Last week I finished bread #7 in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  The bread was ciabatta and while I was excited to try it, I admit that I was a bit nervous.  Lots of BBA Challenge members finished their ciabatta before me, so I knew that the bread wasn’t turning out perfectly for many people.  Everyone seemed to be saying the same thing:  great flavor, but not enough holes!

In addition to its signature flat and rectangular shape, ciabatta is known for its open crumb with lots of big, shiny holes.  And I’ve learned over the years while trying to perfect my own loaves of sourdough, the open crumb with big shiny holes is much harder to achieve than a great flavor!

Peter Reinhart offers many variations for his Ciabatta formula.  We had the option of using either a Poolish or Biga for the pre-ferment — the main difference being the amount of water added to the flour and yeast during the pre-ferment stage.  A note in the sidebar mentions the option of enriching the dough with olive oil, milk or buttermilk, for a softer, more tender loaf.  And he also gives directions for Wild Mushroom Focaccia, Ciabatta with Cheese, and Caramelized Onion and Herb Ciabatta!  But even with all those choices and variations available, I decided to stick to original formula using only flour, salt, yeast and water.

Although some people seemed to be having better luck using the stiffer biga starter, I decided to give the poolish a try.  Like I mentioned earlier, the difference between a poolish and biga is simply the amount of water added to flour and yeast.  A poolish will have the consistency of pancake batter, while a biga will be stiff and kneadable like bread dough.  Both types of pre-ferments are made day before using a portion of the flour and yeast from the bread formula.  The purpose of a pre-ferment is to improve the flavor and structure of the bread by extending fermentation time.  Although these terms are probably new to many of you, there is nothing difficult about using a pre-ferment.  You just need to plan ahead and allow some extra time to let the mixture sit around and do its thing.

My poolish started with 2 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast.  I just stirred it up with a wooden spoon, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature.

After a few hours, it had bubbled up and increased in size quite a bit.  Now it was ready for an overnight rest in the refrigerator.  See, nothing to it!

The next day, I removed the poolish from the fridge an hour before I was ready to start making my ciabatta dough, to take off the chill.  When I was ready to begin, I measured out the rest of the flour, yeast and salt.

I whisked the dry ingredients together then added the poolish.

The amount of water in the recipe can vary by quite a bit.  The instructions say to add 6 tablespoons of water at this point, but the final dough might use up to 3/4 cup.  I knew I would end up using more than 6 tablespoons, so I  started out by pouring in about 1/2 cup of water.

I then started stirring everything together to get an idea of how wet the dough would be with that amount of water.  I ended up adding a bit more water until the dough looked to be the right consistency.

I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment to mix the dough for a few minutes.  I think I ended up adding close the full 3/4 cup of water by the time I was done mixing.  I knew from making sourdough bread, that I needed a very wet dough if I wanted big holes in my ciabatta.  After mixing with the paddle attachment for a while, I switched to the dough hook and kneaded for a final two minutes.  The dough mostly cleared the sides of the bowl while it was being kneaded, but stuck to the bottom, as described in the book.  but as you can see, it was a wet and sticky dough.

Next, I scraped the dough out onto a well-floured board.  The book says to create a bed of flour, so I really used a lot!

Now it was time for some stretching and folding.  Since I’ve never made ciabatta before, this was a new technique for me.  First, I sprinkled some flour on top of the dough and formed it into the shape of a triangle.  Then I let it relax for a couple of minutes before grabbing the ends and stretching it out to twice it’s size.

Then I folded it into thirds, like a letter.

Then I covered it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.  I was surprised at how much the dough grew in 30 minutes!

Next, I repeated the stretch and fold process one more time, covered it with plastic wrap and let it sit and ferment for an hour and a half.

The book says the dough should swell, but not necessarily double in size.  But I think mine doubled!

Next, the dough is divided.  I decided to make three small loaves, so I cut the dough into three pieces.  Since the dough is so sticky, I dipped my bench scraper in water before cutting through the dough.  I didn’t weigh the pieces because I wanted to handle the sticky dough as little as possible.  Consequently, I ended up with three different sizes!

Next, I gently rolled the pieces in flour so they were well-coated on all sides.

And then I transferred them to a prepared couche, and folded each one again.  A couche is a heavy linen cloth that is used to support the loaves and help them keep their shape during proofing.  After shaping the loaves, I covered them with plastic and allowed them to proof for close to an hour.

Since I didn’t think all three loaves would fit on my peel, I decided to use the back of a sheet pan to transfer the loaves to the oven.  First I dusted the back of the sheet pan with corn meal.

Then I started transferring the loaves from the couche to the makeshift peel, gently stretching each loaf out to a length of about 9 inches.

I was happy to see that the three loaves fit perfectly on the back of the pan!

Now it was time to put them in the oven.

Earlier, when I placed the loaves in the couche to proof, I had prepared the oven.  I placed a baking stone on the middle rack, and an empty pan on the bottom of the oven (this will be used to create steam later).  I then preheated the oven to 500 degrees.  When you are heating the oven with a baking stone, it takes longer for it to come to temperature.  When I need the oven and baking stone to reach 500 degrees, I always allow it to preheat for 45 minutes.  So by the time, the loaves were proofed and ready to go in, the oven was ready.

I also had a pot of simmering water on top of the stove, ready to help me create steam.  Just before putting the loaves in, I measured out one cup of simmering water.  Now I was ready to bake some ciabatta!  I popped the loaves onto the baking stone, quickly draped a dish towel over the oven door glass (to prevent water from splattering and possibly shattering the glass) and carefully poured the cup of simmering water into the hot pan on the bottom of the oven (I used a long oven mitt for this).  As the steam billowed up, I quickly shut the oven door (making sure to remove the towel) to trap as much of it inside as possible.  After 30 seconds, I opened the oven door and used a spray bottle to mist the oven walls with water, creating even more steam.  Again, I quickly shut the door to trap the steam.  I repeated this two more times at 30 second intervals.  After the final spray, I turned the oven temperature down to 450 degrees and baked the bread for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes, rotating the loaves halfway through.

Perhaps all that steaming sounds like a lot of work, but it really does help to create a beautiful crust!  Here are the finished loaves:

And what about the crumb?  Perhaps the holes aren’t as large as the ciabatta featured in the photo in the book, but I was perfectly happy with the way mine turned out.  Especially for a first try!  The main problem I had with my loaves was the line of flour that was visible in the middle of the loaf.  Next time I will try harder to brush the flour off the top of the dough before folding.  But it didn’t affect the flavor or texture too much, so I’m still calling this one a success!

The ciabatta tasted great and I really enjoyed it as a sandwich bread, especially lightly toasted!

The Next Bread

This week we will be making Cinnamon Buns!  The cinnamon bun instructions begin on page 143 of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  You have the choice of making either cinnamon buns or sticky buns, depending on whether you use the white glaze or the caramel glaze.  I’ve heard nothing but great things about this formula, so I can’t wait to get started!  Good luck and happy baking!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun!  First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Read the first section of the book carefully, as this will prepare you for the bread recipes in the second section of the book.  Then just jump in and bake some Anadama Bread! But first, please visit The BBA Challenge Page for more details on how to participate in the group!

If you haven’t already, you might want to bookmark the BBA Challenge Page.  From there you can see which breads are coming up soon, find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit and/or add yourself to our World Map, see the BBA Challenge Blogroll, and check out the continually updated slideshow of BBA Bread photos from our ever-expanding group of bakers!

For those of you who are participating in The BBA Challenge, here are some questions:  How did you like the Ciabatta?  Did you use the poolish or the biga for your pre-ferment?  Did you stick to the original formula or did you try some of the variation?  Did you learn anything new while using this formula?

And remember, if you wrote a blog post about Ciabatta, or have photos available online, please leave a comment and share your link!

Ciabatta from other BBA Challenge members:

• Wild Mushroom Ciabatta from Pink Stripes
• Ciabatta from Two Skinny Jenkins
• Ciabatta (poolish version) from Gourmet Hotdish and Other Culinary Disasters
• Ciabatta (biga version) from Anna on Flickr
• Ciabatta (poolish version) from The Other Side of Fifty
• Ciabatta (biga version) from Appoggiatura
• Ciabatta (poolish version) from Bewitching Kitchen
• Ciabatta (biga version) from You Eat Now
• Ciabatta (poolish version) from Flour Girl
• Ciabatta (poolish version) from Carried on the Wind
• Ciabatta (with wild yeast poolish) from Coffeegrounded’s Blog

When my friends heard that I would be making Challah for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge, everyone told me the same thing:  challah makes the BEST french toast.  And since french toast is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, of course I had to give it a try.

As promised, I took half of the homemade challah to my sister and brother-in-law yesterday (which resulted in me staying at their house for a rousing game of Monopoly).  But I saved part of the loaf for myself, allowing it to stale slightly overnight so that it would be in perfect condition to play the leading role in my favorite breakfast.

I have already shared my standard French Toast recipe with you, including step-by-step photos, so I’m not going to go through the whole thing again.  But I did make a few changes this time that might interest you. Namely, I fried the french toast in oil.

Lately I’ve been reading Molly Wizenberg’s book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table.  Just like her blog, Orangette, Molly’s book is beautiful and filled with recipes that I can’t wait to try.  One of the recipes is for her father’s French Toast, which is similar to mine in all ways except for the frying method.  I’ve always been a butter girl, but was intrigued by Molly’s father’s reasoning that frying the french toast in hot oil seals and crisps the outside of the bread while the inside turns into a soft custard.

Of course I had to give it a try.

I coated the bottom of my cast iron skilled with canola oil and mixed up the eggs and milk while the oil heated.  I combined 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, a splash of vanilla, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt and whisked it together well.  I dipped the thick-sliced challah into the egg mixture, allowing it to soak up a bit of liquid on each side, but not soaking the bread completely (I prefer my French toast on the slightly dry side).  Then I transferred the dripping slices to the hot oil.  I cooked them for a minute or two on each side, until they were golden brown and crisp all over, then transferred them to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any extra oil.

These french toast slices were beautiful! The oil crisps up the bread much better than butter and I loved the texture of the interior, which was soft and creamy where the bread had been soaked in egg batter and a bit chewy in the very center where the bread stayed mostly dry.  If you prefer a creamier french toast, you can soak the bread completely, it’s all a matter of taste.  I still think I prefer the overall flavor of french toast that’s been cooked on a buttered skillet, but the texture of this one was certainly better!  And once I added a bit of butter and maple syrup on the top, I was completely happy with this french toast.

And the challah?  It really might be the perfect french toast bread!

You can read about Molly’s father’s french toast on her blog, Orangette, or in her wonderful book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. You can also find Molly at Bon Appetit, where she writes a monthly column, and on twitter.

Related Recipes:

• Basic French Toast Recipe (with step-by-step photos)
• Spiked Egg Nog French Toast

Bread #6 for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge is Challah.  This was my very first time making Challah and also the very first time braiding any type of bread dough!  Luckily, both the bread and the braid turned out pretty darn good.

Challah (listen to the pronunciaton) is a traditional Jewish bread that is eaten on the Sabbath and holidays.  The dough is enriched with eggs and lightly sweetened.  The bread itself is delicious, but the shaping is what makes it so spectacular.  The bread dough is divided, rolled into ropes and braided.  The braids can be really fancy, but I stuck to a standard three-strand braid since it was my first time.  After braiding, the loaf is brushed twice with an egg wash and sprinkled with seeds.  The resulting loaf is shiny, golden and absolutely beautiful!

The process for this bread is very straightforward.  First, you blend the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

In a separate bowl, you whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, egg yolks, water, and oil.

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients either with a spoon or in a stand mixer and decide whether the dough needs more water or more flour.

As you can see, mine was a pretty wet dough so I didn’t add any more water.  I switched to the dough hook and started kneading, adding little bits of flour until the dough reached the ‘tacky but not sticky’ point.

After kneading for 6 or 7 minutes in my stand mixer, I gave the dough the windowpane test.  Although it was hard to photograph, this was the best windowpane I’ve ever achieved!  Hooray for Challah!

According to the book, the dough temperature should be about 80 degrees after kneading.  I checked and it was about 3 degrees warmer.  Works for me!

I lightly coated the ball of dough and let it ferment (rise) at room temperature for an hour.

Mr. Reinhart says the dough should be at least 1 1/2 times it’s original size after an hour and it looked pretty close to me.

I dumped it out on my board and started kneading it to remove the bubbles.  The book says to knead it for a couple of minutes to degas.  But as I started kneading, I realized that my dough was really really stiff.

It was almost impossible to knead it for two minutes.  The dough started tearing as I tried to wrestle the bubbles out of it.  I really started to wonder what I had done wrong.  This is how it looked after kneading (I gave up after about a minute and a half).  So much for my smooth and supple dough…

But I returned it to the bowl and greased it up again for it’s second fermentation.

After another hour, the dough had risen nicely again.

Now it was time to divide it into three pieces.  Luckily the dough had loosened up a bit and was much easier to deal with.  I measured out three equal pieces using my trusty digital scale.

I then formed the three pieces into nice smooth boules and let them rest for ten minutes.

It’s important to let the dough rest before shaping, because the gluten will relax and the dough will be much easier to work with.  Even after ten minutes, it was a little difficult to roll the balls out into long ropes.  If you find that the dough keeps springing back while you’re trying to form the ropes, just let it sit for a few minutes and then try again.  It will eventually work.

I made three ropes of equal length, making sure to leave them thicker in the middle and slightly tapered at the ends per Mr. Reinhart’s instructions.

Next, I started the braid.  The only thing that was slightly confusing about the braiding process was that the book told me to start in the middle.  But it was easy enough to figure out.

Starting from the middle, I braided down one side.  It really is just like braiding hair!

And then I finished the other side.  The ends were just pinched together and tucked under slightly.  Behold a succesfully braided loaf!

I transferred the loaf to a silpat-lined baking sheet (parchment paper would be fine, too) and brushed it with an egg wash.

Next it was covered with plastic wrap and allowed to proof for another hour or so.

It really grew!

After proofing, it got brushed down with the egg wash once more and then I sprinkled it with poppy seeds.  Sesame seeds may also be used.

The challah was put into a preheated 350 degree oven and baked for about 40 minutes.  It had lots of oven spring and turned into a big and beautiful loaf!

I thought the bottom of the bread was almost as pretty as the top, so I had to photograph it, too.

And of course, you have to see the crumb.

I really enjoyed the challah toasted with butter and raspberry jam for breakfast this morning.  And tomorrow, I’m going to make some french toast.  But this is definitely not the type of bread to be hoarded and eaten alone (like I did with the Casatiello) so  I will be taking a large portion of the loaf to my sister and brother-in-law today.

I’m now six loaves into the BBA Challenge, and I’ve enjoyed every single bread I’ve made.  I would definitely call this another success and am proud that I finally braided a loaf of bread.  Since I have never made Challah before, I can’t compare this to other recipes, but I thought the flavor and texture of this bread was really nice and I would definitely make it again.

The Next Bread

This week we will be making Ciabatta.  This is another one I’m excited about, because I love to eat it, but have never made it at home before.  The ingredients are very simple: bread flour, yeast, salt and water, but this bread requires two days to make.  The bread instructions begin on page 135 of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  There are five different versions of Ciabatta in the book and you can choose any version you would like.  You can try as many as you like, but you’ll only need to make one of them for the purposes of this challenge.  Good luck and happy baking!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun!  First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Read the first section of the book carefully, as this will prepare you for the bread recipes in the second section of the book.  Then just jump in and bake some Anadama Bread! But first, please visit The BBA Challenge Page for more details on how to participate in the group!

If you haven’t already, you might want to bookmark the BBA Challenge Page.  From there you can see which breads are coming up soon, find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit and/or add yourself to our World Map, see the BBA Challenge Blogroll, and check out the continually updated slideshow of BBA Bread photos from our ever-expanding group of bakers!

For those of you who are participating in The BBA Challenge, here are some questions:  How did you like the Challah?  Did you make one large braid or two smaller ones?  What type of braid did you choose?  Did you learn anything new while using this formula?

And remember, if you wrote a blog post about Challah, or have photos available online, please leave a comment and share your link!

Challah from other BBA Challenge members:

• Challah from Tiramisu’
• Challah from Confessions of a Penguin Chef
• Challah from Claudine on Flickr
• Challah from Something Shiny
• Challah from In Good Taste
• Challah from The Missing Piece
• Challah from My Hawaiian Home
• Challah from Round the Table
• Challah from Second Dinner
• Challah from Susie’s Home and Hobbies
• Challah from Of Cabbages and King Cakes
• Challah from That Certain Age
• Challah from A Tiger in the Kitchen
• Challah from Crispy Waffle
• Challah from Way More Homemade
• Challah from Italian Food Forever

As you all know, I am a huge fan of simple recipes.  What you might not know is that buttermilk is a staple in my house and I am almost never without it.  I even keep powdered buttermilk in the pantry for those rare times when I don’t have the fresh stuff in the fridge.  It adds such a nice flavor and texture to baked goods that I’ll often adapt recipes to include it even when it’s not originally called for.  So when I saw a recipe in last month’s Gourmet magazine that was simple, included buttermilk on the ingredient list, and looked absolutely delicious, of course I had to try it.

The recipe I’m referring to is Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.  I didn’t have any fresh raspberries on hand, but I did have a handful of blueberries and a pint of strawberries in the fridge, so I decided to adapt.  Although I know the raspberry version is probably delicious, I’m really glad I opted to use the berries I had on hand.  Not only was it a great combination, but this would be a perfect Red, White, and Blue Cake for a Fourth of July barbecue.  Served with whipped cream and extra berries, it would be both festive and delicious.

The ingredient list is simple: flour plus leavening, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and fresh berries.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla then add flour (plus leavening and salt) and buttermilk alternately in batches.  You’ll have a nice fluffy batter at the end.

Scrape the batter into a cake pan that has been buttered and floured (I like to make it easy by just spraying the pan with Baker’s Joy).

Smooth the top with a spatula.

Then sprinkle your fresh berries evenly over the top.  You can use whatever berries you have on hand, or even chopped peaches or nectarines.  You want to use about a cup of fruit.

Now sprinkle the raw sugar over the top of the fruit.

Bake the cake until golden, about 25 minutes.  As you can see, the cake rises up and over the berries so they end up in the middle of the cake.

After it has cooled in the pan for ten minutes, turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I decorated mine with extra fresh berries and if I would have had some whipped cream or ice cream on hand, I would have served it with that.

But it was delicious all by itself!

Blueberry and Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from this recipe in Gourmet

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
heaping tablespoon of raw sugar (demerara, turbinado or Sugar in the Raw)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (or spray with Baker’s Joy or equivalent).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about two minutes.  Add vanilla and egg and beat well.  With the mixer set to low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Add half the buttermilk and continue beating on low speed until incorporated.  Scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, beat in another 1/3 of flour mixture then remaining buttermilk. Finally beat in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined.

3. Scrape batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.  Scatter blueberries and strawberries evenly over the top of the cake batter then sprinkle with raw sugar.

4. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool in the pan for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool until warm.  Invert onto a plate.  Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries on the side.

Related Recipes:

• Coconut Lime Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Easy Lemon Cake
• Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Around the Web:

• Vanilla Buttermilk Cake from A Whisk and a Spoon
• Buttermilk Cake with Berries from Food Mayhem
• Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Cake from Christine Cooks
• Buttermilk Cake with White Chocolate and Dried Apricots from Sweet Sins
• Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy,Chewy

This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite.  The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late.  But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.

Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all.  But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected.  And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables.  And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me!

Yesterday at lunchtime I was starving.  But as I rummaged around my kitchen, I realized that I had no quick snacks to grab.  I had no bread to make a sandwich, no crackers or bananas to smear with peanut butter, and no leftover dinner to reheat in the microwave.  It shouldn’t have been a big deal since I have a fridge and pantry stocked with ingredients, but I had let myself get too hungry and I really needed something fast.  Yes, I could have eaten a bowl of cereal, but I decided to step up to the EDF challenge, and start eating down my fridge.  I drank a tall glass of water to quell my hunger pangs while I started searching for something to prepare.

I found a half-empty jar of marinated artichokes hiding in the back of my refrigerator and decided it was time to use them up.  My first thought was pasta.  So I pulled a box of penne out of the pantry, found a container of kalamata olives and some feta cheese (score!) in the fridge, and was about to get to work.  And then I had a change of heart.  I remembered the jar of tahini and cans of garbanzo beans in the pantry and decided to throw the leftover artichoke hearts in a batch of hummus instead of tossing them with pasta.  And as I was lamenting my lack of pita chips or crackers to go with the hummus, I remembered the package of frozen naan I had picked up at Trader Joe’s on my last visit.  Perfect!  Since hummus only takes minutes to put together, I had lunch in front of me even faster than if I had made the pasta.

Artichoke Hummus

1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped or pressed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of half a lemon (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
small squirt of Sriracha (optional)

1. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary.  Add salt and Sriracha (if using) to taste. Extra lemon juice or tahini may also be added to taste.

2. Spoon hummus onto a plate, creating a bit of a well in the center.  Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.  Serve with your favorite flat bread, crackers, chips, or fresh vegetables.

Recipe Notes: Ingredient amounts, including garlic can be adjusted to suit your own taste.  Be careful with the hot sauce, a little bit adds a nice boost, but too much will overpower the flavors of the hummus.  If you cook your own garbanzo beans rather than using canned, reserve a bit of the cooking liquid to thin the hummus in place of plain water.

Although I have commited to Eating Down the Fridge this week, I did go out to dinner with friends last night because it had been planned before I joined EDF.  I’ll be extending the challenge for an extra day to make up for the dinner out.  Interested in participating in the next round of Eating Down the Fridge?  Join the Facebook Group to receive alerts about upcoming events.

You also might have noticed that I took a week off from The BBA Challenge.  I was in the mountains with my family for a few days and decided I would rather spend quality time away from the computer rather than worry about completing my weekly bread post.  But I will be back Monday to tell you about making Peter Reinhart’s version of Challah!

Related Recipes:

• Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
• Mediterranean Olive Hummus
• Chickpea Soup with Ginger and Coriander

Around the Web:

• Jalapeño & Lime Hummus from Karina’s Kitchen
• Parsley Hummus from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Hummus from Closet Cooking
• Slow Roasted Tomato Hummus from Andrea’s Recipes
• Cilantro Lime Hummus from Two Peas and Their Pod

With today’s modern ice cream makers, frozen fruit mixtures like granitas and sorbets can be whipped up in no time! Usually containing only fresh fruit, water and sugar, Sicilian granita is one of the simplest frozen desserts breakfasts you can make.

We moved back to the California from Sicily a year and a half ago and one of the things I miss most is the granita from Catania. I can’t believe that it took me this long to figure out how simple it is to make granita at home!

My first attempt at granita was a few weeks ago, when I made brioche for The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.  Since I was making brioche for the first time, it only made sense that I attempt some homemade granita. In Sicily, granita and brioche are eaten together for breakfast during the hot months of summer.  It might sound strange, but don’t knock it til you try it!  You’ll also see Sicilians eating ice cream sandwiches of brioche and gelato, another tradition of which I highly approve!

So as I was saying, I made some fresh strawberry granita to go with my brioche.  It was good, but the fruit/water/ sugar ratio wasn’t quite right, so I need to give it another try.  It was the following week that a friend and food writer from Catania showed up unexpectedly on twitter.  And guess what she was tweeting about?  Brioche and granita!  She even shared a quick Lemon Granita recipe.  Of course I had to try it!

Although the textures vary from province to province, the granita I grew accustomed to eating in Catania is somewhat soft and slushy, rather than granular and icy.  By processing it in an ice cream maker until semi-solid, it is quick and easy to replicate the texture of the granita I know and love.

Like anything, the lemon granitas in Sicily vary in sweetness and tartness from bar to bar. Some are almost unbearably tart (I love those!), some are almost too sweet.  I’d say this one falls somewhere in the middle.  Please feel free to adjust the amounts of lemon juice and/or sugar to suit your own taste.

Now I just need someone to teach me how to make granita di mandorla (almond granita) and I’ll be even happier!

Simple Lemon Granita
adapted from this recipe

1 1/2 cups water
scant cup of sugar
juice of 2 1/2 lemons

Heat water and sugar, stirring, until sugar dissolves.  Let cool completely.  Stir in lemon juice and refrigerate until cold.  Process in an ice cream maker until slushy, but not frozen completely.  Serve immediately.

Yield: approximately four servings

Recipe notes: Lemon juice and sugar amounts can be adjusted to suit your own taste.  You may freeze leftovers, but keep in mind that it will freeze solid.  Just let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, then stir with a fork until slushy again before serving.

As you can see, twitter is increasingly becoming the place to talk about food!  Have you joined yet?  If so, you can follow me here.  And don’t forget to follow Alessandra, perhaps she’ll tweet some more of my favorite recipes from Sicily!  And here’s a list of several other food bloggers on Twitter.