredients

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Keywords: snack cookie vegetarian dessert sugar rolled oats raisins flour

Ingredients (makes 11 cookies)

1/4 cup / 2 ounces / 56 grams unsalted butter (to make brown butter, recipe below)
1 1/2 ounces / 42 grams raisins
1 tablespoon / 15 ml warm apple juice OR tea OR water
3 ounces / 85 grams rolled oats
1 ounce / 28 grams sliced almonds
Avocado OR other mild-flavored vegetable oil to add to the brown butter to obtain 2 ounces
1 3/4 ounces / 50 grams sugar: 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 light brown sugar
1 egg about 2.1 ounces / 60 grams, at room temperature
1 teaspoon / 5 ml vanilla extract
2 ounces / 56 grams total of a combination of flours:
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams okara flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams whole rye flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 ounce / 14 grams sprouted whole-wheat pastry flour OR whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Prepare the following four ingredients ahead of making the cookies: brown butter, plumped raisins, toasted rolled oats, toasted almond slices.

2) With your fingers, separate the raisins that are clumped. Place the raisins in a ramekin. Pour the warm liquid over them and stir well. Stir again a few more times, until the liquid is absorbed.

3) Heat the oven to 350 F / 170 C. Spread the rolled oats on an unlined baking sheet. Toast rolled oats in the oven for 4-5 minutes, shaking the sheet half-way through. Transfer the oats onto a plate.

4) Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the skillet to ensure even toasting and prevent burning. Transfer the almonds onto a plate.

Heat the oven to 350 F/177 C.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the backing sheet. Bake for another 6 minutes. The cookies will still be soft. The edges should be golden brown.

Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Store the cookies in a sealed container.

Go to the full post on Brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies

brown butter chocolate chunk cookies / biscotti al burro nocciola con pezzetti di cioccolato

July 4, 2021December 12, 2025 | Simona

jump to Recipe

the simple charm of chocolate chunks
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Recently, during one of my customary browsing of the sale shelf of a local bookstore, I picked the mystery novel The Whispering City by Sara Moliner¹ (pseudonym for the writing duo Rosa Ribas and Sabine Hofmann). The title and subtitle (Barcelona 1952) piqued my curiosity and the back-cover blurb made me decide to purchase the novel.

The story is set during the regime of dictator Francisco Franco, who was still alive when I was born. I remember his death in 1975 (after which Juan Carlos became king of Spain), so as dictatorships go, this one is clear in my memory. The civil climate described in the book is typical of dictatorships, where freedom of expression, information and thought are outlawed. Ana Martí Noguer is a young journalist aspiring to do more than write the society column for a newspaper that strives to maintain a certain amount of independence from the regime without running afoul of it. She is figlia d’arte, as her father was also a journalist.

Circumstances catapult Ana into the middle of a murder investigation and she ends up becoming entangled in it, together with her older cousin Beatriz, whom she had recently met. Beatriz is a linguist who has fallen on hard times due to her political leanings.

post-exercise energy recharge
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

I enjoyed the story and the historical setting. As the NPR review² says

The mental sepia tones evoked (and used on the cover — good job, Pegasus designers!) aren’t just those of vintage photographs, but those of a city blanched of its color and vivacity by a right-wing regime.

One of the recurring themes in the book is scarcity, partly as a result of the time (post WWII in a dictatorship with mostly democracies as neighbors) and partly as a result of Ana’s limited economic means. Sugar (zucchero) is a luxury food item, so when she is in a coffee shop, she indulges in it, adding it liberally to her coffee and licking the cup clean after finishing the liquid.

While reading the novel, I spent a weekend on a bicycle ride around San Luis Obispo, on the Central California Coast. In the oceanside town of Cayucos, The Brown Butter Cookie Company³ makes cookies and shortbread. I don’t have a sweet tooth and was skeptical about the cookies, but after tasting a few options I had to admit that they are quite good. While nibbling on half of a chocolate chunk cookie (it was pretty big), I decided to try making my own version.

Serendipitously, a few days later, this recipe⁴ came to my attention and I chose to use it as my base because it was neither overly sweet nor overly buttery and also made a manageable number of cookies. Of course, I would change several things to make the recipe suit my taste. First of all, I use brown butter, like the bakery in Cayucos. Then, I substitute 3/4 of the white flour with whole-wheat / whole-grain flour (farina integrale). I decrease the amount of sugar slightly and omit the finishing sea salt. Finally, I choose good-quality chocolate and chunk it by hand.

I imagine Ana would dive in and enjoy my cookies. I have made them several times and everybody who has tasted them (my husband and some friends) has given them thumbs up. I like them a lot.

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

Ingredients for 16 cookies:

1/4 cup / 2 ounces / 56 grams unsalted butter (to make brown butter, recipe below)
Avocado OR other mild-flavored vegetable oil to add to the brown butter to obtain 2 ounces
2 tablespoons / 25 grams granulated OR superfine sugar AND enough light brown sugar to obtain 3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams total
1 1/2 teaspoons / 1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml vanilla extract
1 large pastured egg at room temperature
6 ounces / 170 grams of a combination of flours:
- 1 1/2 ounces / 42 grams pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 ounces / 128 grams whole-grain flours: 1/3 whole rye, 1/3 whole-wheat pastry, 1/3 whole spelt AND sprouted whole quinoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 1/4 ounces / 150 grams extra-dark chocolate (I use 88%), cut with a knife into small pieces

Brown the butter⁵ in advance. Cut the butter into small pieces and put them into a small saucepan. Melt the butter while stirring then keep the melted butter on the heat, stirring. The butter will foam as water evaporates then the solids will caramelize. Remove the saucepan from the heat, pour the brown butter into a ramekin and let cool. The process is fast and requires full attention as the solids go from brown to black in a few seconds.

Let the brown butter soften in a mixing bowl. Weigh the butter and add enough vegetable oil to get to 2 ounces / 56 grams. Add both sugars to the mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until the sugars are well blended into the butter. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. While I prefer to mix butter and sugar with a spatula, I like to use the electric mixer to mix in the liquids.

Sift and weigh the flours into a small mixing bowl. Sift in the baking soda and baking powder, then add the salt. Add about half of the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix briefly, using either a spatula or the electric mixer. Add the rest and mix just until the flour is incorporated. Finally, add the chocolate chunks and incorporate using a spatula.

Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough, longer if possible (it will be easier to handle and the cookies will remain chubby).

Preheat the oven to 350 F/177 C.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Weigh approximately 30-32 grams of dough for each cookie. Shape each piece of dough into a half dome, tap the top to flatten it slightly and place on the baking sheet, leaving 1 1/2-2 inches / 4-5 cm of distance between them.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Check the cookies after 12 minutes and bake longer if needed. The edges should be golden brown.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store the cookies in a sealed container.

or enjoyed with a cup of tea
(napkin by La FABBRICA del LINO)

My cookies neither look like nor taste like those I ate in Cayucos: they are less sweet, softer, and have a fuller, whole-grain flavor. They are excellent. I have come to rely on them as energy recharge after a long run or bike ride.

¹ The novel’s page on the publisher’s website
² A review of the novel on the NPR site
³ Brown Butter Cookie Company
⁴ Recipe for Chocolate chunk cookies with sea salt on Culinary Ginger
⁵ A more detailed post on how to brown butter

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

biscotti al burro nocciola con pezzetti di cioccolato

or launch the biscotti al burro nocciola con pezzetti di cioccolato audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my second contribution to the 42nd edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started over 14 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

cookies, chocolate, chocolate cookies, brown butter

recipe: brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

July 4, 2021 | Simona

Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 25 minutes active + 30 minutes rest

Cook Time: 12-14 minutes

Keywords: snack cookie soy-free vegetarian dessert sugar chocolate flour

Ingredients (makes 16 cookies)

1/4 cup / 2 ounces / 56 grams unsalted butter (to make brown butter, recipe below)
Avocado OR other mild-flavored vegetable oil to add to the brown butter to obtain 2 ounces
2 tablespoons / 25 grams granulated OR superfine sugar AND enough light brown sugar to obtain 3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams total
1 1/2 teaspoons / 1/2 tablespoon / 7.5 ml vanilla extract
1 large pastured egg at room temperature
6 ounces / 170 grams of a combination of flours:
- 1 1/2 ounces / 42 grams pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 ounces / 128 grams whole-grain flours: 1/3 whole rye, 1/3 whole-wheat pastry, 1/3 whole spelt AND sprouted whole quinoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 1/4 ounces / 150 grams extra-dark chocolate (I use 88%), cut with a knife into small pieces

Instructions

Brown the butter in advance. Cut the butter into small pieces and put them into a small saucepan. Melt the butter while stirring then keep the melted butter on the heat, stirring. The butter will foam as water evaporates then the solids will caramelize. Remove the saucepan from the heat, pour the brown butter into a ramekin and let cool. The process is fast and requires full attention as the solids go from brown to black in a few seconds.

Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dough, longer if possible (it will be easier to handle and the cookies will remain chubby).

Preheat the oven to 350 F/177 C.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Weigh approximately 32 grams of dough for each cookie. Shape each piece of dough into a half dome, tap the top to flatten it slightly and place on the baking sheet, leaving 1 1/2-2 inches/4-5 cm of distance between them.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Check the cookies after 12 minutes and bake longer if needed. The edges should be golden brown.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.

Store the cookies in a sealed container.

Go to the full post on Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies

recipe: damper (Australian bread, pane australiano)

November 20, 2014 | Simona

Damper: Australian (quick) bread

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes + time to cook pumpkin

Keywords: bake roast bread nut-free sugar-free vegetarian flour kefir pumpkin Australian

Ingredients (1 round loaf)

7 ounces / 200 g roasted pumpkin or winter squash (see instructions below about self-rising flour)
1 pound / 450 g flour divided as follows (see Note below):

260 g low protein all-purpose flour or King Arthur Flour Perfect Pastry Blend
190 g pastry flour OR 120 g whole-wheat pastry flour + 70 g pastry flour

1 1/2 tablespoon / 16 g baking powder
1 teaspoon / 5 g baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup / 240 ml water OR 1/2 cup / 120 ml water + 1/2 cup / 120 ml [homemade] kefir or buttermilk, well stirred
2 teaspoons / 10 ml additional water, if using whole-wheat pastry flour

Instructions

Note: all the recipes I have seen for damper use self-rising flour, i.e., flour containing some baking powder and salt. If you have access to it, you can try using it. To make my own, I adapted the instructions on the KAF site to the flours I had in my pantry and tried a couple of different flour blends.

How to prepare the pumpkin / winter squash

Different types of pumpkin / winter squash have different water content. If the specimen you choose is quite watery, drain it before using it. I would suggest not to use a dry squash like Kabocha, but if that is what you have, you’ll need to increase the amount of water.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. If the pumpkin is hard, pre-process it as follows: pierce it with a blade in a few places, place it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, and bake it for 15 minutes, then let is cool slightly. This makes it easier to cut it in half.

Cut the pumpkin (pre-processed or raw) in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (a grapefruit spoon is my preferred tool for this task). Place halves on the silicone baking mat, cut side down. Put in the oven and bake until tender, easily pierced with a blade. Let cool, drain any water, then scrape the flesh off the skin, again using a grapefruit spoon.

Let the pumpkin pulp cool completely and weigh the amount required by the recipe, making sure you avoid watery pulp. Mash well with a fork and set aside to use for the damper. Use leftovers to make other recipes.

How to prepare the damper

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 395 F / 200 C.

Place the dry ingredients and thyme leaves in a large bowl and mix them well with a whisk. Place the wet ingredients and pumpkin in another bowl and stir. Pour wet ingredients onto dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk until the ingredients are just combined. The dough will resemble that of scones.

Turn the dough onto a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour and with delicate hands shape the dough into a circle of 8 inches / 20 cm diameter and even thickness. With a bench scraper, score 4 diameters deply in the dough to obtain 8 sections.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven, transfer the silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper with the dough onto the sheet and place in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bottom bottom is golden. When ready, move the damper onto a rack and serve warm or at room temperature. The scoring prior to baking will make it easy to cut or break the bread into sections.

Go to the full post on damper: pane australiano / damper: Australian bread

Panissimo: il riepilogo / the roundup

November 1, 2013 | Simona

It was a great pleasure for me to host the October edition of Panissimo, the monthly bread-baking event that is the brainchild of Barbara of Bread & Companatico and Sandra of Indovina chi viene a cena? (Guess who's coming to dinner?). Bloggers from many countries (and speaking various languages) share a passion for the art and science of baking bread and here are the results of their most recent efforts. Get that translator going and enjoy!

È stato un grande piacere per me ospitare l'edizione di Ottobre di Panissimo, evento mensile di panificazione creato da Barbara di Bread & Companatico e Sandra di Indovina chi viene a cena?. Blogger da tutto il mondo hanno in comune una passione per l'arte e la scienza della panificazione e questi sono i risultati più recenti della loro creatività. Usate il traduttore e Buon divertimento!

I biscotti della zia: Pane "cattivo" al farro [in Italiano]
Farro flour and "devil's beer" / Farina di farro e "birra del diavolo"

Zapach chleba (the Scent of Bread): Yeast cake with spinach [in Polish]
A spinach-enriched and flower-shaped bread / Pane con spinaci a forma di fiore

L'ingrediente perduto: Pane allo zafferano [in Italiano]
Sweet raisins and saffron's golden touch / Dolce uvetta e il tocco dorato dello zafferano

briciole: Cyprus-style olive bread / pane alle olive [English / Italian]
Black olives and fresh herbs in a tender crumb / Olive nere ed erbe aromatiche fresche

Foodzeit: Artisan barley seeds rye sourdough bread [English / German]
Barley and seeds: oh my! / Orzo e semini: che bontà!

Indovina chi viene a cena?: Focaccia al pomodoro e fiori di origano [in Italiano]
The best flour you can and water / La farina migliore che potete e acqua

Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare: pane di segala al latticello [in Italiano] — Highly hydrated rye dough for a tender bread / Un impasto molto idratato fa un pane morbidoso

Cindystar: Flaounes: Focaccine al formaggio / Cypriot Easter Bread [Italian / English]
Cheese-filled delights to celebrate Easter / Delizie ripiene di formaggio per celebrare la Pasqua

Brot & Bread: Cecilienhof Vollkornbrot [English / German]
Old-grain flours & seeds for a special loaf / Farina di cereali antichi e semi per un pane speciale

Una V nel piatto: Focaccia senza glutine soffice [in Italiano]
A suprise fantastic gluten-free focaccia / Fantastica focaccia a sorpresa

Pieczywo na zakwasie (Yeast Bread): Roasted Potato Bread [in Polish]
Roasted potatoes in the crumb for a change / Le patate in questo pane sono arrosto

A tutta cucina: Pizzette alla crescenza e olive [in Italiano]
Crescenza cheese and olives grace the top / La crescenza dà un sapore speciale

Le delizie di Feli: Cracker con pasta madre [in Italiano]
Difficult to stop after the first one / Come le ciliegie, uno tira l'altro

In viaggio in cucina: Spighe soffici di grano duro [in Italiano]
A ray of sun, better yet, of golden wheat / Un raggio di sole, o meglio, di grano dorato.

Peppe ai fornelli: Panini morbidi ai cereali [in Italiano]
Soft buns made with multi-grain flour / Panini morbidosi fatti con farina multi-cereali

A tutta cucina: Ciabatta al farro [in Italiano]
Farro flour gives a special flavor to this bread / La farina di farro dona sapore a questo pane

Briggishome: Norwegian bread (o pane a lievitazione fredda) [in Italiano]
A Nordic bread that leavens partly in the cold / Un bel pane che lievita in parte al freddo

Dolce forno: Pane di polenta [in Italiano] — Comforting polenta makes a comforting bread / Un pane confortevole a base di confortevole polenta

Pieczywo na zakwasie (Yeast Bread): 100% Spelt bread [in Polish]
A nice rise for a whole-grain bread / Una bella lievitazione per questo pane 100% integrale

Lemon in ginger: Neapolitan pizza from scratch [in English]
Tastiest pizza ever, period / Semplicemente la pizza più buona del mondo

Gocce d'aria: Cornetti improvvisati [in Italiano]
Impromptu croissants from leftover starter / Pasta madre + tempo brutto = cornetti caldi

Zapach chleba (the Scent of Bread): Wheat sourdough with liquid levain [in Polish]
Rustic ring with cheese & a mushroom filling / Anello rustico con formaggio e ripieno di funghi

I pasticci di Terry: Filoni di farine miste [in Italiano]
Bread with a rustic flavor of ancient flours / Pane dal sapore di rustico, di farine antiche

Torta di rose: Boule francese [Italiano / English]
A nice long fermentation for a nice bread / Una bella lievitazione lenta per un bel pane

Indovina chi viene a cena?: Rosa di pane di segale [in Italiano]
Intense rye flavor in an elegant shape / Sapore intenso di segale in una forma elegante

A tutta cucina: Pagnottine integrali all'olio [in Italiano]
Whole-wheat and olive oil bread / Pane rustico con farina integrale e olio

Cioccolato amaro: Pane di segale [in Italiano]
The irresistible aroma of rye bread / L'aroma irresistibile el pane di segale

Pieczywo na zakwasie (Yeast Bread): Whole spelt sunflower bread [in Polish]
Sunflower seeds dot a nourishing bread / Semi di girasole punteggiano un pane nutriente

Un soffio di polvere di cannella: Brioches aux raisins et cannelle [in Italiano]
Tender, light, sweet-smelling brioches / Soffici, leggere e profumate brioche d'autunno

Menta e rosmarino: Rose di pane [in Italiano]
Catching the last peppers of the season / Come fare onore agli ultimi peperoni della stagione

Lo spazio di Staximo: Pane al pomodoro [English / Italiano]
Tomato paste makes a golden loaf / Un pane dorato grazie al concentrato di pomodoro

Signor biscotti: Pudding semolina bread [in English]
Experiments in the world of ground durum wheat / Esperimenti con grano duro macinato

Ricette orfane: Focaccia genovese con grano verna [in Italiano]
A special grain for a special focaccia / Un grano speciale per una focaccia speciale

Il castello di pattipatti: Fiore di focaccia [in Italiano] — Piece by piece it disappeared in 10 minutes / Un pezzo a me un pezzo a te è sparita in 10 minuti

Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare: Pane allo yogurt e farro integrale [in Italiano]
A simple, rustic bread that smells divine / Pane semplice e rustico che profuma di buono

A tutta cucina: Treccine di farro alle mandorle [in Italiano]
The flavor of almonds and farro meet here / Incontro tra il sapore di farro e di mandorle

Family, bakery and country: Pane al grano saraceno e sidro di mele antiche [in Italiano]
A bread flavored with ancient apple varieties / Un pane insaporito da mele di varietà antiche

Lo spazio di Staximo: Pan brioche che voleva diventare un Cinnamon Roll [English / Italian]
Brioche bread that wanted to become a cinnamon roll / Il titolo racconta la storia (a lieto fine)

Zapach chleba (the Scent of Bread): Pumpkin sourdough bread [in Polish]
Dark yellow bread dotted with pumpkin seeds / Pane dorato punteggiato di semi di zucca

Apprendisti Pasticcioni: Il PanBruco [in Italiano]
"Caterpillar" bread — as named by the baker / Pane "battezzato" dal suo creatore

Un soffio di polvere di cannella: Flauti salati al patè di olive [in Italiano]
Soft rolls with a tasty heart of olive spread / Panini soffici con un cuore saporito alle olive

L'ingrediente perduto: Sflatino con pancetta e radicchio [in Italiano]
Pancetta and radicchio turn baguettes into jewels / Un pane che sa di buona tradizione

Le ricette del bimby: Focaccine al grano saraceno [in Italiano]
Whole-grain flours & potato for rustic flat breads / Patata e farine integrali per delizie rustiche

Le ricette del bimby: Grissini [in Italiano]
Crisp bread sticks are a thursday ritual / Un rituale settimanale dorato e croccante

briciole: Raisin walnut braided bread / Treccia di pane con uvetta e noci [English / Italian]
Tender crumb dotted with raisins and walnuts / Un pane soffice punteggiato di uvetta e noci

Pane amore celiachia: Focaccia barese sottile con pomodorini [in Italiano]
Cherry tomatoes, olives, oregano and no gluten / Un arcobaleno di sapori senza glutine

Apprendisti pasticcioni: Pane on farine miste, pomodori secchi, capperi e basilico [in Italiano]
Rustic bread with a Mediterranean flavor / Pane rustico dal sapore mediterraneo

Bread & Companatico: Panis farreus: 100% Einkron Ring [English / Italian]
Beautifully-shaped and with a long history / una storia antica e una forma splendida

Ghiotto di salute: Pizza bianca con poolish in 2 versioni [in Italiano]
What's for Sunday dinner? White pizza! / "La tradizione vuole domenica sera pizza."

Rise of the sourdough preacher: Farina bona, potato and walnut rolls / Panini di farina bona, patate e noci / [English / Italian] — Farina bona: finely ground, toasted corn flour / Farina bona: farina di mais finemente macinata e tostata

Briggishome: Kürbis brötchen / Pumpkin buns / Panini alla zucca [English / Italiano]
The surprise is in the use of raw pumpkin / La sorpresa è l'uso della zucca cruda

I biscotti della zia: Panini gialli al mais [in Italiano]
A soft heart inside a crisp crust / Una crosticina croccante nasconde un cuore soffice

Ninivepisces: Knäckebrot [German / English]
Nuts, seeds galore and healthy carbohydrates / Noci, tanti semini e carboidrati salutari

Apprendisti pasticcioni: Pane con farina di mandorle e ricotta [in Italiano]
A bread with the aroma of toasted almonds / Pane che rilascia profumo di mandorle tostate

Cindystar: Belokranjska pogača / Focaccette slovene salate / Slovenian Salted Cake [English / Italian] — Fast photo-op before their disappearance / Foto veloci prima della loro sparizione

Lemon in ginger: Eggless pull-apart loaf [in English]
Latest adventure of the homemade bread addict / Pane aromatizzato alla menta e altre spezie

pizzarossa: Busolai [in English]
Yeasted cookies fromt the island of Burano / Biscotti lievitati tradizionali di Burano

Smakowity chleb: Sesame baguette [in Polish]
A sesame baguette with tahini in the dough / Sfilatino al sesamo con tahina nell'impasto

Smakowity chleb: Pagnotta [in Polish]
"If you like challenges, this bread is just for you!" / "Se amate le sfide, questo pane è per voi"

La cucina di Azzurra: Focaccia alla genovese [in Italiano]
A focaccia to chase away the blues / Il segreto è nel seguire alla lettere i tempi di lievitazione

Voglioviverecosì: Pane al siero di latte [in Italiano]
Bread made with whey instead of water / Pane fatto con siero di latte al posto dell'acqua

illeFarm: Duo sweet bread [in English]
A babka-inspired spelt bread / Pane alla spelta ispirato alla babka

Nondisolopane: Panini al farro con farina di castagne e noci [in Italiano]
Buns with farro & special chestnut flour / Farina speciale: di castagne essiccate a legna

Wolf's lair: Focaccia con farro, pomodorini, mozzarella e olive nere / Farro focaccia with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and black olives [English / Italian]
The name says it all / Il nome dice tutto

Cindystar: Kringel estone / Estonian Kringel [English / Italian]
A festive, traditional Estonian yeasted cake / Un dolce tradizionale estone lievitato

A big Thank you to all who participated in the October edition of Panissimo. And Thank you to Barbara and Sandra who allowed me to host their lovely event. In November, Panissimo is hosted by the blog Menta e
rosmarino.

Un grosso Grazie a tutti coloro che hanno partecipato all'edizione di Ottobre di Panissimo. E un Grazie a Barbara e Sandra per avermi fatto l'onore di poter ospitare il loro evento. A Novembre Panissimo è ospitato dal blog Menta e
rosmarino.

un weekend di pane / a weekend of bread

December 7, 2010 | Simona

A few months ago, I wrote a post about arte bianca, i.e., the art of making bread (literally, white art). I am passionate about making bread (fare il pane), just as I am passionate about making cheese (fare il formaggio). This past weekend, I attended a workshop at the San Francisco Baking Institute, a wonderland (paese delle meraviglie) for bread and pastry makers. It was a birthday gift that I gave to myself. The Institute holds professional courses in bread and pastry making. This year, they have offered weekend-long classes that are perfect for baking enthusiasts for whom a week-long commitment is practically difficult. The workshop I attended last weekend was called "Specialty Breads at Home."

The first photo shows six of the seven breads we made during the weekend. The beautiful loaves are the instructor's production displayed for the end-of-class photo-op. From the left: ciabatta, 100% whole-grain, miche, Finnish rye, pear buckwheat, 100% whole-wheat pan. We also made challah.

This is a sample of my own production: miche (in the back), 100% whole-grain (left), pear buckwheat, and Finnish rye (in the foreground). For some reason, I have problems flouring the loaves before baking, which explains the difference between the surface of my breads and those of the instructor. Besides regular flour, we used whole-wheat, pumpernickel, rye (farina di segale) and buckwheat flour (farina di grano saraceno). We also used flaxseed, sunflower and sesame seeds, wheat germ (germe di grano) cracked wheat, rolled oats and dried pears. Five of the breads were hand-mixed, so I will soon try to make them in my kitchen (I don't have a stand-up mixer and I don't plan to get one, even though that means giving up on the idea of making panettone at home).

The main differences between making bread at the Baking Institute and at home are: the oven (forno) and the amount of dough. The bread we made during class was baked in bakery-size ovens. However, there was also a home oven and the instructor used it to demonstrate techniques to approximate at home conditions typical of bakery ovens.

Have you ever handled 10 kg (22 lbs) of bread dough? That's me moving that quantity from the table to the tub in the foreground during my first workshop at the Institute ("Sourdough Bread at Home") in early March (thanks to Orso for the photo). I like mixing bread dough, seeing it come together under my eyes thanks to the action of my hands — so much so that looking at a mixer in action makes me quite impatient.

At the end of each day, we tasted the breads we had baked. The schedule was such that we tasted ciabatta and challah on Saturday and the other five breads on Sunday, a real feast of flavors and textures. I brought home all the bread I made, so, as you can imagine, there is a good amount of bread in our freezer right now.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words and expressions mentioned in the post:

un weekend di pane

or launch the un weekend buono come il pane audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]