Satsuma & Dark Chocolate Brioche

January 10, 2020January 8, 2020 Renee Leave a comment

This Satsuma & Dark Chocolate Brioche is tender and buttery. With a hint of citrus and plenty of bittersweet chocolate, you won’t want to stop eating it. Bake some up soon. You’ll love it.

I try to keep it light here at Awesome on 20. People come for cheese and chocolate and other assorted carbs. And yet there’s so much more to life than just what we eat. Granted, we can’t actually have one without the other, but somehow I just can’t find it in me to be totally lighthearted at the moment.

It seems every day the world grows a bit heavier. There’s some new terror to contend with. And while I am immensely privileged that none of this affects me directly, I still feel the weight of it. I’m thousands of miles away from wildfires and bombs, and I feel powerless in the face of such devastation and cruelty. I notice it in the kids at my school as well. They’re scared, and I don’t know how to realistically reassure them.

I know we can give. I know we can vote. I know we can be more conscientious about how we spend our money. But beyond that, the one thing I’ve always clung to is compassion. We’ve got to hold onto each other more fiercely than ever. And not just the people who are close to us, but to every single other. We are all precious and worthy of love.

So even though the world seems to be falling apart at the moment, maybe it is still okay to get in the kitchen and bake. I can’t think of anything more cozy and comforting than this loaf of Satsuma & Dark Chocolate Brioche. It fills your home with the scent of citrus and fresh baked bread. Could there be a more heavenly combination? This bread is buttery and light. Eat it warm so the chocolate is slightly melted. It’s pure heaven.

This is another recipe from the incomparable Paul Hollywood. The first time I tried it, I had no idea if it was going to turn out. This was my first brioche loaf. It was more than fine. I couldn’t stop eating it.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can mix up the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. I actually think it’s much easier to do it this way. There’s also no complicated shaping. Just divide the dough up into eight balls and place them strategically in your loaf pan.

I also happen to know that if you bake this and then have to go out of town for a few days and leave it in your fridge, it will go a bit stale. Don’t worry. Make it into French toast. It’s unbelievable.

The world is very uncertain. Find what you know to be true. Make something beautiful and share it with others. Satsuma & Dark Chocolate Brioche is a good place to start.

If you want to try your hand at more yeasted bread, try this pillow soft Potato Bread.

Potato Bread

December 2, 2019December 1, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

Potato Bread is a pillowy soft white bread loaf. You’re going to want to eat this with everything. Plus, it’s totally stress free to bake.

I finally got to have my Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend with some of the most supportive and lovely friends a person could ever hope for. They were the perfect audience for a dinner party. They gushed about absolutely every recipe, helped with the dishes, and even took home some leftover cheesecake.

I knew they’d like the food. I’ve honed my Thanksgiving meal for a few years, and I know it’s solid. What I didn’t expect was how much they absolutely adored the Rosemary Potato Rolls. One friend even said they were the best thing she’d ever eaten. I mean, they’re really awesome, but I didn’t expect a humble dinner roll to make such a big impression.

Well, today I’ve got a whole loaf of Potato Bread, and it’s going to make you very happy. At least if you’re a lover of soft pillowy bread, you’ll be in love. This loaf is a bit more dense than a standard white loaf, but it’s more moist as well. I just love it.

There’s nothing too terribly tricky about this bread. It is a bit stickier than the bloomer we made last month, but the good news is, you can do your initial kneading in your stand mixer if you have one. I also bake this in a loaf pan, so you don’t have to stress out about shaping your dough. Oh, and if you want to use instant mashed potatoes, that’s totally fine. There’s nothing better than low-stress delicious food.

Making your own bread might seem silly when you can easily buy it at any shop, but you can’t buy totally awesome Potato Bread made with your own hands. Is bread baking self-care? It is now. And it’ awesome.

Recipe adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

Basic Bloomer

November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

This Basic Bloomer is easy enough for even a beginning bread baker. It’s got a great crust on top but stays soft inside. You’re gonna want to use it for everything.

I love taking on new challenges and new projects. If life is too easy, I get bored. Perhaps this is why I’ve moved around so much. I like telling myself that it’s because I’m so smart, and I just have to keep my brain active. More likely it’s just because I’m trying to avoid something I don’t want to deal with. Keeping my mind busy stops me from spiraling into depression, so I take on new challenges.

Last year, I decided I wanted to get better at bread baking. I still have a ton to learn, but I think I’ve made some slight growth. It’s not like I’ve been super dedicated to the endeavor. I know some people bake bread every week. I’ve made maybe eight to ten loaves this year of different varieties. Some have come out beautifully, like this Basic Bloomer, and others have been pretty awful.

Bread baking is not something you can really learn from a book or a video. Bread is alive, and it’s different every time you make it. There are half a dozen variables that can affect your dough on any given day, from the temperature and humidity of your kitchen on the day to the particular batch of flour you’re working with. There’s chemistry and biology going on in there. Fermentation, alchemy, and a bunch of other stuff I don’t really understand. Bread baking is all about how things feel, and for that, you probably really need a teacher. And tons of experience.

Well, books and videos are all I have at the moment, unless someone wants to come to my house and be my bread guru. But just from reading a really helpful book, Paul Hollywood’s Bread, I was able to create a reliable result with this Basic Bloomer. If you’re interested in learning the art of bread baking, I’d highly recommend this book. There are lots of step by step pictures for things like kneading and shaping your loaf that you can only learn by lots and lots of practice.

This particular Basic Bloomer loaf came out a bit dark on top because I have the worst oven in the world. Yours will probably be a bit less brown. But even with this flaw, I couldn’t stop eating this bread. It didn’t last long enough to become sandwiches. It barely lasted long enough to be a soup dipper. The pillowy softness of this bread is unbelievable. I kept going back for slice after slice, eaten simply with salted butter. I may have had this bread with butter and honey for dessert one night.

If, like me, you’re a bit intimidated by homemade bread, this Basic Bloomer will help you overcome your fears. I promise, you can do it. And even if it comes out looking a little wonky, it’s still going to be completely delicious. Let’s bake bread, friends. It’s gonna be awesome.

Recipe adapted from Paul Hollywood’s Bread.

Za’atar Flatbread

July 9, 2019July 8, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

I’ve just watched the US Women’s National Team win their fourth World Cup and defend their title, and it’s unbelievably thrilling. There’s so much animosity towards the US from the rest of the world, that I always feel like I have to hide a little bit watching them from Scotland, but I’m excited and I don’t want to whisper.

It’s time for these women to get equal pay. The powers that be are running out of excuses. A billion people watched today’s final, and the quality of play was tops. Pay these women, and all women, what they’re worth. We deserve it, and we shouldn’t let them world forget.

To call this Za’atar Flatbread a recipe would be a bit ridiculous, but eating this Za’atar Flatbread is absolutely divine. Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend with sumac, sesame seeds, and some other dried herbs. This was the first time I’d tried eat after reading about it a bunch of times. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised by the brightness of the Za’atar. I can’t wait to try it on everything.

Like I said, it’s pointless to write a recipe. Buy some of your favorite flatbread, crank up your broiler or grill, mix about a half tablespoon of good olive oil with a half tablespoon of Za’atar for each flatbread, spread it on, and cook for about two to three minutes until the bread is brown and crisp. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. This would be a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or kebabs, or dipped in your favorite hummus.

Football and feminism are great, but you still gotta eat, so add some Za’atar Flatbread to the mix. It’s gonna be awesome.

Recipe from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson.

Tear & Share Flower Bread

May 17, 2019May 16, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

I turned 40 a few months ago, but I’m still trying to learn some new tricks. I’m getting deeper into yoga and meditation, practicing being more chilled out, trying to apologize less, and generally owning my shit. It’s up and down. We’re still learning, ya know.

I’m also trying to learn how to make bread. This is not really something you can learn from books or TV. Bread making is tactile. Yeast is a living thing that needs attention. Bread dough can be different from one day to the next. It’s a beast that I don’t fully understand. We’re getting to know each other. It’s a process.

This Tear & Share Flower Bread is pretty approachable. It uses a mix of white bread flour and whole wheat flour giving it a hearty texture. It’s sorta cute without involving any complicated braids. Don’t be afraid. You can totally do this.

The petals are perfect for dipping into soup, and the center can be sliced for toast or whatever, or just torn off into hunks fr more dipping. Do what you want. It’s gonna be tasty.