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So, my butchers and i have had this thing for the past couple of weeks. It started when i innocently enough asked for some pigs trotters for a Xiao Long Bao recipe. He shook his head and said i'll have to come back later in the week as he'd have to order some in. In passing he asked if i wanted anything else, not thinking about it i said i'd always wanted to try pig cheeks. I go back to them a couple of days later and what do you know in addition to my trotters there's four pig cheeks to pick up too! Ok, this time as i leave i ask for some Osso Bucco as i know i've never seen them in his shop. The next week i'm back and good as gold he's managed to get two veal shins - he'll cut steaks out of one for me to take home straightaway and save one for me to pick up later - fantastic! Right, this time i'm really going to test him out - "got any, er, veal sweatbreads?". He laughs, he'll "see what he can do". I pop in every so often to pick up my 'normal' stuff - rib-eye steak and pork belly draft, and i laugh about how he still can't any veal swetbreads for me. I joke and say that i'd settle for lamb ones... Today, with a big grin on his face this is what he presents to me: Help, does anybody have any good recipes for these? I've had throat sweatbreads before in a couple of restaurants and they were sublime. These look like gullett (how apt) ones and are much bigger than ones i've eaten before.

What do you think are the best breads in NYC today? Where are you all buying your bread these days, and where is that bread coming from? Me, I'd say 90% of the bread I've been buying for the past year or so has been one of these five. I get the occasional other item, but these are my tried-and-true mainstays: - Bread Alone organic whole wheat sourdough miche, purchased at Fairway on Broadway and 74th. You can also get Bread Alone breads at a number of the greenmarkets. This is, to me, one of the best artisanal breads you can get in New York. It's made with no commercial yeast -- it's a true sourdough -- and has incredible flavor from its long fermentation and fundamentally excellent ingredients (organic flour ground to the bakery's specifications) and facilities (brick ovens built by French craftsmen). It's long lived, and also freezes exceptionally well for toasting later on. - Pain Quotidien baguette a l'ancienne, purchased at the 84th & Madison branch of Le Pain Quotidien. I guess you're getting the idea that I like chewy breads made according to a slow-rise sourdough process. I just love the Pain Quotidien baguette -- every time I taste it I marvel at how consistently excellent it is. I only wish they made a smaller one, because it has to be eaten same-day -- it's just not a great bread to reheat, and it's a lot of bread to eat alone in a day (not that it stops me). I know they do or did make individual rolls in this style for Jean Georges that they don't seem to sell at the bakery -- I wish they did sell them. - Eli's stupidly named "health loaf," purchased at Fairway on Broadway and 74th. This is my freeze-and-toast workhorse for sandwiches. The slices are small because it's a long square loaf, so I usually make two sandwiches at a time. The marketing literature calls it "a toasty mosaic of seeds and grains," and it really is -- I can't think of a better way to describe it. I think Eli's breads are not on the whole quite as good as those from the handful of top artisanal bakeries, but I think Eli's sets a very high standard for large-production commercial bakeries. I could certainly have a fulfilling bread life only eating breads from Eli's. - Eli's bagels, purchased at Vinegar Factory. Every once in awhile I read some roundup of best bagels in New York, and I have never seen Eli's mentioned. In my opinion, however, these are the best bagels in New York. They're dense, chewy and have great flavor. They're so faithful to the old-style texture and flavor of a bagel that many of today's bagel eaters reject them -- they'd rather have something caky like an H&H bagel or something bagel-like but not seriously dense like Ess-a-Bagel or Tal. And they're sold at room temperature, the way bagels should be eaten -- they're baked in the bakery and delivered to the two stores. None of this hot bagel business (though if you have leftovers and you freeze them they toast up nicely). You can get them at Vinegar Factory or at the Eli's store on Third Avenue -- I don't think I've seen them around at other places that sell Eli's bread. They don't make a whole lot of them -- by 11am on a weekend they're out of most varieties. - Balthazar Bakery levain in the boule shape, purchased at the Nature's Gifts market on Lexington Avenue between 87th and 88th. I wish I had better access to Balthazar breads other than the baguettes (which I think are not great), but at least the levain -- my favorite -- is readily available in my neighborhood. It's the best straight-up white sourdough bread I've been able to find.

This is a book review. Site listed below. When you read this you wonder if this could be done here in the US. ".............the most interesting bread story in all of France. A few years ago, in the inland Normandy region known as La Perche, a refugee from one of the big industrial bakeries took over a small mill. He recruited local farmers to plant traditional varieties of wheat, and then recruited local bakers from around the region to follow a single recipe. Now, every day, more than a hundred stores bake the baguette du Perche, a delicious rope of bread that is rebuilding some of the frayed ecological and economic infrastructure of this corner of France. The central government has helped the process, mostly by granting the makers an A.O.C. certificate—the appellation d'origine controlee mark previously reserved for wines and cheeses. It means this bread can only be made in this place with these ingredients, and it has spurred a fierce local pride. For after all, we eat not only with our tongues but with our minds as well. ......." And here is the rest of the story, ( well, the beginning too ) : http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/003/1.12.html

Just finished a new project by sous vide poaching banana bread batter. I don't have the exact recipe on the batter but I was able to accomplish an actual firm, slightly dense, and flavorful banana bread. This was my only first attempt but I have a feeling if I adjust the recipe and timing...I can come up with an even better product. The original idea was to create the "goo" of banana bread without having the extra waste of the outer edges of banana bread. Anyone have any ideas or input? ...oh and tell me if someone has already accomplished this. Here's the photo on my blog. (Also on my flickr account)

I was looking at the challah recipe on the back of a package of instant yeast. The yeast is dry granules that are meant to be mixed first with the flour, with liquids added after. The recipe called for 1 Tblsp. vinegar; the rest of the recipe goes like this: 1 kg. flour, mixed with 1 pkg. yeast 1/2 cup sugar 4 egg yolks (used 2 whole eggs instead) 2 tsp. salt 100 grams margarine (yech, I used a little olive oil instead) 1 Tblsp. vinegar 1 1/2 cups water (too little water; had to add about another 1/2 cup) The challah was alright, but nothing to rave about. I prefer a lighter dough at any rate, but was left wondering what vinegar is supposed to do. A simple chemical reaction with the horrible margarine? Flavor enhancer? Please edify me, someone. Miriam

Has anybody found a tried-and-true recipe for baking Japanese-style white sandwich bread (i.e., shokupan)? Preferably one that is adjusted for North American flours and ingredients. My wife and kids crave this stuff, although I prefer something more substantial. We can drive across town and buy a reasonable facsimile from our local Chinese bakeries, but I'd really prefer to master it and bake it myself. Texture-wise, the closest I've come to achieving the same lightness and texture is with challah recipes (except for the yellow color, of course). I've tried a few Japanese recipes and haven't hit success so far. I'm also fairly new at baking bread, so maybe my technique is to blame. Any tips or hints would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I need some help tweaking a very simple yeasted bread recipe (minimal knead/rise) to produce a lighter and less tough texture. It will be taught to a bunch of 6-year olds. The recipe is Jamie Oliver's Brunch Breads recipe. I'll be using it for a fun breadmaking activity for my younger daughter’s birthday party. Basically, we’ll have a bunch of 6-year olds mix, knead and shape the dough into pigs in blankets and filled buns under my lead. The above recipe pretty much satisfies all my prerequisites: simple ingredient list, easy to mix, requires minimal kneading/rise, dough is easy to work with, and we can go from bowl-to-bread in just over 60 minutes. Bread flour (500 g) Dry active yeast (11 g) Lukewarm water (312 ml) Salt (1 TBS) Sugar (15 g) Instructions: Mix and knead into dough. Roll out dough, shape and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown (30-35 minutes). What can I do to this recipe to make the end product less tough? Change flours or incorporate some milk instead of water? Add butter/oil? I’m a decent beginner bread baker and have some vague ideas of where to start, but I really need some direction. I’ll also only have time to make two more test runs at the most. The technique also needs to be kept simple, within what a ham-fisted 6-year old can handle and in a relatively short time frame. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We met up with some friends and their families last night at Golden Corral (i know, i know....but it's the only place we could take our combined 8 small children and not feel bad about the ensuing ruckus) for dinner and it was my very first time to taste their wonderful yeast rolls (the only thing worth eating in the entire restaurant, in my opinion). I've found a copycat recipe online for the rolls, but I was wondering how to get that beautiful shiny top on the rolls? Is it just melted butter? I've tried that before and the butter just sank into the tops of the rolls and they weren't shiny at all. Any ideas? Thanks for the help!

I've been wanting to make these lovely little buns and was wondering why none of the recipes I find include salt? I thought all bread needed salt or it would taste like fluffy cardboard? Would it be ok to add some salt to either of these recipes (most likely the first one), or would that mess it up? How much should I add? Recipe 1 Recipe 2 Thank you for your help!

Adminstrative apologies...I thought the pastry group would know best about the taste effects of yeast, versus the beverage thread folks...and I am posting this here to pull it out of my previous thread on hot rootbeer desserts since this is a very specific question. and now the question... In making rootbeer from scratch, the recipes call for cake yeast. I assume the purpose is for carbonation, and some basic googling confirmed that, but I'm not so sure I believe that is the sole effect. I do not want any carbonation, but I do want the flavor to be right. So, do you think that yeast has a flavor impact on rootbeer that I might need to keep it in for? Thanks

Does anyone have a decent rye bread recipe? I've been trying to work out a 2 1/2# loaf for my bakery and am having very little luck. We bake a multigrain and a white sandwich bread that works great but the rye recipes I've tried are either like bricks or don't taste like rye at all (I've even bought the king arthur rye flavoring to add but don't think it improves the flavor all that much). I need to be able to make the dough a day ahead and proof and shape it then leave it overnight to proof the next day to bake (at least this is what I do with my other breads). Any advice would be very welcome!!! thanks stacey

I think it has become something of a foodie axiom that soft, squishy bread -- especially white bread with a Wonder-bread-like texture and near-complete lack of crust -- is the enemy of good bread. Good bread, the axiom runs, is hearth-baked, crusty, chewy, weighty. I have some sympathy for this view. When traveling in the American South, for example, I find that it can be difficult to find any bread with meaningful crust. This is changing a little bit, especially in any town large enough to support a Costco, but still whenever I return from a road trip to the South one of the first things I need to eat is bread with real crust. However, to me, the cult of crust goes too far. Because there are some situations in which soft, squishy bread is the right bread for the job. For example, hamburger and hot dog buns. Try as I might, I can't convince myself that a hamburger is better on "good" bread -- unless it's the kind of good bread that's soft and squishy, like brioche or an English muffin. Hamburgers are great on the soft, squishy white rolls they sell in American supermarkets -- they just are. Martin's potato rolls are good too, and squishier still. Another example is the Parker House roll. For pure eating pleasure, served hot with butter, Parker House rolls give even the best artisanal hearth breads a run for their money. The soft, squishy onion roll, served at old-style kosher dairy restaurants like Rattner's, are amazingly good. You can often find a reasonable facsimile coming out of the baked-on-premises department of a good supermarket. As an accompaniment to barbecue, of course, soft bread is a must.

where do all the big time famous cheesestak places in philly get the bread from? I want to visit them!

Does anyone have a recipe for a cornbread-like bread with enough heft to slice and use for sandwiches? I'm dreaming of a pulled-pork sandwich on this kind of bread, but a typical cornbread recipe would be too crumbly.

I have two partial loaves of bread that I have sliced and am drying on the counter; I'll then toast them briefly in the oven and give the crisped slices a few pulses in my Cuisinart. However, I always end up with too much dusty crumb and too much chunky crumb that has to go back into the oven. It's a PITA and I'm eager to learn a new method. Ideas? Tricks? Let's hear 'em!

I was asked to bring bread to a St. Patrick's Day potluck this weekend and was wondering if anyone new of a bakery that sells it (even QFC would be OK). Thanks.

Does anybody know where to get a loaf of pretzel bread or pretzel rolls in the city? Help!

currently i looking for a white bread recipe，which are soft and nice smell.

I was wondering if anyone has a good recipe for homemade unleavened bread. I have tried a few recipes, but none of them are very good. Any help would be appreciated. I'm planning on making homemade unleavened bread for the upcoming Passover season.

I made my first brioche this weekend and I am hooked! I followed the recipe here http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2...ct-brioche.html but I did not use brown butter. Although my first attempt did not yield perfect a loaf (under baked) I was happy with the results but the buns turned out great. I am already thinking about the next time I am going to be able to make this wonderful treat and the variations I want to try. The next time I make the attempt I am using to bake the buns in muffin tins rather than make loaves. I would also like to try adding some different flavors (cinnamon & raisin and orange) Please post your experiences, favorite recipe sources and variations as I’d love to learn more. Thanks!

Is there any neg. affect on bread dough if left to rise over night in the frig. (the second rise) The recipe calls for a one hour rise and then after shaping the dough, a second rise until doubled in size. I'm thinking that if left to rise on the frig. overnight, the second proofing will occur slowly enough to not over proof?? Can anyone confirm this?? Thanks, Stacy

ANDIE'S ABSOLUTELY ADDICTING BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES Here’s the thing about pickles: if you’ve never made them, they may seem to be an overwhelming (and possibly mysterious) project. Our listener Andie – who has offered some really valuable help to the show several times in the past – has sent this recipe which provides an opportunity to “try your hand” at pickle-making without much effort. Andie suggests that making a small batch, and storing the pickles in the refrigerator (without “processing”) can get you started painlessly. Our Producer Lisa says that the result is so delicious that you won’t be able to keep these pickles on hand - even for the 3-4 months that they’ll safely keep! The basics are slicing the cucumbers and other veggies, tossing them with salt and crushed ice and allowing them to stand for awhile to become extra-crisp. You then make a simple, sweet and spicy syrup, (Andie does this in the microwave), rinse your crisp veggies, put them in a jar, pour the syrup over, and keep them in the refrigerator until they’re “pickled” – turning the jar upside down each day. In about 2 weeks you’ll have pickles – now how much easier could that be? If you are inspired, I hope you’ll try these – and enjoy! MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART. FOR THE PICKLES: 4 to 6 pickling cucumbers (cucumbers should be not much larger than 1 inch in diameter, and 4 to 5 inches long) 1/2 to 3/4 of one, medium size onion. 1/2 red bell pepper. 1/4 cup, pickling salt (coarse kosher salt) 2 quarts, cracked ice water to cover 2 tablespoons, mustard seed. 1 heaping teaspoon, celery seed FOR THE SYRUP: 1 1/2 cups, vinegar *NOTE: Use cider or distilled white vinegar, do not use wine vinegar. 1 1/2 cups, sugar 2 heaping teaspoons, pickling spice mix. PREPARE THE PICKLES: Carefully wash the cucumbers and bell pepper. Slice all vegetables very thin, using a food processor with a narrow slicing blade, or by hand, or using a V-slicer or mandoline. Toss the sliced vegetables together in a glass or crockery bowl large enough to hold twice the volume of the vegetables. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables, add the cracked ice, toss again to blend all ingredients and add water to just barely cover the vegetables. Place a heavy plate on top of the vegetables to keep them below the top of the liquid. *Set aside for 4 hours. PREPARE THE SYRUP: Place the vinegar, sugar and pickling spices in a 4-quart Pyrex or other microwavable container (the large Pyrex measure works very well) Microwave on high for 15 to 20 minutes. [if a microwave is not available, simmer the syrup in a narrow saucepan on the stovetop, over low heat, for the same length of time.] Allow the syrup to cool. Strain the syrup and discard the spices. ASSEMBLE THE PICKLES: Place one wide-mouth quart canning jar (or two wide-mouth pint jars) with their lids in a pot of water to cover, place over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer (180 degrees). Remove the pot from the heat and allow jar(s) and lid(s) to remain in the hot water until needed. *After the 4 hours are up (crisping the vegetables as described above) pour the vegetables into a large colander and rinse well. The cucumber slices should taste only slightly salty. Return the rinsed vegetables to the bowl, add the mustard seeds and celery seeds and toss well until evenly distributed. Set aside. Return the syrup to the microwave, microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes [or heat the syrup on the stovetop] until an instant read thermometer shows the temperature of the syrup is 190 to 200 degrees. Place the vegetables into one wide-mouth quart jar, or in 2 wide-mouth pint jars that have been scalded as described above. Pour the syrup over the vegetables, place the lids on the jar or jars, tighten well and place in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, turn the jar upside down - then continue to turn every day for 2 weeks. (This is to insure that the pickles are evenly flavored) After 2 weeks open the jar and taste. The pickles should be ready to eat. Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 months. ( RG2154 )

Ginger sour cream buttermilk banana bread with praline soybeans w/ chocolate sauce <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1139/707609363_7bfd814150.jpg" height="500" width="333" /></p> <p style="text-align: center">(Banana tart with soybean praline base, enrobed with banana chocolate sauce)</p> Nuts, especially peanuts and walnuts, are <strong>lethal</strong> for my oldest child. They are also delicious, found in many of the desserts that make life worth living, and are almost impossible to simulate. I do not like peanut butter, don't miss it, but I have always felt bad that my daughter has never had a <a href="http://www.frenchquarter.com/dining/pralines.php">praline</a>. I think I first had a praline at a <a href="http://www.stuckeys.com/">Stuckey's</a> in Texas, when we were driving down from Iowa, back in 1979. We were moving to a place we had never visited and a sort of landscape and heat we had never experienced. I was a bit shell-shocked from the intense aridity and brightness that you have in those mineral lands, so different from the humid monotonous cornfields that I had always known in my childhood. We stopped for a break and got out into the life-draining heat and sun that immediately set my black hair on fire with absorbed heat. We ran into the cold of the Stuckey's, all new to me, and I walked around marvelling that a whole store that seemed to sell only candies with gobs of nuts stuck to them would be plunked down in the middle of nowhere. I think their biggest item is the <a href="http://stuckeys.com/shop/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=04-00001&Category_Code=plr">Pecan Log Roll</a>, a white tooth-fusing confection with pecans molecularly embedded on the surface. I begged my dad for just a bit of something and that turned out to be a praline. I adored it and left all pecan log rolls for others with less refined palates (kidding). My favorite place to get and gobble pralines is <a href="http://www.auntsallys.com/">Aunt Sally's</a> in New Orlean's French Market. You can (or you use to be able to) stand and watch them make huge kettles of pralines. When we were at home and not in New Orleans, My mom would make them during our <a href="http://www.justinwilson.com/">Justin Wilson</a> phase (Ah Gaahrontee). For me pralines are a seldom treat and not something to really binge on once you buy or make them. I love making them because their aroma is just about 1000 times more enticing than any cake or cookie or baked chicken will ever smell. They are also relatively easy to cook up and you don't need to know how long to store them because they never make it past about 5 minutes. A good banana nut bread is in that same category. For these reasons, I have been hunting around for a way to make nut-free but nutty pralines and banana nut bread and my first try came out with something so decadent and amazing that I am going to share it with you today but I do not think we will make it again for some while, its that fattening! I used <a href="http://www.soys.com/">roasted unsalted soybeans</a>. Yup. You see them in the store but I bet you don't buy them much. They are hard to snack on because they have skins on them. Annoying. I finally figured out how to get rid of the skins on a cup of beans. Rub a handful in your palms and then, as you pour the beans from one hand to the other, blow away the skins. It can be messy but it works! I used <a href="http://www.sacofoods.com/culteredbuttermilkblend.html">dried buttermilk</a> from <a href="http://www.sacofoods.com/index.htm">Saco</a> to boost the complexity of the flavors. I love cooking with this stuff. If you do not have it, simply omit it and this recipe should work for you. <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1434/717038406_9165c9f48a.jpg" height="500" width="333" /></p> <strong>Ginger sour cream buttermilk banana bread with praline soybeans</strong> (adapted from the <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,148174-254204,00.html">basic sour cream banana bread recipe</a>) <strong>Ingredients:</strong> <ul> <li>1 c. butter</li> <li>1 1/2 c. sugar</li> <li>3 eggs</li> <li>1 1/2 c. bananas, mashed</li> <li>1 tablespoon vanilla</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon minced ginger</li> <li>4 c. flour</li> <li>1 1/2 tsp. baking powder</li> <li>1 tsp. baking soda</li> <li>6 tablespoons <a href="http://www.sacofoods.com/culteredbuttermilkblend.html">dried buttermilk </a></li> <li>1 1/2 c. sour cream</li> <li>1 c. praline soybeans (see below)</li> </ul> <p style="font-weight: bold">Directions:</p> Cream butter and sugar together very well. Add in the ginger, vanilla, eggs and beat until incorporated. Mash the bananas and then mix with the butter-sugar well. Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, and baking soda). Add the well-mixed dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/2 cups of sour cream. Fold together until smooth. Gently fold in the cooled praline soybeans. Pour into 2 large greased and floured loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 F. Use the knife test to see if its done, when it comes out clean, the cake/ tart is done! For the tart shown at the top, I greased a small tart pan with a removable bottom. I put down a layer of soybeans and then poured praline mixture over the top of it to set it into a "crust" for the tart. Pour some batter over the crust and bake the small tart for about 30 minutes, check with a knife. <p style="font-weight: bold">Praline soybeans</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">Ingredients:</p> <ul> <li>1 C water</li> <li>1 C white granulated sugar</li> <li>1/2 C 1/2 and 1/2 cream</li> <li>1 C de-hulled roasted unsalted soybeans</li> </ul> <p style="font-weight: bold">Directions:</p> Simmer water and sugar in stainless steel pot until it begins to become a medium brown and is thickening. CAREFULLY add the cream (it will pop and spatter really HOT molten sugar), stir to bring it all up to temperature. Let simmer until it reduces about 1/2 and add soy beans, mix, pour out onto greased foil, cool. <strong>Banana Chocolate Sauce</strong> <strong>Ingredients:</strong> <ul> <li>1/2 C water</li> <li>1/2 C sugar</li> <li>4 tablespoons chocolate powder</li> <li>1 teaspoon vanilla</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon <a href="http://www.flavorchem.com/spiceryshoppe/nonalc.htm">all natural banana liquour</a></li> </ul> <strong>Directions: </strong> In a small saucepan over medium to high heat, dissolve sugar in the water, bring to a boil. Turn to medium low and add the chocolate. Heat until just simmering and remove from heat. Add in vanilla and banana flavoring. Enrobe your favorite things. <p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1063/708831908_1542c1bf0b.jpg" height="500" width="333" /></p> This is my original recipe (as adapted somewhat loosely from the <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,148174-254204,00.html">basic sour cream banana bread recipe</a>). All photos are held under my copyright, all rights reserved. For licensing, contact Nika at nika.boyce@gmail.com. This recipe first appeared on July 6, 2007 at Nika's Culinaria ( http://nikas-culinaria.com/2007/07/06/banana-bread-plus/ ). Keywords: Dessert, Bread, Snack, Vegetarian, Cake, Brunch, Intermediate, Chocolate, Fruit, Dinner, Lunch, Tart ( RG1999 )

Saffron Lemon Bread (sans plastique fondu) After my first attempt to make this bread proved disasterous, I waited a couple weeks, regrouped, made minor adjustments to the recipe, and tried again. This time I got beautiful results. The subtle flavors blend together beautifully in a brioche style bread. It's really good with cold, hard butter! And, this time, I didn't have to clean the oven afterwards. 3/4 c milk 1/2 c butter 1/2 c white sugar 1 tsp loose saffron threads (.5 grams) 1/4 c hot water 1 pkg active dry yeast 1 egg 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp Penzeys Baking Spice (or ground cinnamon) 1 T minced salt-preserved lemon-rinsed (or grated lemon zest) 4 c all-purpose flour 1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat; add butter, sugar and stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, soak the saffron in the hot water, let cool until lukewarm, drain and reserve the liquid. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk mixture with the reserved saffron water and eggs. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest and 3 cups of the flour; mix well. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. 3. Lightly oil a large mixing, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. 4. Form the dough into either one 9 x 5 loaf or (my preference) four 5 x 3 loaves. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. 5. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven to internal temp of 190 degrees F, (approx 50 to 55 minutes for 9 x 5 loaf or 30-35 min for 5 x 3 loves), or until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Keywords: Intermediate, Bread ( RG1960 )

Tsubushian (mashed azuki bean) Shortbread Serves 48 as Dessert. This recipe was given to me by a Japanese co-worker, who in turn got it from a former Japanese-American co-worker. It's not too sweet, and is perfect with a cup of green tea. 2-1/2 c flour 1-1/2 c sugar 1 c butter 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 3 eggs, slightly beaten 12 oz can tsubushian (mashed azuki beans) 1 c chopped nuts (any kind) Preheat oven to 350 C. In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Cut in butter. Press mixture evenly into a 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Sift the remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in eggs, nuts, and tsubushian. Pour over baked crust and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm (I wrote 48 bars, but you can cut them larger or smaller if you like). *Tsubushian is mashed cooked azuki beans and is available in cans at Japanese markets or other Asian food stores. It's coarser than anko, so you can easily make your own if you can't find the canned variety. You can use a recipe such as this one. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Brownies/Bars ( RG1955 )