Savory Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Deep Dish Pizza Bread

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:07:02 +0000

I have been highly enamored with Kristina Cho’s new cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread; I can’t stop baking from it. The first recipe in her book, the Mother of All Milk Bread dough, is incredible and can be used in many applications, both sweet and savory. And I know I rarely share savory baking items here, but this Deep Dish Pizza Bread was the best dinner I had had in a long time, so I couldn’t resist. What is the tangzhong method? Kristina writes that “what sets … Asian enriched breads apart from other enriched breads is the use of tangzhong, a roux made of milk and flour. Tangzhong makes a huge difference in the quality of the bread… [w]hen you add tangzhong to the dough, the dough is able to retain a higher moisture content, and the result is a fluffy bread with delicate crumb and ethereal softness that lasts for days.” I have used this dough over and over again the last few weeks, and have fallen in love with it. Cinnamon rolls, classic three-segment loaves, pull-apart milk bread buns have all been in rotation. This pizza is the newest addition to the list, and it is incredible. […]

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Labneh, Sweet or Savory

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 04:31:22 +0000

I spent some time with Larry and Colleen Wolner while working on our column for Food 52, and one of the recipes we worked on was labneh, two ways. I had only approached labneh on the savory side of things, so topping it with raspberry coulis was a very nice surprise. The Wolners served it on thinly sliced toasted baguettes, and it was the perfect appetizer. Or dessert. I couldn’t decide. I apologize for the space between posts lately. I’ve been busy over here testing recipes, and find myself wanting to put everything in the book. I’m trying not to neglect the site, but sometimes it’s hard to find time for everything. A few things: I really love this post by Phyllis. I’m a super nerd and am reading this book. I recently went to Los Angeles for the first time two weekends ago, along with some fellow bloggers and Hello Society. I had a lovely trip, and have a Steller story here if you want to take a peek. My Kieffer Bros have a new puzzle game out: Blockwick 2! I spent almost an entire plane ride playing it. The game also made the itunes ‘best new game app’ […]

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whole wheat pasta with balsamic-spinach-basil dressing

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 01:49:42 +0000

‘Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. It is idle, having planted an acorn in the morning, to expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of the oak.’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars Whole Wheat Pasta with Balsamic-Basil-Spinach Dressing adapted from the Blue Heron Coffeehouse I like this with chopped basil leaves and grape tomatoes, but it also tastes delicious with diced red peppers, pine nuts, Parmesan, red onion, and/or black olives tossed in at the end. The dressing has a bit of a kick, which you can up a bit by adding more red pepper flakes, or take down by omitting them all together. The pasta can be served warm or cold. If you are making this a day ahead, I suggest only putting half the dressing on, and putting the other half on right before serving. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup good olive oil 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (see above note) 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) 2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup chopped tomato 1/2 cup packed fresh basil, plus 1/4 […]

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Creamy Carrot Orange Soup

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 04:31:36 +0000

It’s been cold here, colder than we’ve known. I’ve found myself hiding in layers of sweaters and socks and hand-me-down quilts. Our house creaks and booms as the wind tries to make it’s way in, but it cannot find us here. We all huddle close, eating popcorn and watching movies and losing ourselves in familiar books. Soup and bread seemed like logical choices the past few days. After too many weeks of too many treats, my body begs for simple, clean foods: dug from the earth, and plucked from a tree. ‘The cold finds the skin but doesn’t find the heart. What I didn’t know then was that the cold constricts the blood vessels, which is important when one needs to staunch a hemorrhage, when one needs to stop the blood from flowing. So I’ll take my frosty windows and white world just as long as it pulls, pushes so the heart finds warmth and beats stronger, a fire, a flame, a Caribbean sea, a cup of coffee, you and you and you and me.’ – Melody Heide A few things: *I received Tartine 3 for Christmas – it’s beautiful. *My dear friend Melody wrote that paragraph above. *Chia Lemonade! […]

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a forager’s pie

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:45:42 +0000

This isn’t technically a foraging pie; I didn’t gather my mushrooms on Barbara Kingsolver’s land for a spectacular photo shoot that is to be featured on an up-and-coming food blog. Also, I know the word ‘forage’ has had a bad rap lately; deemed hipster-lingo and is often followed by an eye roll. However, a forager’s pie sounded better than button-mushroom skillet bake or shepherd-less extravaganza. And, when I thought of foraging mushrooms I instantly thought of hobbits and Farmer Maggot’s farm, which of course proves that I’ve always been more nerdy than hip, but I’ll call myself a romantic and name it what I will. If you are the foraging type (which really, I do find terribly charming regardless of what anyone says), you could gather exotic, hard-to-find mushrooms for this pie. Or, like me, you can frantically scoop plain old mushrooms into a bag at the co-op while watching your three year old son race by you with the child-sized grocery cart. He will then proceed to slam it into not one but two beautiful hipsters, and their deadly gazes remind you that yes, you did forget to brush your hair that morning and yes, you have been wearing […]

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no knead bread

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:39:00 +0000

A few years ago I discovered no knead bread. It has, of course, been around for awhile, and there are now amazing amounts of variations on it. While I’ve tried out several different recipes, and they have all made good bread, I keep coming back to the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. What’s unique about this version is that the dough is mixed, allowed to rise, and then is refrigerated. This allows for many things, but the two that I love are the flavor development and the easy factor. The bread can be put aside in the fridge and used when needed in a 2 week time frame. The amount of dough needed is pulled out, shaped, allowed to rise for a short amount of time [while the oven is heating, no less], and then baked to perfection. It’s lovely. I started making this a couple years ago and then stumbled across a dutch oven version, which I love even more. The dough bakes up so nice and round, and there is no need for extra pans of water for steam. It’s a fabulous concept, and has helped keep homemade bread on our table. And while I […]

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