perfect brownies

these have everything I want in a brownie, and nothing I don't: a crisp, crunchy top, delicious, fudgy interior and wonderfully chocolately, sweet, rich, balanced flavor. 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped or broken up into approximately 1/2" pieces
• 4 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups sugar
• 80 grams/1 cup regular cocoa (not Dutch-processed -- the naturally slightly acidic flavor of regular cocoa makes a very important difference in the flavor. the brownies need that extra acidity to be perfect! and regular cocoa is available everywhere and often less expensive
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 grams/a little less than 1 tsp Diamond kosher salt)
• 1-1/3 cup flour, unsifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

preheat the oven to 350 °F. butter and flour an 9 x 13 inch baking pan. place chopped chocolate in hot melted butter and allow chocolate to melt while preparing other ingredients. in a large bowl, gently whisk the eggs (you do not want to incorporate extra air here; brownies are best when dense and just barely leavened) with the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. pour in the melted butter and chocolate, and stir or gently whisk to combine thoroughly (but do not overbeat).  sift the flour and baking powder directly over the bowl, all at once. again, gently whisk it all together until just combined -- i.e., no streaks of flour unincorporated; batter is thick and homogenous. using a flexible spatula or spoon, scrape the brownie batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smothing the top out a bit. bake for 25 minutes. test center for doneness and continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool on a rack and enjoy. while warm brownies smell incredible, in my opinion they taste even better when cool.

club sandwich breakfast strata

I'm still playing with the name of this recipe. so far, I'm thinking "club sandwich" is most descriptive, since it contains bread, turkey, bacon, tomatoes and cheese... but perhaps I should call it "Conundrum Strata," as my friend Erik B. suggested, since my version contained both bacon and challah? oh so very not-kosher, but delicious! easy and tasty; works for any meal of the day, not just breakfast.

• .5 pounds bacon, sliced
• 3-4 green onions, sliced thinly
• ~6 thick slices of bread, cut into large cubes (I used homemade challah, cut into 1.5" cubes, which yielded about 3 cups of cubed bread)
• 3 eggs
• 1.5 cups milk (I prefer whole milk; you should use whatever you like or have on hand)
• a few drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a pinch of ground nutmeg, to taste
• 2-4 fresh tomatoes (depending on size), cored, halved, then cut into 1/4" slices (I used 4 smallish tomatoes; about 1.5 cups sliced) *note: you must use fresh tomatoes here; canned will not taste right
• 3-4 ounces sliced turkey, diced
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (I used a good-quality domestic parmesan, which was delicious; sharp cheddar would have worked well, too -- almost any cheese will be good here)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, especially parsley, chives, and/or basil; any combination (use half that amount if using dried or stronger-flavored herbs)

cut the bacon slices in half (so they fit easily without wrinkling) and arrange in a cold skillet. place on the burner and start heating on medium-low, until just sizzling, and cook to preferred done-ness. cooking over lower heat will minimize the spattering and potential mess. when done, drain bacon pieces on a paper towel-lined plate, and pour out all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon drippings. return the pan to the burner and add the green onions. stir and cook over low-medium heat for a few minutes, until slightly translucent, but not browned. remove from heat.

in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, and add the sauteed green onion. add the hot sauce, salt, black pepper and nutmeg and combine. butter a baking pan (about 9" x 11") or casserole dish, and pour in the bread cubes. crumble the cooled bacon and scatter it over the bread, then add the tomato slices and turkey. sprinkle on the grated cheese and herbs, then pour the egg/milk mixture over all, ensuring there's enough to thoroughly moisten all the bread (more is fine, but you don't want so much that the bread cubes float atop the liquid). cover the pan well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours; overnight if possible.

when you're ready to bake the strata, take it out of the refrigerator, remove the plastic and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. place the pan near the middle of the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes; until custard mixture is set and top is golden brown. cool on a rack for a few minutes, then serve. it's yummy!

check out my first article for the Austin Post!

http://flic.kr/p/9vXJCM

please come by The Austin Post and read my new article re: my streamlined method for making Greek yogurt! I'm really excited about it. thanks, y'all.

tandoori-style chicken breasts

obviously, not actual "tandoor" chicken, because I don't have a tandoor oven to cook it in. most authentic flavor comes from grilling, but roasting works as well.

tandoori chicken breasts

adapted from Savoring India by Julie Sahni

3-4 split chicken breasts (with skin and bone)

1 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek)

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large or 2 small lemons)

2 large cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

1 small white onion, sliced into medium-thick half-moons

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

fresh cilantro sprigs and lemon wedges to garnish

classic tandoori chicken is usually skinless, but since chicken skin is one of my favorite culinary delights (when cooked properly -- crisp and brown), I'm experimented with leaving the skin on this tandoori style chicken. since I make my own yogurt, I usually keep several different thicknesses on hand. thick Greek yogurt is wonderful with fruit for breakfast, or atop baked potatoes, but I find thinner yogurt is quite useful, too. I made this marinade with un-strained, plain yogurt, and even added a little additional whey (strained from the Greek yogurt) to help it penetrate the chicken better, and for flavor. the smoked Spanish paprika gives the finishes dish a little more "grilled" flavor, especially helpful if you roast (rather than grill) the chicken, but you can substitute regular paprika.

rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. mix the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger (both are very easily grated on a microplane, which every cook should own for all kinds of kitchen purposes!), cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. add salt to taste. place the chicken breasts in a non-reactive baking pan, plastic food storage container or a large ziplock bag. pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and rub it in well. cover (if using a pan) or seal (if using a ziplock bag or plastic storage container) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

at least 30 minutes before cooking, remove chicken from refrigerator, and preheat the oven to 400 °F. lightly oil a baking/roasting pan (you can use the same pan in which you marinated the chicken; just wash and dry it first), and arrange the chicken breasts, skin up, evenly spaced in the pan. spoon any remaining marinade over them. toss the sliced white onion with the oil in a small bowl and strew the sliced onions over the chicken breasts. place the pan in the oven and cook for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. test for doneness by inserting an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat; they're ready when the temperature registers 165 °F to 180 °F (another way to check: look for the juices run clear when pierced with a knife near the bone).

*note: you can also roast an entire chicken this way -- just prepare the marinade in a similar way. using a small paring knife, cut slits in the thickest parts of the breast, thighs and tops of the legs with a stabbing motion, to help the marinade absorb. place the whole chicken in a roasting dish and arrange the onion slices around, placing a few inside the chicken cavity.

garnish with fresh cilantro and wedges of lemon. serve with freshly cooked basmati rice and a fresh cilantro-coconut chutney and/or raita (both recipes below). serves 4.

cilantro-coconut chutney

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro (minus a bit used to garnish the chicken and/or make raita), stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chile, stemmed, seeds and membranes removed, and minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 tablespoons shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon water, if needed
• pinch of salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seed (sometimes called brown mustard seed)

in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle, grind the cilantro leaves, chile, ginger, coconut, sugar, lemon juice and oil (add water if needed to help process to a paste). when processed, add salt to taste. toast the mustard seeds in a pan over medium-high heat until they pop and turn grey, and stir into the chutney. refrigerate until time to serve.

raita

• 1 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
• 1/2 medium-large cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
• 5-6 cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons of water or milk to thin sauce (if using Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seed (sometimes called brown mustard seed
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala

combine the yogurt, grated cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, water or milk (if needed to thin the sauce a bit), salt, and sugar (if needed to balance flavor). toast the mustard seeds lightly in a pan over medium-high heat until they pop and turn grey (they add a wonderful toasty flavor), and stir into the raita. cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, taste for seasoning, and top with a pinch of garam masala to serve.

snickerdoodles

Makes 12-16 cookies

• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder*, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• optional: 2 tablespoons whole milk, if needed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 - 3 tablespoons cinnamon

preheat oven to 350 ˚F, and butter a half-sheet baking pan** or cookie sheet. cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until completely smooth and incorporated. mix the flour, salt, nutmeg and (sifted!*) baking powder in a small bowl, and add the flour mixture to the butter/egg mixture. mix together just until it comes together. if it seems too dry and crumbly, add a 2 tablespoons of whole milk.

mix 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl***. scoop out the dough (I use a small ice cream scoop to get consistent cookies), roll them into balls between your palms. you're aiming for spheres that are approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter. as you finish rolling each cookie, lightly drop it into the cinnamon sugar. pick up the bowl and swirl it around to coat the cookie dough completely, then place on the prepared baking sheet. give them about 3/4" clearance so they have some room to spread a little (they won't spread very much). they may all fit on your sheet pan or cookie sheet, but if that would crowd them, then bake them in two batches. pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 14 - 16 minutes; until golden brown. cool them on a baking rack.

*baker's note: regarding baking powder and sifting: I generally don't sift flour these days for anything other than very fine and/or delicate pastries. almost every kind flour I find at the grocery these days works well without sifting (though I have a very strong preference for King Arthur flour) (<-- BTW, that link is purely for reference, the price is ridonkulous). everything I bake with it comes out well. baking powder and baking soda are another story. I've found that I absolutely need to sift baking powder and/or baking soda before measuring and using, because they're hygroscopic (they attract moisture from the air), which results in hard little clumps that don't break up properly when you mix your dough or batter (or whatever else you're baking). so for best results, sift your baking powder and/or baking soda in a sifter, push it through a small sieve or just thoroughly pulverize it with the back of a spoon before using. re-measure after you sift.

**baker's note II: in case you're looking, I found a nice steel half sheet pan here; I don't like aluminum pans.

***baker's note III: you'll probably have a little leftover cinnamon sugar when you're done. I trust you know what to do with it (hint: buttered toast! mmmm). if that doesn't sit well with you, use a little less of the sugar and the cinnamon, but: you may run out. sometimes the little fellows pick up more cinnamon sugar than others!

we interrupt our regular broadcast...

so you're going to start seeing a few affiliate links here and there on this blog. I wanted to mention it now, before I go hog wild and it turns into links-only-no-recipes. okay, that's not going to happen. but every once in a while, there will be a link to something I consider relevant. I'm open to feedback re: your opinion of/experience with these things.

I've become part of the LinkShare program, and if it's the sort of think you want to do, you can, too. or you can just take a look to see just how far I'm selling out (hint: not much). just click below:

LinkShare Referral Program (<-- (please ignore that obnoxious little white box; I'll try to find a way to make that look less hideous ASAP)

my goal is to keep the links unobtrusive, and to focus on the food, because, after all, it truly is all about the food!
comments welcomed. thanks, and now back to our normal programming...

banana bread

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas (slightly over-ripe is ideal)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla (Mexican vanilla is great in this)
• optional: 3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

preheat the oven to 350 °F (325 °F if using glass pans). butter a loaf pan or a 9 x 13 cake pan.

cream the butter, sugar and salt together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl; it should be light and fluffy when finished (a sturdy wooden spoon is perfect for this; switch to a sturdy whisk for the next step). add one egg, beat until fully incorporated, then add the other, and beat again until mixture is smooth and light.

peel the bananas and break up into chunks into a smaller bowl, then mash with the milk, cinnamon and vanilla. whisk banana mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until smooth (small chunks of banana are not only fine, of course, but desirable). add pecans (if using).

add the flour, baking powder and baking soda to the banana mixture and whisk in carefully, until just combined. the batter will be fairly thick. using a spatula, transfer batter to baking dish and lightly smooth out the top. place in oven and bake ― 60-70 minutes for loaf pan; 45-55 minutes if using cake pan. banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out perfectly clean. place pan on cooling rack before cutting into serving pieces.

introducing whole grains to improve "no-knead" bread

update 03/05/2012: flour and water measurements adjusted slightly -- recipe writing is, indeed, a process.

I've been continually baking homemade bread for a few weeks now, ever since I finally tried Jim Lahey's "no-knead" bread. along the way, I've made some slight changes to the technique. I've scaled down the basic recipe to use a little more than 2 cups of flour/batch (which makes a loaf both my roommate and I like), and I've also been maintaining a lively sourdough that I use that to raise the bread. it's easy to substitute for yeast -- use about 1/4 - 1/3 cup recently-fed, vigorous loose starter (I keep mine about the thickness of pancake batter just because it's easier to deal with) to substitute for the 1/4 teaspoon yeast called for in the recipe, and adjust the amounts of flour and water down a bit to accommodate. I do add the tiniest dash of yeast to ensure the dough will rise in a reasonable amount of time (which for me is 8 - 16 hours); I could just as easily leave that out and allow a full 16 - 30 hours for a slow rise (part of that in the refrigerator, to develop flavor and keep from exhausting the yeast), but I prefer to keep my bread proofing on the countertop. I've scaled the flour and water adjustments below to work with a mixture of King Arthur Bread Flour and King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour to get some whole grain into my daily bread, and the flavor and texture are excellent. please do remember that flour is different everywhere and dough acts different almost every time you bake it -- you're looking for the same dough characteristics at the beginning (sort of wet and shaggy) before the bulk rise, and will add more flour after that when you actually CAN do a little bit of kneading if you want , although you really only need to do a couple of folds. when I fold, I use a roll-up fold, scroll down a bit after you click the link to see it. when I'm in the mood to knead, after the fold I just give it a bit of a knead, just a few times. you don't want to knock all the bubbles out. proceed with the recipe technique as in my own variation on the classic "no-knead" recipe, but use the following ingredients to add flavor, some whole grain and interest to your loaf:

• 1/4 - 1/3 cup sourdough starter** (and I often, OFTEN augment this with the tiniest dash of Red Star active dry yeast -- maybe 10 grains?). if you don't have sourdough or just don't feel like feeding it, use 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast.
• 1-1/4 cup King Arthur bread flour
• 1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour (*a note on this flour: it uses a different variety of wheat and is ground finer than regular whole wheat flour, but still uses the whole grain. it produces a creamy, ivory-colored flour with a wonderful whole-grain flavor that's more refined than regular whole wheat flour -- I love it! and the crusts of the finished loaves come out the most gorgeous burnished, shiny brown color, with an off-white/ivory crumb)
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 teaspoon mild rice vinegar (*optional, depending on the sourness of your starter; if not desired, add another tablespoon filtered water if needed)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

the dough will seem a bit wetter than regular no-knead at first -- that's because it takes the white whole wheat flour a bit longer to absorb water. mix it together well with a wooden spoon, cover with plastic wrap and bulk-ferment overnight (8-16 hours -- it's flexible), then check the texture and you should find it's just right. if anything, it may need a sprinkle of flour to knead.

the finished loaves are tasty and lovely! I'd love to hear what you think.

**I'll post on creating and maintaining a happy sourdough starter with a minimum (or no) waste very soon -- this latest one is the simplest, liveliest and the most effective sourdough I've ever used.

no-knead bread for two

I love no-knead bread — Jim Lahey's recipe (published in 2006 in the New York Times) turned everyone into fabulous baker boys (and girls). not only is it outrageously easy, it's also beautiful and delicious with nothing more than the four essential bread ingredients (flour, water, yeast and salt). and talk about versatile! you can add all kinds of wonderful things to the dough (kalamata olives, roasted garlic, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, chunks of Italian cheese and salami — or go the sweet route, with dried cranberries and orange zest, cinnamon and raisins — you're pretty much limited only by your imagination), and/or you can make a few delicious variations on the crust (sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt, poppy and/or sesame seeds, grated parmesan, etc.). just don't add too much of anything, because you want to leave plenty of crust exposed to get wonderfully browned and crunchy. I've found the original recipe, which calls for three-cups-of-flour, makes a bit too much bread for two people, so I make a two-cup loaf with slightly altered proportions and baking times.

note: I know these instructions are long for such an easy recipe; I want to include all the tips/tricks I've learned along the way (including my ridiculous OCD-influenced clean-as-you-go habits). despite my verbiage, this is probably the easiest bread recipe you'll ever encounter, and the loaves you bake will be gorgeous, rustic beauties that make you wonder why you ever paid $5 or more for bread that's THIS easy. but you're not one of those chumps; you're a baker now!

• 2 cups flour (King Arthur bread flour is the BEST, darn them to heck for not paying me to say that, but all-purpose flour works great, too)
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon filtered water
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon yeast (it still takes the same amount of yeast, for some reason) (I heart Red Star yeast — there's an affiliate link below to buy it at Amazon, if you can't find it locally — it's about 10 times tastier and more reliable than Fleischman's)

mix the dough ingredients together. no need to knead (har); just mix it in a bowl with a wooden spoon or whatever you prefer, until it's sort of shaggy and the ingredients are reasonably distributed. it won't be smooth or perfect at this point, and that's fine. cover your bowl (I use a dinner plate; plastic wrap's fine, too). make sure your bowl's big enough to allow to dough to double in size!

now walk away from it and forget it for 12-18 hours — I like to make mine in the early evening, and then bake it first thing when I wake up. 

when it's time to bake:

• remove the plate and beam down at your dough. it should have risen and will have some bubbles on the surface. sprinkle a little flour on the top and on your hands, and dig down in there to loosen the sides of the dough ball from the bowl. fold the dough over onto itself a couple of times.
• wipe the plate free of condensation, set it on the counter and sprinkle it with some flour. tip the dough out onto the plate, and dust the top with yet more flour. put the bowl in the sink and fill with cold water to soak (you don't want to activate the gluten in the flour when you're cleaning out the bowl — it's a mess!).
• get out your trusty Le Creuset casserole (or cast iron dutch oven; I've heard even Pyrex will work — just make sure it's big enough to hold your bread once it's expanded, made of thick material that will heat evenly, and that any knobs and/or handles it may have won't melt) and put it in the oven, lid and all. set the oven temperature to 450 ∘F and let it heat for 30 minutes.
• in the meantime, form the dough into a boule (ball). do this by cupping your hands over the top of the dough, smoothing it down the sides and tucking it underneath. rotate the dough a little and repeat (keeping your hands/the boule lightly floured as needed to prevent sticking). after the first couple of rotations, turn the boule over and pinch the seam at the bottom together, but just do it ONE time — after that, don't worry about it. you're going to flip the boule upside-down when you bake it, and the seam will function as a slash would; allowing the dough to expand (plus the finished loaf will look all professional and artisanal and whatnot. trust me). shaping is KEY for this bread, IMO. some people say it doesn't matter, but the texture of the finished bread is so much better when the dough is well-formed into a nice, tight ball, so keep going for a few minutes until you get there. your bread will taste good regardless, but a well-formed boule will make you feel like a rockstar when it's baked.
• once you've formed your rockstar boule of dough, clean out that bowl you stuck in the sink and dry it. place it upside-down over the dough while the oven continues to heat to keep the boule from drying out.
• after the oven and casserole have heated for 30 minutes, peek under that bowl on the counter to see if the dough has risen sufficiently. if you don't feel it has, give it another 10-15 minutes to do so. the boule doesn't have to double in bulk. I find 30 minutes of rising is usually plenty (unless my kitchen is really cold), but it doesn't take me long to shape the dough — maybe 3 minutes total? if it takes you significantly longer, give your dough a bit more time to rise.
• once the oven's nice and hot and the dough's risen, put on your good pot holders and remove the HOT casserole (or dutch oven) from your oven. take the lid off and set aside on top of the stove for a moment (somewhere it won't melt through everything down to the center of the earth). you want to take your lovely boule of dough and flip it upside-down, ending up seam-side up in the casserole, without burning yourself or completely deflating the dough in the process. experiment to find the method that works best for you — I pick up the dough gently, ending up with it seam-side-down in my hand, and then I flip it over while placing it in the pan. don't worry too much about getting it perfectly centered or anything like that.
• slip those potholders back on. at this point, you can gently shake the dutch oven to get the dough better-centered/more even, if you want. I find that if you've formed the boule correctly, it all works out no matter what. put the lid back on and pop the whole thing back into your oven for about 25 minutes.
• after 25 minutes, peek under the lid and check out your bread. at this point, it should have risen nicely, and should be a light golden-brown (if it's still pale, put the lid back on and bake it for 5-10 more minutes). take the lid off and place the casserole back into the oven to let the crust brown for 10-20 minutes longer (I find 12 minutes is just about perfect for mine), until it's a lovely burnished brown. use those potholders one more time to remove the casserole from the oven and set it down somewhere safe (again, like the top of the stove). remove the bread from the casserole pan to a cooling rack (I use a couple of wooden or non-melting silicone spatulas — you use whatever works for you).
• let it cool at least 20 minutes before slicing into it; longer if you can stand it — it's still finishing baking inside, even after it's out of the oven. when it's cool enough, slice with a sharp bread knife and check out your awesome bread. yes, you do rock.

Red Star Baking Yeast is available through my Amazon affiliate link if you can't find it locally.

cinnamon-raisin bread pudding made with pan dulce (bonus! caramel recipe)

pan dulce can be used to make very good bread pudding -- the textures and flavors are very well-suited. I like to buy a variety of different conchas (chocolate, cinnamon, anise -- they're fairly subtle in flavor) specifically for bread pudding, and allow them to get a bit dried-out in the refrigerator for a few days. sometimes I augment the pastries with plain white bread if I don't have enough on hand. in this recipe, the measurements for pan dulces and bread are flexible -- any ratio will do, as long as you keep the total volume the same (I'll measure the volume of torn pastry/bread pieces next time I make this recipe). if you have only fresh pan dulce or bread and don't want to wait days to make this pudding, just toast the pieces lightly in the oven at about 250°F for 10 minutes or so. you don't want them to get browned, just a bit dry to ensure a bread pudding with the proper texture -- firm, but not dry; definitely not goopy or wet. below, I've also included my recipe-in-progress for caramel sauce, which is quite scrumptious drizzled generously over bread pudding or just about anything else.


4 pan dulces, torn into pieces approximately 1" on all sides (torn pieces are more aesthetically appealing to me than slices or cut cubes, but won't affect the final outcome, so tear, slice or cut as you prefer)
1 thick slice plain white bread, torn into pieces (same size as pan dulce pieces)
1 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed (increase to 3/4 cup if using plain white bread only)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla; bourbon or other liqueur also works well)
2 tablespoons softened butter

preheat oven to 350°F. butter a medium-large covered baking dish (if you don't have a covered baking dish of the proper size, you can cover your dish tightly with foil). scatter half of the pan dulce and/or bread pieces in the dish, sprinkle with half of the cinnamon and half of the raisins, then repeat. thoroughly whisk together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla (or liqueur) in a large bowl and pour evenly over all, pressing down with a slotted spoon to ensure all the pastry and/or pieces are soaked. dot the top of the pudding with the softened butter, cover with lid or foil, and bake for 25 minutes. remove cover or foil and continue to bake for about 20 more minutes, until the top of the bread pudding is golden brown and center is firm (a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean).


the above bread pudding is *very* good served with caramel sauce. I'm working on perfecting my sauce recipe; in the meantime, here's the recipe-in-progress, which produces caramel candy when cooled. my goal is to produce a thick caramel syrup when cooled. however, this caramel is delicious, and is the perfect texture when warm. more notes: candy-making is basically kitchen chemistry; the temperatures specified are very important, and I've found it essential to use a candy thermometer. many cookbooks and websites describe various methods for testing the sugar syrup to determine the stage (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, etc.), but I've gotten the best results when using a candy thermometer. it's also important to be aware that you'll be working with VERY hot sugar syrup (which can produce severe burns), so take all necessary precautions: turn all saucepan handles in so they don't protrude where the pan could easily be knocked over; let other people in the house know what you're doing so they'll be careful around the stove, etc. that said, candy-making is a great way to watch physics/chemistry in action as sugar syrup changes physical states, browning reactions take place, etc., so I think it's good to encourage those who are interested to watch and participate. enough warnings -- *do* try making this; it's a lot of fun!


2 cups white sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup invert sugar syrup (sugar syrup boiled to the soft ball stage with a bit of cream of tartar or lemon juice, which will convert it to glucose & sucrose -- check this link for a detailed recipe) OR corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (again, I use Mexican vanilla; you can also substitute bourbon or any other liqueur)


place sugar, cream, invert sugar syrup (or corn syrup) and salt in a large saucepan -- make sure it's deep enough that the mixture can boil up to well over twice the original volume without boiling over. stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. when mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring if you haven't already. clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, immersing bulb in the boiling liquid (and ensuring that the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan). adjust heat down to medium-low -- keep it boiling, but not boiling over. continue to cook until mixture reaches 235°F - 240°F -- this will take a while, as the sugar syrup is passing through several phases to reach the "soft ball" stage. at the same time, the proteins in the cream are undergoing the Maillard Reaction, which you can observe directly as it turns a creamy golden brown in color. when the mixture reaches the proper temperature, turn off the heat, remove the candy thermometer, add the vanilla (without stirring), cover the pan and remove from the burner. allow it to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the vanilla. spoon a bit out, make sure it's not too hot and taste. the mixture should be nicely thickened and deliciously caramel-y. use it warm to drizzle over the bread pudding (or any other dessert). you can also *pour it into a buttered glass dish, cover with buttered wax paper and refrigerate to cut into caramel candies, or you can *pour it into a jar to keep for future use -- you'll have to warm it up to scoop it out. *note: when pouring caramel, DO pour while it's still quite warm. do NOT scrape the sides of the pan with a spatula or spoon to get it all out -- the mixture that adheres to the sides of the pan can contain sugar crystals that can ruin your entire batch of caramel. AFTER pouring, feel free to scoop any remaining syrup and use it immediately over your dessert, nom it straight off the spoon, etc.; just don't include it with any caramel you store.