Our new PizzaPartyin5 Video & an Invitation to Party!!

Email | by zoe, October 18, 2011
Filed Under pizza, Videos | 48 comments

Jeff and I wrote Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day because we love pizza. So, when it came to making a video about the process, it had to reflect what a riot we have together creating these recipes. You basically can’t bake a pizza without creating a party, whether it is for a night in front of a movie or a big gathering of friends in the back yard. Pick the crust and toppings to suit your mood and within minutes you have pizza, lots and lots of fresh pizza. In fact, we invite you all to join us for a PizzaPartyin5 on November 15th, see below for more details.

We knew instantly who could capture the heart and soul of this project; Todd Porter and Diane Cu of White on Rice Couple. Their work is visually stunning and they have such a joy about them, which is captured in their images. When they said they would do this video with us, I danced around my kitchen, I haven’t stopped yet. We hope you enjoy watching the video just as much as we did making it.

Here are some more images that Todd and Diane captured the day of the video shoot. * Continue reading →

Apple Strudel Bread

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Email | by zoe, October 5, 2011
Filed Under HBin5, Recipes, Special techniques | 82 comments

It is apple season again, one of the best times of the year. In MN we are blessed with a bevy of apple choices, which makes baking so exciting. When I make a recipe with apples I like to combine them for flavor, texture and color. In HBin5 we feature apples in our Strudel Bread, which combines all the flavors of the traditional Viennese pastry, with the easy and speed of our dough. Roll the filling into almost any dough and you have a bread that shouts “autumn is here!” Anyone who loves apples will fall head over heels for this loaf.

My eldest son is going through a NO nuts or raisins phase, which I hope to break him of soon, but in the mean time, I bake without them for his sake. Usually this loaf would be made with both of those delicious additions and I highly recommend you try that version. In order to make the loaf more interesting without the nuts and raisins, I replaced them with a sharp cheddar cheese. The loaf was gone within minutes of the school day ending, so I know he appreciated the effort. Continue reading →

Rosemary Crescent Rolls

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Email | by zoe, September 21, 2011
Filed Under Special techniques | 64 comments

If you start with a bucket of the Master recipe you can quickly and easily created these tasty, crusty, rosemary crescent rolls. This technique is an easy way to incorporate flavors into the dough without fuss. Shape matters; everything seems to taste better when it looks great and these crescent rolls are adorable. My boys claim to have a certain disdain for the strong flavor of rosemary and yet they ate the entire batch of these rolls when they got home from school, never realizing they were stuffed with the dreaded herb. Oh, the tricks we parents play to get our kids to be more adventuresome eaters. At least this one is fast and easy, as well as delicious! Next time I try it with spinach.

Continue reading →

Loaf Breads – The Best School Lunches start with Homemade Sandwich Bread!

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Email | by zoe, September 12, 2011
Filed Under Special techniques | 283 comments

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This is a reposting of one of our most popular topics!

It is now what I consider “sandwich season.” Some may call it “back to school,” “end of summer” or even “fall,” but to me it is the season when I have to come up with a million types of sandwiches and other lunches to keep my boys from growing up on PB&J alone! Although school lunches have come a long way since I was a kid, they still leave much to be desired and are mostly to be avoided.

To start I need the perfect loaf of bread. My boys want a loaf that looks and feels like what all the other kids are eating; square and soft. They love crusty bread, but not on their sandwiches, especially not PB&J. To achieve just the right sandwich loaf I have slightly altered what we do in the book. Continue reading →

Monkey Bread – Brioche dipped in cinnamon sugar and caramel!

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Email | by zoe, August 24, 2011
Filed Under Recipes, Special techniques, Sweets | 82 comments

I have to admit that I have never made Monkey Bread before. My brother’s used to make it when they were younger, but I’d already left the house for college. My husband has even made it for my boys, but always when I am out of town, a father/son tradition. In both cases it was made with a dough or biscuits that come in a pop-open-tube from the grocery store. You know just what I am talking about. This is perhaps why my husband only made them when I wasn’t around. Trust me, I love anything made with cinnamon sugar and caramel, so the concept appeals to me. When I found myself with a bucket of brioche and wanting to make the boys a treat, I thought Monkey Bread. Now I wonder how come it took me so long to figure this out? It is simple, fun and absolutely delicious. Only make them when you have people to share them with, or you will find yourself nibbling at them all day like I did. Luckily, my boys and their friends came home and saved me from eating the entire pan. Continue reading →

Red, White and Blue Brioche Tartlettes for the 4th of July!

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Email | by zoe, June 29, 2011
Filed Under Special techniques | 61 comments

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With the 4th of July coming up I’ve been on a quest to create perfect picnic treats. Small and tasty fits that bill. Earlier this week I made Bakewell tarts on ZoeBakes and realized that it would be such an easy dessert to recreate using brioche dough, something I always have on hand. The tarts are made with a brioche crust, a spoon of jam, a layer of frangipane (almond cream) and topped with fresh fruit. I used cherries and blueberries to create red, white and blue tarts. Continue reading →

Grilled Buns on Father’s Day

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Email | by zoe, June 19, 2011
Filed Under Special techniques | 40 comments

Father’s Day is the day where everything good in life happens on the grill. While you are making burgers, kebabs or brats, you can also slide your Dutch oven in next to them and bake up some fresh buns. I made these with the olive oil dough from Artisan Bread in 5, but you can use any of the doughs from our books. The only adjustments you may need to make is the temperature in which you cook them. The key to successful grill baking is knowing your grill and how it heats up. The best way I have found is to use the built in thermometer, but if your grill doesn’t have one, you will just have to keep a close eye on the buns, as you flip those burgers, and they will come out just great! Continue reading →

Peaches and Creamy Summer Bread Pudding

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Email | by zoe, June 13, 2011
Filed Under Special techniques | 40 comments

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Yeah, it is summer and one doesn’t automatically think of bread pudding, the ultimate cozy comfort food. But, why not? Jeff and I are busy creating and testing new recipes for our ~~second~~ third book and I’ve got so much bread in my house right now I hardly know what to do with it all. My friends and neighbors get a lot of freshly baked bread, but there is still more. I make bread salads and tonight I used some of my brioche for this bread pudding (on page 234 in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day). To give it a summery lightness I sliced up some sweet, juicy peaches and fanned them over the pudding before I baked it. It is a wonderful, and lovely dessert. This fall I’ll do the same with sliced pears.

I bet Jeff will even try this on his grill if he gets the temperature down low enough! Continue reading →

Brioche Berry Pudding – something gorgeous for Mother’s Day!

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Email | by zoe, May 3, 2011
Filed Under Recipes, Special techniques | 50 comments

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This is a post I did a couple of years ago on Mother’s Day. It is bright, cheery and gorgeous, just the thing to make for mom,especially after such a long winter. We MN mom’s need a bit of sunshine!

Some things are worth a little more effort, right! Like a dessert for your mom on Mother’s Day. This berry pudding is really very simple to make, but I admit it will take just a bit longer than 5 minutes to put together. Berry puddings are a slightly retro English sweet and I think they deserve a come back. Their drop dead gorgeous color comes from the dark berry juice soaked brioche, hiding a treasure of sweet, slightly drunken berries within.

You just can’t resist something this wonderful and if you have a bucket of brioche on hand it will go together really very easily. Happy Spring to you all! Continue reading →

Cinnamon Rolls

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Email | by zoe, March 28, 2011
Filed Under Recipes, Special techniques | 108 comments

I think my children love me just a little bit more now that I have baked these. The buns are made with brioche dough and layered with cinnamon sugar and just a touch of zest, whats not to love? You can add more to the mix, like nuts, raisins, a dash of cardamom, or just leave them simple. The cream cheese icing is the crowning glory and makes these breakfast treats completely addictive. I ended up making two batches this weekend, because of the demand and how easy they are to throw together. Continue reading →