All posts filed under: Baking

Bosnian Bread / Pogača

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Bosnians love their breads and can’t have a meal without it. As such, it is not surprising to see the variety of breads available from the region. I heard that Sefira’s in-laws, Azra, makes the best pogača, a traditional bread that is similar to focaccia. On one Sunday, Azra came over and taught us how to make pogača from scratch. The texture is crusty on the outside and fluffy like a pillow inside and it’s absolutely tasty. This bread is best served warm right from the oven. Serving size: 6 servings / Difficulty: Easy / Time: 3 hours total – 30 minutes of prep time, 2 hours of rest time and 30 minutes of baking time Ingredients: 925 grams / 6 cups of All Purpose Flour 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter 3 eggs + 1 egg for egg wash 3 teaspoons of instant yeast 600 ml of lukewarm milk 1 tablespoon of salt 1 teaspoon of sugar Equipment: A large deep baking dish. I used a 12.5 inch circular baking dish for this recipe. You …

Bánh Chuối Hấp/ Steamed Banana Cake

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Every culture likely has a dessert that utilizes overly ripe bananas so they do not go to waste. Vietnam is no exception. We have our version of a banana cake, which uses ordinary ripe bananas and turn them into a special treat. The concept is similar to a traditional banana bread, but you’ll be using tapioca starch and then steaming the cake to create a chewy texture. Add this to your dessert arsenal today. Serving size: one 6 to 7 inch cake / Difficulty: Easy / Time: 30 minutes Ingredients Cake: 6 ripe to very ripe bananas 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder for color 1 and 1/2 cups tapioca starch 1/2 cup of water 1/4 teaspoon of pandan extract or vanilla extract Unsalted butter or baking spray to grease the pan Equipment: 6 to 7-inch cake pan or springform pan a steamer big enough to fit the cake a clean kitchen towel Coconut Sauce: 1 can of coconut milk 1/2 can of water 2 teaspoons of …

Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Casserole

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My brother-in-law’s mother made this ridiculously simple, yet creamy and delectable baked potato casserole that has become a weekly staple in this household. My niece loves to eat it and I like to make it for her since it requires minimal effort. This dish is the perfect accompaniment to any meal, especially on a busy day. Ingredients: 6 starchy potatoes like russet, white or yellow potatoes 1/2 tablespoon of Vegeta (European vegetable based seasoning) or any vegetable seasoning of your choice. If your vegetable seasoning does not contain salt, you will need to add at least 1 teaspoon of salt or an amount to your preference for this recipe. 1 tablespoon of olive oil 5 tablespoons of Mexican or Guatemalan crema or crème fraiche thinned with approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons of lime juice or water. You can easily find this at your local supermarket, Amazon or Walmart online. Directions: Preheat the oven to 450F. Cut 6 potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices and soak in cold water for 5 minutes to remove excess starch. …

Easy Holiday Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

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One of the simplest crowd pleasing appetizer in my holiday cooking arsenal is this delectable baked brie in puff pastry. My version smothers creamy cheese with honey, cranberries and chopped nuts and then wrapped in a delicious puff pastry…just to be extra. Serve this salty and sweet melted cheese with thin slices of French bread or crackers to kick off the holiday season or any season of the year. Difficulty: Easy / Time: 30 minutes / Servings: for 4-6 people Ingredients: 1 Brie circle or camembert 1/2 cup of unsalted roasted nuts of your choice 1/2 cup of dried berries of your choice. My favorite is a mix of dried cranberries and other berries. 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry slightly chilled but not frozen (You can defrost frozen puff pastry in the fridge.) 3/4 to 1 cup of honey, depending on your preference for sweetness 1 egg for egg wash Crackers or your choice of bread Directions: Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Rough chop 1/2 cups of roasted nuts …

Bosnian Pita – Phyllo Pie with Apples, Walnuts and Cinnamon Sugar

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Autumn is the perfect weather for apple picking and eating warm meals to welcome the cooler temperature. Apple pie is a classic American dessert to go along with many other seasonal treats. We took the basic Bosnian cheese pita recipe and made our sweet version of apple “pie” with phyllo dough filled with apples, walnuts and cinnamon sugar. It’ll be hard to eat just one slice. This recipe has directions for home-made phyllo dough or you can substitute with frozen phyllo sheets. You may need approximately 10 sheets, depending on the size of your sheet pan. This recipe is customizable for the amount of apples and phyllo dough that you have on hand. Difficulty: Easy (if using store bought phyllo dough) to medium (if making phyllo dough from scratch) / Time: 45 minutes – 1.5 hours and up to 24 hours rest time if making phyllo from scratch Servings: 8 slices Ingredients: approximately 10 frozen phyllo sheets thawed or make the dough below: Dough from scratch: 325 grams / 2 and 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour 1/2 …

Easy No-Knead French Baguettes

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I have successfully made traditional French baguettes with the stretch and fold kneading techniques; however, the whole process can be quite labor-intensive and require some acumen to work with the wet dough. After teaching my younger cousin how to make traditional baguettes and seeing how he struggled with the wet dough, I wanted to make a beginner-friendly version. I tested different techniques and proofing time and came back to my No-Knead Artisan Bread recipe. I figure why not use that as a basis since the bread came out with a nice crust and airy insides. Low and behold, it works! Although the no-knead baguette will not be as crusty or springy as using the stretch and fold technique, it still has a similar texture and taste of a more traditional baguette. The differences between the two baguettes are marginal unless you are a die-hard bread connoisseur. Serving Size: 3 large baguette / Difficulty: Easy / Time: Rest time of  up to 26 hours – Work time of 15-30 minutes Ingredients: 450 grams of bread flour …

Bánh Tiêu Mật Ong/ Honey Glazed Sesame Hollow Donuts

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Bánh tiêu is essentially the Vietnamese version of fried dough or donut. One can find them sold throughout any town from street vendors. These donuts differ from American donuts due to bánh tiêu having a hollow center. This creates a light and fluffy donut with a chewy texture, which also has a light crunch from the sesame seeds. To take this traditional hollow donut up a notch, I incorporated honey into the batter and also applied a light honey glaze. This version of bánh tiêu has just the right amount of sweetness that my family cannot get enough of.  This recipe makes 12 donuts and takes about 2 hours with proofing time. Ingredients: 2 and 3/4 cup of bread flour / 400 gram 1/2 cup of water 1/2 cup of 1% low-fat milk 3 tablespoons of sugar 1 and 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1 packet of vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of instant yeast 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 cup of sesame seeds 2 tablespoons of honey Honey glaze …

Honey Milk Bread

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Ever since my first trip to Japan years ago, I have been obsessed with fluffy white bread that is drastically tastier than the US version. I could only find this at good Asian bakeries like Tous Le Jour. Due to the pandemic, milk bread was hard to come by. I scoured Youtube and blogs to find the perfect recipe and after a few trials and errors, I finally modified one that works for me. This recipe is based on Aimee’s Cooking’s dinner rolls, where I adjusted the sugar and honey ratio and used a different bread formation. The differences make the honey flavor more pronounced and the bread less sugary tasting. The loaf method compared to the dinner roll method also gives the bread more structure while retaining the fluffiness.  I hope you like this as much as my family. This recipe is for one bread using an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2” loaf pan. It’s medium in difficulty and takes around 2.5 hours including a lot of waiting time. Ingredients: 3/4 cup of milk …