Baking

Bread Baking

After “kitchen tamagotchi” sourdough and foamy-dreamy <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/internet-famous-frothy-dalgona-coffee-757a">dalgona coffee</a>, we are now onto the equally (or more) Instagrammable food trend: garden focaccia. You might have come across it in your Instagram feed during quarantine: a colorful decorated focaccia bread that resembles a garden. The trend is believed to have started <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/dining/focaccia-bread.html" rel="nofollow">from a homebaker in the US</a> in early 2019, and enjoyed its fame during the spring. We may be a bit late <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/dining/focaccia-bread.html" rel="nofollow">to the party</a>, but we believe summer is the best time to make it. From plump and stunning tomatoes to juicy melons, just look at all the colorful produce at the market!

While no one could really resist a fluffy, crispy, oily piece of focaccia bread, decorating focaccia elaborately can be something soothing and therapeutic, especially since most of us can’t physically be in Italy this year.

Similar to the art of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/how-to-score-and-shape-bread-dough">scoring bread</a>, for me, decorating focaccia has some escapist, poetic depth to it. In the age of social-distancing, making garden focaccia can be a wonderful project for families with children and can be a great transportable finger food for a picnic by the lake.

To make it, we first need a focaccia dough. For a very basic but no less brilliant recipe, try this one by our chef Hanna. Follow until step 10, then roll up your sleeves to start your art creation.

Focaccia

Our chef Christian landscaped four different focaccia gardens and he absolutely had some fun with it. There’s no strict rule for what ingredients to use, so toss in whatever you have on hand—this is an especially good way to use up leftovers, like herbs, seeds, and vegetables. A good thing to keep in mind is how the finished product will look after baking. You want it to look like something you’d actually want to eat!

Here are some ideas for your imaginary garden: To make soil: nuts and seeds To make stems and leaves: herbs (scallions, chives), halved asparagus or thin carrots For shapes of flowers and fruit: red onions, olives, beetroots, bell pepper, sliced whole garlic, mini corn, or even edible flowers

Let your creativity flow and start with simple herbs to something even more elaborate. Recreate a famous painting like<a href="https://www.goodnet.org/articles/6-reasons-focaccia-never-looked-tasted-this-good-before" rel="nofollow"> Starry Night or The Scream.</a> Most of the decorated garden focaccia look prettier before baking, so take pictures here! Don’t forget a drizzle of olive oil to keep the dough moist and sprinkle on some sea salt for flavor. Send your artwork in the oven where they will be nicely browned and you will be awarded with an airy bite!

Summer vacation and what it stands for might be, or already has been, radically changed this year. At the end of the day, we still have olive oil, flour, and some imagination.

And how to make it

What’s the Deal With Garden Focaccia?

No bread, no life. Since we’ve been consuming bread for 4000 years, we now have a bewildering array of delicious breads with all different textures and shapes from all around the world. Sweet or savory, it always compliments other ingredients, as well as being a fantastic base for other dishes. But don’t forget, bread can be just as delicious on its own, and homemade bread tastes even better.

Fun bread facts and why you should make it at home

What does ancient bread look like? Is all bread baked? How would a bread expert call different bread parts when “analyzing” it? We did a bit of research to find out some fun bread facts:  Among all the existing types of breads, flatbread is the closest to its ancient form.  Bread can be made in a number of ways: in a pan(like <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-17-sweet-and-savory-pancake-recipes-to-try-from-around-the-world">pancakes</a>), in a waffle iron(yes, waffles are also bread), and even in a steam basket (like all the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/bok-choy-bao-buns">Asian steamed buns</a>).  An expert connoisseur of bread, like in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g5k7H71G3k" rel="nofollow">this video</a>, would call the air holes in a bread “alveoli.” By looking at the “crumb structure” revealed by a sectional view, they can learn a ton about the bread’s hydration, baking method and whether it is industrially manufactured.

Since many of us are pretty satisfied with store-or-bakery-bought bread, why opt for homemade? No matter what role bread plays in your life—as a quick meal or a part of the shared food memories with friends and family—there are three obvious reasons for baking homemade bread: First, it is simply heartier and much more delicious than its mass-produced counterparts. All of us should relish at least once, a warm loaf of fresh-from-the-oven bread, just to know how good it tastes. Secondly, you want to avoid additives and preservatives. A healthy diet isn’t all about the calories: It also means consuming fresher food and taking in less chemicals that your body doesn’t need. And last but not least, it’s really easy to make bread at home! The preparation can be so simple, especially if it’s quick bread or no-knead bread, but if you’re still experiencing baking difficulties, check out more tips <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-5-most-common-bread-baking-mistakes">here</a>.

Savory bread is all about letting the “fantastic four” do their work: water, flour, yeast and salt. Of course, you can always give your dough the simplest touch-up with add-ins (garlic, herbs, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-potato-bread">potatoes</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/skillet-cornbread-with-honey-butter">corn</a> or onions) and toppings. From very basic breads to exotic and festive loaves, let’s make your humble and indispensable bread shine with seasonal or regional flavors:

From oven to the stovetop, try these global-inspired renditions of the humble flatbread:

Focaccia with onions

Lahmacun (Low-fructose Turkish pizza)

Spicy cheese-stuffed naan

Scallion pancakes

Schiacciata di zucchine (Italian zucchini flatbread with rosemary)

5-ingredient manakish (Lebanese flatbreads)

Go German or go Swiss? The slight saltiness and dry texture of the following breads make them wonderful companions to meat:

Soft pretzels and veal sausages

Schinken im Brotteig (Swiss-style ham in bread)

Transform your simple bread with a flavorful and elegant twist:

Braided Italian bread

Sunchoke pain d’epi (Wheat stalk bread)

While it’s difficult to enhance or reduce the saltiness in savory recipes, you have more freedom with sweet bread, since the add-ins, toppings or glaze can all be easily swapped to tailor your taste. When sweetness meets the dough, a mismatch is really rare.

Good things always come in pairs. Fruit plus bread equals a win-win of contrasting textures on your palate. Even fruits we don’t particularly like might play a compliant supporting role when rendered soft or creamy in a leavened dough. You can use fresh fruit to bring out the natural fragrance or bake with a <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-plum-jam">homemade jam</a> for rich jelly fillings. Happy fruity baking!

Fudgy cardamom banana bread

Sweet plum bread

Mini apple croissants

Panettone French toast

Banana bread

Babka with Orange Peel Jam

Which mini bread snack is for you? A mouthful of fluffy, buttery rolls or a bite into a crunchy bun—or both? We also have a non-bake recipe for you.

German sweet rolls with vanilla sauce

Swedish cardamom buns

Buchteln (Austrian sweet rolls)

It would be sacrilegious if this list of sweet breads didn’t include the all-time favorite: chocolate! But to be completely honest, sometimes a few bites of chocolate are just enough to carry me over, and I just can’t eat much at once. Baking with chocolate is one of the best ways to enjoy its sumptuous richness, which is counterbalanced by the bread.

Nutella and cream cheese  monkey bread

Chocolate babka

Why roast nuts separately when you can bake them in a bread?

Fig-walnut bread

German sweet braided nut bread

Chestnut brioche knots

Looking for a recipe that’s low in carbs and sugar? Here are some of our healthiest bread recipes, including light dessert and low-carb options. And if you are looking for vegan and gluten-free bread recipes, check out our articles on how to bake <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/can-you-bake-well-without-gluten">gluten-free</a> or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/baking-without-milk-butter-or-eggs">without dairy and eggs</a>.

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