Before commercial yeast became available, bakers used sourdough, or natural levain, to make bread. This skill has declined afterwards due to the convenience of using instant yeast, and flavor was sacrificed. However, these past few months, sourdough has become the latest rage in the amateur bread makers’ world, and I was definitely not the exception. Sourdough rises naturally by airborne yeast. It’s the oldest style of leavened bread and dates from 5000 years ago. It can result in a crusty flavorful loaf of bread and it is truly the perfect combination of art and science. I am by no means an expert but this is how I made my starter, after weeks of research and several books read. Once you have an active starter, usually takes AT LEAST 7-14 days, you can easily start using it to make the most delicious and sour breads. Use this guide is a stepping stone, and I highly recommend you read the book Tartine Bread and check out renowned bakers YouTube channels to learn more about about sourdough starters and sourdough breads. I hope this helps!
CONTInue ReadingAuthor: mrs.sucree
Easy One-Bowl Banana Bread
I don’t think anyone hasn’t played around with a banana bread recipe during this quarantine! Here’s an easy recipe that I optimized and that is bound to please everyone. Make sure you use overripe bananas and don’t skip the spices and the yoghurt!
CONTINUE ReadingPain au Lait Rolls (Tangzhong Method option)
Milk as an ingredient makes bread soft and adds a bit of sweetness to it. The recipe I am sharing with you has approaches. One which includes the Asian Tangzhong method of preparing a roux to make even softer rolls. The second one doesn’t. Both are super easy and end up giving you the most delicious and soft rolls ever! You can keep them plain and enjoy them with some Labneh or as a ham and cheese sandwich. Or you can add some chocolate chips to the dough. Your pick!
CONtinue ReadingMy Favorite Chocolate Banana Bread
The prefect balance of chocolate and banana made this loaf one of our favorite breakfasts! I have adapted this recipe from the Chocolate Lover’s Banana Bread by BrownedButterBlondie
Continue ReadingHomemade Lebanese Tarboosh
Our equivalent of American S’mores. Digestive Biscuit, pillowy soft marshmallow, covered in a thin layer of dark chocolate to satisfy all sorts of cravings! I have adapted this recipe from Paul Hollywood’s Great British Bake Off technical challenge. These are at least triple the size of the regular tarboosh but let’s face it, when did we stop at just one?
Continue ReadingMascarpone Raspberries and Chocolate Crêpe Cake
This showstopper is perfect if you want a fresh summery dessert! Layers of crêpes filled with a raspberry and mascarpone cream and topped with a luscious chocolate ganache. Just follow these steps and you’ll see it much easier than it looks like! * I have adapted this recipe from Martha Collison’s book Crave.
CONTINUE READINgMy Favorite Crêpes Recipe
Texas de Brazil-Style Brazilian Cheese Bread
I definitely miss eating out during this stay-at-home order! And one of my favorite places in Cleveland is the Brazilian steak chain Texas de Brazil. They serve wonderful Cheese Bread balls that are gooey and warm, instead of regular bread slices. These cheese dough balls are gluten-free, thus perfect for dietary restrictions. And since my husband and I were craving them, I looked up recipes to try to recreate these masterpieces. This one is straight out (with few alterations) of the “Great British Bake Off: Get Baking with Friends and Family” book and it was perfect as an appetizer for the US Mother’s Day this past Sunday. Traditional recipe contains manioc starch and “meia cura” cheese but these aren’t available where I live and I found tapioca flour and a mix of mozzarella and Parmesan to be a great substitute for both these ingredients.
CONTINUE READINGMy Favorite Cardamom Knots
Comfort food at its best. I just love cardamom in desserts and this one is no different, if not better, specially fresh out of the oven. These knots are then covered with a cardamom syrup that adds another depth of flavors. You can absolutely prepare the knots the night before, chill them in the fridge overnight, then bake them in the morning.
CONTINUE ReadINGOne-Bowl Double Orange Cake
This recipe is for a lovely light sponge cake that I adapted from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible! It is glazed with an orange syrup and perfect to enjoy the day of.
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Mrs. Sucrée 