Using Beets for Color in Baked Goods

Beets in baked goods can be finicky. Many a baker has tried their hand at beets, hoping for that vibrant hue in their baked goods, only to be disappointed by the color baking out and leaving an unexciting brown.

If you’re reading this wondering what you are doing wrong, don’t feel bad. It’s what beets like to do. It’s a natural chemical reaction that can be difficult to offset. It’s taken me years, but only after I finally came to terms with beets losing their color, did I actually have success in them keeping their color.

I’m happy to share some insight with you, although I won’t claim it to be 100% foolproof. I feel I’ve finally made friends with beet color in baking, and hope you too have better success.

Take a good look at the photos in this post, as these will show you what to expect. Beets just work better in some things than others. Bread seems to have the best success, since the extra hydration from beets is more easily offset in bread than in cakes or other bakes where extra moisture can lead to heaviness or gumminess.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Adding Beets for Color

This post is not a precise recipe, but will help you figure out how to add beets to your bakes to get optimal color, as well as some troubleshooting tips.

How Much Beet to Use?

For bread recipes, I find the best success with using up to 50% of the flour weight in beets. This means for a bread recipe that uses 500g (about 4 cups of flour), I would use up to 200-250g of beets (1-2 beets, depending on size).

Roast Beets

For optimal color, roast beets in their skins. Boiling beets, using beet powder, or other preparations don’t seem to work as well.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C.

2. Wash beets, leaving on skins, and wrap in tinfoil.

3. Bake for about 1 hour or until tender when a fork or knife is inserted into beet. Baking time will depend on size of beets.

4. Allow to cool enough to handle, then remove skins, roots, and any stem stumps. Skins should slide off fairly easily.

Purée Beets

Once beets are roasted, cooled, and skins removed, they need to be puréed.

There are a number of ways to do this:

1. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a bowl and blending with an immersion blender until smooth.

   You also don’t have to use some of the liquid from the recipe with the beets, but I find it’s easier and quicker to get the beets smooth and also easier to scrape out.

2. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a blender and blend until smooth. This works best if you have a nice, high-powered blender.

Once beets are puréed, add something acidic to help maintain the color when baked. 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar should do the trick. You can also use citric acid, about 1/2 teaspoon.

*What does “liquid from the recipe” mean? It means using any liquid (water, milk, etc) from the recipe you’re using to help blend up the beets before adding to the recipe.

Let’s say you have a sandwich bread recipe that calls for 1 cup of water. You have 2 roasted beets you want to add to make a beautifully colored sandwich bread. You could take 1/2 cup of water from the 1 cup called for to help purée your beets. Then you can add the puréed beets into the recipe and add more of the remaining 1 cup water as needed. Beets add moisture so you may not want to add all of the called for water.

Adjust Liquid As Necessary

As mentioned, beets add moisture to a recipe, so you may want to hold back some of the liquid from the recipe. Another option when making bread is to simply add more flour. I’ve seen people do both. I’ve tried both also, and they both work. Just be wary of using a LOT of beets, then having to add a ton more flour. This can start to upset the balance of the recipe. Use your beet judgement. Excuse me. I meant “best” judgment.

Bake!

The only thing left to do now is finish the recipe, enjoy playing with the brilliantly colored dough or batter, and bake.

Troubleshooting a Brown Beet Bake

Why did my beet bake still turn brown?

As easy as it might seem, some beet bakes still turn brown despite our best efforts. If it was easy, or if there was a foolproof method, there wouldn’t be so many brown beet baked goods. That doesn’t mean we give up. We keep trying, experimenting.

If your bake still turned brown, try the following:

• Make sure you used enough beets. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Beets turn doughs/batters brilliant colors with very little added, but more is needed to KEEP the color.

• Make sure to use an acid, or maybe try more acid if you already did. Vinegar, lemon juice, ascorbic acid.

• I’ve read fresh beets produce a better red. I haven’t tried fresh and old beets side by side to see any difference, nor do I always know how “fresh” the beets I have are. I can say that the same batch of beets can still produce different results, even if they’re all the same “age.”

• Make sure you are using a regular oven setting and not convection. I’ve had the same batch of dough turn different colors simply because one was baked on the convection setting.

• Check the kind of recipe you’re making. If it’s cake, cupcakes, cookies, or similar, those can be a lot harder to get color with, and even then it’s usually more pink or pinkish brown at best. Bread is the easiest to get deep color with. Keep expectations reasonable.

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My Quest for Natural Red

Over a decade ago I set out to achieve a naturally colored Red Velvet Cake. Red Velvet was having a moment and it bothered me to no end since Red Velvet as we know it now is essentially just a barely chocolate cake with a whole bottle of red artificial food dye dumped in. And if you know me, you know I’ve never liked artificial food coloring. I felt people were being duped. So, I set out to bake a natural Red Velvet Cake, so at least if you were going to eat a somewhat chocolate cake, it didn’t have to be with artificial coloring in it. I had looked up the origin of Red Velvet, discovering that it did not originally include artificial coloring, its more subtle red color owing to a chemical reaction in the cake from vinegar, baking soda, and buttermilk. Following this cue, I tried all the tricks I could to get the cake to keep its color, along with the help of beets. No amount of acidity seemed to help the vibrant color stay. It always baked out, leaving a pinkish hue at best. After awhile I gave it up, one can only eat so many beet cakes, you know, and anyway, I didn’t see anyone else having much success, even those who confidently had beet cake recipes published.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when my algorithms on Facebook had been completely taken over by sourdough groups even though I never joined nor even looked them up, but there they were. Doing their thing, reeling me into their sourdough troubleshooting.

I happened to see a post where beets for color came up. Inevitably, several shared how beets naturally lose their color, yet one commenter shared a photo of her bread colored with beets. It was the most vibrant, fuschia dough I had ever seen that baked into a still impressively colorful, braided Challah. She did it, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. She wasn’t sharing her photo as a first time, proud accomplishment but rather, almost in defiance of the others saying it can’t be done. It can be done, and she does it.

I made it my new goal to see if I could get my bread to look like that.

A Fresh Attempt with Beets

Feeling freshly inspired and challenged, I grabbed the last beets from my mom’s garden. Going off of the little information that had been shared about using beets successfully, I set out with more hope about beets than I had in a long time.

Beets in a Sourdough Boule

I decided to use the beets first in a loaf of classic sourdough bread. The dough was beautiful, yes, but the color all but baked out. I felt the familiar pang of disappointment. I probably did not use enough beets. You can almost tell by the color of the dough. While bright, it’s not quite vibrant enough to keep a deeper color when baked.

Beet Sourdough Boule before baking

Sourdough Beet boule baked

Crumb shot of sourdough beet bread

Beets in Sourdough Challah

Knowing it can be done, I tried again, this time with Challah. The original commenter had done challah, King Arthur also has a beet Challah recipe posted, and I make Challah often. Seemed a fitting recipe to adjust. I used my dear friend’s recipe, while referencing King Arthur’s. I doubled my recipe to make a large braided Valentine’s heart. I still think I needed more beets.

Again, the dough was vibrant and beautiful, but an interesting change in color occurred during the final proof. You can see in the photos how the newly braided bread is a nice magenta, then after it has risen it has lightened in color. I do not know why. Once baked, the bread retained some color. I used beet powder for the finishing glaze so the contrast makes the bread look less colorful, than it really was, actually.

Better, but not there yet.

Challah Dough

Challah Beet Dough, weighed, shaped into balls, awaiting rolling and stuffing with chocolate

Beet challah dough braided into a heart, ready for the second rise

Beet Challah Dough fully proofed, ready for baking

Beet Challah Heart baked

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beets in Nutella Twists

My third attempt with this batch of beets I just went wild and added twice the amount of beets as I had added in the other recipes, since that was what I had left. I really think that did the trick.

I was starting to think there was something in my environment or my beets were not fresh enough…but the attempt I expected the least out of, turned out quite nice. Convection bake doesn’t work well for bread in general but I tried it with one batch and it actually affected the color, also.

My theory thus stands, it doesn’t take that many beets to get a rich color, but it takes a good amount of beets to keep the color through baking.

Beet Brioche dough rolled out

beet brioche dough filled with nutella and shaped into various knots

Beets are persnickety, but they can be done!

Happy baking, and good luck!

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi - Four Cheese Pasta

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, or Four Cheese Pasta, is basically Italy’s more luxurious macaroni and cheese.

The ingredients couldn’t be simpler, the sauce is made from milk and four different kinds of cheese. The trick is to use the right cheeses and not overcook it, otherwise the flavors won’t be as balanced and the cheese might clump up.

If made correctly, the sauce will be velvety, smooth, and rich, perhaps with bits of cheese here and there.

Is this like the pizza ai quattro formaggi?

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a straight answer to which 4 cheeses are traditionally used in the Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi. Because of this, I’ve looked to the pizza version of quattro formaggi for inspiration to create the perfect blend of cheeses, as well as some Italian recipes, of course!

The pizza ai quattro formaggi is one of my favorite pizzas. I usually like pizzas with vegetables on them, but once you have the right pizza ai quattro formaggi, you’ll never go back. Not only is it super cheesy, but the way the four different cheeses pair together is pure magic. Yes, the Gorgonzola blue cheese, too. It makes it. Pizza ai quattro formaggi may have been the key to turn me from tolerating blue cheese in certain dishes to genuinely liking it.

Of course, today’s recipe is the pasta, not the pizza, but if you’ve had a good run in with the magical four cheeses, then you know the pasta will be (is) just as magical.

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi vs. Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi generally uses the same cheese choices. At least, 3 are typical, the fourth is more interchangeable.

• Mozzarella (Fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala)

• Gorgonzola dolce

• Parmigiano reggiano (parmesan, or occasionally other aged cheese such as pecorino)

• A soft cheese such as Emmental (Swiss cheese), groviera (Gruyère), or fontina, or a creamy cheese such as stracchino

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi is less straightforward, with more leeway for playing with different cheeses. 2 Cheeses are generally the same, while the other two often change out depending on the recipe and mood of the creator. Mozzarella is not a good choice for pasta, since it’s classic stringy quality so desirable in pizza, does not work so well in pasta sauce.

For the pasta, these two cheeses are the cornerstones:

• Gorgonzola dolce - it is not Quattro formaggi without it!

• Parmigiano reggiano - the aged hard cheese of choice

The other two types of cheese have options:

• A soft cheese - a soft taleggio is a good choice, or Brie, or other similar soft cheese (rinds removed)

• A swiss or good melting cheese - fontina, Gruyère, etc. In Italy they sometimes use Edam or emmental, which are similar to Swiss cheese. I haven’t personally tried those (except for Gruyère) and find that the block Swiss cheese here in the States isn’t always my favorite for melting or flavor.

As long as you don’t stray too far from these guidelines, you will find yourself with the most heavenly, creamy and cheesy bowl of pasta in front of you.

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all’Americana

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all’Americana

Curiously, I have two recipes on here that are very, very similar. One is the original Italian version, which is where you are, the other is also four cheese, but “Americanized”, if you will.

Why?

The Italian version is simple, with the cheese and milk sauce. However, the method can be finicky and the cheeses called for can be rather expensive in the States, not to mention hard to source. They can’t really be switched out for more economical cheeses without risking the sauce getting clumpy. This means you’re required to buy more expensive cheeses that might not be available at your local grocery stores. I can only find taleggio, for example, at specialty cheese or Italian stores in my area.

For this reason, I created the “American” version, starting with a roux. This method is more forgiving for using a wider variety of cheeses, including more budget friendly ones. I almost always have Parmesan or Parmigiano on hand, sometimes have Gorgonzola and gruyère, but rarely do I have Taleggio or some of the other suitable substitutes.

Click here for the Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all”Americana Recipe

It would cost me less than $4 to make the American Four Cheese using mozzarella, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, and cream cheese, while the most recent time I made the Italian version it cost about $20 in cheese. That was even using American Parmesan and not authentic Parmigiano Reggiano. You can see where the American version is more approachable, at least for those not living in Italy.

Both of these recipes I have made several times. I have yet to mess up the American version, no matter how careless I get. I have messed up the Italian version more times than I care to confess as someone who publishes and develops recipes. Troubleshooting seemed to be amiss on other recipes, so I am happy to share with you what I learned in my trial and error!

The con to the American version is that it is thickened with flour, which means that the sauce has gluten in it. Pasta itself is made with flour and definitely not gluten-free, but it is easily switched out with any gluten-free pasta readily available at any grocery store

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Serves 4-6

• 1 lb / 500g short pasta of choice

• 1 1/4 cups / 296g whole milk

• 5.5 oz / 156g Gorgonzola (dolce), rind removed, cut into chunks

• 4.5 oz / 128g soft Taleggio, rind removed, cut into chunks

• 4.5 oz / 128g Gruyère, shredded

• 4.5 oz / 128g Parmigiano reggiano, shredded

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, generously salt; cook pasta 1 minute less than according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat milk over low heat until almost simmering. Do not let milk boil. Whisk in gorgonzola, stirring until mostly smooth. Add in taleggio, whisking until melted and almost smooth. Stir in Gruyère, again stirring until mostly melted and smooth. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Combine pasta and cheese sauce, along with about 1/2 cup of pasta water, mixing to evenly coat pasta. Add more water if a thinner sauce is desired. Continue mixing for a few minutes until sauce is creamy and clinging to pasta. Serve immediately.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Is your sauce ending up with chewy cheese chunks instead of a smooth sauce? You might be overheating the cheese when making the sauce. Keep your heat on the lowest setting, stir constantly, and make sure the milk isn’t boiling when you add the cheese.

• I’m all for switching out ingredients for healthier alternatives, but this is one recipe I would not suggest you sub in any lower fat or other varieties of milk. If anything, sub in half & half or cream!

• Like most Italian pasta dishes, this dish is best eaten right away, and not intended for leftovers.

• While some cheeses can be switched out, choose wisely, as not all cheeses melt homogeneously into a smooth sauce. The cheeses in this recipe are chosen for their melting qualities and balanced flavors.

Yield 6-8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

30 Min

Print

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Classic Italian Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, or Four Cheese Pasta, features perfectly cooked pasta in an ultra velvety cheese sauce made with four different, perfectly balanced cheeses.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 lb / 500g short pasta of choice
• 1 1/4 cups / 296g whole milk
• 5.5 oz / 156g Gorgonzola (dolce), rind removed, cut into chunks
• 4.5 oz / 128g soft Taleggio, rind removed, cut into chunks
• 4.5 oz / 128g Gruyère, shredded
• 4.5 oz / 128g Parmigiano reggiano, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, generously salt; cook pasta 1 minute less than according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat milk over low heat until almost simmering. Do not let milk boil. Whisk in gorgonzola, stirring until mostly smooth. Add in taleggio, whisking until melted and almost smooth. Stir in Gruyère, again stirring until mostly melted and smooth. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Combine pasta and cheese sauce, along with about 1/2 cup of pasta water, mixing to evenly coat pasta. Add more water if a thinner sauce is desired. Continue mixing for a few minutes until sauce is creamy and clinging to pasta. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Is your sauce ending up with chewy cheese chunks instead of a smooth sauce? You might be overheating the cheese when making the sauce. Keep your heat on the lowest setting, stir constantly, and make sure the milk isn’t boiling when you add the cheese.
• I’m all for switching out ingredients for healthier alternatives, but this is one recipe I would not suggest you sub in any lower fat or other varieties of milk. If anything, sub in half & half or cream!
• Like most Italian pasta dishes, this dish is best eaten right away, and not intended for leftovers.
• While some cheeses can be switched out, choose wisely, as not all cheeses melt homogeneously into a smooth sauce. The cheeses in this recipe are chosen for their melting qualities and balanced flavors.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

635

Fat

28 g

Sat. Fat

17 g

Carbs

60 g

Fiber

2 g

Net carbs

58 g

Sugar

5 g

Protein

35 g

Sodium

1098 mg

Cholesterol

80 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 6 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/9/10/pasta-ai-quattro-formaggi

Classic Italian Four Cheese Pasta, Traditional Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, quick pasta dinner

dinner

Italian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Atlantic Beach Pie

Atlantic Beach Pie is a sweet and creamy citrus pie topped with a pile of whipped cream. It’s much like key lime pie, and will be adored by any who love a good citrus dessert.

A saltine crust

The crust is made of saltines, which almost immediately raises eyebrows. It did mine, and was one of the original reasons I decided I had to try this. The saltines lend a crispety saltiness that pairs quite well with the zing of the citrus.

A filling akin to key lime pie

The filling is basically the filling for key lime pie, except that it is made with lemon juice and lime juice.

One of my big qualms with key lime pie recipes is when only one can of sweetened condensed milk is used, and you end up with a flat little pie. Seeing that happening here, I doubled the filling, and also added lemon and lime zest. The first time I made this I thought, “key lime pie” - but missing something. It’s the zest. It was missing zest.

The recipe below includes zest for that added zing. Zany, isn’t it? If you don’t like zesting citrus or are short on time, know you can leave it out, even the original recipe doesn’t use it. However, it really is that much better with some real zest in there.

A cloud of whipped cream

Top a sweet and salty crust and a sunshine citrus filling with a mountain of whipped cream and you have a winner.

Recipe adapted from Bill Smith’s creation from his time vacationing in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, where local lore held that only citrus desserts could be eaten after eating seafood

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Atlantic Beach Pie

Serves about 12

Ingredients:

For the Saltine Crust

• 1 sleeve (about 37) saltine crackers

• 6 Tbsp / 85g unsalted butter, melted

• 3 Tbsp / 37g granulated sugar

For the Lemon-Lime Filling

• 2 - 14oz cans / 792g sweetened condensed milk

• 8 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup / 119g fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup / 119g fresh lime juice

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Zest of 2 limes

For the Whipped Cream Topping

• 2 cups / 474g heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup / 50g granulated sugar

• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

Directions:

Make the Saltine Crust

Oven 350°F / 177°C. 1 ungreased 9-inch pie plate.

1. Crush saltine crackers finely or somewhat finely, as desired. This can be done with a rolling pin or in a food processor.

2. Add butter and sugar and mix until cracker crumbs are thoroughly coated.

3. Press evenly into bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.

4. Freeze for 20 minutes.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fragrant and just starting to turn golden on the edges.

6. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare filling.

Make the Lemon-Lime Filling

1. In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Stir in lemon and lime juices and zest until well incorporated.

2. Pour into warm crust.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is mostly set, a slight jiggle is ok.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before placing in fridge and chilling completely, about 2 hours.

Make the Whipped Cream

1. Place whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-high until soft peaks form.

2. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.

3. Evenly spread over chilled pie; serve.

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

35 Min

Cook time

55 Min

Inactive time

3 H & 20 M

Total time

4 H & 50 M

Print

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Atlantic Beach Pie

Atlantic Beach Pie has a crunchy, sweet and salty saltine crust, a creamy, tangy, lemon-lime filling, all topped with a cloud of fresh whipped cream. Dreamy!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Saltine Crust

• 1 sleeve (about 37) saltine crackers
• 6 Tbsp / 85g unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp / 37g granulated sugar

For the Lemon-Lime Filling

• 2 - 14oz cans / 792g sweetened condensed milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup / 119g fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup / 119g fresh lime juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 2 limes

For the Whipped Cream Topping

• 2 cups / 474g heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup / 50g granulated sugar
• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Saltine Crust

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. 1 ungreased 9-inch pie plate.
2. Crush saltine crackers finely or somewhat finely, as desired. This can be done with a rolling pin or in a food processor.
3. Add butter and sugar and mix until cracker crumbs are thoroughly coated.
4. Press evenly into bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.
5. Freeze for 20 minutes.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fragrant and just starting to turn golden on the edges.
7. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare filling.

Make the Lemon-Lime Filling

1. In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Stir in lemon and lime juices and zest until well incorporated.
2. Pour into warm crust.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filling is mostly set, a slight jiggle is ok.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before placing in fridge and chilling completely, about 2 hours.

Make the Whipped Cream

1. Place whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-high until soft peaks form.
2. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Evenly spread over chilled pie; serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

324

Fat

25 g

Sat. Fat

15 g

Carbs

22 g

Fiber

0 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

19 g

Protein

5 g

Sodium

44 mg

Cholesterol

196 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 12 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/1/18/atlantic-beach-pie

atlantic beach pie, atlantic beach, north carolina, lemon lime pie, saltine crust, whipped cream topping, Bill Smith

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Does Sourdough Bread Need to be Kneaded?

Does sourdough bread “knead” to be kneaded?

I’m sorry, couldn’t resist.

No, it does not need to be kneaded.

A better question might be, does kneading make a superior loaf of sourdough bread?

Yes. Yes it does. At least, if you consider a superior loaf of sourdough one with a larger, more even belly with less tearing, a more uniform fermentation and thus crumb, and improved oven spring. Loaves that have been kneaded have an overall more rounded look.

If you’re unsure of what a “belly” is on bread, or maybe exactly what oven spring is, this glossary of sourdough terms might be very helpful to you. It’s in alphabetical order for ease of use.

For the longest time I didn’t believe sourdough required kneading. The recipes and methods I had followed, the bakeries I had worked in, none included kneading in their sourdough preparation, just the more typical coil folds or stretch and folds. It was one of the appeals of sourdough, less about working the dough and more about time and timing. After reading more and more on sourdough, I began to notice that some people did indeed knead their dough after the initial mixing before later carrying on also with stretch and folds.

Why do some people knead, and others not?

Well, simply to get a head start on gluten development. Mixing the dough thoroughly before bulk ferment starts allows for a more thorough distribution of ingredients, a more even fermentation, and thus a more even crumb. For those less adept at understanding if gluten has been developed enough with a few stretch and folds, up front kneading all but makes sure gluten will be developed by the end of bulk fermentation.

Personal Preference

What I’m describing to some might be nuances, to others, significant impact. It really depends on what you want out of your loaf. Sometimes, technical feats in sourdough are not always what someone may want to eat. A good example of this would be the sourdough ear. Achieving an ear on a loaf of sourdough is a sign that a loaf of sourdough has been well-made, yet many people don’t prefer eating a loaf of bread with an ear, it can be hard to cut through or eat. Same with kneading. You might care more about saving 15 minutes of time by not kneading than achieving a slightly improved loaf. Sourdough can be highly personal, and I love that.

Now, I frequently skip the kneading process for sourdough because, as mentioned above, it’s not strictly necessary. With three little kids and the constant sense that I’m running out of time, I often gladly choose to mix my ingredients and simply let them rest before performing stretch and folds, rather than kneading the dough up front when mixing all the ingredients together. I’ve had many a loaf turn out brilliantly with this simple method, no kneading required. But yes, I will not argue that kneading can improve a loaf.

You might also find “Using All-Purpose Flour vs. Bread Flour in Sourdough Bread” interesting

At this point the most helpful thing would be to show you a side by side experiment of two loaves, so here we go:

not kneaded on the left, kneaded on the right

A Side by Side Experiment: Kneaded and Not

I baked off two loaves, identical in every way, as a nice visual to see what kneading dough can do. Here’s the breakdown of the method.

• Both loaves used 100% Kirkland Organic all-purpose flour (11.5% protein content)

• Both loaves are 71% hydration, 20% starter, 6% salt

• All ingredients were combined at the beginning, no autolyse or fermentolyse

• One loaf was kneaded 3x for 3 minutes, with 3-5 minute rests in between, for a total kneading time of 9 minutes. The other loaf was not kneaded, ingredients were mixed into a shaggy ball.

• Each loaf got 4 sets of stretch and folds. Bulk ferment lasted about 8.25 hours with dough temperature ranging from 72°F - 74°F. 20 minute pre-shape, final shape by trifold and caddy clasp, then into the fridge overnight.

• Baked in preheated dutch ovens with ice cubes. Second scoring at 6 minutes, baked for a total of 35 minutes at 450°F.

• One minor caveat but I believe still worth mentioning, is that the kneaded loaf was left uncovered in the oven for 1-2 minutes when I went to do the second score. My 14 month old started making a beeline for the open oven and I had to quickly close it. The time it took me to remove the toddler from the kitchen and distract him with toys was not long, but the loaf was uncovered in the oven during a time it would not normally have been.

Clear bowl with dough that has been mixed to a shaggy ball, blue bowl with dough that has been hand kneaded for a total of 9 minutes

The kneaded dough was noticeably smoother when I went to do the first stretch and fold, and over all four sets of stretch and folds the dough that was not kneaded seemed tighter, as if gluten had been built up, yet the kneaded dough seemed more slack and extensible. Other than that, they held their pre-shape fairly equally and felt similar to shape.

Dough that has not been kneaded

Dough that has been kneaded

The baked difference is notable, and yet, they’re both good-lookers.

For whatever reason, the not kneaded loaf ended up a bit bigger overall. I wonder if the minute or two the kneaded loaf was uncovered in the oven perhaps formed the crust a bit prematurely and stunted its growth. I could be wrong, but that’s my working theory, haha.

Notice the kneaded loaf has that smoother belly, where the not kneaded loaf shows signs of tearing in the belly, looks a bit more rustic. It’s really up to you, if you think the extra kneading time is worth the result, or not!

not Kneaded

Kneaded

Not kneaded

Kneaded

Smooth Belly on the kneaded Loaf

Rougher, torn-looking belly on the not kneaded loaf

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Creamy Lemon Pesto Orzo with Kale

This creamy lemon pesto orzo first came into our lives when my brother made us dinner one night. He periodically treats us to dinner, and this quickly became a requested favorite.

Orzo, if you’re not familiar with it, is just a very small shape of pasta. Imagine little chewy bites of pasta in a creamy, flavorful sauce with bright notes of lemon, white beans here and there and bites of kale.

This orzo was so good, that the occasional brother-cooking-dinner just wasn’t enough, especially since we didn’t want to bore him by requesting the same dish every time and squash his culinary explorations. So, we got our hands on the recipe, adjusted what needed to be adjusted and changed a couple things to our tastes, and voilà. I can make it anytime I want. Now my brother, mom, and I all make this frequently, and we’re all happy to eat it when the other has made it. We all have our own versions of this absolutely delightfully creamy, lemony, pesto orzo with kale. It has become my new favorite comfort food and it has its regular place on our dinner rotation.

Oh, and this all comes together in one pot, so it really doesn’t get much better than this!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

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Creamy Lemon Pesto Orzo with Kale

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp / 14g cooking oil

• 1 shallot or small onion, chopped small

• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp / 28g butter or more cooking oil

• 1 cup / 210g orzo

• 6 cups / 1,422g chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 parmesan rind, optional

• 1 can (15 oz / 425g) white beans, drained

• 1 can (13.5oz / 383g) coconut milk. full-fat or lite

• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup / 100g basil pesto

• 1 cup / 100g grated parmesan cheese

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Garnish ideas, optional: Fresh lemon wedges, fresh basil, fresh dill, more grated Parmesan, more basil pesto for drizzling, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until starting to turn translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Add butter and allow to melt. Add orzo and cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to toast.

3. Increase heat to medium-high, add broth and parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil. Simmer orzo for 8-9 minutes or until al dente.

4. Stir in white beans and coconut milk, cook until heated through and simmering.

5. Add kale, stirring until all is immersed.

6. Remove from heat, remove parmesan rind, if desired. Add pesto, grated parmesan, zest, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste

7. Serve immediately with garnishes, as desired.

Jenny’s Notes:

• This creamy orzo will continue to thicken up the longer it sits. For a more soup-like consistency, add an additional 2 cups of broth or water, more as needed.

• If using boxed broth, using 6 cups may leave you with an unwanted 2 cups of broth. You may choose to add the additional 2 cups for more of a soup, as mentioned above, or simply use 1 container (4 cups / 1 liter) of broth with an additional 2 cups of water. This orzo has plenty of flavor to do so.

• For an extra creamy, tangy kick, add 3-4 oz of goat cheese along with the ingredients in step 6.

• Using a parmesan rind imparts extra flavor and creaminess, while using a part of cheese that would otherwise be tossed. Depending on the parmesan rind used, it often will melt into smaller chunks while others will remain one whole rind. Either way, you may choose to fish out the rind before serving, or not, as desired.

Yield 4-6

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

40 Min

Print

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Creamy Lemon Pesto Orzo with Kale

Comforting orzo in a creamy pesto sauce with bright notes of lemon, white beans, and bites of kale.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp / 14g cooking oil
• 1 shallot or small onion, chopped small
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp / 28g butter or more cooking oil
• 1 cup / 210g orzo
• 6 cups / 1,422g chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 parmesan rind, optional
• 1 can (15 oz / 425g) white beans, drained
• 1 can (13.5oz / 383g) coconut milk, full fat or lite
• 1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup / 100g basil pesto
• 1 cup / 100g grated parmesan cheese
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Garnish ideas, optional: Fresh lemon wedges, fresh basil, fresh dill, more grated Parmesan, more basil pesto for drizzling, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until starting to turn translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add butter and allow to melt. Add orzo and cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to toast.
3. Increase heat to medium-high, add broth and parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil. Simmer orzo for 8-9 minutes or until al dente.
4. Stir in white beans and coconut milk, cook until heated through and simmering.
5. Add kale, stirring until all is immersed.
6. Remove from heat, remove parmesan rind, if desired. Add pesto, grated parmesan, zest, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste
7. Serve immediately with garnishes, as desired.

Notes

• This creamy orzo will continue to thicken up the longer it sits. For a more soup-like consistency, add an additional 2 cups of broth or water, more as needed.
• If using boxed broth, using 6 cups may leave you with an unwanted 2 cups of broth. You may choose to add the additional 2 cups for more of a soup, as mentioned above, or simply use 1 container (4 cups / 1 liter) of broth with an additional 2 cups of water. This orzo has plenty of flavor to do so.
• For an extra creamy, tangy kick, add 3-4 oz of goat cheese along with the ingredients in step 6.
• Using a parmesan rind imparts extra flavor and creaminess, while using a part of cheese that would otherwise be tossed. Depending on the parmesan rind used, it often will melt into smaller chunks while others will remain one whole rind. Either way, you may choose to fish out the rind before serving, or not, as desired.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

590

Fat

38 g

Sat. Fat

19 g

Carbs

47 g

Fiber

7 g

Net carbs

40 g

Sugar

6 g

Protein

17 g

Sodium

1485 mg

Cholesterol

16 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 6 servings, using full fat coconut milk and parmesan rind

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/2/2/creamy-lemon-pesto-orzo-with-kale

creamy lemon orzo kale pesto soup

dinner

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

---

Masala Chai

Pottery from Schyler the Potter, a local Traverse City Artist

Masala Chai is a rich blend of warm and inviting spices simmered with sweetened black tea and milk, hailing from India.

It is often called simply chai, or chai tea, but the latter is redundant since “chai” actually means “tea” in Hindi. Essentially, “chai tea” is like saying “tea tea.” Another example of queso cheese for you.

You might find it interesting that masala chai and chai tea/chai tea latte are not the same thing. The spices used are similar, but the key difference is that masala chai has the spices simmered in the tea and milk, where cha tea latte has the spices simmered in just the tea, then milk is added later. Thus, masala chai is richer having the spices fully infuse all the through the milk, and chai tea is not quite as flavorful with the milk toning down the tea.

What Kind of Tea to Use?

Loose leaf tea is a good choice, but tea bags can also be used. Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri are common choices.

Typical Spices

The spices used can vary depending on the region in India. Typical spices include grated ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, star anise, peppercorns, whole cloves, and sometimes lemongrass or even mint or holy basil.

Common Sweeteners

White sugar, brown sugar, Demerara, coconut sugar, honey, and jaggory are all common sweeteners, but you can use whichever you prefer. I like to use maple syrup or honey.

Milk Choices

Water buffalo milk is a traditional choice in India, but that might not be available to you, so whole milk would be the next most authentic choice. Otherwise, use whichever kind of milk or milk alternative you typically use. Half & half makes for an extra creamy and rich treat, or oat milk, soy milk, etc. keeps it dairy free.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

---

Masala Chai

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water

• 2 (3 inch / 7cm) sticks of cinnamon

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 4 cardamom pods, seeds removed (roughly 30 seeds)

• 12 whole cloves

• 20 peppercorns

• Seeds from 1 star anise, optional

• 8 black tea bags, or 4 tsp loose leaf black tea

• 4 cups milk of choice

• Sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat so water simmers, rather than boiling.

2. Add all spices and black tea to water; simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Increase heat and add milk; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Strain tea into a large heat-proof pitcher or container, discard spices and tea. Add sweetener of choice to taste. Pour into mugs and serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Boiling the spices before adding the milk is important as ginger can curdle milk otherwise.

• Another option instead of straining the tea, is to gather all the spices into some cheesecloth and tying it closed with some food-safe string. This is called a bouquet garni, and keeps the spices contained. After simmering for 15 minutes, the bouquet garni can simply be removed, gently squeezed between two spoons, and discarded.

• The star anise is optional since not everyone loves its black licorice flavor. I do not care for star anise, but I do actually enjoy it in this recipe, as it melds well with the other flavors and is not distinct.

• While maybe not traditional, I like to add a teaspoon or two of grated orange zest and even vanilla extract.

Yield 6-8

Author Jennyblogs

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

30 Min

Print

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Masala Chai

Authentic Masala Chai is a creamy, spicy tea drink original to India but enjoyed around the world.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 2 (3 inch / 7cm) sticks of cinnamon
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 4 cardamom pods, seeds removed (roughly 30 seeds)
• 12 whole cloves
• 20 peppercorns
• Seeds from 1 star anise, optional
• 8 black tea bags, or 4 tsp loose leaf black tea
• 4 cups milk of choice
• Sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat so water is simmering, rather than boiling.
2. Add all spices and black tea to water; simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Increase heat and add milk; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Strain tea into a large heat-proof pitcher or container, discard spices and tea. Add sweetener of choice to taste. Pour into mugs and serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Notes

• Boiling the spices before adding the milk is important as ginger can curdle milk otherwise.
• Another option instead of straining the tea, is to gather all the spices into some cheesecloth and tying it closed with some food-safe string. This is called a bouquet garni, and keeps the spices contained. After simmering for 15 minutes, the bouquet garni can simply be removed, gently squeezed between two spoons, and discarded.
• The star anise is optional since not everyone loves its black licorice flavor. I do not care for star anise, but I do actually enjoy it in this recipe, as it melds well with the other flavors and is not distinct.
• While maybe not traditional, I like to add a teaspoon or two of grated orange zest and even vanilla extract.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

162

Fat

5 g

Sat. Fat

3 g

Carbs

24 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

20 g

Protein

6 g

Sodium

73 mg

Cholesterol

20 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 6 servings using whole milk and 1 Tbsp of maple syrup per serving.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2020/11/3/9n52w1694ykfighl73rp84sst7zdin

masala chai, chai tea latte, authentic Indian chai, homemade chai tea

beverage, breakfast

Indian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Explore Italy: Brescia

Duomo Nuovo and Duomo Vecchio

More Explore Italy posts:

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

• Livorno

• Assisi

• Milan

Brescia in a nutshell

Location: Lombardy, Italy / Lombardia, Italia

Best known for: Well, that’s the beauty of it, is that it’s not really known for anything major.

Days needed to explore: 1+ Brescia has no major list of tourist-must-sees, which means you can wander and enjoy it in just a day. On the other hand, Brescia makes a lovely base for a northern Italy itinerary. It’s not as big as Milan and not as well-known as Verona or Venice.

Established: First settled in 1200 BC, ruled by Romans by 89 BC. It had the usual fate of many current day cities in Italy: led by duchys, priests, and various groups, back and forth, even being besieged by Attila the Hun at one point. In 1859 it was conquered and included in the new Kingdom of Italy.

Piazza della Loggia

What to see and do:

• Castello di Brescia - Brescia has its own medieval castle! Inside the castle there are a couple of museums, Museo delle Armi "Luigi Marzoli" (Museum of Weapons) and Museo del Risorgimento Leonessa dell’Italia (Risorgimento Museum)

• Piazza Paolo VI - the largest piazza in Brescia, here you will find the Duomo Nuovo / new Cathedral (Cattedrale Estiva di Santa Maria Assunta) and the Duomo Vecchio / Old Cathedral (Cattedrale Invernale di Santa Maria Assunta). By “new” they mean it was built in the 17th century, while the old was built in the 12th century.

• Piazza della Loggia - piazza with Venetian influence and clock tower

• Piazza della Vittoria - A square with cold, Rationalist architecture influenced by the fascism of the age

• Brixia, the Roman Archaeologic Area of Brescia - a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Museo di Santa Giulia - for the art and history lovers, this is the most well-known museum in Brescia

Coming up on Palazzo Broletto

Typical foods to try:

• Bagoss cheese - a rare, aged cheese special to the region. Delicious eaten on its own or in dishes, especially on pizza!

• Franciacorta - the sparkling, champagne like wine native to the region

• Casoncelli alla Bresciana - Brescia’s answer to ravioli or tortelli, made simply with a thin egg pasta and filled with bread crumbs, butter, and Grana Padano.

• Polenta - Brescia and the north are known for their polenta, a hearty, Italian comfort food. Look for Polenta Taragna or try another Brescian dish, Lo Spiedo, slow cooked meat on a skewer often served with polenta.

• Bossolà - tall, fluffy, cloud-like doughnut pastries covered in powdered sugar and usually served with crème patisserie, chocolate crème patisserie, or mascarpone. Traditional around Christmas time hit some pasticcerie make them year round

Piazza della Loggia

Where to Eat:

• Ristorante ai Nazareni - excellent, authentic middle eastern food

• Gelateria Imperiale - a stroll outside the historical center will not only get you some excellent gelato but also a taste of every-day Brescia and Italy. The flavors are very well played here, and the gelato macarons are delightful! While I usually go for the richer flavors, I found the simple mascarpone flavor to be elegant yet bursting with flavor.

Why I like Brescia

Not many have heard of Brescia, despite being a decent sized city in Italy. Even if you have heard of it, it doesn’t necessarily shoot to the top of your must-visit list, as it is mostly described as industrial. It’s sandwiched between Verona and Milan in the north of Italy, both of which have bigger claim to fame. Brescia is usually left off of travel itineraries and travel blogs, but that, my friends, is part of what makes it charming.

Two Story Centro Commerciale (shopping mall)

My husband had lived there for several years and thought fondly of it, even being teased by Tuscans for the Brescian accent he brought with him. I also enjoyed listening to the Brescian conversations peppered with “eh?” much like the accent of the Upper Peninsula of my beloved Michigan. Over the course of our time in Italy, we found ourselves back in Brescia a few times for work and pleasure, often staying several days and using it as a base to explore. From Brescia we visited Desenzano del Garda and Verona, and it’s well connected to other northern cities including Milan and many of the charming places around Lago di Garda. Brescia feels relaxed after the hustle and bustle of some of the other bigger cities, and for a small town girl like myself, was a welcome pace. While I love Rome, Venice, Naples, etc, I tend to feel pressure and a certain FOMO, there is so much to do and see I almost can’t relax and enjoy it, you know? Brescia has a more livable feel, while still offering plenty to explore, plenty of space, less crowds, beautiful churches, history, and scenery all around. Brescia did my heart good with its colder climate, and is especially lovely to visit around Christmas time. They have large sparkling trees in the big piazzas, and lights hanging above your head down all the main streets. It’s magical and Christmasy with the brisk air and even snow that might make an appearance. I always thought, if I were to move somewhere else in Italy, Brescia might be a good choice. It’s comfortable, has good shopping, lots of good options for food, a reputable hospital, and rent is much more affordable than the other bigger cities.

I wouldn’t go into Brescia with overly high expectations, but I think it makes an excellent base for day tripping to some of the more impressive must-sees of the north.

Duomo Nuovo and Duomo Vecchio

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5 Cup Fruit Salad

5-Cup Fruit Salad is a delightfully simple fruit salad consisting of just 5 ingredients: mandarin oranges, pineapple, coconut, mini marshmallows, all tossed in plain yogurt or sour cream. A bit of pineapple juice is used to lightly sweeten the yogurt/sour cream, bringing the whole thing together in a simply sweet way.

This fruit salad has been a part of family dinners and holidays since I was a teenager. It couldn’t be quicker to pull together, it’s inexpensive, and it’s fruit based, while still being delicious (creamy!) and fun (marshmallows!). The coconut gives texture, the fruit is juicy, and the mini marshmallows soften, melting in your mouth.

This 5 Cup Fruit Salad uses canned fruit to keep prep time and costs down, but feel free to use fresh fruit where you wish!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

---

5 Cup Fruit Salad

Serves 3-5

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15oz/425g) mandarin orange segments, drained

• 1 can (8oz/226g) pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained and 1 Tbsp juice reserved

• 1 cup / 57g mini marshmallows

• 1 cup / 80g shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1 cup (8oz/226g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, and coconut. Toss lightly to combine.

2. Add sour cream and reserved pineapple juice and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served day of making.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Sweetened coconut can be used in place of the unsweetened. Unsweetened may be harder to find than sweetened, but it keeps the sugar down and lets the fruit really shine.

Yield 3-5

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

10 Min

Total time

10 Min

Print

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5 Cup Fruit Salad

Easy, creamy, tropical fruit salad with just five inexpensive ingredients is perfect for holidays or anytime!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 can (15oz/425g) mandarin orange segments, drained
• 1 can (8oz/226g) pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained and 1 Tbsp juice reserved
• 1 cup / 57g mini marshmallows
• 1 cup / 80g shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup (8oz/226g) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, and coconut. Toss lightly to combine.
2. Add sour cream and reserved pineapple juice and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best served day of making.

Notes

• Sweetened coconut can be used in place of the unsweetened. Unsweetened may be harder to find than sweetened, but it keeps the sugar down and lets the fruit really shine.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

458

Fat

21 g

Sat. Fat

18 g

Carbs

64 g

Fiber

10 g

Net carbs

55 g

Sugar

50 g

Protein

11 g

Sodium

52 mg

Cholesterol

3 mg

Nutritional information is approximate; based on 3 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/1/2/tropical-fruit-salad

tropical fruit salad, retro five cup fruit salad

side dish, dessert

American

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---

Explore Italy: Milan (Milano)

More Explore Italy posts:

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

• Livorno

• Assisi

• Brescia

Milan in a Nutshell

Location: Lombardy, Italy / Lombardia, Italia

Best known for: Duomo di Milano, high fashion capital

Days needed to explore: 2+ Milan is large and busy, with many things to see and do. You could see the most important things in just a day or two, but to really relax and enjoy Milan, a few days or more would be needed to more fully take it in.

Established: Milan was first inhabited by a Celtic group in the 500’s BC. It was then taken over by the Romans, and subsequently associated with 25 different names until it became a part of the Republic of Italy in 1946. Milan is an important city in Italy, the EU and beyond, becoming the financial and fashion capital of Italy from the 20th century onwards.

What to see and do:

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

• Duomo di Milano - the stunningly intricate Gothic masterpiece of a cathedral

• The Last Supper (Cenacolo) by Leonardo da Vinci - Find the original masterpiece in the refectory of the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie. You’ll want to plan accordingly and purchase tickets ahead of time. Viewings of the painting are in small groups and for 15 minutes.

• Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - an architecturally captivating shopping center, home to some of fashion’s big names, as well as esteemed cafés and restaurants. Whether you enjoy shopping or not, this is a beautiful one to walk through

• Teatro alla Scala - A world renowned opera house built in the 1700’s. In order to see the inside you can either purchase a ticket for the museo teatrale alla scala (opera museum) which includes the theatre in its tour, or, purchase an opera or ballet ticket much in advance for the real experience. I’ve never had the opportunity to see a ballet here, but I associate La Scala very much with Alessandra Ferri, an Italian prima ballerina who was very inspirational in my young life and used to perform there regularly.

• Castello Sforzesco - also known as Sforza Castle, this large walled castle structure was once one of the largest citadels in Europe. It was built in the 15th century and later enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is now home to some of Milan’s museums and art collections, even Leonardo DaVinci lived here for a spell!

• Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero - a church nicknamed the “Sistine Chapel” of Milan that often surprises with its beautiful and intricate frescoes. It’s not as well known as some other must-sees around Milan, but then again, it’s hard being a church in the same city as the Duomo di Milano, no?

• Cimitero Monumentale di Milano - A large and statue-laden cemetery. This is not your run of the mill cemetery, but one that used to be reserved for Milan’s most important people, filled with statues, obelisks, and even a bronze statue remake of “The Last Supper”.

• I Navigli - a quaint neighborhood that runs along the two principal canals, the remainder of man-made navigable canals with touches added even by Leonardo da Vinci. The Grand Canal even used to connect Milan to Switzerland! Come here for smaller, artisan shops and good dining.

• Arco della Pace - an arch that resembles Paris’ arch (Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel) in the Jardin de Tuileries, built by request of Napoleon Bonaparte

• Parco Sempione - The largest park in Milan. On one end you have the Arco della Pace and the other Castello Sforzesca

• Biblioteca Ambrosiana - a 17th century library with an impressive art collection, including da Vinci’s “Codex Atlanticus”, as well as works from the likes of Caravaggio and Raphael.

• Quartiere di Brera - known as the elegant and artsy neighborhood in the centro storico to the north of the duomo, Brera is good for strolling and exploring. Find here the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery with its impressive collection of art.

details of the Duomo di Milano

Typical foods to try:

• Mondeghili - beef meatballs made with sausage, mortadella, cheese, garlic, and nutmeg, usually served as an antipasto.

• Risotto alla Milanese - risotto made with plenty of butter and cheese, flavored with beef marrow and saffron. If there is one standout dish to try amongst the typical Milanese dishes, this would be it.

• Ossobuco alla Milanese - veal shank in a savory tomato and white wine sauce. Often served with risotto alla Milanese.

• Cotoletta alla Milanese / Veal Milanese - a choice cutlet of veal typically with the bone in and visible, breaded in egg and breadcrumbs, fried in clarified butter.

• Casseoula - a hearty winter casserole dish made up of the “poor man’s” pork cuts, savoy cabbage, and other vegetables.

• Panettone - Italian sweet Christmas bread often made with candied fruits, traditional in the Milan area. I adore panettone, if you find yourself in Milan, go ahead and order yourself an extra piece for me!

• Negroni sbagliato - like a traditional Negroni made up of equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth but “mistaken”ly use Prosecco in place of the gin. This drink can be tried at the bar where it was first inadvertently invented, Bar Basso.

Where to Eat:

• Pavé - coffee bar

• Il Signor Lievito - go for the pastries: cinnamon rolls, chocolate babka, etc.

• L’Antico Trattoria della Pesa - a historical place to eat, established in 1880. A good place to order the Risotto alla Milanese!

Random snaps of Milan

Why I like Milano

If I’m going to be really honest, Milano has never been at the top of my list to visit. I did not include it in my first nor second itinerary when visiting Italy, and really only took the opportunity to go when I found a cheaper flight to Milan than to Rome. A friend met me, I stored my luggage, and we walked around Milan for several hours before catching a train back to Florence. I saw what I wanted to see and was satisfied. I have no immediate plans to go back, as walking around confirmed that Milan is largely as I expected. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go back and explore further, plus being such a large city, I’m probably not giving it enough credit. Large, bustling fashion cities are some people’s cup of tea, but I’d rather explore smaller or more intimate places. That’s the small town girl in me talking. Milan, a bit like Rome, has that big city feeling to it. There are times you completely forget you’re in a foreign country and not just Chicago or NYC. Italy has so much to offer, you can definitely be choosy. If you do get a chance to go to Milan, do go to see the Duomo. It is simply breathtaking. A quick trip or extended layover is worth it to see that alone. It really is the gem of Milan. What it boils down to is, if you have a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy, skip Milan. If you visit Italy more than once or especially regularly, then give Milan some time to dive in and explore its unique self.

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Sourdough Tools: The Essentials and the Non-Essentials

Chances are, you have everything you need to make a loaf of sourdough bread already in your kitchen. Naturally, living in a prosperous country and in an age where at every turn you’re being marketed at through ads and influencers, sometimes it can get confusing as to what you need to make sourdough, what will make your sourdough habit easier, and what will just add clutter and stress to your kitchen. This can be highly personal, and may depend even where you are in the world. My kitchens in Italy looked very different than my kitchens in the US.

That’s where this article comes in.

I’ll walk you through some of the different tools, accessories, gadgets, so you can decide for yourself if they’re useful or not for your kitchen and sourdough habits. You’ll discover some that are worth the investment, and where you can save money. You just might discover some tools you’ve never heard of to take your sourdough to the next level!

Keep in mind that everyone has their own preferences, so what might be super handy to one person might feel like a waste of time to another.

This list will continue to grow as more tools and products come to my attention!

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Sourdough Tools, in alphabetical order:

Baking Shell

Not essential, but a lighter alternative to a dutch oven

A baking shell is meant to be placed over the shaped dough while baking in the oven. It helps keep in steam, recreating the ideal environment for sourdough bread to expand and bake well. It can be used instead of a dutch oven.

A baking shell is lighter and potentially easier to store. It costs about the same as a decent dutch oven so won’t save you any money, and different shaped loaves need different shaped baking shells, boule or batard.

Baking steel

Not essential, but could be useful, especially if you already have one

A baking steel is a large piece of food-grade steel designed to be placed in an oven and baked on directly, often used in place of a baking stone. Steel conducts heat more quickly into the product being baked on it, which can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on what is being baked. It preheats quicker than a stone, and is also more expensive.

You can read more about baking steels vs. baking stones on Serious Eats.

While you can bake bread on a baking steel, the quicker conductivity of heat can mean bottoms of bread getting darker quicker, which is not ideal since this is already a problem with sourdough bread loaves.

While making sourdough bread on a baking steel can certainly be done, it was not necessarily made with sourdough loaves in mind, and there may be a learning curve to using it. It also would mean open-baking loaves, unless you have a special loaf-covering lid, such as the Brod & Taylor Baking Shell (see below).

Baking stone

Not essential, useful for open baking

Baking stone, or pizza stones, are a very useful tool for open baking sourdough bread. A large one will allow you to bake 2 or more loaves at the same time.

Open baking on a baking stone can prove to be more challenging than baking in a dutch oven since it can be harder to get adequate steam.

Read “The 4 Best Pizza Stones” on Serious Eats.

Bannetons / Brotforms / Proofing Baskets

Essential

Bannetons are special baskets for proofing sourdough in its final shape. It helps the dough to keep its shape before being tipped out and scored just before baking. They’re often made of rattan, which is breathable and helps the dough to form a slight skin. This in turn helps the dough keep its shape and makes scoring easier.

Bannetons come in different sizes and shapes, primarily round and oval, depending on if you plan on making boules or batards. Bannetons can also come in different materials, such as silicone, pressed wood pulp, plastic, cotton rope, and beyond. A word to the wise, make sure you’re putting the correct amount of dough for the size of bannetons you have.

I prefer the rattan bannetons, as they’re made from natural materials, are easy to clean, and offer excellent results for proofing bread.

For a budget option, I have seen quite a few sourdough bakers use these wicker baskets. They’re much cheaper, but they also tend to come in larger packs. If you don’t plan on baking more than 1 or 2 loaves at a time, I’d go with the more ethically made, higher quality rattan baskets than getting a large number of cheaper baskets.

Basket liners

Not essential, but very convenient

Basket liners can be as simple as cotton or linen kitchen cloths, or elasticized to fit specific sizes and shapes of proofing baskets. Liners keep your baskets clean, and help prevent sticking. Especially with doughs with inclusions, liners keep clean up very easy.

Using a square or rectangular cloth is more versatile, can be used with varying size and shapes of bannetons, and if large enough, can be folded over the dough and be used as a liner and cover, all in one.

Elasticized covers are quick and easy if you don’t prefer to line the baskets. Elasticed covers come in cloth or plastic. I know several people who use disposable shower caps. A word of caution on those, as you would want to check that the shower caps are food grade plastic, or just spring for “shower caps” that are made with bread in mind, and thus made of food grade plastic. But again, why use plastic when you don’t have to? Reusable covers are easy to wash and easy to use.

Bench scraper

Not essential, but very handy

A bench scraper is an indispensable tool you will find in just about any bread bakery. It effortlessly cuts through sticky bread dough with minimal stickiness. Whether or not you choose to invest in one for your home might depend on how often you bake bread and how often you need to divide it. If you regularly bake just one loaf, a bench scraper might not be overly appreciated. If you make 2 or more loaves regularly, or bread rolls, bagels, or any recipe that divides the dough into many pieces, the bench scraper will be your new best friend.

Another big benefit to a bench scraper is that it helps to clean your counter. Dried dough bits, sticky dough bits, flour, all can be effortlessly scraped off in a few seconds rather than fighting them with a cloth or sponge.

Bowl scraper

Not essential, but handy

A bowl scraper is a thin, flexible piece of plastic used to help scrape dough cleanly out of bowls. It is quicker, more efficient, and easier to clean than other tools.

Bread Proofing Mat

Not essential, but can be handy

Bread heating pads can help starter or dough to rise quicker. This can be nice in colder environments where fermentation slows down greatly and you don’t have a proofing setting on your oven. Mats often have a temperature range of 70°-120°F.

If you find yourself unable to settle into a schedule that works for you with longer fermentation, the bread proofing mat could be a good option.

Bread Knife

Essential

A good bread knife with a serrated edge will make your life so much easier when it comes to slicing bread, especially sourdough loaves with their hardy crust. It doesn’t have to be any of those fancier knives that some sourdough bakers use, although it could be. A classic quality bread knife will do the trick.

Bread Slicer

Not Essential

A bread slicer is a contraption similar to a deli slicer, but intended for bread.

It would be very handy for someone slicing large amounts of bread, but I just don’t slice enough bread to justify even thinking of getting this tool. I know of some who are just enthralled with theirs, but it honestly feels a bit silly to me. Maybe I’ll warm up to the idea.

Bread Sling

Not essential, but can be handy

Bread slings are nice to bake your breads on because they reduce waste and ensure parchment paper doesn’t crunch up around the loaf, leaving an imprint as it bakes.

Bread slings are not as nice for breads with inclusions (inclusions can leak out and stick to Dutch oven or baking vessel), if you prefer to use rice under your loaves to prevent sticking (rice can then stick to the edges of your loaf), or if the loaves end up over proofed or poorly shaped (will spread too much to easily transfer to Dutch oven.)

Bread slings were one of those tools I thought I would like more than I do. It’s not that they’re bad, but I love breads with inclusions and I don’t want to have to soak and scrub my Dutch ovens each time I use a bread sling. I much prefer to use a rectangle of parchment paper to easily keep any leakage contained, and easily thrown away.

Cloche

Not essential, but some prefer over a Dutch oven

A cloche is a cast iron baking vessel that can be used for baking sourdough bread. It can also be called an inverted Dutch oven. The Challenger cloche is a commonly used brand and frequently referred to as simply a “Challenger” rather than a cloche.

Cloches can bake bread, pizza, chicken, and more. They are very similar in idea to Dutch ovens. If you already have one, no need to get the other. If you’re deciding between them, Dutch ovens offer more versatility since they can cook soups, risotto, pasta and so much more. On the other hand, baking bread in hot ovens can be hard on the baking vessel, so it’s not a bad idea to have a bread-designated baking vessel (a separate Dutch oven or cloche) so as not to stain, say, your nice Le Creuset.

Danish Dough Whisk

Not essential, but useful

A Danish whisk is specially designed for easily incorporating doughs and batters. It’s not ideal for all mixtures, but it is inexpensive and can help make sourdough baking easier. It can also be ideal for any batter that shouldn’t be over-mixed (muffins, pancakes, etc.), pie fillings, even granola.

Doap

Not essential, but can be useful

A simple piece of food grade silicone in the shape of a bar of soap with bumps is an effective tool for getting that sticky, stubborn sourdough off of hands and dishes. It can help save your sponges and dishcloths from sourdough ruin.

This a tool that seems less talked about in sourdough spheres, at least that I’ve noticed, but because of this, it can make a great gift for sourdough friends. The downside is that it feels a bit pricey for what it is, $25, but the bright side is you’re supporting a made-in-America product and not another cheap Chinese-made something from Amazon.

Dutch oven

Essential, unless you’re already a pro at open baking or have another similar baking vessel (cloche, baking stone + baking shell, etc.)

A Dutch oven keeps bread in a smaller, enclosed area, trapping in steam for optimal oven spring, crust, and ear. It is invaluable for sourdough bakers, as this environment can be much trickier to recreate in an open home oven.

When I first started baking sourdough loaves at home, I wasn’t initially using a Dutch oven, and open baking wasn’t treating me well. Once I switched to a Dutch oven I started to see dramatically better results, despite not having perfect bulk ferment times.

Fiddle Bow Bread Knife

Not essential, can be nice

The blade of a bow bread knife is attached on both ends, giving it more stability and thus allowing the blade to be thinner. It can slice bread easier, and the space between the blade and the wooden bow part makes cutting even slices easier than ever.

With a bow knife you can only cut slices, and won’t be able to slice your loaf in half for that crumb shot. It can also only be used by certain-handed people, meaning, a bow knife used by a right-handed person wouldn’t be able to be used by a left-handed person.

Instant Read Thermometer

Essential for honing the sourdough process

An instant read thermometer can ascertain the temperature of your dough at various stages and while baking, all crucial components to understanding and honing in the sourdough process for beautiful and consistent results.

Sourdough is possible without an instant read thermometer, but without knowing the temperature of ingredients and dough throughout the day, the ever-important bulk ferment will need a more watchful and attuned eye, and troubleshooting will be more guesswork.

You can find instant read thermometers for as little as $15 on Amazon, or get higher quality ones, such as from Thermapen, for closer to $90 or more. I know of several bakers who use and are happy with the more budget options. I have no personal experience with them, as I was fortunately gifted a Thermapen classic many years ago. It’s reliable and still going strong!

Kitchen scale

Essential

A kitchen scale enables the precision necessary for making successful sourdough. It may be possible to make sourdough using cups and spoons, but it is not advisable.

Once you get used to using a scale and comfortable with baker’s math, you will start to understand recipes more, especially the simpler sourdough recipes that utilize as little as 4 ingredients. And once you’re used to using a scale with sourdough, you can use the scale for all your other recipes, upping your baking game and seeing more consistent results, all while actually making baking and cleanup simpler.

For more reasons why you should use a baking scale for all of your baking, read here.

For help converting ingredients from cups to grams, check out this conversion list.

Linen/Cotton Towels

Not essential, can be useful

Linen or cotton kitchen towels are versatile little things that can be used for lining and/or covering proofing baskets, aside from their common uses as kitchen towels or lining serving baskets or bowls.

As covered above under “basket liners”, lining proofing baskets is very useful in keeping them clean, especially when loaves have inclusions that may leak out. It is much easier to wash a few hand towels than it is to wash bannetons. They also help to keep dough from sticking to the basket.

My preferred method is to line and cover each loaf with the same linen cloth. It’s natural, breathable, and easy to clean up.

Loaf slicer

Not essential

A loaf slicer is similar in idea to the the deli slicers used for slicing deli meat, cheese, and such, except it is intended for bread. It cuts large, perfect slices every time, which can be especially handy for those who like to slice bread before freezing.

While I know of at least one baker who is very excited to own this piece of equipment, it is a large, expensive piece of equipment with a sharp blade that is a one-trick pony.

Loaf pans

Not essential, but offers another way to bake bread that is most likely already in your kitchen

Loaf pans may be more reminiscent of baking instant-yeast loaves, but they can also be used just as easily for sourdough bread.

In fact, loaf pans can be used in place of Dutch ovens or any of the other fancy equipment simply by baking the sourdough loaf in a loaf pan with a second loaf pan inverted on top of it, to recreate the enclosed, steamy environment. Some prefer the loaf shape for its ease of cutting.

Baking in loaf pans can also allow more loaves to be baked at once, 5 or 6 or more. It also allows a bit more flexibility with fermentation time and rise since the sides of the pan help support the loaf as it bakes.

Loaf pans come in various sizes, giving you the option to make standard loaves, or even mini or extra large.

Loaf pans also come in nonstick and uncoated varieties. Nonstick provides the easiest cleanup, but also means the dough is coming into direct contact with chemicals. Uncoated does not have the same chemical coating and cleanup can be a breeze if you simply use parchment paper.

Mason jars

Not essential, handy for feeding starter

Mason jars are clear, vertical, and already in many kitchens which makes them an easy choice for storing and feeding starters. They’re dishwasher friendly and come in different sizes for scaling up and down with starter amounts, as needed.

Wide mouth are the most convenient for feeding starter and cleaning jars.

Parchment paper

Essential

Parchment paper is a baking staple, and sourdough is no exception. Even if you use silicone bread slings, you probably use parchment paper for other uses in baking. And if you already have it on hand, you might as well use it for sourdough with inclusions (especially if it’s cheese!!) to keep from having to soak and scrub your Dutch oven.

If you are one of the rare bakers that manages to use only reusable products in your kitchen, silicone for lining all your baking sheets and silicone bread slings and such, kudos to you!

PH reader

Not essential

A PH reader can help you read the alkalinity of your starter to determine its health as well as to determine readiness of starter and dough for baking.

A healthy starter is one that is fed enough and regularly. If a starter is not fed frequently enough or not fed a high enough ratio at feedings, it can become weak and acidic. This can cause problems, including strange crumbs and less oven spring. Knowing the exact PH of starter can help eliminate any doubt with your starter, but isn’t strictly necessary since there is some simple troubleshooting you can do without necessarily needing a fancy tool.

Proofer

Not essential, but a fancy tool used for consistency.

A proofer is a container with controlled temperature to obtain consistent and reliable results every time. It’s similar in idea to an oven’s proof setting or the bread proofing mat. Temperature range is often 70°F-120°F. It can be used for starter, dough, and more.

The Brod & Taylor Proofer as pictured here can also be used as a slow cooker with your own dutch oven or pot, and suitable for making yogurt, sous vide, and other fermented foods. It has optional humidity and folds for easy storage.

Proofing containers

Proofing containers can really pertain to any container that can hold dough during bulk ferment. However, often when bakers refer to proofing containers, they mean the square, food-safe plastic bins of varying sizes with measurements written on the side. These are often used in commercial kitchens for many different things, and are especially handy for bulk ferment since you can easily see how much the dough is rising.

Unlike bread that is made using commercial yeast, sourdough doesn’t always wait until the dough is doubled in size. The rise of the dough depends on dough temperature, and is talked about in percentages. Tom Cucuzza from The Sourdough Journey has really nailed down bulk ferment times based on temperature and how much rise % you want to see. Using a square proofing container allows you to precisely mark a target line or track what percentage your dough has risen. Proofing in a bowl can be much harder to gauge.

If you’re someone who tries to stay away from plastic and would like to find a non-plastic container for fermenting larger quantities of dough, check out these large metal bowls from Webstaurant. They have varying sizes all the way up to 30qt which I believe can easily hold enough dough to make 12-16 loaves of sourdough.

“Proofing” is a bit of a misnomer since these containers hold dough during bulk ferment, not the final proof. Remember that bulk ferment is the first rising of the dough, when it is all together in bulk. When the dough is separated and shaped into its final shape, this second shape is called the final proof, or simply “proof”. For sourdough, the final proof is often done in banneton baskets.

Razor Blade Replacements

Essential

One of the first tools a sourdough baker will want to invest in is a good bread lame. There are a few different styles, but they can be a game changer. A select few bakers might have success using a sharp knife for scoring, but it is not ideal.

Once you have a bread lame, you will need to replace the razor blades periodically to keep your scoring easy and clean. How often depends on how frequently you are making bread as well as personal preference. Some bakers replace their razor blades every 8-10 loaves or so, others only every few months or less.

I have both a stick lame and a UFO lame, and I probably only change the blades every 50? loaves or so. Sometimes I use both lames to score, sometimes just one or the other. Other times I use the stick lame two times for the same loaf, utilizing the 5 minute score method. This method, while wonderful for getting an ear, can be hard on razor blades since the very doughy, partially baked bread gets stuck on there. Cleaning razor blades dulls them, and no one wants sliced fingers trying to get the dough off! I find that I can very carefully rotate the blade, so the clean side scores the bread before hand, then rotate and use the dirtier side to do the second score. Double sided razor blades can also be flipped and rotated in general so that all four corners are being used before being tossed.

Rice flour

Essential for some

Rice flour works well for keeping sticky sourdough from sticking to surfaces, especially bannetons during the overnight retard. If all-purpose or bread flour just aren’t doing the trick, try some rice flour.

Depending on dough and environment, some find using rice flour to coat their bannetons is all but essential to get their dough turned out easily. Others, myself included, find that rice flour is nice, but not essential.

Rice flour is also used for dusting on top of loaves to get that white contrast for scoring more intricate designs.

Shower caps / Plastic bowl covers

Not essential

Shower caps can be used for covering bowls, bread once it’s in bannetons, and more. They’re quick and convenient, and fairly cheap.

That said, I’d encourage you to look into other options. Using linen cloths to line and cover bannetons is a great way to stay away from single-use plastic, and much more aesthetic, no? It also doesn’t support buying super cheap plastic shower caps from Chinese companies on Amazon. If linen dries out your dough too much in the fridge, why not use the plastic grocery bags from the grocery store? Grocery store bags are usually a good bet that they’re made from food-safe plastic, and in many places, are free. Not all shower caps are food grade plastic, so something else to check into if you do decide to go that route.

Sieve, Sifter or Ball sifter

Not essential

Lightly dusting sourdough before it goes into the oven is completely optional, and mostly done for aesthetic purposes such as decorative scoring.

If you choose to lightly dust your loaves, this can be done a couple of different ways.

Fine Sieve: You can use a fine sieve to dust flour over loaves. Many people already have a sieve in their kitchen, which means purchasing an extra tool isn’t necessary. I even got away with using a small metal ball tea infuser in place of a sieve when I didn’t have a sieve for awhile there! The con of using a sieve is that you have to fill and empty it each time you use it, and if you set it down, flour comes out.

Can Sifter: If you plan on doing a lot of sifting, then a ball or can sifter can save time and make the job a little easier. They’re also inexpensive, usually $10 or under. Can sifters often come with a cover so you can keep the flour in the can, and keep the flour from getting all over when not in use.

Ball Sifter: Similar in idea to the can sifter, just a bit smaller and round. Ball sifters sometimes have a rotating feature so they can also be covered, keeping flour contained, or at least one side without holes so it can be set down without spilling flour.

Silicone Oven Mitts

Not essential, but advisable

If you bake enough bread, sooner or later you’ll end up with some burns. While short, cloth oven mitts are fine, long, elbow length heat proof gloves can save you some burns as well as making handling the hot Dutch ovens/baking vessels much easier.

The silicone hot and cold baking gloves are all the rage right now, offering either wrist or up to full forearm protection and extended temperature ranges from in the negative Fahrenheit up to 480°F / 249°C or higher.

Small Kitchen Scissors

Not Essential

Small, sharp scissors can be used to make little cuts in dough for more intricate decorative scoring.

A lame will get most bakers as far as they need in getting fancy with the scores, but for those that want specific and intricate cuts a lame can’t do, then a small pair of sharp scissors might be your next trick. Surgical scissors can be used with great success, along with embroidery or any scissors with small enough and sharp enough blades to cleanly cut dough.

Sourdough Home

Not essential

A sourdough home is a container that looks a bit like a tiny refrigerator. You put a jar of starter inside to be kept at a precise temperature. A sourdough home can heat when it’s too cold, or cool when it’s too hot. This enables consistency in feeding a starter and thus baking times, and with the precision even allows you to adjust the flavor of your starter.

Spray bottle

Not essential, but can be very handy for more intricate scoring or getting more steam into the oven while baking

A spray bottle is certainly not essential for making a wonderful loaf of bread, but for those wishing to score more intricate designs on bread that can be easily seen, then a spray bottle and flour are good tools to have. Lightly spraying the loaf after it has been tipped out of the banneton, then sprinkling with flour, helps the flour to stay on better.

Another good use for a spray bottle is to spray loaves and the inside walls of your oven just before putting in the bread. This is one way to get more steam into a bake.

Spurtle

Not essential, but very handy for stirring

Any spoon or long utensil can be used to stir starter or dough, but a spurtle is designed to have less surface contact thus making it easier to stir and having less to clean. If you know what it is to clean sourdough dishes, then you know that this is a great thing.

Beyond sourdough, spurtles are useful for stirring many things. They were originally designed for porridge and soups and such. A spurtle is really just an unusual wooden spoon, and can be used just about anywhere a wooden spoon can. They’re also inexpensive and a little thing that makes a great gift or a great addition to your kitchen.

Stick Lame

Essential

A stick lame is used for easily and properly scoring bread, allowing bread to rise in a controlled manner, rather than splitting at random as it rises. A sharp knife could be used, it’s true, but if you plan on making sourdough more than just once in a blue moon, than a lame is one of the first tools you should invest in.

UFO Lame

Not essential, but the tool to invest in for more intricate scoring

A UFO lame differs from a stick lame in that the razor blade is usually sticking out of a small wooden circle, or “UFO” shape, rather than attached to a small rod with a handle.

The smaller circular shape allows the baker to get closer to the loaf while scoring, giving greater control and precision in scoring. The UFO lame is usually the blade of choice for performing the more intricate and artistic bread scoring. The UFO lame is a more recent invention by Wire Monkey, my favorite USA small business lame maker!

Weck Jars

Not essential, but very convenient for maintaining starter easily.

Weck jars are another brand of glass jars designed for canning and preserving, much like Mason and Ball, that are very useful for storing and maintaining sourdough starter. The main difference is that Weck jars usually have wide mouths and straighter sides, making stirring in the jar and cleaning much easier.

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Explore Italy: Assisi

Just another absolutely stunning small town with important religious history perched on the rolling hills of Umbria. It’s a beautiful place for a stroll, not too big and not too small, with plenty to see but not so much you need an agenda.

More Explore Italy posts:

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

Assisi in a nutshell

Location: Umbria, Italy

Best known for: A UNESCO world heritage site, Assisi is the birth place of San Francesco, one of Italy’s patron saints and founder of the Franciscan order, and Santa Chiara Offreduccio. Assisi is an important pilgrimage city for the Catholic faith.

Days needed to explore: 1+

What to see and do:

• 13th century two level Basilica Papale e Sacro Covento di San Francesco, overlooking Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco

• Rocca Maggiore - a medieval fortress hovering over Assisi

• Many churches with stunning art, including: Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, La Cattedrale di San Rufino, Basilica di Santa Maria, Chiesa Nuova, San Damiano, Santa Maria degli Angeli

Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco

Basilica di Santa Chiara

Chiesa Nuova

Established: circa 1000 BC by the Umbrians, thought to be some of the oldest inhabitants of Italy. Assisi was taken under Roman rule in 295 BC, later under papal jurisdiction and ruled by despots, occupied by Nazi Germany while hiding Jews, to today, a major pilgrimage spot for many.

Typical foods to try:

Torre del Popolo

• Rocciata - a strudel like pastry filled with walnuts, apple, and dried fruit

• Umbricelli al Rancetto - thicker, spaghetti-like pasta with a tomato based pork sauce with marjoram. Umbricelli is called pici in Tuscany, or strangozzi, ciriole, or lombrichelli in other areas

• Stringhozzi al tartufo di Norcia - a pasta dish made with fresh long pasta, similar to fettuccine, topped with regional black truffles

• Piccione alla Ghiotta - a tipical dish featuring pigeon, for the more adventurous fellows

• Torta al Testo - flatbread filled with delicacies of the region for a tasty and very Umbrian sandwich

• Olio d’Oliva di Umbria - look for the Umbrian olive oil with the DOP certification, specifically the “Colli Assisi Spoleto” which has 60% of the Moraiolo variety of olives, and the remaining 30% either Frantoio or Leccino

• Prosciutto di Norcia IGP - the cold cut of the region

• Corallina Umbra - a typical cold cut of Umbria, made with lean meat and chunks of fat

Why I like Assisi

Assisi is hard to forget with its hilly terrain, stunning church, and large piazza overlooking the valley. Part of the reason I like Assisi so well is because I didn’t plan or choose to go there, I was taken there by an Italian family and shown around.

When one of my dearest friends and I went on a trip to Europe together, one of our stops was to stay in Camucia with her old host family for a weekend. She had gone over as an au pair to help their son learn English. I had heard so many wonderful stories of them, and they were such kind and wonderful hosts. One of their treats to us was to take us around to see some different cities, including Cortona which is very close to Camucia, as well as Gubbio and Assisi. When your hosts are chattering away in Italian and you and your friend don’t speak much of the language, a lot of nodding and laughing and going along with the flow ensues. Being toted around by an Italian family to see Italian sights is not a bad way to do it. I also highly recommend going to a restaurant with an Italian family and letting them order for you, especially when they order an assortment of appetizers and such so you can get a taste of all the typical food. Well, I think I chose my main course, and remember the dad choosing a truffle pasta for his (probably the stringhozzi al tartufo!), and thinking maybe I should have gotten that, too. Trufflesssss, buonoooo.

We were at the Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco at sunset, and it was a picture-perfect sunset with brilliant hues of pink, purple, and orange; a fairytale moment, really. I took pictures, as was everyone else with a sunset like that! But pictures don’t do justice, they never do.

Assisi was a picture perfect evening of strolling around, seeing all the beautiful and important churches, eating good food, watching an unforgettable sunset, and spending time with new and old friends. It was very relaxing being able to follow along. I normally am the planner and organizer for trips, making sure we see and do and eat everything that there is. This often can leave me feeling a bit stressed to do all the research, afraid I might miss something important or cool. Not having to do this, and in fact not having much say in the destination, was refreshingly freeing. Leaving it in the hands of some locals was a great way to see Assisi!

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana chocolate chip muffins are always a good idea.

Probably my favorite way to use up overripe bananas, these muffins are moist, easy on the sugar because they’re already sweet from the bananas, and chocolatey. They’re simple enough to make that even my 2 year old can help make them.

We love them because they make sure our older bananas don’t go to waste and sourdough discard gets used up. This recipe also doesn’t require dirtying a bowl just to mash bananas. Often banana recipes instruct to mash bananas separately before adding into the already-mixed wet ingredients. Here, the bananas are mashed then the wet ingredients are added right in to the banana bowl.

Muffins require no fancy tools beyond a muffin tin. Muffins are my go-to for a quick bake with tasty results.

Use up sourdough discard

As mentioned above, muffins are a great way to use up sourdough discard. I find using up to 1/2 cup keeps the taste and texture subtle. Otherwise up to 1 cup discard can be used, although the taste will be more pronounced and the texture of the muffins will start to get a bit more bread like.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes about 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup / 210g flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup / 128g mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping

• 3-4 very ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup / 113g oil

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

• up to 1/2 cup / 125g sourdough discard, optional

Directions:

Oven preheated to 375°F / 190°C. 1 muffin pan greased or lined with muffin liners.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and discard, if using. Mix well.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Don’t over-mix.

4. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling until just about even with pan. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.

5. Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until muffins no longer look wet and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Depending on size of bananas and if sourdough discard is used, this recipe may make a bit more than 12 muffins.

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

19 Min

Total time

39 Min

Print

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Moist banana chocolate chip muffins are lightly sweet with pops of chocolate, perfect for breakfast, a snack, or on the go. This recipe is quick and easy with the option of using sourdough discard.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup / 210g flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup / 128g mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping
• 3-4 very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup / 113g oil
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract
• up to 1/2 cup / 125g sourdough discard, optional

Instructions

1. Oven preheated to 375°F / 190°C. 1 muffin pan greased or lined with muffin liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
3. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and discard, if using. Mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Don’t over-mix.
5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling until just about even with pan. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
6. Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until muffins no longer look wet and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool.

Notes

• Depending on size of bananas and if sourdough discard is used, this recipe may make a bit more than 12 muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

274

Fat

13 g

Sat. Fat

3 g

Carbs

35 g

Fiber

2 g

Net carbs

33 g

Sugar

11 g

Protein

3 g

Sodium

215 mg

Cholesterol

15 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 muffin if recipe makes 12, not including sourdough discard.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/10/4/banana-chocolate-chip-muffins

best ever easy banana chocolate chip muffins,

breakfast, snack

American

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What to Pack When Moving to Italy

Moving is a feat, and no less so when moving involves crossing the ocean. If you’ve ever thought about moving to Italy or a move is imminent for you, you might be wondering what to pack. Does Italy carry all the same goods as the USA?

Space is precious and expensive, and you don’t want to pack what you can easily buy over there. No need to pack shampoo when you know you’ll be able to buy shampoo over there, right?

Some things are obvious when it comes to what to pack and what not to, others are less so. You don’t want to leave behind something that is essential or a favorite, only to find it can’t be found in Italy.

I’ve compiled a list of things that you might want to consider bringing with you when moving to Italy, based on personal experience and that of other expat families. The good news is that it’s not terribly long. Some things might surprise you, I know they did me. Other things are highly personal and will really depend on what you value, your lifestyle, your hobbies, etc. and your attachment to certain brands. A lot will also depend on how long you will be living in Italy, how often you will be coming home, and how many suitcases/packing containers you’re bringing over.

The good news is that most, if not all of the items you use and need on a daily basis can be found in Italy. It can take time to find them, but they’re there. They might be a little different, but they work. It might take some getting used to not having your comfortable products and brands, but in the end you might find some things you like even better. Try to keep an open mind. Now living back in the States, there are several products I really miss from Italy!

This list will continue to be added to. See something the list is missing? Leave a comment or send me a message and I’d be happy to add it!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Consider Packing These Items When Moving to Italy:

Baby items

Of course, baby items exist in Italy, but they can be significantly more expensive. Not only is it more expensive, sometimes it can be just downright harder to find baby stores and items. The selection is much slimmer. Online shopping, while becoming more of a thing, is not overly present in Italy.

Bring any of your favorite baby items you can’t live without.

A stroller is essential, but think about the sidewalk situation where you’ll be living. Many of the strollers you’ll see in Italy boast the large, all-terrain wheels. Dinky umbrella strollers may be nice for space, but not great on many of the bumpy, sometimes non-existent sidewalks. On the other hand, if you move to a place like where I lived for a bit in Incisa e Figline Valdarno, there were stretches of road with no sidewalks, and the train station had no elevator to get to the train platform. Two large flights of stairs up and down with a stroller isn’t fun. Baby carriers are sometimes preferable. Naples was another city we visited that a baby carrier was invaluable. Too many twisty turns, narrow sidewalks, stairs, and hills to comfortably push a stroller.

Baby Clothes: Some moms prefer to bring over baby clothes because they’re cheaper in the USA, sometimes higher quality, fit better, and overall there is a bigger selection. Knotted baby gowns, bamboo sleepers, etc. are hard to find or not really available in Italy.

Cloth Diapering: I wanted to cloth diaper my son, but I had a difficult time finding cloth diapering products. I could not find any stores that carried cloth diapers. In the end I ordered some pocket cloth diapers from Amazon along with some prefolds and other things. What I didn’t realize was the quality of the prefolds was significantly less than what you would get in the States. I ended up with a lot of leaks, and wasn’t sure why people I knew who had cloth diapered in the States seemed to be having such a different experience than I was all while using the same products.

Baking supplies and ingredients

It might seem nonsensical to bring food and baking items to a country famous for its good food. Some ingredients just don’t act the same, or are not available, so if you are wanting to make recipes from your home country, you might need to pack accordingly. Otherwise you’ll be subbing Italian ingredients and it won’t taste like it does back home.

Baking Powder: The Italian baking powder doesn’t act the same as American baking powder. Don’t ask me why, but I am among a number of people who always bring their own baking powder over. It doesn’t take up much room and lasts a long time, so why add one more uphill battle of trying to learn a new baking powder in your favorite recipes if you don’t have to?

Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is available at certain stores, but it is expensive and not as flavorful as the homemade stuff I’m accustomed to. Maple syrup is heavy and a liquid, but if I had extra room, I’d always sneak in a quart or two in my checked luggage. I know others felt the same way, must be an American and Canadian thing. Others found success ordering it online.

Peanut Butter: You will be able to find Peter Pan and Skippy peanut butter here for a hefty price (around 5euro for a small bottle) along with some other brands you’ve probably never heard of, like Calvè (made in the Netherlands), for a bit less, but with each their own unique taste and consistency. If you love and are partial to certain kinds of peanut butter, you might want to bring a few jars of your favorite kind with you.

Vanilla Extract: Italy doesn’t have real vanilla extract, they use either whole vanilla beans or the artificial vanilla flavor “vanillin”. Since vanilla beans are expensive and I didn’t want to use the artificial vanillin they have readily available in grocery stores, I would bring over a large bottle (16oz) with me to use while making and aging my own vanilla extract.

Other food items that can be found in Italy but are different and sometimes more expensive, would include

• Brown sugar - can be found, but is usually a different kind of “brown” sugar, and can vary, depending on where its found

• Canned pumpkin - can be found for about 4x the price of American canned pumpkin. I would often bring 2 cans if I had extra room to use at Thanksgiving time

• Chewing Gum - Italy has chewing gum but their flavors are primarily licorice, not as minty, and flavors don’t last as long

• Chocolate chips - Italy only sells mini chips, in white or dark chocolate

• Ground Cloves - whole cloves are readily available, but if you don’t have a way to grind them, then bring your own ground cloves. I never once found ground cloves

• Marshmallows - different consistency

• Pecans - can be found, but often in tiny bags and quite pricy

• Pretzels - different consistency

For more things that are difficult to find in Italy (and where to find them, if applicable) check out this post here.

Beauty and Personal Products

You may or may not realize how attached you are to the beauty and personal care products you use until you can’t find them. Italy has some great products, but change is hard. Some find success by gradually trying and changing over products…finding some mascara they like, finding some face lotion they like, finding some deoderant they like. Others use and love a specific product and just aren’t able to find a comparable product in Italy. They bring over enough to last them until the next time they are able to get some.

If using natural products is important to you, an extra challenge is added on having to find all-new, trustworthy and effective natural products in a new language and new stores. The good news is that a lot of the ingredients are the same in Italian as in English. The bad news is that despite what a lot of people in the US think, food and products in Italy are not wholly natural and pure. Yes, they do ban more ingredients than the US as far as I understand, but I was unpleasantly surprised at some of the ingredient lists in Italy. I guess I had imagined waltzing into the Italian stores and picking up any ol’ shampoo or lotion, etc., and not having to worry about checking the ingredients because everything in Europe is natural and wonderful, right? Not exactly.

Books

Books in Italy are, you guessed it, primarily in Italian, but you can find other languages. It might be harder to find them, but they do exist. You can also become a member at a local library where they most likely have foreign language sections.

For specific books you really want to have in English or other languages, I know many people who just bring them with them. Books can get heavy quickly, but you can’t find every book in Italy. After all, books are a one time purchase. I brought over some of my favorite cookbooks and a few reading books I figured I wouldn’t be able to find in Italy.

On the other hand, encourage yourself to read books in Italian. This will help expand your vocabulary and master the language. Italian has a specific tense called narrative tense (for written word), so not always helpful for speaking, but still helpful to learn. I learned a lot by reading. If your level of Italian is still basic, start with children’s books. Seriously. Even baby books I would learn things from. Once you start getting better, move on to books you enjoy and are familiar with in English. At one point I borrowed the Harry Potter series from the children’s section at my local library. It’s very enlightening and empowering to not only be learning, but also understanding and laughing at the humor you know so well, in another language!

Children’s clothing

Similar to the baby clothing mentioned above, I know some moms who prefer to bring over children’s clothes rather than buy them all in Italy. In the US they’re often cheaper, higher quality, and fit better.

Cotton clothing

I’m sorry, is there no cotton in Italy? I remember feeling a bit befuddled the first time I heard of others preferring “US cotton” over Italian made cotton shirts. Apparently, cotton clothing made in the US (or rather sold in the US) is thicker and more durable. Italian cotton is thin.

Once this was brought to my attention I started to notice, by golly, they were right. The cotton is not the same! Cotton clothes I had brought with me were thicker and tended to last longer. Clothing I bought in Italy, especially at some of the smaller boutiques, was very thin and light. I won’t say either one is bad or worse, you can decide that for yourself, but here are some things to consider:

• Thicker cotton from the US will last longer

• Thinner cotton from Italy stretches out more easily

• Thinner cotton is lighter and very nice in the hot, Italian summers

Electronics and their adapters

Electronics can be a tricky thing to pack. Technology isn’t often intended to change countries, outlets, and voltage.

For the electronics you must bring with you, ensure you have the proper adapters and power converters. Check them to see if they might be dual voltage, usually with 120/240V written somewhere near the plug. Smart phones including Apple products are dual voltage, so that’s a good start!

Here are some random things that you would be better off buying in Italy:

• Printer

• Hair dryer, straightener, curler, etc.

• Electric mixer, any electric kitchen gadget - I desperately wanted to bring my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Kitchen Aid’s aren’t cheap in the US, and they’re more expensive in Italy than the US. But with the weight of a Kitchen Aid and the risk of burning the motor even with a fancy power converter, it just wasn’t a good idea. I had read of people ruining their Kitchen Aids trying to run them on power converters and adapters.

A printer story: I somehow inherited a printer from a friend who moved back to the USA. The printer was from the US, and I’m really not sure why someone brought a printer over when they should’ve bought one in Italy. As it turns out, it came in handy with all of the documents and copies that need to be made with life in Italy. It didn’t require a power converter, just an adapter. The problems started when I needed to change the ink cartridges. The grocery stores didn’t carry the cartridge numbers the printer needed. I quickly found out that the printer was in US mode, and had to be reconfigured to European mode. Once reconfigured to European mode, I could buy the Italian cartridges and start using it again. As would happen to me, it took literally hours on the phone with several different people from HP trying to change the printer’s country setting, then trying to troubleshoot why it would not. It turned out the printer could not be changed, and HP sent me a whole new printer AND ink cartridges. Seriously, while Italian customer service averages on “average” at best, sometimes downright awful, HP was this shining beacon of “we’ll do anything to make this right” and not somehow always making it the customer’s fault. They even sent me a box and scheduled UPS to pick up and recycle the old printer so I didn’t have to. Why the long story? This is your warning to do your research before just bringing electronics to a different country.

On the bright side, I was able to bring an essential oil diffuser with me because it was dual voltage!

Important documents

While you might not think you’ll need certain important documents in Italy, you can make your life a lot easier by scanning important documents onto your computer and bringing copies with you. Paper does not take up much space and you would be surprised what you might need while you’re there, or even for taking care of business back home.

Some ideas of what to bring, scan or bring copies of:

• Passports (yes that’s important!!)

• Applicable visas

• Birth certificates

• Marriage certificate

• SSN’s

• Driver’s Licenses

• Bank information

Medicinal Items

Over the counter medication is cheaper in the States than in Italy, among other medicinal items. Also, not all medications that are OTC in the States are OTC in Italy. You usually need a script for ibuprofen (in Italian “brufen” or “Nurofen”) and even acetaminophen or paracetamol (American brand name Tylenol, Tachipirina in Italian) requires a prescription for the 1000mg caplets.

You might also want to consider bringing any allergy medications and important prescription medications until you can figure out if/where you can get those in Italy.

I also know of a few people who specifically bring Neosporin with them.

Mosquito spray is another item I’ve heard people like to bring with them, especially if there is a favorite brand or kind. Italy does have mosquito spray, but I haven’t tried it to tell you how it works. I can tell you the mosquitos can be pesky and miserable in the summer. Italy does have these wall plug-ins that last 1-2 months and can be turned off and on as desired, that work excellently at keeping mosquitos at bay. They can be invaluable for those who suffer mosquitos, but I use them with caution because I’m not entirely sure what fumes they’re letting out. I avoid using them around kids where possible.

Sentimental Items

Bring anything of sentimental value that can’t be purchased in Italy. Space in suitcases and packing containers might be limited, but I always liked having a few key items from home. Jewekry, decor, children’s artwork, picture frames, etc, might be a wonderful source of comfort while away.

If you have children who have favorite stuffies or toys, consider bringing a duplicate for if/when the favorite item gets lost or worn out.

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The 5-Minute Score Method for Sourdough

Loaf baked utilizing the 5 minute score

The 5 minute score is a method used to help your loaf expand more and achieve an ear.

To do a 5 minute score, give your loaf an initial score before placing in the oven, then score it a second time along the same initial score line before continuing to bake as normal.

The 5 minute score can also be called a 7 minute score, etc. depending on how many minutes elapse before giving the second score. It can also be called simply the second score, but 5 minute score is probably the most common name.

Something about the second scoring often gives loaves the oomph they need to achieve the ever-coveted ear. If you’ve been trying to get an ear without much success, this is a popular method to try.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Using the 5 Minute Score to Get an Ear

In order to achieve an ear on your loaf of sourdough bread, a few basic things need to be in place. If other steps in your sourdough bread making process are too far off, even the 5 minute score won’t help you with an ear. The 5 minute method works best for those who are making mostly successful loaves, but just can’t quite seem to get an ear.

There is absolutely no harm in trying the 5 minute score, but if you still don’t end up with an ear, then something else will probably need to be tweaked in your sourdough bread making process.

Check Starter

Ensure that your starter is well established and healthy. It should be doubling or tripling within 6-8 hours after feeding, give or take a couple hours depending on room temperature and feeding ratio.

Check Bulk Ferment

Watch your bulk ferment time. Bulk ferment starts the moment the starter or levain hits the other dough ingredients. If you bulk ferment too long, your dough will overproof and won’t have the oven spring needed to produce an ear. Similarly, if bulk ferment isn’t long enough, the dough might not be able to produce an ear.

This chart from The Sourdough Journey is very, very helpful in nailing down bulk ferment times.

Check Final Proof

Watch the proofing. Once dough is in its final shape for proofing, don’t let it rise too much, whether you’re doing a cold retard or making dough and baking all in one day. Check your refrigerator temperature to make sure it’s not too warm and accidentally allowing your loaves to overproof.

Check Shaping

Check your shaping technique. If loaves aren’t shaped tightly with proper surface tension, they are more likely to spread. A flatter loaf will have a harder time springing up and getting an ear.

Check Scoring

Re-evaluate your scoring technique.

• Try keeping the principal score in the middle plane of the loaf

• Use a stick lame with a curved blade (blade curving up like a spoon)

• Slice at a 45° angle to the loaf’s surface.

• Keep slices shallow, especially if utilizing the 5 minute score. 1/2” is the deepest you should need to go. Any deeper than that and you risk the structure of the loaf and encourage excessive spreading.

• Keep scoring swift and sure, as much as possible.

• Make sure you have a clean and sharp razor blade on your lame. Some bakers change out their blades as often as every 10 loaves or so. While changing your blade frequently will ensure the cleanest and easiest scoring, changing that often isn’t strictly necessary. But if you make sourdough loaves regularly and it’s been a few months or years, go ahead and change out that razor blade.

The most fun (and frustrating) part about sourdough is there are always 101 things that could go wrong, and just when you think you’ve dealt with all the troubleshooting, something new happens. That said, the tips above are some of the most common culprits, and a good place to start.

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Sourdough Loaves Baked Side-by-Side, With and Without the 5 Minute Score

5 minute score (L) and no 5 minute score (R)

top view of 5 minute score (L) and no 5 minute score (R)

With 5 minute score

I remember the first ear I ever got on a loaf of sourdough bread baked in my home environment. I may have jumped for joy. Then squeals of joy as my loaves continued to get ears. Then I got some new oval bannetons and I was not getting ears every time. I read about the 5 minute score and decided to try it. The results were fabulous. Consistent, impressive ears, every time.

with 5 minute score

To confirm, I baked two loaves side by side, one with and one without the 5 minute score. The loaf that got the 5 minute score developed a nice ear, while the loaf that had no second score did not develop an ear.

Thus, the 5 minute score became an essential step in my baking process. After playing around with timing, I found the 6 minute score to be the sweet spot for my loaves.

I didn’t look back for months, but also wondered why some bakers could easily get consistent ears without using a second score, while others turning out beautiful loaves also relied on the 5 minute score. Just another sourdough mystery, or is there more to it?

A Second Side by Side Experiment

No 5 minute score (L) and with 5 minute score (R)

No 5 minute score (L) and with 5 minute score (R)

No 5 minute score

More recently, I decided to perform another little side by side experiment with the 5 minute score.

This time I came away with a different conclusion. I liked the overall look of the loaf that did not get the 5 minute score. They were both nice looking loaves, but the loaf that got the second score seemed to spread a bit more, and almost got less of an ear, ironically.

with 5 minute score

Now, these two loaves are identical in every way except one: one has chunks of Parmesan cheese, and the other does not. Inclusions can weigh bread down and affect the bake certainly, but given that I bake frequently with inclusions and was consistently doing the 5 minute score, I don’t think this had too much of an impact on the results. After all, the more important loaf was the one that did NOT get the second score. I know well from the many loaves I have baked that the second score works a treat. I was more interested to see if I could go back to baking without having to use the 5 minute score and still achieve an ear.

Why the difference in conclusion for the two experiments?

5 minute score

I can only guess why these two mini experiments went the way they did. However, after some reading, I would guess that the 5 minute score helps most when the bulk ferment time isn’t spot on or there are problems with steam during baking. Since the steam and baking has been basically the same since I started, I suspect I have just been able to fine tune bulk fermentation a bit better, ever learning more my dough in my environment.

Conclusion:

No 5 minute score

The 5 minute score is a handy tool to have in the sourdough arsenal. It allows more leeway in being able to achieve an ear without having to have every single step in sourdough making, especially bulk ferment, nailed down perfectly.

In an ideal world we could all just bake sourdough bread and get an ear every time, if we wanted to. Since that doesn’t always happen, I will continue to sing the 5 minute score’s praises to achieve that sometimes elusive ear.

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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes have been a family favorite since 2010. They’re rich, nutritious, and just a tad bit fussy for potatoes, which makes them a favorite for Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Most recipes for sweet potatoes play on their sweetness, turning them into sweet potato casserole or sweet twice baked potatoes. While I love me some sweet potato casserole (I’m team pecan crumble/streusel on top!), this recipe is refreshing because sweet potatoes are wonderful in savory recipes and this one really lets them shine.

This recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma’s “Savoring America” cookbook. I was gifted this cookbook as a teenager and several recipes in there have become staples in my family over the last decade plus. This recipe is one of my favorites from there.

This Fluffy Key Lime Pie is from the “Savoring America” cookbook, also!

I’ve adapted this recipe to keep all the flavor while lightening it up a bit. Since we often make these for holidays or around the holiday season, we didn’t feel the need to have these so decadent when there is so much other rich and decadent food. This version uses less butter and milk instead of heavy cream. Bacon is optional, with the original calling for 4 chopped slices that get cooked along with the onion and garlic. Bacon, while delicious, can overtake dishes. We don’t normally add it, and don’t miss it! These are plenty flavorful without it.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes, unpeeled

• 2 Tbsp / 28g cooking oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 6 oz / 180g (about 4 cups) chopped spinach or other similar green

• 2/3 cup / 158g chicken or vegetable broth

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, softened

• 1/3 cup / 79g milk

• 1/2 cup / 50g grated Parmesan cheese

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup / 57g shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C.

Bake the Sweet Potatoes

1. Poke the surface of each sweet potato all over with the tines of a fork.

2. Bake in preheated oven until soft and easily pierced with a knife, about 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven.

3. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in the bowl of a food processor or regular bowl, leaving a thin lining of flesh in the skin about 1/4” thick.

Make the Filling

1. Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Add spinach and broth, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and broth has mostly evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat.

3. Pulse sweet potato flesh with rosemary in a food processor until smooth, or use a handheld mixer. Add butter, milk, and Parmesan and pulse or beat until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add spinach mixture to sweet potato mixture and mix until combined.

5. Divide evenly among sweet potato skins and top with Swiss cheese.

6. Bake until potatoes are heated through and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Spinach is my favorite and readily available option for these, but some other options include collard greens, swiss chard, or any other of your favorite greens. Cooking time may vary, depending on green chosen and how long it takes to become tender.

• Any good melting cheese that you desire can be used on top of these.

Yield 8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

45 Min

Cook time

1 H & 45 M

Total time

2 H & 30 M

Print

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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Savory Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are both rich and delicious with a smooth, cheesy filling with herbs and greens, perfect for holidays or any time.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes, unpeeled
• 2 Tbsp / 28g cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 oz / 180g (about 4 cups) chopped spinach or other similar green
• 2/3 cup / 158g chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, softened
• 1/3 cup / 79g milk
• 1/2 cup / 50g grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup / 57g shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese

Instructions

Bake the Sweet Potatoes

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C.
2. Poke the surface of each sweet potato all over with the tines of a fork.
3. Bake in preheated oven until soft and easily pierced with a knife, about 1 - 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven.
4. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in the bowl of a food processor or regular bowl, leaving a thin lining of flesh in the skin about 1/4” thick.

Make the Filling

1. Heat oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
2. Add spinach and broth, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and broth has mostly evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat.
3. Pulse sweet potato flesh with rosemary in a food processor until smooth, or use a handheld mixer. Add butter, milk, and Parmesan and pulse or beat until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add spinach mixture to sweet potato mixture and mix until combined.
5. Divide evenly among sweet potato skins and top with Swiss cheese.
6. Bake until potatoes are heated through and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Spinach is my favorite and readily available option for these, but some other options include collard greens, swiss chard, or any other of your favorite greens. Cooking time may vary, depending on green chosen and how long it takes to become tender.
• Any good melting cheese that you desire can be used on top of these.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

258

Fat

14 g

Sat. Fat

7 g

Carbs

27 g

Fiber

4 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

6 g

Protein

7 g

Sodium

400 mg

Cholesterol

31 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 half potato.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/7/9/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes

savory twice baked sweet potatoes, cheesy sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving sides

dinner

American

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How to Test Your Flour's Hydration Capacity

Knowing how to test the hydration capacity of your flour is a useful little trick that can save you time and ingredients in sourdough baking.

How much water can your flour hold, and why is it important to know this? In a word, how much water can you add to your loaf and it still be able to keep its shape?

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Every Flour is Different

Each flour has a different capacity for holding water. The higher the protein content, the easier it will hold higher hydration amounts. All-purpose flours hold less water than bread flour or high-protein bread flour. Even one all-purpose flour to the next will have different capacities, depending on protein content.

Whole wheat flours are considered “thirsty” flours, and can hold more water.

The best way to figure out what the hydration capacity of your flour is, is to do a little test. If you’re unfamiliar with baker’s formula, what follows is a quick explanation to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Baker’s Formula

When baking bread, especially sourdough and artisan breads, you will often hear bakers talking about their ingredients in percentages. This is called baker’s formula, or baker’s math.

If you’re just getting into sourdough, and even for all other baking, here is another prompt to start using a kitchen scale if you are not already.

Why You Should Use a Baking Scale

In baker’s formula, the flour in the recipe is always the 100%. Every other ingredient’s percentage is calculated from the flour’s weight. For example, a bread recipe that calls for 1000g of flour and 700g of water, means that it has 70% water, or 70% hydration.

Ingredient weight / Flour Weight x 100 = %

700g water / 1000g flour x 100 = 70%

This can be done with any or all ingredients in a bread recipe and is very helpful for understanding the recipe. You will start to notice that certain kinds of bread have lower hydration, like bagels, while others have quite high hydration, like ciabatta. You’ll be able to get a feel for what the dough will feel like and how the bread will turn out, without ever having made the recipe.

Hydration can vary widely in sourdough baking. Generally speaking, any recipe that calls for under 70% hydration is considered low hydration. Beginner recipes often hover around 65% hydration. Lower hydration means less tacky dough and easier to work with and shape. For an intermediate to experienced baker, 70-80% is usually a happy spot. Anything above 80% is usually considered high hydration and needs special handling and stronger flours.

To brush up on your sourdough lingo, read here.

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Testing a Flour’s Hydration Capacity

1. Measure out a small amount of desired flour into several small bowls. 20g is a good amount in each bowl, keeping it small and manageable, but still a decent enough chunk to work with. You can test different flours side by side. Keep all the bowls labeled or use different colors/styles, so the different flours don’t get mixed up.

2. Decide which hydration levels you’d like to test with the flour. Start with a hydration you feel the flour can hold comfortably, probably under 70%, then work your way up from there. Increments of 5% usually work nicely.

3. Calculate how much water to add, and mix into each bowl.

4. Thoroughly mix each bowl, kneading and working until a smooth dough has formed. If you don’t want to continue kneading a bunch of tiny pieces of dough, you can let them sit, covered, for several hours and check back.

5. Once the tiny bits of dough have had a chance for adequate gluten development, by kneading or by sitting, it’s time to check each one. You will probably have already noticed how each bowl of dough acts a little differently.

Now to Determine Which Hydration Levels the Flours Like

It’s easiest to start with lower hydration levels. The bit of dough should look smooth and feel elastic. It should pass the window pane test. If it doesn’t, the dough may need more time to sit or more kneading.

Work your way up the bowls, stretching, kneading, feeling as each bit of dough gets looser and stickier. You may notice as you work with the higher hydration bits that the dough will start to show some little tearing as you stretch it. Once the tearing becomes more noticeable, the dough doesn’t seem to be able to hold much shape, and the dough doesn’t pass the windowpane test, you have probably gone past the limit for that particular flour.

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Two Flours Tested Side by Side

Here I tested out the hydration capacity of Kirkland Signature Organic All-Purpose Flour and King Arthur Bread Flour side by side.

I had five bowls for each kind of flour. Each bowl contained 20g of flour. I used a precision scale, but this isn’t necessary. The hydration levels were:

• 65% (20g flour, 13g water)

• 70% (20g flour, 14g water)

• 75% (20g flour, 15g water)

• 80% (20g flour, 16g water)

• 85% (20g flour, 17g water)

Each bowl was kneaded briefly, then left to sit for several hours. I inspected them after the initial kneading, later in the day, and again the next day. Each piece was stretched and shaped into a ball, and prodded plenty.

Conclusion:

Kirkland Organic All-Purpose Flour

This AP flour seemed to find its sweet spot around 75% hydration. The dough with 80% hydration tore easily and couldn’t quite seem to build up enough gluten to hold any kind of shape. Based on this, I would stay under 80%, maybe even under 75% for Kirkland Organic All-Purpose Flour.

Interestingly enough, shortly after I performed this experiment, a well-known sourdough master, Tom Cucuzza of The Sourdough Journey shared a post of a loaf he made. He said he used 90% Kirkland Organic All-Purpose Flour, and 10% whole wheat flour, and mentioned that he thought the Kirkland flour holds 80% hydration well. I found that highly interestingly, since in my own experience Kirkland flour is optimal at not much higher than 75%, as I found in this little test, beyond dozens of other loaves I have made with this flour. However, he also mentioned, and I have also seen others talk about, how Kirkland’s Organic All-Purpose Flour can yield inconsistent results. I can only guess, but perhaps being such a large chain with stores across the country, maybe they’re sourcing wheat from many different areas and fields, and thus, differing results. Their bags mention they are “mininum 11.5%” protein content, so presumably, some bags may contain higher protein and be able to hold those higher hydrations better, as some bakers have found.

King Arthur Bread Flour

The King Arthur Bread Flour did better at 80% hydration. It only started to lose its shape and show more signs of tearing at 85% hydration. Based on this, I would say the King Arthur Bread Flour can comfortably go up to 80%, perhaps a bit higher, but would need some high-protein flour mixed with it to go higher with good results, perhaps some King Arthur Sir Lancelot flour. I don’t normally prefer eating breads with hydration higher than 80% because of the larger holes.

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Why Increase Sourdough Hydration?

Sourdough made with higher hydration is usually made for its open, lacey crumb. This particular structure is harder to achieve and thus one of the signs that “you’ve made it” in the sourdough world. While desirable aesthetically, many people (including myself) prefer a tighter crumb.

If you’re hoping for an open crumb or just want to play with a higher hydration for the fun of it, the method described in this post is a much easier way to test how much water your particular flour can hold rather than just making whole loaves and potentially having them not turn out, wasting time and ingredients.

Hydration Test Gone to Starter

Inadvertently, I left these bowls on the counter in nice summer weather for 2-3 days, trying to decide what to make with them. (I hate waste, I also don’t have a lot of free time between 3 small children.)

In the delay of deciding and formulating a recipe, these dough balls starting fermenting and turning into starter! I could’ve fed them and had 10 new bowls of starter, but one can have too much starter, you know! I turned these into some loaves of bread, instead.

I made some Honey Oat Sourdough Loaves, and they turned out great. They were super tangy from all the fermenting flours from the hydration test, a touch sweet from the honey, and a bit nutty from the oats. Honestly, to this day they might be one of my favorite loaves I’ve made.

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Explore Italy: Livorno

Terrazza Mascagni

Livorno is a city on the coast of Tuscany with a large and impressive checkered seaside promenade. As luring as that may sound, Livorno is at the bottom of my list of favorite places I’ve visited. Now, it’s still Italy and charming, but in a country full of world class beauty and charm, this is one place I won’t be urging you to visit.

More Explore Italy posts:

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

Livorno in a nutshell

Location: Tuscany, Italy

Best known for: Its harbor, seafood, and seaside checkerboard-pattern promenade

Days needed to explore: 1+ - Livorno is small enough that a day trip is ample to explore this city.

What to see and do:

• Terrazza Mascagni - the checkerboard promenade by the sea

• Fortezza Vecchia - the old fortress standing at the edge of the Medici Port

• Fortezza Nuova - the newer red brick fortress built during the Medici period to defend against pirate attacks

• Quartiere Venezia - an area in the middle of the city made in the style of Venice, with canals, bridges, and such.

• Il Mercato delle Vettovaglie - a large covered market with more than 200 booths of fish, fruit, vegetables and more to browse

Established: “Livorna” is first mentioned in 1071, and was inhabited by Etruscans, ruled by the Romans and Medici, and is now the capital city of the Province of Livorno.

Places to eat:

• Da Gagarin di Chiappo Giuliano - for a typical Livornese snack, try the 5e5 “torta di ceci” or sandwich made with chickpeas

• Il Frataio 1920 Antica Friggitoria - head to the friggitoria off of Piazza Cavalotti and follow your nose from there to get some fresh fried donuts

Typical foods to try:

• Il Cacciucco - a very typical fish stew featuring inexpensive local fish varieties, cuttlefish, and octopus, to use up the “un-sellables” from the market.

• Nettare di Capraia - a local amber colored honey

• Torta di Ceci - the flat, savory chickpea cake typical to the region. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, it’s surprisingly satisfying!

Gazebo Terrazza Mascagni

Why I like Livorno

I like Livorno mostly because I don’t love Livorno. I know that makes no sense. Of all the places I’ve been to in Italy, I think Livorno would come the least recommended. And yet, I had such a good time here, and only good memories.

I originally wanted to see Livorno because I thought I had read another expat (Girl in Florence) writing about how well she liked Livorno, a good alternative to the ever busy Cinque Terre. I’m not sure if I mixed Livorno up with another town or I just completely missed her drift, but I found the two with very little in common aside from both being in Italy and both being on the coast.

Let me start by saying that I went on a day trip here. During the off season. On a Sunday. When it was rainy. If you could combine all of the elements to make an Italian city seem closed, those would be it. Tada, I managed to experience Livorno in as close to a closed, vacated, uninhabited state as possible, pre-Covid. So really, if you have been or decide to visit Livorno, it’s almost certain you will at least have a somewhat better impression than I do. You see, off season is nice, but in smaller towns it doesn’t always feel as full or fun. On Sunday, most businesses are closed. Then you add rain on top of that and ciao, nobody’s out and about.

We had a great time walking around, circling and circling trying to find somewhere, anywhere to eat. Laughing because nowhere was open. Trying to find a grocery or small store, anything, open. Laughing because of course they’re all closed on Sunday. Walking around to see what shops might be open. None, because it’s Sunday and it’s raining. Laughing some more. And of course, being Italy, when small shops are closed they often have those metal garage doors they pull down so you can’t even see what’s there normally, just a street of locked metal pull-down doors. Giggling some more at the wet, abandoned streets. Seeing some big building, probably important. Closed, and what a lovely fence around it. Not. Laughing some more. My biggest regret was not being able to visit the Mercato delle Vettovaglie. I had heard it was a great market, not so dissimilar from the Mercato Centrale in Florence that I love so well.

Now, the promenade is truly lovely, but I was also struck by how random it feels. The aquarium is just off to one side, with a gravel area around it, and the promenade just kinda starts. It goes on in all its elegance, then ends. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme to it. It feels like it deserves some beautiful gardens or walkways that lead up to it, not gravel and randomness. Perhaps in the summer when it’s not raining they have events or gatherings there.

Cisternone

Piazza della Repubblica

Terrazza Mascagni looking out towards the Porto di Livorno

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Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Also known as MMM Cookies, or Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies.

These cookies are sweet, salty, and have little crunchies in them from granola and pecans. Many people pick them up thinking they’re just a normal chocolate chip cookie only to ask, “hey, what’s in here?” when they realize there are some delightful little sweet and salty add-ins dotting the chocolate chip landscape.

The recipe that inspired these cookies is called “Magical, Marvelous, Memorable Cookies”. I like to think of the pretzels as magical, the pecans as marvelous, and the granola as memorable. Irony of ironies, I could never remember the whole title and would always forget “memorable.” I decided to give them a little bit easier and more descriptive name. While I do enjoy the original more whimsical one, it is harder to remember and gives no indication as to what is in these cookies or what they will taste like.

Cookies that unite

Somehow, their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-esque ingredient list works really well together. They unite people, when you think they would divide, especially when they include things like pretzels and nuts. I’m not normally one to like pretzels in my desserts. The pretzels are one of my favorite parts. My mom doesn’t like nuts in her cookies. She likes the pecans in these.

Granola? In cookies?

The recipe calls for granola, which might seem ambiguous in light of all of the different kinds of granola out there, store-bought and homemade. Use whatever kind you’d like! Yes, each time the cookies will be a bit different, but as long as you like the granola you’re using, the cookies should turn out delightful. It doesn’t even have to be pure granola. Recently I’ve been using Post Great Grains Crunchy Pecan and it works very well.

Likewise, pecans are one of my favorite nuts in dessert (if I want nuts), but you can use your favorite nut here, if you don’t have or don’t want to use pecans.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe inspired by Food52

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Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 24-30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup / 225g Butter, softened OR 3/4 cup / 169g Neutral-flavored cooking oil

• 3/4 cup / 150g Granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup / 150g Brown sugar

• 2 Eggs

• 2 tsp / 10g Vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 cup / 270g All-purpose flour

• 1 tsp Baking soda

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 cup / 170g Semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup / 120g Granola or granola-like cereal

• 1/2 cup / 50g Pecans, chopped

• 1/2 cup / 20g Pretzels, crushed

Directions:

Oven 375°F / 177°C. 1 or 2 ungreased cookie sheets

1. In bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. If using oil, simply mix oil and sugars.

2. Beat in eggs and vanilla, until thoroughly combined.

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.

5. Stir in chocolate chips, granola, pecans, and pretzels until evenly distributed.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to turn golden and centers still look a bit soft.

7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet to cool completely.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Any variety of pretzels can be used, as long as they can be broken into small pieces. Sticks or tiny twists (mini) are probably the easiest to work with.

• The options for what kind of granola to use in these is almost endless. You could use store-bought or homemade, any flavor you like.

Yield 24-30

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

25 Min

Cook time

10 Min

Total time

35 Min

Print

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Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip Cookies with the addition of pretzels, pecans, and granola. The ingredients might sound a bit "everything but the kitchen sink" but surprise everyone with just how tasty they are.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 cup / 225g Butter, softened OR 3/4 cup / 169g Neutral-flavored cooking oil
• 3/4 cup / 150g Granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup / 150g Brown sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tsp / 10g Vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup / 270g All-purpose flour
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 cup / 170g Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup / 120g Granola or granola-like cereal
• 1/2 cup / 50g Pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup / 20g Pretzels, crushed

Instructions

1. Oven 375°F / 177°C. 1 or 2 ungreased cookie sheets
2. In bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. If using oil, simply mix oil and sugars.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla, until thoroughly combined.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips, granola, pecans, and pretzels until evenly distributed.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to turn golden and centers still look a bit soft.
8. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet to cool completely.

Notes

• Any variety of pretzels can be used, as long as they can be broken into small pieces. Sticks or tiny twists (mini) are probably the easiest to work with.
• The options for what kind of granola to use in these is almost endless. You could use store-bought or homemade, any flavor you like.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

268

Fat

15 g

Sat. Fat

3 g

Carbs

31 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

29 g

Sugar

17 g

Protein

3 g

Sodium

180 mg

Cholesterol

14 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 1 cookie from a 24-cookie batch.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/8/27/mmm-cookies

no chill chocolate chip cookies, everything but the kitchen sink cookies, magical marvelous memorable cookies

dessert

American

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Cold Retard: Does It Matter How the Dough Is Covered?

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When it comes to the retard, or overnight slow ferment in the fridge for sourdough, you might be wondering what to put your loaves in and how to cover them.

The best practice is to put them in banneton baskets or other similar proofing baskets, but other bowls or such can be used in a pinch, as long as the dough can easily be gotten out the next morning for baking. The dough is in its final shape at this point and shouldn’t have to be pried from a container or it will lose its shape. If you have some clean linen cloths, you can line your bannetons or bowls with those.

Now what to cover them with? Plastic? That is the first guess, since you usually want food well covered to retain freshness, flavor, and moisture.

Perhaps you’ve seen some of the sourdough bakers around covering their bannetons with cloths, rather than plastic. Is there anything to it? Wouldn’t your dough dry out if you cover it with just a cloth?

Covering dough with plastic

Many, maybe even most bakers I know cover their dough for the retard with plastic. Whether it’s a large ziploc bag, a grocery bag, a shower cap, or a plastic cover made specifically for covering bread dough, there are many different ways to effectively cover your dough with plastic.

You’ll want to keep the plastic from touching the dough to avoid it sticking, but other than that use what plastic you wish. I would stick with food grade plastic since it is in such close proximity to food and runs the risk of coming in direct contact with food. For this reason I’m a little leery of shower caps since they’re made of cheap and sketchy plastic, although the ones I’ve linked are supposed to be food grade. I would also double check grocery store bags to see if they are indeed food grade.

Plastic will keep your dough moister and stickier as it keeps in all the moisture. Depending on your dough hydration level and inclusions added, this may be beneficial or detrimental to your bread.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that plastic keeps in heat better, so if your dough is very warm or is verging on over proofed, avoid using plastic so the dough can cool down quicker in the fridge. I’ve seen an instance where a baker was bulk fermenting her dough very well, but during the cold retard her loaves were still managing to over ferment. It came to her attention that her loaves were over fermenting because she was covering them with plastic in the fridge! Once she switched to a different covering, her loaves were fine.

Covering dough with cloth

Whether or not you line your bannetons with cloth, you can also choose to cover your dough with cloth. You can use an elastic linen covering, or if you line baskets with a larger square cloth, just fold it over your dough to cover.

That last option is what I do. I might be in the minority, but I find it preferable. It’s not plastic, it uses just one cloth for lining and covering the dough, and it keeps my bannetons clean all at the same time. I also don’t have to worry about retained heat and possible over-proofing. Does my dough dry out? It forms a light skin, but it doesn’t seem to affect the bake or oven spring at all. Sometimes the cloth can leave some imprints in the top of the dough as it slowly rises in the fridge, if anything is pressing down on it. As you can see in the photos below, the cloth helped to smooth out the dough where the plastic-covered dough retained signs of shaping and “clasping” more.

A big part of the success of the cloth covering will be what type of air circulation your fridge has. If the air circulation includes fans and rapid moving air, you may find your loaves dry out excessively, too much for using just cloth. I’ve seen others perform a similar experiment where their loaf that was covered in cloth turned quite stunted compared to the loaf covered in plastic.

A Side-by-Side Experiment

My fridge doesn’t seem to dry out my loaves much. I baked two loaves side-by-side, one having done its retard in plastic and the other in linen. The results were basically the same. If anything, the cloth covered loaf did a touch better, but see for yourself in the photos.

Both loaves are identical in recipe and method. The inclusions are green olives and feta. Both were shaped with the tri-fold caddy clasp method.

dough covered in linen, after 12+ hour retard

dough covered in plastic, after 12+ hour retard

plastic covered loaf on the L, linen-covered on the R

crumb of the plastic-covered loaf

crumb of the linen-covered loaf

So much of baking sourdough comes down to your own environment. As usual, I would encourage you to experiment yourself. Either try a different way of covering than you normally do to see the results, or do it side-by-side as shown in this post.

Avoiding the Sourdough Dark Bottom Crust

Olive and Feta Loaf using the cookie sheet method for a lighter bottom crust

Sourdough is often synonymous with tough, crusty bread, big air holes that let butter and jam drip through, and burnt bottoms.

While the first two can certainly be true of sourdough bread, it does not have to be that way, and is usually done so by preference of the baker. However, I can’t say I’ve ever met a baker or sourdough consumer who raves about the dark, sometimes downright burnt, bottoms.

The dark bottom is a part of the beast of baking sourdough bread, as the bottom of the bread is in direct contact with the baking vessel in ovens at rather high temperatures for long periods of time. Fear not! There are several simple solutions to avoid this, and no need to have dark bottoms. You probably have all 3 main solutions right in your kitchen.

I’ve tried all 3 of the following bottom-crust savers, and all three are valid. Each has their pros and cons. You may find you prefer one method over the other, but that may not be the same as the next sourdough baker. I’d encourage you to go ahead and try them all to see which you like!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Cookie Sheet

Italiano Loaves using the cookie sheet method

Perhaps the simplest method of the three, all you have to do is place a cookie sheet below your dutch oven or baking vessel in the oven. You can place the cookie sheet on the rack below your dutch oven; the dutch oven does not have to be directly on the cookie sheet.

The photo you see here features two of my “Italiano” loaves using the cookie sheet method. Despite the color difference, they were both baked at the same time for the same length of time. The darker one has parmesan cheese and herbs in it, while the lighter has only herbs. I can also tell you, something about the lighting of the photo made the darker loaf look extra dark, almost too dark. But looking at it in real life, it actually looked nicely golden, not dark at all. So, that’s important to note, as well as different kinds of loaves will still get a bit more color when using the cookie sheet method.

(I knew of the cookie sheet trick long before I tried it, because I erroneously thought the dutch ovens had to be ON the cookie sheet. That wouldn’t work for me since I usually work with two dutch ovens side by side and wouldn’t quite fit on a single cookie sheet, and two cookie sheets don’t fit side by side in my oven. Ha.)

Pros: The cookie sheet method is great because most everyone has a cookie sheet, cookie sheets are reusable, and it works with a consistent level of color on the bottom without being too dark.

Cons: The cookie sheet method is not as great because it can potentially make your cookie sheets dark and stained, and if it’s not centered under your dutch oven part of the bottom crust can still over bake . I’ve had loaves where half was dark and half wasn’t, just because I didn’t realize the cookie sheet wasn’t under the entirety of my dutch oven.

If you bake sourdough frequently and enjoy this method, you could consider delegating an old, already stained cookie sheet to be the sourdough cookie sheet, or just get another cheap one for such a purpose.

Tinfoil

Two Cheddar Jalapeño loaves using the tinfoil method, irregular color due to uneven crumpling of tinfoil

This method simply involves crumpling up some tinfoil to cover the bottom of the dutch oven. There is a bit of a learning curve, as you learn how big a piece of tinfoil to use and how much to crumple up.

If too little a piece is used or not crumpled enough, the bottom will darken all the same. If the tinfoil is crumpled too much, the bottom of the loaf may not darken or even develop a crust at all!

Once, when I exaggerated how much I crumpled the tinfoil, the bottom came out practically still as pale as the dough. The rest of the loaf was golden and baked perfectly, but the bottom was pale and sad. So, the tinfoil method can be taken too far!

Two Cheddar Jalapeño loaves using the tinfoil method, irregular color due to uneven crumpling of tinfoil

Pros: The tinfoil method is great because most everyone has tinfoil, the tinfoil can be reused many times, and its effect is adjustable.

Cons: The tinfoil is not infinitely reusable, and results can be inconsistent depending on how the tinfoil is crumpled.

Rice

Another household staple that can be easily used to avoid dark bottoms. Sprinkle the bottom of the dutch oven with a handful or two of rice before lowering your sourdough into the oven. You’ll want to be sure to use parchment paper under your sourdough for this method, rather than a reusable silicone bread sling. Otherwise rice may attach and bake itself onto any bit of bread that is hanging over the sling.

You only need a handful of rice to start seeing results, but if you still want lighter bottoms you can use a bit more rice, 2-3 handfuls or enough to almost cover the bottom of the dutch oven.

Pros: Rice is a household staple, and the bottom color of crust is slightly customizable depending on how much rice you use.

Cons: Rice can only be reused a few times before it eventually becomes too dark and burned and must be tossed out. Depending on the amount of rice used, and how often it needs to be changed out, it may be the most expensive method. Not as friendly to use with reusable silicone bread slings.

More Tips for Avoiding Dark Bottom Crusts:

• Consider lowering oven temperature. If you bake above 450°F / 232°C, this could be contributing to dark or extra dark bottoms. Play around with lower oven temperatures. The Sourdough Journey recently did an experiment with baking identical loaves at different temperatures, one at 450°F / 232°C, the other at 500°F / 260°C. I was pleasantly surprised to find his results showed improved oven spring with the loaf baked at 450°F / 232°C rather than at 500°F / 260°C, since I bake at 450°F / 232°C but had been wondering if I should be baking or rather preheating oven to 500°F / 260°C.

• Check the quality of your parchment paper. Cheaper, thinner, parchment may contribute to darker bottoms. Look for “Heavy Duty” or “Professional Grade” rather than always the cheapest option.

• Use a lighter pan. If baking in dark cast iron or similar baking vessels, try out something lighter in color, if possible. I use navy blue Tramontina brand dutch ovens, with light insides, and with any of the methods above, can still get very nice bottom crusts. I prefer to use a dark color for my breads, since they tend to get so spattered and stained up and are difficult to clean thoroughly. While the inside is light and gets stained, at least the outside hides any stains!

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