by Carolyn Bass | Dec 24, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
Many, many years ago—way back in my teens—I first noticed Pannetone on the shelves of upscale department stores. Packaged with beautiful wrappings and tied with satin bows, these square boxes piqued my interest solely for the look of them. Even though my father had...
by Carolyn Bass | Dec 23, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
Every member of my family has introduced a new food to our holiday dinners. More than 30 years ago my sister, Robin, brought a golden ring of bread that has complemented every family gathering ever since. The bread ring is deceptively simple to make, looks impressive,...
by Carolyn Bass | Dec 22, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
When French peasants were starving from a lack of bread Marie Antoinette was rumored to say, “Let them eat cake.” The traditional French translation for cake is brioche, the velvety soft, sweet bread of France. (This phrase cast the young princess as callous and...
by Carolyn Bass | Dec 21, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
Growing up in California I was introduced to good sourdough bread at a very young age. My Italian father grew up in San Francisco and insisted my mother buy sourdough. We weren’t well off in my childhood and my mother shopped at a day-old bakery where she bought...
by Carolyn Bass | Dec 20, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
When we lived in Japan I loved the soft, fluffy white bread sold at neighborhood bakeries and supermarkets. Sometimes the loaves were completely square, like an old pullman loaf, while other times they were crowned with a beautiful arch. The texture was pillowy soft,...
by Carolyn Bass | Dec 19, 2019 | 12 Breads of Christmas, Recipes
It’s not Christmas until someone makes gingerbread. Gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses, gingerbread cake. Now forget everything you know about that gingerbread, because this yummy yeasted gingerbread is not your fairytale gingerbread. Today’s bread in my 12...
