lovesgenoise's Profile

From: , MA USA

Joined: May 2nd, 2011

Latest review:

September 24th, 2012

The Baked Brownie from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

These were quite good! A couple of notes: first, the recipe calls for chocolate that contains 60-72% cocoa solids. I used 70% chocolate and for me, they were almost too sweet (though I still managed... read more >

recipe reviews (65)
book reviews (1)
useful review votes (96)

lovesgenoise's Reviews

7 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 7Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

	Basic Hearth Bread From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 15th May 2011) A wonderful recipe to teach the basics of artisan bread. The crumb has medium holes (larger than a sandwich bread but smaller than a ciabatta-style bread), and the addition of a small amount of whole wheat flour boosts flavor. Like the previous reviewer, I also divide this recipe into two smaller, thin-ish torpedos, one to eat and one to freeze.
	Carrot Bread From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 20th October 2011) This is a delicious quick bread rather than a yeasted bread. It can be sliced thinly and keeps well, perfect for cream cheese sandwiches for lunchboxes or weekend snacking. It's healthier than carrot cake, with more carrots, less sugar and less oil, yet it is still moist and delicious. I didn't miss the extra sugar or oil at all. The recommendation in the recipe to wrap the loaf and let it sit for a day is a good one, mine was a tad dry at the edges when first baked, but after sitting it was more moist. The only change I made was to use golden raisins instead of dark ones, as this was primarily for my 10 year-old daughter and she likes goldens better. When she saw me grating a large pile of carrots to make this, she informed me she doesn't like carrot cake. But now she's eaten it with cream cheese every day for the last week. It's definitely good for veggie-phobic kids. The four star rating is for the quickbread itself, spreading it with cream cheese elevates this to a 5.
	Perfect Pizza Dough From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 2nd May 2011) Our go-to pizza dough, we make it nearly every week. This is a no-knead dough so it's incredibly easy, perfect for a novice bread maker or for anyone who needs to spend more time on toppings, salad, etc. The recommend King Arthur Italian-style flour makes a noticeably light, crisp crust, but the all-purpose version is nearly as good. Letting the dough sit overnight in the fridge gives nice flavor. And the portion size is somewhat small, it serves two modest appetites. We double it for a family of three.
	Potato Flatbread Pizza From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 6th September 2011) This potato flatbread is absolutely delicious, and can be used for small dinner rolls as well as for flatbread. The flavor tastes like a cross between buttery mashed potatoes and pizza crust. It's a very tender pizza crust, yet still bakes up with a crisp exterior. Using this dough for pizza strikes me as an American-style departure from the traditional Italian pie. We love it with the mushroom and onion topping listed in the book, but prefer the more Italian-style "Perfect Pizza Dough" recipe that precedes it for classic Pizza Margherita and similar pies. Large Serving Size Both this recipe and the "Perfect Pizza Dough" make one 10-inch flatbread or 7 oz of dough, but this one lists that as a main serving for one, while the other recipe lists it as a main serving for two. With either recipe, we double it (14 oz of dough) for a family of three.
	Pugliese From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 15th May 2011) This is the bread depicted on the cover. So far, it's my favorite savory bread from this book. I love everything about it, from the open crumb (large holes) to the magical flavors produced by durum flour and a mellow biga. It's worth noting that coarse semolina doesn't work well for this recipe (it calls for finely ground durum flour). As the coarse flour is easier to find, I have tried both allowing it time to absorb the water in the recipe, and grinding it in the food processor, but the substitution still doesn't work as well as the fine flour does. If the coarse flour is all that is available, you can reduce hydration a bit and the bread will still be good.
	Raisin Pecan Bread From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 2nd May 2011) This bread adds up to more than the sum of its parts. The raisin-pecan version has a mellow, blended flavor that is delicious, while the cranberry-walnut version has a bright combination of flavors that remain more distinct. It's one of my favorite breads in the book. It has a dense, fine crumb and a soft texture. I like to split the recipe into two smaller loaves, as it makes one large loaf and we are a small family. One to eat right away, one for the freezer. Great with fresh ricotta or cream cheese.
	Walnut Fougasse From: The Bread Bible (reviewed 17th December 2011) This is a lovely bread, enriched with walnut oil and studded with additional walnuts, it pairs well with soft cheese and fruit. I did use the optional gappe, the toasted milk solids left over from making brown butter. Tthe walnuts, oil and gappe all contributed to a very rich and flavorful bread. It also has a nice toasty flavor from the crust- there's a lot of surface area created by the lattice shape. This bread does undergo three and a half rises, so it's best to find a warm spot to proof it, 80-85F or so would be about perfect. Because of the large surface area, I think this bread is best eaten the day it's baked. The recipe says the bread improves after sitting for 6-18 hrs, but mine was drier after that time (I covered it loosely). Can't wait to make french toast with the leftovers!

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