Search Results

This is the only non-bread recipe I developed. I wanted to illustrate the concept of lamination through a recipe much simpler than croissants—behold, a lovely summer dessert with an impossibly flaky crust. My recipe for pie dough is made by hand: first, cold chunks of butter are smushed into flat pieces, then the dough is rolled out and folded over itself several times to create layers of butter. In the oven, the water within butter steams up and creates flaky layers. Galettes are not only simpler to make than pies, but cook faster and usually have crispier bottoms. Try serving this with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Makes one 12” galette Ingredients Dough 185g all-purpose flour 2 tsp granulated sugar 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ¼” cubes 45g (3 tbsp) ice water Filling 1 lb rhubarb, ends cut off and rinsed 6 oz fresh raspberries 100g granulated sugar, divided 2 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 large egg, beaten 20g turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar) Flaky salt In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and toss with your fingers until each chunk is coated in flour. Begin smushing the butter in between your fingers, tossing it in the flour, until the butter is in flat and in blueberry-sized chunks. Add the water and toss with a rubber spatula to combine, until the dough is still very floury but all the water has been absorbed. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼” thick circle. Using a bench scraper, scrape underneath the edges of the dough and fold into the center. Use your hands to press the dough into a rough 8” square. Roll the dough into a 15”x8” rectangle, then fold the edges over the center to form an 8”x5” rectangle. Press the dough into a circle. Wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to a week. While the dough is resting, prepare the fruit filling. Slice the rhubarb into 12”-4” pieces and set aside (you will arrange the rhubarb to fit evenly in the galette). In a medium bowl, gently combine the raspberries, 50g granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Let the berries macerate at room temperature for 20 minutes. When the dough has fully rested, heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly dust the counter with flour and coat both sides of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a 16” circle with a rolling pin. Carefully fold the dough in half, then fold in half again. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and unfold. Using a rubber spatula, press some of the juices out of the raspberries. Place the raspberries on the dough and smooth into an even layer, leaving a 4” boundary between the raspberries and the edge of the dough. Arrange the rhubarb over the raspberries in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 50g granulated sugar evenly over the rhubarb. Fold the edges of the galette over the fruit, and brush the beaten egg over the dough. Generously sprinkle the dough with turbinado sugar and flaky salt. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the fruit is very tender and the galette is deep golden brown. Let cool completely at room temperature before slicing and serving.

This recipe uses brioche dough as a base. The dough is rolled into a large rectangle, covered with filling, rolled, and cut. To achieve clean cuts, use dental floss or a very sharp serrated knife. I like to keep the filling simple with brown sugar and raisins, but feel free to add pecans. The buns are topped with flaky salt, of course. Makes 12 large buns Tangzhong 100g whole milk 30g bread flour Bread 100g ripe sourdough starter 6 eggs 150g milk 40g honey 3g (1 tsp) instant or dry active yeast 600g bread flour 10g (1 tbsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 16 tbsp butter Filling 200g dark brown sugar 3g (1 tsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 2 tbsp butter 50g raisins 100g pecans, roughly chopped (optional Egg Wash 1 egg Flaky sea salt In a small saucepan, whisk 30g bread flour with 100g milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the mixture forms a thick paste, around 3 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and let cool for 2 minutes Add the remaining 150g milk to the flour mixture, and whisk until incorporated. Add the eggs, sugar, starter, and yeast, and whisk until homogenous. Add the bread flour to the wet ingredients, and using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix by hand until no dry spots of flour remain. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Attach the bowl and dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium-high, scraping down the bowl every so often, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, around 7-10 minutes. With the mixture running at medium speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time to the dough, waiting until each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding another piece. Once all butter is added, return mixer speed to medium-high and knead until dough passes the windowpane test, another 5-10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. For best results, proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for 12 hours. Alternatively, let dough rise at room temperature until about doubled in size, 1.5-2 hours. While the dough is rising, make the filling by whisking together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Once the dough has doubled in size, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove. Grease a 13”x9” baking pan (not sheet tray) with baking spray or butter. Lightly dust the countertop with flour (bread or AP are both fine). Fold the dough over itself 6 times to fully deflate. Turn the dough onto the floured counter, and roll into a 16”x12” rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough evenly. Sprinkle the raisins and pecans (if using) over the brown sugar, then tightly roll the dough to form a 12” log. The best way to cut the dough into rolls is with dental floss: with a sharp knife, mark 11 even-sized slices on the log (this recipe makes 12 buns). Slide unflavored dental floss underneath the log, wrap around the log, and tighten to pinch the dough off. Alternatively, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 buns. Evenly space the buns in the baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until puffed but not quite doubled in size, around 1 hour. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg until homogenous. When ready to bake, gently brush the buns with egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the buns are golden brown and register 200°F when probed with an instant read thermometer, 25-35 minutes. Let the buns cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Eat the buns warm or at room temperature.

Challah bread as commonly baked originated in Eastern Europe. This recipe closely resembles challah found in Austria, where some of my ancestors originate from. This particular recipe has been tweaked and edited by members of my family for many years. It is a staple at our festive dinners, and it makes delicious French toast once it stales. I use honey instead of the more common sugar, as it adds floral flavor and helps lock moisture within the dough. The dough may seem sticky during kneading, but it will become easier to work with as it ferments. Makes two loaves Ingredients 9g (or 1 tbsp) instant or dry-active yeast 85g honey 400g water 110g vegetable oil 4 large eggs 15g Diamond Crystal kosher salt 500g all-purpose flour 500g bread flour 1 large egg Flaky salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or everything seasoning (optional) In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, honey, water, oil, and 4 eggs. Add the salt, bread flour, and all-purpose flour, and incorporate by hand using the dough hook attachment until the dough resembles a shaggy mass. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer, and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes, until the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is sticky. Cover the bowl with a dish cloth or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Punch down the dough to deflate all the air, and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. Lightly dust countertop with flour and pour out dough (it may stick to the bowl- this is normal). Knead several times, then divide dough in half. To knead, divide each half into three equal pieces. Using your hands, stretch or roll each third into a 12” log. Pinch the ends of the three logs together. Braid the challah by placing the right-most log over the center log, then the left-most log over the center log, and repeating until the loaf is braided. Tuck the ends of the braid underneath the loaf. Repeat with the second loaf. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper, and place the loaves on the tray. Cover challah with a dish towel and let rise for around an hour or so in a warm area; the dough should be puffed, but not quite doubled in size. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the remaining egg. Brush the risen loaves with the egg wash. Sprinkle bread with salt, seeds, or seasoning, if using. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and register between 195°F and 205°F. Cool loaves on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and honey.

Brioche is one of my favorite breads—but it often lacks in texture and flavor. A typical brioche loaf, especially a store-bought one, has a cakey texture instead of a bready one. Home-baked brioche is often better, but it dries out quickly. To resolve the textural issues, the bread only uses bread flour and is kneaded in a stand mixer. Though some brioche loaves only use eggs, this brioche swaps some eggs out for milk, improving the texture. Only after the dough has a strong gluten network is butter added. In Japan, Hokkaido milk bread is made with a tangzhong: starch is cooked in milk and added to dough. Since the starch is pre-gelatinized, the tangzhong traps moisture without making the dough sticky and difficult to work with. These steps make for a buttery, wispy loaf with a light chew and subtle tangy flavor, thanks to sourdough starter. Makes two brioche loaves Ingredients Tangzhong 100g whole milk 30g bread flour Dough 100g mature sourdough starter 6 large eggs 150g milk 40g honey 3g (1 tsp) instant or dry active yeast 600g bread flour 10g (1 tbsp) Diamond Crystal kosher salt 16 tbsp butter Egg Wash 1 large egg Flaky sea salt In a small saucepan, whisk 30g bread flour with 100g milk. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the mixture forms a thick paste, around 3 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and let cool for 10 minutes Add the remaining 150g milk to the flour mixture, and whisk until incorporated. Add the eggs, sugar, starter, and yeast, and whisk until homogenous. Add the bread flour to the wet ingredients, and using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixer, mix by hand until no dry spots of flour remain. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the salt over the dough. Attach the bowl and dough hook to the stand mixer and knead on medium-high, scraping down the bowl every so often, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, around 7-10 minutes. With the mixture running at medium speed, add a tablespoon of butter at a time to the dough, waiting until each piece of butter is fully incorporated before adding another piece. Once all butter is added, return mixer speed to medium-high and knead until dough passes the windowpane test, another 5-10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. For best results, proof the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or for 12 hours. Alternatively, let dough rise at room temperature until about doubled in size, 1.5-2 hours. Lightly grease two 8x4” loaf pans with butter or baking spray. Lightly dust countertop with flour (bread or AP are both fine). Fold the dough over itself 6 times to deflate. Turn the dough onto the floured counter, and divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll each quarter of dough into a 9-inch log. Tightly twist two logs together, and place in an 8x4” loaf pan, tucking the ends underneath the loaf if it does not fit. Repeat with the remaining two logs. Loosely cover the tins with plastic wrap or a dish towel, and let rise until the dough is puffed but not quite doubled in size, around 1 hour. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the remaining egg until homogenous. When ready to bake, gently brush the loaves with egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until the bread is golden brown, sounds hollow when tapped, and registers 200°F when probed with an instant read thermometer, 30-40 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove loaves from their pans and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing (or tearing) and eating.

This recipe was developed because, as a student, I have no time to tend to sourdough during the day. In the case you have a day job (or attend school), this is a sourdough recipe which does not require folding. Instead, the gluten network is formed with a quick knead before a long bulk fermentation. This is a straightforward sourdough loaf with very few bells and whistles; that said, feel free to make it your own by switching up the flours or adding about a cup of mix-ins, such as nuts, seeds, dried foods, or chocolate (do not add fresh fruit or wet mix-ins). Makes 2 medium boules Ingredients 85g mature sourdough starter 750g water 200g whole wheat or other flour (I prefer a blend of 50g spelt, 50g rye, 50g whole wheat) 800g bread flour 50g water 12g Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1 cup mix-ins (Optional) White flour, for dusting In a large bowl, whisk together the starter and 750g water. Add 200g whole wheat flour and whisk until homogenous. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the bread flour. Mix with spoon until the dough forms a shaggy mass, then switch to mixing with your hands. When no dry flour remains in the dough, cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a small bowl or cup, whisk together 50g water and the kosher salt. Pour the mixture over the dough. Using your fingers, break the dough apart and begin folding it over itself. The water will eventually incorporate into the dough, so just keep kneading. Knead the dough in the bowl by folding one half over the other half, turning the dough 90 degrees, and repeating the folding. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough has developed a moderate amount of gluten (the dough may not pass the windowpane test, but it will certainly come close). If using mix-ins, add them towards the end of kneading and fold the dough continuously until they are evenly distributed. Cover the dough and let ferment at room temperature for 10-12 hours, or until about doubled in size. Using a bowl scraper or a rubber spatula, turn the dough onto an unfloured countertop. Sprinkle the top of the dough with white flour, and using a bench scraper, roughly cut the dough in two. Working one at a time, form the two pieces of dough into taught balls by pushing the edges of the dough under the loaf with your hands and a bench scraper. If the dough sticks to your hands, dust the loaf with more flour. By the end of shaping, you should be able to momentarily touch the top of the dough without it sticking to your finger. Cover the dough balls with a dish towel and let rest for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, line two bannetons or colanders with clean dish towels and sprinkle generously with flour. One at a time, flip a dough ball over onto the counter. Fold the bottom third of the loaf over the top, and tug at the left and right sides of the dough to pinch the loaf together. Fold the top half over the rest of the loaf and flip the bread once again so the seam side is on the counter. Repeat with the remaining loaf. Place each loaf seam side up in the bannetons, cover with dish towels, and refrigerate for 12-16 hours. At least 45 minutes before ready to bake, place a large dutch oven or cast iron combination cooker in the oven and heat to 500°F. When ready to bake, remove one sourdough loaf from the fridge. Flip the loaf onto a piece of parchment paper, and using a bread lame or a very sharp knife, make a ¾ inch deep cut at a 20°-30° angle across the top of the dough. Optionally, make a small decorative pattern by gently scoring the dough (cuts should be very shallow). Remove the dutch oven from the oven, uncover, gently place the loaf in the dutch oven, and return to the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 475°F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top of the dutch oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the loaf is dark-golden brown and blistered. Remove the dutch oven from the oven, place the bread on a wire rack to cool, then return the dutch oven and lid to the oven and return oven heat to 500°F. Heat for another 20 minutes, then repeat baking steps with other loaf. Let loaves cool completely before slicing.

The difference between a good bagel and a bad bagel is night and day. A good bagel has some key characteristics: it should have a blistered, bubbly, deep golden brown crust; a relatively tight and even structure with no large caverns; a very strong chew; and a subtle malty flavor. This bagel recipe earns its chew from two sources: a long, thorough kneading process, and a shaping process that involves rolling and twisting. The bagels contain sourdough starter, rye flour, and barley malt syrup to ensure a perfect flavor. Diastatic malt powder, though optional, converts some of the starches in the flour into sugars, ensuring a browned crust. Finally, boiling the bagels before baking ensures that they cling to seeds and seasonings, form crackly crusts, and do not rise too much. Makes 14 Medium-Sized Bagels Ingredients Sponge 500g water 40g barley malt syrup (or molasses) 4g (1 tsp) yeast 150g sourdough starter 300g bread flour Bagels 550g bread flour 100g rye flour 30g diastatic malt powder (optional) 10g Diamond Crystal kosher salt Water Bath 3 quarts water 2 tsp baking soda 60g barley malt syrup (or molasses) Seasoning 80g everything seasoning For the sponge In a large bowl, mix the water, barley malt syrup, and yeast until homogeneous. Add the starter, and whisk until homogeneous. Add the bread flour, and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined and no dry flour remains. The sponge should resemble a thick pancake batter at this point. Let rise at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours, until frothy and very bubbly. For the bagels In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, rye flour, diastatic malt powder, and kosher salt. Add the sponge and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead until the dough is smooth and passes the windowpane test, 20-25 minutes. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours, or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down to deflate all bubbles. Lightly dust two 18”x13” sheet trays with flour. Using scissors, portion the dough into fourteen 116 gram pieces. Tug the dough at the edges into a tight ball, pinch the seam formed, place the dough balls on the counter, and with your hands in a claw shape, rotate the dough on the counter to form a tight ball. Place the dough balls on one of the floured sheet trays, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes. To shape the bagels, work with one dough ball at a time to roll the ball into a 4-inch circle. Tightly roll the dough into a log, and using your palms, lengthen the log to 8 inches. Move your palms in opposite directions, twist the dough, then wrap around your hand, and roll the dough on the counter to seal. Place the shaped bagel on the other floured baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight, or up to 24 hours, in the fridge, until the bagels are puffed and float when dropped in a bowl of water. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425°F convection or 450°F regular. If you have a convection oven setting, now is the time to use it, as it will help ensure even browning. In a dutch oven, whisk the water, barley malt syrup, and baking soda, and bring to a boil. Pour the everything seasoning into a wide, shallow bowl or dinner plate. See the video below for shaping instructions: Remove one tray of bagels from the fridge, but keep the other tray in the fridge. Grease a large 13”x18” baking pan with baking spray. Drop four bagels into the boiling water, boil for 20 seconds, flip with a spider or slotted spoon, and boil for another 20 seconds. Transfer the bagels to the greased baking sheet. While still warm, flip the bagels into the everything seasoning, and place them back on the baking sheet. Bake until the bagels are well-browned, 14-16 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining bagels. Serve warm or at room temperature.