It must have been close to St. Patrick’s Day. I had a six pack of Guinness on hand. Maybe I’d made some Guinness Glazed Irish Bacon or some Irish Rarebit. I love cooking with mallty stout, but I don’t particularly like drinking it straight, so I was looking for ways to use all those bottles. An Irish-inspired rustic loaf seemed the perfect thing. This bread has the lovely, … [Read more...] about Guinness and Oatmeal Quick Bread
bread
Chive Muffins
What could be better beside a bowl of soup than homemade bread. The muffins are easy, fluffy and full of flavor. The yeast gives them a light hand while the chives add a slightly onion-y tang. I suppose you could stir in any fresh herb, but the subtle taste of chives complements almost any soup. Serve these warm with a little butter melting into the crevices, and you’ve got a … [Read more...] about Chive Muffins
Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
When I leaf through cookbooks, I mark recipes that look interesting with little post-it flags. I frequently go back through those marked pages when I am looking for ideas, and it is always interesting when I return to books to see what caught my attention at any particular moment. Recently, I was flipping through some old community cookbooks to pass the time and I came across … [Read more...] about Cottage Cheese Dinner Rolls
Buttermilk Bread
Making a fresh loaf of lovely, real homemade bread gives me more of a sense of accomplishment than just about anything. I am not an expert at it, you see, and I am still a little wary around yeast. So I look for simple recipes and adapt them as best I can for my skill level. Because I love that moment when you see that your dough has risen to a beautiful, soft … [Read more...] about Buttermilk Bread
Holiday Spice Bread with Whipped Honey Butter
I adapted this recipe from an old community cookbook, modernizing and stream lining it a bit, but I can’t imagine its origins. Maybe Scandinavian? Or a take on a French quatre epices? A Byzantine tradition? I don’t know, but the unusual spice combination lightly sweetened with honey really sets this bread apart. I want there to be some story that this is … [Read more...] about Holiday Spice Bread with Whipped Honey Butter
