Yeast breads | Gourmandistan

Peach Ginger Rosemary Brown Betty makes brioche flop much better

August 2, 2015 by Steve

An anticipated bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich ended up as a Peach Brown Betty, and it really wasn’t a bad ending. It did begin somewhat sadly for Steve, who had fussed over his buttery brioche dough for two days before it all went wrong in the oven. What seemed to be a golden brown loaf revealed its still-raw core when the top fell off as Steve attempted to turn it onto a cooling rack. Putting the patched-together brioche back in the oven […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Peaches/Nectarines, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads

We gladly fat our Tuesday for your hamburger today.

June 8, 2013 by Steve

Unlike certain other sidekicks, Michelle is not usually a big fan of hamburgers. While the humble burger is usually held forth as an American icon, for Michelle it holds multiple potential failure points. The bun could be too toasted, too wet, too gummy or too stale. At a restaurant, it could arrive “dressed” with limp, lukewarm (possibly worm-carrying) lettuce, or perhaps a pale and/or tasteless tomato slice. The meat could be greasy, gamey, dry, or simply dull. Additionally, Michelle disdains […]

Categories: Beef, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Sandwiches, Yeast breads

Betraying Bubbeleh (again) with brown lard bialys

February 16, 2013 by Steve

It is unclear whether Steve’s Jewish grandmother, who died several years before he was born, would have been disappointed in him. (Though if Jon Stewart and legions of other Jewish comedians are any guide, she quite possibly could not have helped herself.) But as someone who reportedly kept a kosher home, she would definitely be shocked by these bialys, which feature some of Steve’s home-rendered brown lard. Steve first met bialys as a boy in New York, where they appeared […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Yeast breads

A decent excuse for roasting: Duck Fat Focaccia

November 9, 2012 by Steve

It’s not as if Gourmandistan is unfamiliar with ovens. After all, we’re about to buy a new one because half of our decades-old double unit burned out from fun tricks like 24-hour pork roasts and 550° “turn the place into a pizza parlor” sessions. But we have been somewhat unsuccessful with home-roasting whole ducks. Saint Alice of the Incredibly Simple Roast Chicken Recipe (that’s salt, pepper, 400°, 1 hour) once disappointed us with a boring, too-greasy duck, though fervent acolyte […]

Categories: Cooking, Duck, Food, Recipes, Yeast breads

Butter buns, your best Kentucky Derby bet in years.

April 30, 2012 by Steve

In Spring you can find a number of Louisvillians who will quite possibly bet you they can go Ptolemy one better. They will not only insist that the stars, moon and sun revolve around the earth, but that the axis of our universe pivots on a mid-sized American city built at a fossil-laden kink in the Ohio River. Doctrinal proofs include The Great Gatsby, Muhammad Ali, Louisville Slugger bats, the opening scene of Stripes, and of course “The Most Exciting […]

Categories: Food, Kentucky Derby, Old cookbooks, Recipes, Yeast breads

Precipitation, Parties and Brioche “Pizzas”

April 23, 2011 by Michelle

People will tell you Gourmandistan is a lovely place, but it can be difficult to visit. Michelle had planned to entertain a couple of friends on Saturday for a multiple birthday lunch, and thought she’d found the perfect casual (and vegetarian!) idea—Yotam Ottolenghi’s brioche “pizzas.” All that was needed was the cooperation of Steve and Mother Nature. But before Michelle had decided whether the “pizzas” should be the appetizer or the main course, the ominous weather forecast caused her to […]

Categories: Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Pizza, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads

English muffins kick pancake ass

January 26, 2011 by Michelle

We’ve always enjoyed English muffins in Gourmandistan, but have long been dissatisfied with what can be found in our grocery. Years ago we bought some muffin rings and tried the recipe inside, but the oven-baked muffins were dense and not at all like the nook-and-cranny nirvana we sought. So we abandoned our muffins for other breads, occasionally buying a package of Bays for hamburger buns, only to find their freezer-burned corpses littering the Sub-Zero’s floor after we forgot about them. […]

Categories: Breakfast, Cooking, Food, Old cookbooks, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads

Pursuing perfect Parker House rolls

December 15, 2010 by Michelle

These days Steve can bang out a perfect pâte brisée without looking at a recipe. He’s also now pretty good at pizza dough, as well as pasta and no-knead bread. But Michelle found Steve a new challenge in the November issue of Saveur magazine—buttery, puffy Parker House rolls. Steve took the Tom Colicchio article out of Michelle’s hands and, on his first try, made a passable imitation of a dinner roll. However, they were judged to be a little underdone […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads

And dough-two: Pizza

July 16, 2010 by Steve

We’ve had a few requests for our pizza dough recipe. Since Steve can’t stand to knead (for reasons reaching from his carpal-tunnel-raddled wrists to his brain’s general hatred of things that are boring), the mixer’s dough hook is essential for him. Those made of sterner, less easily distracted stuff can hand-knead to their hearts’ content. Alice Waters (on page 60 of The Art of Simple Food) is right—letting the dough rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator makes it extra tender. […]

Categories: Basics, Cooking, Food, Italy, Pizza, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads