Never would have thought I could obtain these results in my regular oven and without special equipment. But after 11 months of weekly baking, fresh sourdough loaves have become a reliable tradition in our family. I’ve been thinking of posting my method for a while, but only now feel confident that it’s sufficiently streamlined and … Continue reading "Home-Baked Sourdough Bread – At Last!"

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Piadina is a traditional flatbread from the Italian historical region of Romagna. The name piadina (plural: piadine) is a diminutive form of piada (used interchangeably to refer to the same preparation), which originates from the Greek pláthanon: “long dish, baking tray.” Since 2014, ‘piadina’ is registered as Protected Geographical Indication (Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or IGP, in Italian.) Traditionally, piadina is made … Continue reading "Piadina Romagnola"

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An unusual post for this blog, today. Three friends of mine have just competed in a pizza cook-off, and I had the honor to be the head judge 🙂 The contestants were responsible for bringing their own ingredients, including their pizza dough (which they made beforehand). To cook the pizzas, they all used the same … Continue reading "Home-Style Pizza Competition"

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In Italy, just like in all Europe and North America, a ‘panino’ (Italian for sandwich) is a popular lunch option, and in some cases also a quick dinner alternative. Italian bars often press-grill their sandwiches to enhance the flavors, turn the bread more fragrant and crunchy, and melt any cheese. However, at home, or when … Continue reading "Panino, the Italian Sandwich"

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Unless you have a brick oven in your backyard, you can’t quite make pizzeria-style pizza at home; the regular kitchen oven simply can’t reach high enough temperatures. It is, however, possible to approximate the flavors of a pizzeria-style pizza by using a few expedients. There is more than one way to make home-style pizza. A pizza stone, … Continue reading "Home-Style Pizza"

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