BBB: Horiatiko Psomi/Greek Village Bread

 

The Kitchen of the Month for March was Elle, of Feeding MyEnthusiasms.  Elle chose Horiatiko Psomi, or, Greek Village Bread.   My first thought was – Yay!  A bread I can’t screw up!  No special ingredients, minimal kneading, Dutch oven baking.  Ah, but that last item did cause an issue.  Why don’t recipes tell you the size of the Dutch oven?  There are a range of sizes, and mine happens to be a 4-quart.  Many of these recipes require a larger pot.

 

So, I ended up making this bread twice.  First time, I followed the recipe.  The dough was barely contained by my banneton, which did not bode well for my Dutch oven.  It barely fit.

 

For the second bake, I halved the recipe, and experienced no volume issues with either the banneton or the Dutch oven.  In fact, it came out perfectly, and had a much nicer crumb.  Having an analytical mind, I intend to study the ingredient list and make notes for amounts for future bakes based on my Dutch oven size, so I don’t have similar issues.

 

This is a straightforward, lovely bread, which I definitely plan to bake many more times.

For the recipe and instructions, go to Elle's website.

Check out the other Bread Baking Babes:

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
• A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna 
• Bread Experience  - Cathy           
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna  
• Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle (Kitchen of the Month)

 

 

TWD/BWD: Swedish Fika Cake

 

 

For the second February challenge, I made the Swedish Fika Cake.  I love the Swedish Visiting Cake, so I was looking forward to giving this one a try.  It turned out to be a moist, tender cake with a fine crumb, and the almond topping reminded me of pralines.  Using my serrated bread knife made slicing pieces a breeze, and the cake, itself, held up over several days.

 

I did end up baking it about 10 minutes longer than specified, but that was the only change.

 Definitely a keeper!

Great choices for this month's baking over at Tuesdays with Dorie.

BBB: Cypriot Flaounes

 

 

Our Kitchen of the Month for February was Kelly of A Messy Kitchen.  Kelly asked us to bake Flaounes, a filled Easter bread from the Mediterranean region, specifically Cyprus.  It’s a beautiful bread, filled with a cheese mixture and raisins, and covered with sesame seeds.  I had no problems with making the bread, itself, but, after taking a bite, I knew they were destined for the trash bin.  There was one ingredient (I suspect) that gave both the filling and the bread an unpleasant, bitter taste that wouldn’t go away.  Perhaps it’s an acquired taste, but mastic is not for me.  If I were to bake these again, I would opt for the substitute flavors that Kelly suggests.

For the background story and the recipe, visit Kelly’s blog for more information.  And, stop by the websites of the other Babes to get their take on this interesting bread.

 

 

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
• A Messy Kitchen – Kelly  (Kitchen of the Month)
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna  
• Bread Experience - Cathy                                      
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna  
• Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle

 

 

 

TWD/BWD: Peanut-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Paris Style

 

In keeping with one of my 2023 goals (bake a new cookie each month), this cookie fulfilled the promise.  However, I did change it up a bit.  Instead of using peanuts and peanut butter, I went all almond:  almond butter, almond praline, almond sprinkle, and almond spread.  While I have nothing against peanuts, I know there are people with allergies who can’t consume them, which is why I took a different pathway.

 

Other than ruining another nut grinder, these turned out great.  They were crunchy on the edges, and chewy in the centers.  For the chocolate, I chopped up some unsweetened chocolate chips that I bought from Trader Joe’s.  Along with the Maldon salt, they were a perfect balance to the sweetness from the spread and sprinkle.

Check out the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see what the other bakers thought of the cookies.