Sneak peek - sesame braid and more!

This is one delicious dough folks! First time around I did the sesame braid. Second time around I doubled the recipe and made two standard loaves - great for sandwiches and morning toast.

I have a couple additional versions up my sleeve and look forward to sharing them and the recipe with you in upcoming weeks. We’ve had some lovely Michigan summer days interspersed with heat and humidity so I’m planning my baking projects around the weather. Ahhh - summer.

Here’s a bit of nature for you - the light, the shadows - Steve says I could be an impressionist!

Summer whites - landscaped

Summer whites - natural

Teasel - intriguing to be sure!

Gateau Breton aux cerises et la crème de citron vert

Always looking for ways to use my favorite Breton dough, this one is a take on Gateau Basque, the classic butter cake from the Basque region in southern France/northern Spain. It’s typically baked with pastry cream and/or fruit (cherries, apricots, prunes are options) inside. It turns out that many regions of France have their own version of butter cake, Brittany being one of them, so I opted to use the Breton dough for this project. The Basque dough recipe I use from my Le Cordon Bleu days is indeed very similar to a gateau Breton so why not switch it up a bit.

Since it’s cherry season here in western Michigan and I had some lime juice in my freezer, I opted for a roasted sweet cherry/lime curd combo for my gateau.

For about a pound of pitted and halved Bing cherries, I sprinkled them with a couple tablespoons dark brown sugar, stirred ‘em up, spread them out on a silicone mat lined half sheet pan and gave them a low and slow roast in a 275ºF oven for about an hour or so, stirring them around every 10-15 minutes. I didn’t (forgot to!) do an after roasting final weight for the batch but I can tell you I used about 105 g intact cherry pieces for my 7” size gateau and pureed the remainder (yield a tad over 3/4 cup) to use in both a batch of Swiss meringue buttercream as well as a cherry chocolate ganache (more on that later).

Ooooh!

I had made a batch of lime curd (just sub lime juice for the lemon) the day before, using about 240 g for this gateau and freezing the rest for another as-yet-to-be-determined project. Hmmm - how about lime curd toasted coconut ice cream or lime curd Swiss meringue buttercream? We’ll just see about that.

I already had my Breton dough made as a result of a tart class I recently taught and figured out that a 7” cake pan would be perfect for the 515 g of dough I had on hand.

Let’s assemble this baby, eh? Start your oven heating to 350ºF.

Butter the bottom and sides of the pan well, line the bottom with a round of parchment and butter it too. Press 275 g of dough evenly into the bottom.

Next create a narrow rim to build up the edges using 60 g of dough.

Next pipe in or spread a layer of lime curd (about 190 g) over the bottom keeping it inside the rim.

Now nestle the cherries over that, leaving yourself a rim of curd uncovered by the fruit.

Dollop the remaining curd over the cherries.

Top with 180 g dough, sealing the edges. Remember this is pretty rustic so don’t fuss too much about it.

Lightly brush the top with egg wash or milk for a bit of sheen and some in-oven enhanced browning. With the tip of a paring knife create a cross hatch pattern (or whatever pattern you want) - I went for diamonds.

Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes then decrease the temp to 325º and bake an additional 25-30 minutes. I rotate my pan about half way through. You’re looking for a nicely golden brown crust.

Remember every oven is different so use your judgement. It’s not easy to assess the interior of this kind of gateau but remember the curd and cherries have already been “cooked” as it were, so you don’t have to worry about a raw center. The cream/curd tends to kind of meld into the dough too.

Ooooh - that’s looks great!

Let it cool in the pan about 10 minutes then, using a small offset spatula, run it just inside the edge of the pan to loosen things. Hold an overturned cooling rack across the top of the pan, lift pan and rack together and flip ‘em over. You should be able to lift the pan right off the gateau.

Now flip it back right side up the same way. Et voilà!

Let it cool, slice and enjoy at room temperature with perhaps a dollop of crème Chantilly, some additional cherries if you have them and some toasted sliced almonds. We sampled it au naturel and gave it a thumbs up.

It stores covered in the fridge for several days. We enjoyed a small slice here and there with afternoon coffee or as a small after dinner treat. Not bad.

On a final note, check this out!! On my daily walks I occasionally swing through a nearby township park and discovered this interesting natural sculpture in the wooded edge. The first time I noticed it was last October right around Halloween - how cool! I call it the tree witch and thought you might like to see it.

Keep on keepin’ on folks. Enjoy summer - it’s not over yet!

Afternoon tea at Hôtel de Crillon

We’ve been back home in Michigan for a few weeks now, and I want to share one last adventure from our European travels. I’ve been mulling over how to describe this one since it didn’t quite live up to our expectations, particularly after the generally stellar teas we enjoyed in the UK in autumn of 2019. Well here goes!

We had planned to meet an old friend for afternoon tea while in Paris, and, after a bit of research, we settled on Hôtel de Crillon, a 5 star spot right on Place de la Concorde that reopened several years ago after undergoing a 4 year renovation. With all the hype and the reputation of the place we were pumped to experience it. I recall during my pastry school days that the hotel was a very sought after spot for students to snag their place as a stagiaire - a real feather-in-one’s-cap kind of deal on the pastry chef resumé.

There’s a lovely lounge area soon after entering with luscious purple flowers and cushiony seating, but we were slated for Le Jardin d’Hiver, an outdoor terrace/courtyard venue for lunch and afternoon tea which lacked much luster or natural beauty - some greenery here and there and otherwise a white theme. Perhaps some might consider it calming, although we thought it pretty tame after the interior sumptuousness.

Entry lounge area

We had a quiet corner where we could catch up on the last few years (6!!) since we had seen Diane. After a lot of chatting (and staff periodically milling about wondering when we might order) we finally put in our requests for tea (me), coffee (Steve) and hot chocolate (Diane) to accompany our tiered tea assortments.

Two classic French cookies, langues du chats and lunettes with raspberry jam, came next. I gave them a thumbs up - crispy and flavorful, just as lovely shortbread type cookies should be.

We each received our own tiered server and could choose EITHER brioche or scones (the EITHER made very clear by the wait staff) which came perched above the sweets and savories. Heaven forbid we could have chosen one of each. Diane and I chose the scone pair (plain and fig/cranberry) and Steve went with the brioche (vanilla cream and strawberry/rhubarb). Truth be told, he’s not a big scone fan and he ordered the brioche simply so I could try it. Isn’t he wonderful?

Scones and sweets

Let’s check out the savories - the menu included focaccia/grilled veggies/olive cream; lobster roll on brioche with lime; goat cheese and pea toast (English muffin like) with radish. We all agreed the pea toast took first place but felt the lobster roll lacked any level of pizazz and the focaccia was one dimensional.

Savories

Before moving on to the sweets, I sampled the fig/cranberry scone which was flavorful but more cake-like than the light, fluffy crumbly scones I prefer. I then stole one of Steve’s brioche (vanilla cream) and found it absolutely superb and what would in the end be my favorite for the day. A hidden stash of vanilla cream in the bottom was perfect with the buttery, light brioche and its crisp exterior. Alas the other brioche (strawberry rhubarb) went uneaten since Steve and Diane showed no interest and I had to save room for other things. Awwww.

Steve’s brioche

The sweets plate

The sweets offerings included a lovely fresh strawberry and orange blossom tart which was tasty indeed (save for the slightly less than crisply fresh crust). Can you imagine slicing and arranging those strawberries just so? It’s a lot of work believe you me.

We were disappointed in the rhubarb dill number - while the cream cheese mousse base was good, the rhubarb dill concoction simply didn’t do it for us.

The third sweet, milk chocolate mousse with pink grapefruit jelly, was odd and quite jiggly. Oh well, ya gotta try some new things right?

In the end it was more about chatting and enjoying each other’s company. The icing on the cake, as it were, was receiving the news through a message from Diane’s husband back home that the COVID testing requirement to get back into the USA had been lifted! She was slated to fly home the same day we were and all of us couldn’t have been happier with the news.

Now we’re back to life as usual, whatever that really means. Since being home, I’ve taught a summer tart class through our local school system and look ahead to occasional pastry activities on the horizon. We’re back in a very casual at home mode for the most part and wondering when all the turmoil around the world will wane. It’s anybody’s guess.

Meanwhile my annuals are potted up, I’m back to regular walks and swims and working on staying calm.

Enjoy summer!

Gelato on Ile Saint-Louis and au revoir Paris

While Berthillon usually gets all the hype when it comes to ice cream in Paris, we discovered Amorino’s gelateria on rue Saint-Louis en l’ile some years ago. It had been a LONG time since we enjoyed their naturally made creamy goodness so on a lovely early summer day with just the right feel in the air it was time. Gelato here we come!

Believe it or not, this was our first strolling-around-let’s-get ice cream/gelato experience on this entire trip, save for some lemon sorbet I had enjoyed with a meal in Stockholm (and I kind of remember a small bit of ice cream with one of the rare desserts we ordered somewhere along the line). Steve, being the ice cream maven, was more than ready.

Amorino has a number of locations around Paris and beyond, so it’s easy to find no matter where you are in the city.

Classic cups

We each went for the smallish “classic” cup size. They allow you to choose as many flavors as you want, all of which go into this cup (or cone if that’s your thing). You can add a macaron on top if you like. We chose three flavors each, sans macaron: I had fruit de la passion, noix de coco et pistache; Steve chose stracciatella (chocolate chip - his favorite from our Italy days), caramel and inimitable, a chocolate hazelnut wonder. Mmmmm!

Lots of flavors to choose from

We sat in the shade at a small table with bar type stools and thoroughly enjoyed our treats. Gotta love it!

Our last few days in Paris gave us a great visual of the moon as it was approaching full status. Below it’s just over half full in the waning evening light after the sun has gone down.

A half moon lit sky

On our last night it was approaching full - I was up about 1 am and shot this one.

Getting close!

News flash - we are now home in Michigan after a wonderful adventure for the past 2 months. We couldn’t even begin to comprehend how much we’d be able to see and experience, both in places we had never visited as well as Paris, familiar as an old shoe.

We’re settling back in and looking forward to a quiet summer of calm, simplicity and of course a little bit of baking here and there - and let’s not forget homemade ice cream. Steve will be so happy.

Take care until next time.

Place Monge, 5th arr. and a bit about brioche

Friday market at Place Monge

We made a visit to our old stomping grounds on rue Monge on a beautiful Friday morning. It just so happens that Pâtisserie Pascal Pinaud, where I did my two stages after pastry school, is located just a few steps from the market. Back then it was often the task given to me (the gofer) on market day to buy whatever produce might be needed for the shop.

Market culture in Paris is very interesting. Parisians have their favorite vendors and will patiently stand in line awaiting their turn. Once they’re up, they take as much time as they need as the vendor picks out (with the customer’s guidance of course) their strawberries, tomatoes, melons, haricots verts, mushrooms or whatever is on their list for the day. It’s all so very orderly.

Back in the day at Pascal’s I was told in no uncertain terms which vendor stand I should visit (seen in the photo below) so I would patiently wait my turn to buy the pommes (Golden Delicious was the go-to) for tartes or chaussons, the berries and currants for garnishing the gateaux/entremets or to tuck into a layer for millefeuille aux citron et framboises and even the occasional lettuce for the daily baguette sandwiches. The stall is still in the same place and it looked like some of the same people were manning it. Fifteen years later!

Waiting in line

We snapped up some beautiful looking haricots verts and luscious fresh fraises for the weekend and strolled around admiring the fresh flowers, cheeses, seafood, saucisses, specialty honeys and so much more.

Fresh from the market

We popped into Pascal’s shop to say hi, Steve hoping to score some pâtes des fruits (they had none - awwwwww.) Chef Pascal wasn’t in, but his wife, who basically runs the front of the shop, remembered me and, in addition to the few pastries we bought, she gave us a small kougelhopf as un cadeau! How thoughtful.

Kougelhopf

Our haul included une tarte aux abricots, un èclair au café, un boule de campagne (country bread) and the gifted kougelhopf which I didn’t hesitate to slice into for a sample. There was un pain au chocolat in the mix but guess what - Steve scarfed that baby down tout de suite! BTW - we thought mine are better - just sayin’.

Treats from Pascal’s

A word about kougelhopf. It’s a traditionally Alsatian speciality with some Austrian ties as well. You can read more about it here. A rich brioche dough baked in a fluted mold, imbibed with a rum syrup and holding rum soaked raisins inside, it’s a treat enjoyed by many.

Working at Pascal’s was my chance to get a real handle on making brioche dough and for years I used the recipe from Pascal’s. He used to chide me if I added the butter pieces too quickly - they needed time to be blended into the dough. Over the years as I did more of my own comparisons and research, I now use a recipe that I find very satisfying. Because the dough is enriched with butter and eggs, the mixing and rising times are important to achieve the light crumb at the end. Nothing worse than a heavy brioche. Ouch!

Pascal’s brioche is indeed a fine example of a well made dough but, truth be told, I’m not a big fan of rum/raisins, and the imbibing syrup made for a soggy mouth feel. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a very well made kougelhopf, but I prefer a nicely baked, un-soaked brioche (a bit of lemon zest anyone?) with a schmear of jam and maybe some fresh fruit on the side. Yes.

Kougelhopf

Steve enjoyed the èclair as his after dinner treat. I loved the tarte aux abricots with my coffee the following morning, and we both thought the whole wheat boule de campagne made for great toast with a bit of butter and good cheese (or jam or PB or . . . . .)

A big thanks to the vendors at Place Monge and to Pâtisserie Pascal Pinaud. Those were the days my friends.

YUM!

Market flowers at Place Monge

Paris reverie

Paris. One word that conveys so much. For those of you who’ve been, this image of rooftops, chimneys, trees and beautiful evening light will speak to you. While not necessarily what most people think about when they hear that one word, the feeling I get from this image is one of calm, contentment and feeling at home.

Odd isn’t it? Steve and I lived here for 9 months during my Le Cordon Bleu pastry schooling and have been back a number of times over the years. Our last trip was 4 years ago, our return this time much longer than anticipated thanks not only to COVID but to life events in general. Things are always changing aren’t they.

Rows of plane trees in Le Jardin des Plantes

During those months, we lived in an apartment on rue Poliveau in the 5th arr, just down the street from Le Jardin des Plantes, the city’s primary botanical gardens. I took regular walks through the Jardin and along the Seine, always anticipating the vision of Notre Dame in front of me as I passed under the Pont de la Tournelle. Now undergoing restoration after the devastating April, 2019 fire, it is a much different image than the one that would always take my breath away a little bit every time it came into view. There’s something about it.

Restoration underway

Here are just a handful of images that help define Paris for me.

Wallace fountain on rue Jeanne d’Arc in the 13th arr

Small city garden at Place Louis Armstrong 13th arr

Streets named for artists like Edouard Manet (one of Steve’s faves!!), Rubens and Watteau.

Iconic art noveau metro signage - nearest line 5 station to our AirBnB

Fountains - this one is near the foot of rue Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter

One of Steve’s favorite pastries - Paris Brest from Maison Landemaine on rue Monge

Boat rides on the seine - Musée d’Orsay from the water

Lovely flowers on a neighboring balcony

Baguette from nearby pâtisserie/boulangerie La Gobelinoise on Av. Les Gobelins, 13th arr

Sailboats at Le Jardin du Luxembourg

Fruit stands - C’est la saison des cerises! Near rue Mouffetard.

Vintage shop signs at Musée Carnavalet

Do I have to say it??

There’s so much more - I’ve barely scratched the surface. It’s good to be back.

Stay healthy and enjoy summer!

Charles DeGaulle statue on Place Clemenceau

Cheese, siroopwafels, windmills and canals

As we were planning this trip, we knew the Netherlands would be on our itinerary. We considered staying in Utrecht, Rotterdam or Delft but our decision to make Gouda our stopping point came about on a bit of a whim after we read a NYT article about the place some months back. Known for its delicious cheeses (we’ve had our share of them from our favorite Cheese Lady shop in Grand Rapids), it seemed right to go directly to the source and check it out.

Let’s launch right into the food portion of the program.

't Kaaswinkeltje (Dutch for “the cheese shop”)

't Kaaswinkeltje was just down the street from our hotel and boy do they have LOTS of cheese. The center pile is mostly variations of Gouda but the case in the rear holds all manner of cheeses from many countries. Tasting is available and encouraged! We ended up with a shrink wrapped hunk of Beemster Gouda, one of our Cheese Lady faves, that would accompany us to Paris. Baguette anyone?

In addition to cheese, another Gouda food draw is the locally produced siroopwafels (or stroopwafels as they seem to be called by most). The Kamphuisen brand claims theirs is the original recipe, but we certainly saw many other labels selling a similar product. A thin, crisp, waffle-like cookie sandwiched with a skosh of caramel syrup and a hint of cinnamon, they’re pretty darn good with a cup of coffee or tea.

There are plenty of bakeries in town too. Curiously I noticed some identified as bakkerij and some banketbakkerij so I had to ask “What’s the difference?”. A quick search told me that the former is likely to focus on the daily breads, rolls, cakes and cookies while the latter will also offer finer pastries, chocolates and confections which require another level of production.

At a nearby banketbakkerij Steve just had to pick up some assorted pâte de fruits, a treat he fell in love with during my pastry school days in Paris nearly 16 years ago.

Our haul

A quick note about the word banket - for those of you not familiar with it, it’s a traditional Dutch almond-paste-filled pastry log that my Mom (and many other’s moms) made every Christmas for many years (always a big hit with the kids and grownups as well!). It can be baked in the shape of a letter signifying the recipient’s initial or made simply as a straight log. Great memories. (None of the shops are currently selling it since it’s a holiday offering).

Other than the items in the photo above, we didn’t indulge at all in sampling some of the other local baked goods. One needs a break every now and then, eh?

In addition to the many shops, the pedestrian and bike friendly central old town is picturesque with churches, the old town hall and market square, windmills, bicycles, canals and boats. It’s decked out for the town’s 750th anniversary too!

Gouda town hall (photo courtesy of Steve Soper)

Worn down from weeks of traveling, we spent our first couple of days in Gouda in a very low key fashion, relaxing, strolling, browsing the Saturday market and, of course, taking to the water. Wherever we travel, if there’s water nearby and a boat trip available, we jump at the chance; seeing a place from the water gives one a wholly different perspective on things.

Saturday market strawberries

Canal cruise in Gouda

Along the canal

We’ve been using Eurail passes for our train travel throughout this trip, and we found it especially easy bopping from city to city in the Gouda area. Steve has become a master of setting the trips up on our iPhones. When we’re ready to go, we head to the train station, scan in the QR code to get us through the turnstiles, find our platform and wait for the train. Slick!

One day we headed to Delft, an 18 minute ride from Gouda to Rotterdam Centraal where we then easily changed trains for a 12 minute leg to Delft. So easy and so much better than driving, finding a place to park etc, etc, etc! If only we lived where we didn’t have to depend on cars all the time. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

Approaching the Oude Kerk

Delft is a beautiful city - canals, churches, shops, lovely streets and a pleasant vibe indeed. We visited both the Oude Kerk (above - it’s been leaning for centuries) where Johannes VerMeer is buried and the Nieuwe Kerk where the Dutch royal family members are buried. It’s mind boggling to realize how many centuries these structures have been in existence.

We stopped at Stads-koffyhuis for lunch, a popular spot that I had discovered online somewhere. It’s been in business for many years and gets good reviews. Let’s go!

Steve treated himself to a vanilla milkshake and a roast beef sandwich while I went for a perfectly sized bowl of cheesy tomato soup which came with a tasty dark roll. Delicious! Of course, I had to sample one of the offerings from their baking kitchen and, after a bit of thought, chose the strawberry tart - tis the season after all.

The crust was a bit chewy (in a very good way), reminding me of my favorite Breton dough. Filled with a light strawberry cream topped with fresh berries, my expectations were more than met. An equally tasty crisp almond cookie accompanied my cappuccino. Aaaah.

Our last day trip took us to Utrecht, another easy 18 minute train trip from Gouda. The Dom Kerk is usually on the agenda for many traveler’s with the Domtouren a goal. What had once been a connected structure, the church and the tower are now completely separated by an open courtyard space as a result of a severe wind/rain storm back in the 1600s that destroyed a section of the building. The tower is currently undergoing massive maintenance and is covered in scaffolding. We visited the church and were particularly struck by the peaceful calm of the old cloisters and gardens.

Being once again driven by the presence of water, we took another canal cruise which allowed us to view parts of the city periphery that we wouldn’t have seen during our very short visit to Utrecht. It’a bustling popular university town with a lot of territory to cover and we barely dipped our toe in, so to speak.

Utrecht canal

Time to say goodbye to the Netherlands and head for Paris. See you in France!

Bergen, Bryggen, funicular, (more) pastries and (more) fjords

Our focus in Bergen after 5 weeks of travels hither and yon was to enjoy several days of respite. Whew! Arriving late afternoon our first day, we scooted out to pick up some groceries and vino and settled in for the evening.

Feeling it necessary to set aside the tourist push to visit museums, churches and fortresses, we opted for strolling, relaxing, enjoying a boat trip or two, sampling some local pastries, dining on light home cooked meals and soaking in the ambience of the place with its natural beauty and interesting history - all good stuff.

Our first outing was on a rainy morning when we hopped on the funicular to get a view of the city. Our AirBnB was practically at the doorstep of the funicular ticket office - easy peasy. Given the weather, we didn’t spend too much time up top but certainly got a good view of the city and harbor. You can see the funicular tracks to the right in the image below.

Rainy day view of Bergen center/harbor from the funicular

Happy flowers outside the funicular shop

We strolled over to Bryggen, the popular Unesco World Heritage site (and jewel in Bergen’s crown) consisting of a community of commercial wooden buildings connected by wooden passageways. Currently you’ll find them housing shops, museums and restaurants but there’s a lot of history that goes back centuries. You can read more about it here.

View of Bryggen

Between the buildings

Of course, after our Flåm experience, we had to give boller another try from a well thought of bakery right on our street. How handy is that! Two different fillings this time - the almond version (mandelbolle) had a nutty almond filling layered in the dough in addition to the pastry cream in the center; the fyltbolle contained a mix of pastry cream and blackberry jam. Interestingly fyltbolle translates simply as filled bun. My brief search tells me that the jam/cream combo is common, buuuuut . . . . I suppose you could fill ‘em with whatever tasty filling your heart desires.

We found the dough too soft and not as good as those in Flåm. The almond bun needed a bit longer baking time methinks, being on the pale side for our tastes. Plus, I prefer my pastries on the smaller side - not too big, not too little. That’s it - no more boller for us.

Mandelbolle and fyltbolle from a nearby Bergen bakery

A couple of our mornings/early afternoons were taken up by cruises - one a short cruise of the Bergen harbor and the other a longer cruise through the Osterfjorden to Modalen, said to be the second smallest municipality in Norway. It was established in 1910 and wasn’t accessible by road from Bergen until 1976.

A slice of Bergen from the harbor

Stunning waterfall on the Osterfjorden (photo courtesy of Steve Soper)

View of Modalen (photo courtesy of Steve Soper)

Otherwise our city strolling led us to discover various interesting sculptures as well as lovely spring flowers.

Hmmm . . . . homeless?

It has certainly been tulip time in Scandinavia!

On a bit of a whim Steve, the choux paste lover, picked up a pistachio èclair from a Parisian style shop (Sebastien Bruno) in the center shopping district. We also snagged a croissant and a pain au chocolat from a bakery in Bryggen to enjoy with our morning coffee (by now you should know that we invariably include pastry sampling in our itinerary.)

Over priced èclair

We agreed on a so-so rating for all. Steve deemed the choux OK but without enough pistachio flavor, too sweet overall and très cher.

We gently heated the viennoiserie in the oven the following morning and upon first bite found the taste to be sort of metallic and not pleasant. We couldn’t put our finger on it, but I suspected it was some aura from the oven that did it. After a few minutes and another bite, the off flavor seemed to have dissipated. In general they were otherwise light, crispy and very well laminated so the flavor issue was odd. Who knows.

Nice croissant lamination

Time to say goodbye to Bergen. Gouda here we come. Let’s hear it for cheese!

Bergen’s festplassen

Flåm, boller and fjords

We had planned our visit to Flåm for the purpose of seeing the fjords from both land and water but were also anticipating catching our breath with the peace and quiet of the mountains. We had plenty of time upon our arrival in this small ville to visit the TI office, check into fjord cruises/local eateries and generally get a lay of the land.

After a leisurely breakfast on the first of our two mornings in Flåm, we picked up our fjord cruise tickets and then headed for the Flåm Bakeri which we had heard about through the local vibe. We would enjoy our treats later.

Note the yellow and red paint colors above - we saw many buildings of similar colors dotted throughout the countryside.

The pastry case

While Steve worked on some photos and blog notes, I went for a brisk walk in and around town - something I’ve been missing during our days of city sightseeing. Gurgling streams, picturesque homes, gorgeous mountains - lovely.

Just around the bend from town - our hotel is the brown building complex (center of photo)

Typical Norwegian homestead

Babbling stream

Looking across the water from our room

Time for pastries! We had chosen two different boller/bun versions from Flåm Bakeri. First is Solbolle, literally translated as sun ball or sun bun - a cinnamon (not always) swirled yeasted dough topped with pastry cream and baked. It’s reportedly one way Norwegians (particularly above the arctic circle) celebrate the return of the sun in late January after the sunless dark days of winter.

Second is Skulebolle/skolebolle or school bun - sweet yeasted bun (not unlike the solbolle) filled with pastry cream, iced and coated with shredded coconut. I hear it’s a favorite to celebrate the last day of school. Oh - by the way - boller is the plural of bolle.

Solbolle and Skule (or skole) bolle

We shared these goodies a little before we headed out for our fjord cruise and pronounced them both delicious! Nicely textured bun (not too soft, not too chewy), smooth vanilla scented cream and great flavor all around. Steve especially liked the skule/skolebolle for its coconut-ness.

Quick note - after doing a search about Norwegian buns there are many variations out there folks. Later in our travels we came across another place that sold fyltboller which basically translates as filled bun - talk about a blank canvas! At any rate any type of bolle/bun rules in Norway!

Let’s hit the fjord!

Boarding our cruise boat

The day was pretty perfect - breezy, 60s, sunny with scattered clouds - time to cruise. Though once we got out onto the water it was more chilly, especially on the shaded sides of the boat, and we had to jockey for just the right position to have a good view as well as stay protected and warm. Here are a few scenic images for you.

Small village on the fjord

Motoring along

Snowcaps

Laegdafossen - the most stunning waterfall along the route (foss is Norwegian for waterfall)

The boat landed in Gudvangen where we hopped on a bus back to Flåm. A good trip indeed.

Next up - Bergen! I’ll be back.

These make me smile

From fire to ice in Scandinavia

Sunset in Stockholm

Taking a break from the pastry side of things, I’d like to show you a peek at the natural beauty we’ve seen in Scandinavia. On our last night in Stockholm we were treated to this amazing sunset display. Starting out with the sun peaking through the clouds as it went down, the sky morphed into an amazing display of orange shades with tints of fuchsia and purple. Wow!

Oslo offered us vistas of sunshine, swirling clouds, sparkling water and islands along with ferries moving to and fro. Even the big cities can’t keep Mother Nature from showing off her finery.

View from the Akershus fortress in Oslo

We were in for unexpected scenes on the train from Oslo to Myrdal as we climbed into blue-iced and snow covered expanses. Though in the image below it looks grey and overcast, at points the snow cover was so vast as to be literally blinding. Photos just can’t do it justice - you had to be there!

From the train on our way to Myrdal

We peaked at an altitude of 1222 meters (4000 ft) at Finse before we descended to Myrdal’s 866.6 meters (2837 ft) to catch the Flåmsbana down to Flåm.

Above the tree line at Finse

On the Flåmsbana on our way down to Flåm

More to come! - I’ll be back!

A glimpse at the Aurlandsfjord in Flåm

Fika in Stockholm

I believe I’m probably the gazillionth person to mention the Swedish tradition of fika which is essentially a coffee (or tea) break during the day when folks get together to set their cares aside, chit chat and enjoy a piece of cake or pastry. Much like the French le gouter or British afternoon tea, it’s a lovely tradition enjoyed by so many.

For our Stockholm visit we met up with British friends Richard and Pauline and enjoyed getting to know the city and see some of its many sights. One beautiful day we visited Skansen, a large park/zoo/open air museum on the island of Djurgården, just one of the many in the archipelago.

In one of the historic buildings in the town quarter we discovered a small cafe serving coffee and baked goods and decided to go for it. With a rustic cozy flair and a lovely outdoor space it offered us a chance to rest ourselves for a bit.

All four of us snagged a cup of coffee, Richard had a slice of rhubarb cake with crème anglaise and Pauline and I chose the almond cake option with a side dollop of whipped cream. Aside from the coffee, Steve abstained.

I wanted to see how the almond cake stacked up to the one(s) I had made and written about in this post a couple of years ago. Although somewhat disappointed (feeling my efforts had yielded a much more tasty result!), the topping had some crunch and the almond cake base was okay save for the rather dry edges. It was still a worthwhile comparison though. You never know unless you try!

Our treats were served on different patterned plates, and we enjoyed them out in the sunny courtyard garden before continuing our exploration of the Skansen grounds.

On another day of strolling from island to island in central Stockholm, we stopped at Thelins Grand Cafe on the Kungstradgarden, an outdoor gathering space with gardens at one end, cafes flanking and lots of people about. It was obviously a popular spot with a line out the door and outdoor tables at a premium.

Just A glimpse of the pastry case

In addition to the intriguing items in the case, my eye spied the variations of bullar, classic intricately twisted buns such as cinnamon and cardamom. Once again I was eager to sample a true Scandi version of bulle (the singular of bullar) after my own attempts at cardamom buns a while back. There was a lighter version that appeared to be sprinkled with a bit of sugar (top rear below) - I chose that.

Some of the cafe’s treats

We were happy to grab a table inside since it was pretty breezy and cool that day.

Richard and Pauline chose savory sandwiches and Steve continued to exert great will power and abstained except for a sparkling drink.

I anticipated that perhaps my bulle had a thin schmear of almond filling since it’s so commonly used in many Danish pastries, but, alas, I couldn’t really confirm that as I ate. It was tasty nonetheless with a light sweetness, simple lovely bun texture and delicious with my large cup of hot chocolate.

Here’s to the fika traditiion and all it stands for. Thanks Sweden!!

Danish pastry class in Copenhagen

Update note 3/06/23: please note that I am NOT the owner/operator of the Terrible French Pastry School. I’ve had several people who plan to travel to Copenhagen email me requesting class sign ups. You must contact the school (link below) to set up any classes with Chef Fred. You’ll be happy you did!!

Always up for another baking adventure, particularly one involving one of my favorites, laminated dough, I checked out various pastry/baking classes that might be available in the cities on our travel itinerary. What better subject to tackle than Danish pastries (aka wienerbrød) in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark! Yes please.

The site of said class was at the Terrible French Pastry School (hmmm . . . . the name gives one pause) located in the Frederiksberg section of Copenhagen. The school is owned and operated by Frédéric Terrible, a Frenchman by birth, Dane by assimilation, who has been running the school for about 10 years now, following a long career in the pastry world. Classes are generally available in Danish and English (“for the tourists” says Fred) and can also be arranged with French as an option. His “open” classes are available for general sign up, and he also accepts requests for private events.

Turns out it was an easy Metro ride + short walk from our digs on a coolish, sunny beautiful morning, perfect for working with the layered, buttery dough. The building is set back off the street situated on a small cul de sac and the entrance very unassuming with a small gold “Terrible” plaque to the left of the door (Steve snapped this photo of me working on taking my own photo).

The kitchen/teaching space is perfect for groups of 10-12 people with a line up of working stations topped with dusting flour and necessary tools in the center. Ovens, mixers and assorted supplies are appropriately placed along the windows and periphery of the space.

Recalling fondly my own commercial kitchen during our Rhode Island years, I appreciated its spaciousness and organization.

Chef Fred had his base dough recipe hanging up for all to see and would review the steps of dough making later in the class. I appreciated his insight into some of the differences in the dough when one uses water (crispy) or milk (less crispy), egg (softer) or no egg (less soft), different types of flour - all details that I’ve reviewed, compared and tried a number of times when deciding on a base recipe. So much to take in and everyone has their own favorite way of doing things.

While we didn’t actually perform all of the dough laminating steps in class, he reviewed the different approaches to doing the folds (noted on the right side of his chart). He makes a lot of dough for his Danish and croissant classes ahead of time using a professional sheeter which yields more precise layers than when rolling by hand as we homebodies do. So cool!

We worked in pairs (my mate was Naomi from the UK), each pair having an oven available to bake the various pastries we created. We sat comfortably while Chef Fred made some introductory remarks about the class flow and then it was time to push our chairs back and get rolling!

Any laminated dough class I’ve attended or have taught myself typically starts with completed dough that the chef makes ahead - otherwise one could not accomplish all that one hopes to in the allotted time frame. We proceeded to roll out four different dough portions (6 pastries from each), cutting and shaping them in various ways.

Demo to get us started

First up - 12x12 cm squares cut with a pastry bicycle cutter, a useful tool for even portioning. I’ve never owned one but certainly realize how helpful they can be. Please note: I have NO affiliate links with Amazon or anyone else; the link simply shows you what this tool looks like.

Also known as spandauer (traditionally remonce filling and a topping of custard or jam), we piped a just right dollop of remonce (equal weights almond flour, sugar, butter) - not too much and not too little - in the center.

Bring 2 opposite corners to the center and push down very firmly with your fingertip, all the way down through the dough and the cream to the paper. Whoa! This was one of those ah-hah moments. Typically I push/press but this is much more dramatic with very firm pressure. It’s all about being in charge of the dough.

Repeat with the other 2 corners. Yes!

Quick note - even with the firm pressure, once proofed some corners might unfurl - just press them back into the center before topping with custard and baking.

We rolled out the next dough portion and cut 6 rectangles about 10x15 cm each. Fold in half and make 5 cuts along the open edge . . . . .

Open each piece up and pipe a strip of remonce (not too much, not too little, not too close to the edges) down the center; top with chocolate chips.

Proceed with the braid (of sorts) by crisscrossing alternating strips from top to bottom, kind of like this Danish braid.

Chef Fred gave us a demo - here’s the start of his.

Once all wrapped up, press the side of your little finger across the open top to seal it and tuck the bottom ends underneath. Voilá

As we completed each tray of pastries, they went into the oven for proofing. Chef had given the ovens a whiff of warmth and kept an eye on the temps so they hung between 25ºC (77ºF) and 28ºC (82ºF). Too warm and the butter will start to melt, resulting in pools of butter and less than stellar texture after baking.

Note that European style butter with higher butterfat content can stand up to warmer proofing temps than run-of-the-mill butters so be forewarned! When in doubt I plan for a lower temp (70 - 75ºF) and longer rise (instead of 1 to 1.5 hours, go 2 to 2.5 hours) to avoid the butter leak issue.

We continued on with cinnamon spirals and sesame/poppy seed twists to complete the morning’s foursome of pastry treats.

Another ah-hah moment - to keep the cinnamon spirals from unfurling during proofing/baking, simply lift the end away from the coil a bit and fold/tuck it underneath the center. It’s now trapped on the bottom. Then press two fingertips in the center of each spiral and stretch it out, also flattening the whole thing (lower center below). This essentially tells the dough to bake outward not upward for a nicely shaped end result.

Amazing what one never read about or witnessed anyone do before. Cool.

The sesame poppy twists came about after rolling a rectangle of dough, spreading a thin layer of remonce over it then folding it in half. We coated one side with sesame seeds and the other with poppy then cut and snugly twisted the strips.

Press the ends of the twists firmly onto the parchment to hold them in place (and don’t be afraid to really smoosh them down!). Notice the bicycle cutter below.

Once the proofing was underway Chef Fred gave a quick demo on making crème pâtissiére, one of the essentials of French pastry.

When we were ready to bake, we piped pastry cream on the center of the spandauer (not yet accomplished in the image below), egg washed them and added a sprinkle of pearl sugar. The almond/chocolate chip braids were adorned with the pearl sugar and slivered almonds.

All proofed

Let the baking begin! We rotated trays in and out of the oven until all were baked to golden perfection.

We sampled our wares and also boxed some up to take home. Steve was a happy camper indeed!

After the class Chef emailed all of us a detailed recipe pack with great diagrams of various Danish shapes - can’t wait to try a few others!

All in all a great morning and lots of fun. If you’re planning to be in Copenhagen and feel the baking bug coming on, I highly recommend Terrible French Pastry School. Thanks so much Chef Frédéric (who BTW is cool with me writing and sharing this).

Later that day Steve and I strolled through popular Tivoli Gardens where we found the flowers simply divine. Enjoy!

Tasty treats in Prague - Cukrárna Myšák and trdelnik

Part of traveling is to experience the food and culture of another place. When I surfed the web for best pastry shops in Prague, Myšák was at the top of the list for many. Just follow the link to read about the interesting history of the place and what they have to offer (BTW - cukrárna is translated as confectionary or sweet shop.)

Steve and I visited the shop/cafe after our visit to Prague Castle and a somewhat lengthy walk from the tram to the “main drag” leading up to the statue of Wenceslas, a big name in Bohemian history. But enough about that. As it turned out, Myšák is located on a side street not too far from our apartment and so we settled in for a respite and some treats.

Pastry case

After perusing the case I opted for three treats: Karamelový větrniček - pâte à choux with caramel cream and glaze; tartaletka - a petite lemon tart topped with Swiss meringue and dried blueberries; pražská koule, literally translated as Prague ball - sponge cake with caramel cream, chocolate, peanuts.

Interestingly, each came on its own plate with fork (along with the requisite cappuccino) while I had expected the medley to arrive on a single plate. Oh well - when in Rome . . . . .

Tartaletka

All were tasty, particularly the Prague ball which Steve and I agreed offered a surprisingly pleasant combo of sponge cake texture, crunchy nut and tasty chocolate coating without being cloyingly sweet.

They also have an upstairs space offering the same cakes and pastries in addition to packaged goods like cookies, chocolates and assembled cakes as well as their own ice cream. We picked up a couple of croissants to go and enjoyed them the following morning.

Upstairs at Myšák

Morning croissant - yum!

On our first day of strolling around the old city of Prague we noticed a number of trdlo/trdelnik shops along the way (and a lot of folks eating them!). After a bit of research I learned that the treat itself is referred to as a trdelnik and the mold on which the dough is shaped is a trdlo. I also discovered that these are called chimney cakes in the English vernacular.

Niece Christina had given us a heads up about these popular treats, and we waited until our last day in Prague to give one a try. Sharing one seemed like the thing to do.

Basically a sweet yeasted dough wrapped around the trdlo, coated in sugar (sometime nuts) and grilled on a spit, you can get them edge dipped in chocolate and nuts, filled with whipped cream or soft serve ice cream with fruit options and various add-ons as well.

Choose your options

Most shops had rows of horizontal spits, grilling multiples at one time. Here’s an example of a single vertical one.

Some shops offer more choices than others - ours was pretty straight forward - chocolate/pistachio edge dip with vanilla ice cream.

The dough is what intrigued me the most - slightly sweet, chewy in a good way and a great contrast to the creamy ice cream, chocolate and nuts. Once we had eaten some of the ice cream, it nestled down into the hollow of the dough and one could take bites of the edges. We truly enjoyed it!

I’ve found a couple of recipes on line and realize there’s a bit of finagling to do to create a form and bake them in the oven buuuuuttt . . . . who knows - once we’re back from our travels I may give it a try!

Meanwhile spring continues springing. Take good care - I’ll be back!

Flowering tree at Prague Castle

Out and about in eastern Bavaria

Lest you think all I/we do when traveling is eat pastries and enjoy a nice cappuccino, taint so!

It was delightful to spend time with niece Christina and her family in the small town of Hohenfels in eastern Bavaria, enjoying coolish but pleasant temps and sunny blue skies. Our visit just happened to coincide with the spring Volksmarsch, a yearly tradition in Germany that has been revived as COVID is on the wane (we hope!).

Joining the 4th/5th grade elementary class on the Hohenfels army base, a large group of parents and children headed out for our 10k walk through forests and fields. What a great way to soak up the local traditions.

Volksmarsch

Another of our outings took us to nearby Kallmünz to visit castle ruins and enjoy delicious pizza at a trattoria right along the Naab river. The view from the castle is picture perfect with multicolored buildings and roofs, grassy fields and distant hills.

On our way up to the castle

View from the castle

We had taken our time trekking up to the castle on an inclined road but once we were ready to descend we headed down a stepped, rocky path right into town. Christina and family had eaten at the trattoria before and knew exactly where to find it.

Delicious food, fun service and a great river view made for an oh so pleasant evening.

Naab river

A visit to Nuremberg was on the hit list so one day we trained in from Parsburg for a few hours of strolling, churches, castles, bratwurst and brötchen. I particularly enjoyed the flowers and gardens at the castle. A feast for the eyes and the soul.

Lest you think I’m willing to completely ignore pastries in this post, think again - I’ll leave you with these images from Munich’s Eataly and connect with you next time around.

Ciao for now.

Pistachio cream croissant

Petite pastries in the case

A view down the aisles

Dallmayr cafe and delicatessen

Festooned with blossomed branches for spring, this famous Munich foodie space has been around since 1700. A bustling delicatessen, cafe/bistro, bar/grill and fine dining spot (which reopens September, 2022), Dallmayr attracts locals and travelers alike throughout the year.

After a sobering and rainy visit to Dachau that morning and always in search of a delicious lunch/coffee/pastry experience, we decided to give the cafe a try. Located upstairs, it offers comfortable seating, attentive staff and an all around welcoming vibe. We had a big blue ceramic parrot as our nearby companion.

Even though mask mandates have been lifted for the most part, many folks still mask in indoor public environs, and it’s required on all public transportation and in buildings the likes of museums and government related locales. But when it’s time to eat and drink, the masks come off! Looking around one can just tell that people are so happy to be out and about with family and friends again.

For our lunch Steve chose vitello tonnato, one of his favorite Northern Italian dishes and I went for quiche Lorraine. The dark, seeded rye and traditional baguette in the accompanying bread basket were deelish and our Sancerre was none too shabby either.

If in the mood for dessert, one can go peruse the pastry case for the day’s selections.

Tortes, tartes, kuchens, strudels oh my!

Given the recent apfelstrudel class I attended in Salzburg, that was my choice hands down. Available with ice cream or crème anglaise, I chose the latter along with the requisite afternoon cappuccino of course.

Warmed with flaky pastry, vanilla scented sauce, lightly sweetened cinnamon apple filling - I give it a thumbs up!

After a bit of post lunch relaxing we headed downstairs and wandered a bit through the deli/food hall area very reminiscent of Paris’ famous Fauchon.

Another pastry case caught my eye

Lovely time spent in a lovely location - how fortunate we are.

Leaving you with these classic European floral shop scenes, take care until next time and happy spring!

Apfelstrudel in Salzburg

As is my wont when traveling in Europe, I like to incorporate a pastry class or two into my itinerary. Even if it’s a topic with which I’m familiar, I love to quietly observe the instructor, the process, the group interactions and invariably pick up a tip or two. I might even chime in with a baking nugget of my own.

My only recollection of making apple strudel was back in the early days of my pastry schooling at Apicius in Florence. Since strudel is classically Austrian, one might ask - strudel in Italy?? Why yes as it turns out. Part of the curriculum at Apicius focused on specialties from all regions of Italy, each having its own culinary charm. In Northern Italy strudel is popular in the Trentino-Alto Adige which borders on Austria and, as a matter of fact, once belonged to Austria. As I envision the Apicius teaching kitchen, I see in my mind’s eye a large sheet of dough that we stretched and pulled until paper thin before rolling it around an apple filling and baking it to perfection.

As Steve and I were planning this trip I looked for a strudel class in or around Munich but alas, no dice. But never fear - the trusty internet led me to Edelweiss Cooking School in Salzburg, Austria just over the German border. We had Salzburg on our hit list so it seemed like the perfect thing to do.

View of Salzburg’s altstadt

We took the train from Munich to Salzburg, the bus into the old town then a short walk to Ursulinenplatz 9 where we found the school, literally built into the rock of Mönchsberg, a large part of the backdrop of the old city. Steve dropped me off and ambled off for some cemetery tromping.

The school’s space is cave-like with light and shadows playing off each other. Quick aside - I’ve done my best to lighten and reduce the shadowing in my photos - please understand!

Chef Johann was on hand to welcome me along with the 5 young German women from Augsburg who appeared just behind me. They were on a much belated bachelorette outing (thanks COVID) with some surprise activities planned for the bride-to-be (who actually was married three years ago!!). We were ready for action.

Johann began with a demo of mixing the apple filling and the initial rolling out of the strudel dough which had been made and allowed to rest for a couple of hours before the class. He then gave us a stretching demo to shape the dough into a larger rough square, thin enough to see through.

Preliminary round

All stretched out

He proceeded with the filling and rolling up of the strudel and then it was our turn. My compatriots grouped off at two tables as a pair and a trio, while I was stationed at a table alone with Johann as my partner.

First up - the apple filling. As Johann pointed out, strudel is very forgiving and something you can adjust to your whims. Add a bit more sugar or cinnamon to the apples, add dried cherries or cranberries instead of raisins, add nuts, use apricots or a savory filling like cabbage - all kinds of options.

The apple work had been completed for us - peel, core, slice about 4 cups of apples (e.g. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala or even a mix), sprinkle on a couple tablespoons sugar, a couple of shakes of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons raisins. Mix it up and set aside. Remember - your dough must be made ahead and ready for you, so wait to mix up your apples until assembly time.

Johann’s dough recipe is simple: 210 g / 1.66 cups flour (recommended ~12% protein which FYI is in between King Arthur’s all purpose and bread), 125 ml / 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon neutral oil like sunflower or canola (consider olive oil for a savory strudel) and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend all in a bowl and knead by hand to a smooth, silky dough. Lightly oil the dough, cover and rest two hours.

NOTE: I did a quick review of a couple of other strudel recipes, both of which use egg yolk and vinegar (helps tenderize) in the dough and one which utilizes a long mixing time and an overnight rest in the fridge before proceeding. Hmmmm . . . . . . future project methinks.

Rolling and stretching time! It’s very helpful to have a square table, something you can walk around to stretch the dough. Cover the work surface with a large tea towel, linen or oilcloth tablecloth, flour it and place the dough in the center. Flour the dough surface, turn over and flour again; roll out to a round (mine is rather oblique). Johann cautions not to lift/rotate the dough as you might for tart or pie dough - just roll.

Now using the backs of your fisted hands, get under the dough and stretch it out all around to a rough square. The dough may tear but is forgiving and will be wrapped up around the apples anyway.

Whoa! Mine isn’t nearly as nice as Johann’s.

Trim the thicker, irregular edges with a pizza cutter then drizzle 2-3 tablespoons melted butter over the dough (don’t brush since it may tear the dough) then a couple tablespoons bread crumbs. These help absorb some of the liquid from the apples during baking.

Place the apple mixture over the lower third of the dough, fold the sides over and the bottom up . . .

then using your cloth as a lifter, roll up the whole thing, leaving it seam side up. Snug it up a bit at the ends if needed so it will fit into your pan. Pretty rough and tumble, eh?

Have a buttered or parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan or metal 9-ish by 13-ish baking pan at the ready and, using Johann’s method, pick up the strudel with your towel or cloth and gently roll it onto/into the pan so the seam side is down. Brush melted butter over it and bake in a preheated 400º oven for about 30-35 minutes.

We all gathered round the table for a lunch of delicious goulash and a sampling of the soufflé-like Salzburg specialty Nockerl (a future post perhaps?) that we had whipped (literally!) together during class.

Salzburger Nockerl

Then it was time to sample our strudel, dusted with confectioner’s sugar and hot out of the pan.

Crisp crust, mellow apple flavor, not too sweet - all in all a worthwhile endeavor and a fun experience in old Salzburg. Thanks Johann! I look forward to making it at home, especially when autumn rolls around.

Steve and I finished our Salzburg visit with a boat ride on the Salzach River and a stroll through Mirabellgarten (Sound of Music anyone?) before our return train ride back to Munich.

Happy spring and take care until next time. Who knows what I may have up my sleeve.

Greetings from Munich!

Guten Tag allerseits!

Live! - coming to you from Munich at the start of a much awaited European adventure. After a very long travel day/night, we caught our breaths with a short nap, a stroll down the street for some basic staples for our AirBnB and topped it off with the first (of many!) coffee and pastry experiences at a nearby shop. With a natural rustic vibe and friendly staff who spoke English in counterpoint to our very rusty German (we’re trying), it was a relaxing way to feel welcomed to the neighborhood.

I went for a cappuccino with a freshly baked custard tart (à la the classic portuguese pastel de nata). The dried flowers atop the delicious, flaky-pastried-creamy treat were a colorful touch, especially nice since spring is in the air.

Steve had a doppio espresso and his favorite, pain au chocolat. The pain was nicely laminated and flavorful but with a bread like texture, a characteristic I suspect came from addition of egg to the dough. The quintessential flaky, shard producing French style laminated pastries we all know and love don’t typically contain egg, But different strokes for different folks - egg is often added to laminated pastry dough in countries the likes of Germany and Denmark (here’s the recipe I like to use). It’s all in how it’s done!

We strolled down a few of the neighborhood’s winding streets and discovered the church yard cemetery that is literally behind our building. Dappled light, sun and shadows, spring flowers and the memories of those in repose - a beautiful spot.

Check out Steve’s blog for more on our trip comings and goings.

We ended our first day in Munich with a Campari soda toast and tasty freshly made pasta dishes at another nearby eatery . Now it’s time for a good night’s sleep.

More coming up. Ciao for now!

Whole wheat bread

For some reason my brain has been swimming with all things bread lately. I’m in the midst of reading Samuel Fromartz’s book “In Search of the Perfect Loaf” and once again realize how much there is to understand. It takes lots of practice, trying techniques over and over, yet every time and every loaf will be just a bit different.

I’ve been on a sporadic and, I admit, rather lackadaisical hunt for the perfect whole wheat loaf that will fill the bill for a great sandwich or tasty morning buttered and jammed-up toast. There are so many possibilities, and I’ve run the gamut from a softer, gently enriched sandwich bread to a heartier nutty/fruity almost granola like bread to a chewy crusted hearth bread. They’ve all been tasty, but I have yet to reach bread nirvana. Buuuut . . . . I’m getting closer!

I have Jeffrey Hamelman to thank for this one, having found the recipe in his book “Bread” (full of great stuff!). An overnight pâte fermentée kicks it off. The evening before you want to bake, place 147 g / 5.2 ounces cool water in a medium bowl, add 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast, 227 g / 1.75 cups whole wheat flour and 5 g / 1 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and cover with plastic wrap.

Let sit at room temperature (70ºF) 12-16 hours.

When ready to make the dough, place 454 g / 3.5 cups whole wheat flour, 227 g / 1.75 cups bread flour, 480 ml / 2 cups tepid water, 10 g / 2 teaspoons salt, 4 g / 1.25 teaspoons instant dry yeast and 28 g / 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend on low about 3 minutes to incorporate ingredients, adding the pâte fermentée in pieces as it all comes together. Then mix on speed 2 about 3 minutes - look for supple, slightly loose dough.

Cover and let rise about 2 hours, doing a fold about half way through.

My kitchen is on the cool side so I gave mine a total bulk rise of 2.5 hours.

Dividing time! I opted for 2 free form loaves, each ending up about 788 g. Alternatively you can choose 2 loaf pan loaves or make a bunch of rolls (I like 50-60 g size for rolls).

Pre-shape rounds, place seam sides up, cover lightly with plastic and rest 10-15 minutes

Now shape loaves - boules, ovals, bâtards - whatever floats your boat. I placed mine on parchment on an overturned sheet pan that served as my peel for sliding them into the oven when the time came. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and give ‘em a rise. Hamelman instructs 1 to 1.5 hours at 75º F but in my cool kitchen I went for a 2 hour-ish rise. During the rise, place a baking stone in the lower part of the oven and heat to 450º F.

Start of rise

Make your desired slashes . . . . . (yes, mine could use a little fine tuning)

and slide those babies onto the baking stone, followed by a generous squirt of hot water (I have a tray that slides right onto my bottom oven rack) to create some steam. Bake about 40-45 minutes until nicely browned.

Nice! Good hollow thump as well.

Once cooled, slice away and enjoy.

Steve and I agreed that the exterior was wonderful - crusty with a perfect chew that wasn’t tough - and the bread itself deelish with that just right sweet hint of honey. Sandwiches and toast, here we come!!

Of course, I dream of many more bread baking adventures ahead. Hmmmm . . . what shall I try next??

FYI - I’ll be popping in and out over the next couple of months as Steve and I will be doing some long awaited traveling. How about a Danish pastry class in Copenhagen? Sounds good to me!

And now I’ll leave you with another example of the beauty we find at nearby Meijer Gardens. Certainly gets one in the mood for spring and summer, eh?

Take good care until next time.

If pastry could change the world . . . . .

If only everything could remind us of love . . . . .

If we could all share fresh bread, cheese and wine . . . . .

If a simple and delicious apple tart could make each day better . . . . .

If a bright, flashy chewy macaron could shout “Be Happy”! . . . . .

If croissants could bring us together as one, multi-layered though we are . . . . .

If a buttery scone could make us giggle with delight . . . . . .

If creamy profiteroles could smooth out all the kinks amongst us . . . . .

If a shortbread sandwich cookie could hug each and every one . . . .

If caramelized Kouign-amann could roll us up in a big warm embrace . . . . .

Don’t you think the world would be a better place?

Sesame brioche rolls

Hmmmm . . . more sesame you say? This time let’s talk tahini brioche. While I don’t always have tahini on hand, once purchased and used for its intended project, it sits in the cupboard waiting. I think Steve and I bought a jar some weeks back to make a dressing or marinade for something. Fortunately the shelf life is good, but I don’t like to let it linger too long before figuring out ways to use it up.

Always up for trying a new brioche recipe, I thought I’d give this one a try. As was true of the sesame cumin crackers of which I wrote recently, the recipe comes from Sofra, the popular middle Eastern bakery/cafe in Cambridge MA. It was presented in the holiday 2018 issue of King Arthur Flour’s erstwhile magazine “SIFT”, a beautiful, glossy presentation of all things baking and pastry. Please note - all credit goes to Sofra and King Arthur - I’m simply here to share my experience as I went through the steps.

i love a buttery brioche and have tried and tweaked many a recipe. My current go to recipe involves the usual long mixing time for this enriched dough, followed by an overnight rest in the fridge before dividing, shaping and baking the intended rolls or buns or whatever. The primary difference with Sofra’s is the first step of making a sponge before mixing the final dough. A sponge belongs to the family of pre-ferments like poolish, biga, pâte fermentée and levain and is intended to give the dough a chance to develop more flavor as well as give it a longer shelf life.

After a quick review of pre-ferments in Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Bread Bible”, as well as a few recipes that utilize the sponge approach, I realized that the sponge in this brioche sits for a short 30 minutes. It seems that 1-4 hours at room temperature or even overnight refrigeration are more typical, buuuuuut . . . . . I opted to follow the recipe - you gotta try, right!

The image below shows my mise with the sponge not quite at the 30 minute stage (as you see above).

OK - let’s go through the steps. For the sponge blend together 60 ml / 1/4 cup tepid whole milk, 7 g / 2.25 teaspoons instant yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer; once the yeast has dissolved, whisk in 2 large eggs and stir in 130 g / 1 cup all purpose flour.

Sprinkle another 65 g / 1/2 cup all purpose flour over the top of the mixture.

Cover and set aside for 30 minutes until the top flour layer is cracked, a sign that the yeast has started its work.

Now add to the sponge: 227 g / 1.75 cups all purpose flour, 50 g / 1/4 cup sugar, 10 g / 2 teaspoons salt, 3 large eggs, 1 large yolk and 110 g /~1/3 cup well stirred tahini. Mix on low speed with the dough hook to bring everything together. Then increase to medium for 8-10 minutes until the dough starts forming around the hook.

Scrape down the sides and give it a high speed mix for a minute more.

On medium speed add half (100 g) of the cold, cubed butter; mix until incorporated; add the remaining 100 g butter and mix about 10-15 minutes more until silky smooth. Give it one more minute on medium high - you want the dough pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Oooooooh - love that sheen!

Lightly butter a 3 or 4 quart bowl or container, place the dough in and press into a rectangle. Fold the edges in, turn the dough over and press again into a rectangle. Cover or tightly wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Being such an enriched dough, it doesn’t tend to rise too aggressively.

Here it is the next morning. Rise and shine!!

In general when shaping brioche dough it’s best to keep it cold, so leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to go. I envisioned a smallish roll so I figured about 60 g / 2 ounces for each piece (Sofra’s yield is a dozen rolls, making each a generous 90-ish g each). My total dough came to 1100 g; divide that by 60 g which yields 18 rolls. Sounds good to me.

Divide the dough and shape each piece into snug balls.

Place rolls on a parchment lined sheet pan. NOTE: Sofra’s recipe directs use of a buttered 9 or 10” springform pan, tucking the rolls in and ending up with pull-apart rolls.

Cover with lightly buttered plastic wrap and let rise 2 to 2.5 hours. On a cold winter day and in my kitchen at 69ºF, I give them the longer rise. Since brioche is so enriched, it needs plenty of time and won’t appear to rise as robustly as lean yeasted doughs. Toward the end of the rise, heat your oven to 350ºF.

Brush the tops with a bit of egg white (or water or milk) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake about 30-35 minutes until nicely browned (internal temp 190ºF). Cool and enjoy!

Of course Steve and I had to taste test a warm roll with a drizzle of honey (good!) and followed that the next day with sliced/lighted toasted versions served along side (or sandwiched with!) Sunday morning scrambled eggs. Yummy.

These will keep for several days well wrapped but I chose to freeze the majority of my batch (dinner rolls coming up?). I’m imagining a tasty chicken salad sandwich or sliced/cheesed up and broiled to go along with some of the great soups Steve has been making lately. Yes indeed.

Meanwhile , in spite of winter’s attempts to hold on, we’re getting little whiffs of spring - red wing blackbirds, the sandhill cranes who hung around all last summer have returned, pussy willows are starting to open and there’s a different feel in the air. You just know it.

Take care until next time!