Lotta Loaf

Heading to a Georgian restaurant tomorrow for a meal and...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:54:53 -0400

Heading to a Georgian restaurant tomorrow for a meal and suddenly started obsessing over khachapuri, a Georgian bread that is often filled with cheese and sometimes egg. Naturally, I started looking for instructional baking videos and came across this Khachapuri How-To—made for Japanese T.V.

It’s pretty annoying that one of my go-to bakeries is...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:38:20 -0400

It’s pretty annoying that one of my go-to bakeries is located blocks away from my gym. Clearly, Joyce’s Bakeshop (in Prospect Heights) is one of the only reasons I work out. Thirty minutes on the treadmill followed by an hour nibbling on a fresh-baked cinnamon roll. Their fresh baked canelés are pretty incredible too.

After an hour of body rolls to reggaeton at my Zumba classed, I dashed over to the bakery, ready to sacrifice the veggie juice I was sipping in the interim, for a hot sticky bun. Sadly, the Prospect Heights crowd beat me to the punch—er—cream cheese frosting. I settled for a strawberry croissant though I’m not sure I loved the overpowering strawberry flavor, nor did I appreciate the flaky croissant bits all over my tights. Maybe I’ll stop by before the gym next time. But something tells me I might want to take a nap afterwards.

“All you need is loaf…” Look at the crust on...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:39:33 -0400

“All you need is loaf…” Look at the crust on those babies. Yum!

freecityfreemind:

FREECITY fresh baked bread

it lives in the shop

Simply Breakfast, one of my favorite blogs posts on the oft...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:23:00 -0400

Simply Breakfast, one of my favorite blogs posts on the oft forgotten bread-thren, the donut! I am on a slight donut kick today as the temperature here in NYC drops (again) and the days get darker. I am going to have to try baking donuts one of these days.

My friend Kristy and I had our long-overdue hang out at Vinegar...

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:34:00 -0400

My friend Kristy and I had our long-overdue hang out at Vinegar Hill House. I’ve been meaning to check out this quaint restaurant in Dumbo, but never got around to it; after all, there’s still so much of New York to eat through. But I’m so glad we decided to come here to start off a Sunday. This place was nothing but good vibes, tasty food, free coffee-refills, and the most perfect raspberry muffin. More bread-like than dessert-like, the muffin teetered between sweetness and tartness. And it had the most incredible chew—moist but still springy. What made this a twofer was the raspberry butter that came alongside.

I plan on heading back to this restaurant for a second visit, this time for dinner. Eager to see what other bread-y options are in store.

True story: On my long walks to the train station every...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:15:33 -0400

True story: On my long walks to the train station every morning, I think about devouring a freshly baked croissant. Not just think—more like obsess. But I’m predisposed to reject delicious things in the morning. Svelte people don’t consume buttery baked goods in the morning; they eat non-fat Chobani greek yogurt instead. And by some sad transitive property of staying lean, I rely on bland breakfasts to get me through the a.m. It’s only natural if not expected that I would fantasize about shoving a you-know-what (croissant) in my you-know-where (mouth).

Three days ago, I decided to live a little and embark on a new project of making croissants from scratch. And very much in line with Buddhist ideology that to live, one must suffer. To truly appreciate a croissant, one must experience the painstaking process of baking croissants.

After some serious researching, I found this wonderful recipe via Fine Cooking. From start to finish, the croissants took me 2 1/2 days to make. What I didn’t know was all the time it takes to proof and set the dough, and how important having a good rolling pin was to ensuring delicate, even pastry layers. The final product emerged from the oven last night around 1am, and since then, I’ve had 3 (for breakfast). Does “go hard or go home” have anything to do with Buddhism?

Grand Army Plaza farmer’s market and its reliable surplus of...

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:17:17 -0400

Grand Army Plaza farmer’s market and its reliable surplus of freshly baked goods. Still warm from an early morning baking session. What I don’t have a photo of, is their assorted “flatbread” topped with various fragrant things such as grilled onions, garlic, mushrooms, goat cheese and more. Not to be missed.

Dissecting a Banh-mi. A helpful guide posted on the wall of...

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:44:09 -0400

Dissecting a Banh-mi. A helpful guide posted on the wall of Saigon Vietnamese Deli (Broome & Elizabeth in Little Italy) for your Vietnamese sammie consumption (in case you were freaked out by the cornucopia of flavors and ingredients). Sidenote: I’m not recommending this place for their sandwiches. Frankly, still on the hunt for a good one here in NYC.

I’d love this framed on my wall. Only complaint? The baguette looks a little weak. But of course, I would say that.

Rosh Hashanah is around the corner and for me it’s less of...

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:21:00 -0400

Rosh Hashanah is around the corner and for me it’s less of a religious event than a food one. Could be because I’m not Jewish. But I’ve found myself a nice non-practicing Jewish boyfriend who invites me to holiday dinners with his family which for me, is a treat. The meals are like Intro to Judaism 101—an examination of symbolic dishes and culinary traditions born centuries ago that still prevail and evolve, that speak volumes of a religion I know only very superficially. I’m also just really into the flavors.

Yesterday, Food52.com posted some Rosh Hashanah recipes to try, and the Challah bread recipe seems right up my alley. Two years ago, I attempted to bake Challah but kind of failed at the braiding part. Here’s my chance to redeem myself. I’ll let you know how it goes.

More info on the Chistory of Challah. Char. Char.

My friend Tanya stumbled upon this in Fort Greene and sent it my...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:11:45 -0400

My friend Tanya stumbled upon this in Fort Greene and sent it my way! Great minds think alike. I’ve never been but apparently it’s closed.

As a former Wetzels Pretzels employee, I learned nothing about...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:45:15 -0400

As a former Wetzels Pretzels employee, I learned nothing about pretzels during my time behind in front of the commercial oven, behind the counter, or with my whole hand deep inside a vat of honey-mustard mixing with fervor. I was young and just trying to make minimum wage. And then I had my first real soft pretzel—the kind made fresh, baked fresh, and not brushed with a weird amalgamation of hydrogenated veg oil and butter. I was blind, and now I see! Only the freshest for me, these days.

Other pretzel news: My friend Nina Elder, fellow bread-aficionado, says this about these mouthwatering pretzels she recently had:

“They are sweet German-style pretzels made by fourth-generation master baker Ralf Edelmann. He’ll be heading up two locations of Landbrot, a German bakery/bar. Both locations (137 7th Ave. South and 185 Orchard St.) are opening soon. Oh. And you should have seen him shape the pretzels. He divided up the dough, rolled each portion into a long rope, then in one swift motion, picked it up, twisted it, and set it back down on the countertop in a perfect pretzel shape. Amazing!”

I love a good croissant as much as the next person. But when it...

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:40:02 -0400

I love a good croissant as much as the next person. But when it comes to judging a croissant’s quality, and annoyingly, its “authenticity,” the criteria changes from palate to palate. Frankly, I find it too difficult to compare an offshore croissant with one from a bakery in France. Different flour, butter, climate, and importantly, very different water. But there is one sole characteristic of a croissant that makes it or breaks it—its butteriness and flakiness.

A few months ago, while I was back in Los Angeles, a very reliable food source and friend aka Sadaf introduced me to Proof Bakery in Eagle Rock, where I had quite possibly—the best croissant in a long time. It was the perfect size (unlike its giant Costco brethren) and I could taste the high quality butter that was used. It was so flakey on the outside, yet so tender on the inside, and was the perfect accompaniment to my cortado. All those fantasies I had about sitting at a sidewalk cafe in Paris with the perfect croissant finally came true—well, minus the Paris, sidewalk, cafe part.

Despite the gloom, today has been a nice day. Primarily because...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:04:00 -0400

Despite the gloom, today has been a nice day. Primarily because I stopped by one of my favorite cafes in Soho—Local, a small sardine can of a place where I can always expect to have the perfect cup of coffee to accompany buttery oven-fresh popover. The first two images is just a glimpse into how chill the cafe is (sidewalk hangout included). However, with the breakfast and lunch rush subsiding, I didn’t make it in time for a popover and settled for a black sesame-laden roll from Once Upon a Tart. Good flavor, but terrible chew factor. I had to tear through the crust like a rodent. Saved by the sesame seeds!

Months back, I came across MilkandMode’s lovely...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:44:36 -0400

Months back, I came across MilkandMode’s lovely tomato/mayo sandwich, which is a simple concoction that everyone swears is kind of a remarkable combo. I was instantly drawn to its slight resemblance to the BLT (one of my all-time favez) but minus what I thought was the essential ingredient: bacon. The tomato was always just extra cushion. Anyway, I suddenly craved this tomato/mayo sandwich and was determined to enjoy it for dinner tonight, and yep- it’s a winner, and a very easy way to dress up bread.

Ingredients

2 slices seven grain country loaf
3-4 slices of market fresh heirloom tomatoes

1-2 tablespoons Veganaise

sea salt

ground black pepper

Toast the bread. Smear on the Veganaise. Top with tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Proclamations of bread love used to live at...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:52:42 -0400

Proclamations of bread love used to live at baguettaboutit.wordpress.com, and then last year, I went through a state of being gluten-free for medical reasons. It was during this time that I often wondered what is life without bread? I attempted to adjust to my new wheat-free and somewhat soul-less state by eating gluten-free bread, which actually made me miss “real” bread even more. There was no chew or elasticity or a crust to sink my teeth into. Toasting gluten-free bread was like baking cardboard—the kitchen devoid of the toasty bread smells. Along with bread went nut butters, jams, nutella, and other spreadable condiments in their purest state, unwhisked or unblended. Oh man, I really really really missed eating bread.

When my test results came back negative and my health returned to normal, I quickly embraced leavened wheaty things back in my life, with full force. My bread-love story will unfold here.