Brunch lovers in Britain are sending sourdough purchases through the roof, but Andrea is hesitant to embrace the other popular UK brunch item … baked beans. Stefin encourages her to try some with her next brunch and broaden her horizons! Andrea asks Stefin why Waitrose’s March magazine labels a Lamb and Harissa Pastry as a Sausage Roll, which leads the hosts to wonder what makes a sausage roll a sausage roll. Deep thoughts, indeed.
On to a review of this week’s recipe Homemade Monkey Bread from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Stefin pronounces this dish “Fantastic and a real showstopper.” Andrea agrees, although perhaps she would describe her mini bundt pans as “super-cute” rather than jaw dropping. Both hosts made the recipe without the recommended Red Star Platinum Yeast but they both had success despite using a different brand. Stefin did run into a problem with the risen cold dough being hard and stiff, which caused her to worry, but fortunately it did not affect the final result. Reviewing the comments on the recipe reveals that several bakers had challenges but most were ultimately successful. So even if your dough isn’t perfect – persevere! Two thumbs up for Pull Apart Cinnamon Rolls (Andrea’s preferred recipe title) from the Preheated hosts!
This week’s bake along is not one but two recipes from our hosts: No-Knead Cast Iron Bread from Andrea and White Yeast Bread from Stefin. Andrea explains how she learned about her bread, with her mother-in-law originally sharing the Artisan No-Knead Bread recipe from Food Blogger Janet at Simply So Good. Then she discovered Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread recipe in the New York Times, and more recently read Mark Bittman’s update about the origin of the recipe in his article No-Knead Bread, Ten Years Later. Stefin remarks how much this recipe story reminds her of a bread starter: it was shared and started among multiple people in multiple locations, and no matter which one you use, you’re going to end up with a great loaf of bread. If you’d like to make this recipe using sourdough, here’s one more recipe for Sourdough No Knead Bread. Meanwhile, Stefin’s White Yeast Bread from Australian baker Rachel Allen is a great option if you love to knead, so set your timer for ten minutes, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits that come from getting your hands in the dough!
Next up, Preheated Book Club! Did you read Sourdough by Robin Sloane? Stefin enjoyed the book on several levels. It talked about bread baking as a way of building community (which is exactly why our hosts started the Preheated podcast – to build a community of home bakers). The book also tackles the idea of using technology vs. doing something by hand, and the book goes surprisingly deep on the topic for a contemporary fiction novel. Andrea enjoyed the character of Lois (especially her membership in the Lois Club!) and also the explanation of Lois’ job and work environment. However, she felt a bit competitive with Lois given how quickly she was turning our perfect sourdough loves. Well, it is a work of fiction, right?
A few other baking or bread related books listeners may enjoy: Bread Alone by Judith Robin Hendricks and Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich. Warning: bread reference is in title only on that one.
Listeners, we’d love your bread related (fiction or non-fiction) book recommendations!
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