So, if you’re noticing a tread in the last couple of weeks, yes, I am indeed really getting into this “bread baking in a dutch oven” thing. In fact, so much so that I bought a second — smaller — enameled cast iron pot. I really wanted the Le Creuset one, but the 3 1/2 quart one there was $290 so I bought a “knock off” which was only $50. My standard 6-quart dutch oven makes amazing loaves, but I am a single person and I would die of carb overload if I ate that much bread. So I am making smaller loaves, for now, by cutting the recipes in half. You can do the math to get it back to “normal sized”.
It’s been a while since I did one of my “stranger” flavor combination type cookies so I felt inspired to combine dried apricots, pistachios and chocolate. For some reason, it seems like a bit of a Middle Eastern combo to me, but I don’t really know why. At any rate, these shortbread cookies definitely deliver on taste. Not too sweet but very flavorful!
Today is of course Pi Day in the US…. yes, we silly people who put month, then day, so … 3.14 aka Pie Day. Just to be silly, I did make a pie. Hasselback-Style Pear and Walnut Tart… OK, I guess it’s a Tart not a Pie. Oh well. It doesn’t look might much because the custard drowned the hasselback-style pears, but it still tastes good.
Now that I have started the “Bread in a Dutch Oven” method for making bread, I have decided to branch out and do something besides a plain old white bread boule. I decided to make this Cranberry Walnut and Honey loaf. Again the dough is a little gooey, but it turned out alright at the end. I think the next time, I’ll add a little cinnamon.