blog — molly yeh

bread

scallion pull-apart bread

in ,

for the first time since last summer when my mom accidentally spilled coffee all over the cable box attached to the small tv in our kitchen, we have a small working tv in our kitchen. so now, as if the phone and the internet weren't enough of a distraction to make me almost chop all of my fingers off every time i slice a vegetable, i now have olympic rugby and rowing doing that too. which is a good problem to have because the olympics are so great, duh. my favorite parts so far have been the 41-year-old gymnast, the swimming relay with michael phelps, men's volleyball, and the cycling race because it was the same commentators as the tour de france and it made me nostalgic for three weeks ago. my least favorite part was when i got so pumped up for the new zealand women's rugby team to do the haka but then they didn't! does anyone know why? i live 4 the haka. 

when i get sick of the olympics i turn on bojack horseman, my new favorite show. it's so weird and funny. i tried watching stranger things but spent the entire first episode with my hands over my eyes like the scaredy cat that i am and at the end i was still too scared to even walk to the other end of the house by myself without fearing that eleven would appear and suck me up into whatever alien layer she came from. great soundtrack though, no?

anyway. now that my book has gone to print i can really shamelessly cook anything i want from any cookbook i want. before it went to print, there was *always* the option of retesting a recipe from it, but now i don't even have that! so i've been busting through all of ottolenghi's books and all of the great books that just came out or are about to come out and one of my new favorite books is kristin donnelly's modern potluck. there are so many things i want to make in it. i made three recipes from it the weekend it arrived, including some crispy harissa chickpeas, a ribollita that had this addictive preserved lemon pepper relish swirled about, and these here scallion pull-apart rolls, which were a recipe that i contributed because the book is itself a little bit of a potluck, with a few recipes from different contributors. i was soo happy that she asked me to contribute and i felt like these scallion rolls would be a fun, festive, transportable addition to any potluck lineup. they are kind of like big fat scallion pancakes! 

and also big hat tip to julia turshen and gentl + hyers for the inspiration for these photos with the raspberry jam buns in small victories (that is another great book that you should get this fall!).

scallion pull-apart bread

from kristin donnelly's modern potluck

ingredients

for the dough:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)

1 tb sugar

3/4 c warm water

3 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c vegetable or canola oil, plus more for the bowl

for the filling:

roasted sesame oil, for brushing (about 1/4 c)

8 scallions, finely chopped (about 1 c)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

red pepper flakes

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tb water, for brushing

toasted sesame seeds, for topping

clues

make the dough: in a glass measuring cup, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water. let stand until it foams at the top, about 5 minutes.

meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. stir in the yeast mixture and the oil and mix to combine. knead for 7 to 10 minutes, until smooth and springy. transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

make the filling: brush an 8-inch round cake pan with a thin layer of sesame oil. 

on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a long rectangle that's about 24 inches by 9 inches. brush the dough with a thin layer of sesame oil, and sprinkle with the scallions, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. roll the long side of the dough up like a jelly roll and brush the outside with more sesame oil. cut the roll into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces and arrange the pieces cut side up in the cake pan. cover and let it rise for 30 more minutes.

preheat the oven to 375ºf.

brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and a bit more salt. bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top begins to brown. let cool briefly and serve.

and! in the spirit of a potluck, you can leave a comment here to enter to win some great lidded transportable dishes from pyrex! to enter to win a Pyrex® Simply Store® 4 Cup Flowers Storage Dish W/ Turquoise Lid and Storage Plus® 4 Cup Turquoise Lane Storage Dish w/ Turquoise Lid, tell me about your favorite potluck dish and be sure to leave your email in the comment form! giveaway open to u.s. residents. a winner will be chosen at random next week.

-yeh!

ricotta stuffed whole wheat challah (and everything else that i ate over labor day weekend)

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one uncrustable pb + j // at adult summer camp, to soak up the fireside marshmallow vodka and to fuel a late night game of heroes' quest with my new camp friends. i was the wizard! i named him frank and killed an ork with my sword and we totally crushed that game. 

one breakfast beer // if you've ever been sad that your summer camp days are behind you, just sign up for adult summer camp and then embrace the nice bearded guy at the breakfast buffet who is dispensing fancy breakfast beer from a keg.

another uncrustable pb + j // in the car on the way to minneapolis!

a pile of cherry tomatoes from our garden // also in the car on the way to minneapolis and while considering the idea that cherry tomatoes are nature's gushers. would you agree?

a vegetarian jimmy john's sammich // i think i'm becoming a vague vegetarian.

coconut bacon // no really, i actually think i'm becoming a vegetarian.

a roasted cauliflower and chickpea taco // prepared by none other than a couple cooks!!!! **happy dance** 

an ottolenghi's black pepper tofu taco // i brought tofu to a party. who am i. 

a boozy beef banh mi taco // melissa made beef and when melissa makes beef you stop entertaining the idea of becoming a vegetarian. 

pie, cookies, one luxurious bite of a morning bun // the details of which i must keep secret because they were test runs of recipes for sarah's book (!!!!) ohmygah, you're going to absolutely *need* that book. 

a variety of swedish pancakes // savored in #thefauxhouse over blog shop talk, glorious blog shop talk <3

one bite of many different glam doll donuts // with my brunch club ladies! 

a pile of salad // from whole foods on our drive back from minneapolis. our options were: stop at the state fair for dinner of fried things on a stick or stop at the whole foods for vegetables and more vegetables. we chose the opposite of yolo-ing on that one but now we have really fantastic hard-to-find-in-our-little-town vegetables for the week and i am so excited about it. 

ricotta stuffed whole wheat challah // i made these mini loaves of challah for the drive to summer camp on friday night! they were kind of in celebration of friday pizza night, because when you eat cheese stuffed bread with a fresh tomato, you basically have pizza. 

you can go a few different directions with these little loaves. i made a few personal-sized rolls and a few that are perfect for sharing with a friend (or perhaps... a date!). you could also make one large loaf, but that's not as fun. i tossed a bunch of za'atar into the dough to add extra flavor, and topped them with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds for protein and prettiness. the seeds also add such crunchy textural fun to a fluffy challah and creamy ricotta party. these loaves are round because rosh hashanah is coming up (!!!), and yeah, with the whole wheat and seeds and everything they're definitely healthier than last year's marzipan challah and brown sugar challah, but you should go check those out too because the more challah the better the new year!

ricotta stuffed whole wheat za'atar challah mini loaves with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds

makes 8 personal rolls or 4 medium shareable loaves

ingredients

dough:

2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast

3/4 c warm water

1/4 c + 1 teaspoon sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/4 c whole wheat flour

1/4 c za'atar, optional

2 large eggs

1/3 c flavorless oil, like canola or vegetable

filling

1 c ricotta cheese

additional shredded cheese (optional... i like using a sprinkling of parmesan cheese)

kosher salt

eggwash + topping

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

pumpkin seeds

sesame seeds

kosher salt + black pepper

clues

dough:

In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar and give it a little stir. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it becomes foamy on top. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the salt, flours, za'atar (if using) and remaining sugar. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil.

When the yeast is foamy, add it to the dry mixture immediately followed by the egg mixture and stir to combine. Knead, either by hand on a floured surface or with a dough hook for 7-10 minutes, adding more white flour as necessary (but try not too add too much), until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until it has doubled in size, about 2-3 hours. 

to shape:

Divide the dough into 4 or 8 parts, depending on how big you'd like your loaves to be. Pat them out into long rectangles (about 2 1/2" x 9" for personal rolls, 2 1/2" x 18" for medium loaves) and then spread with a thin even layer of ricotta. top with a sprinkling of additional cheese, if desired, and a sprinkling of salt. Roll up the rectangles the long way so you have long skinny snakes and and pinch the edges well to seal in the cheese. Roll the snakes into spirals to get round loaves and then let them rise for 30 more minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375ºf. 

Brush the loaves with a thin even layer of egg wash and then sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper and bake until golden brown. Begin checking for doneness after 25 minutes. Let cool slightly and enjoy! Preferably with a fresh tomato. Do the challah/fresh tomato double fist.

-yeh!

photo credit to alex for that second to last photo (of what melissa titled "the real housewives of food blogging" 😂), and photo credit to eggboy for the photo of me with a wooden spoon that i whittled at camp!!!! 

 

no-knead bacon bread

in

ok! i made you a pot of bread and then i used the pot to make you some soup and i didn't even wash it in between. nose-to-tail pot. or something? i don't know. 

a little while back, i had a layover in chicago like i so often do because the amount of places that i can fly directly to from fargo is approximately not that many at all, and mum showed up to keep me company on my layover with this gorgeous breathtaking rustic loaf of bread that was crusty and chewy and perfect with a slathering of egg salad. i couldn't stop eating it and inspecting its cute oblong shape. above all though, it was so shocking because if you know mum (and me) you know that our breads are usually very doughy and pillowy soft. always a challah, never a boule. hold the crust, add more sugar.

but as i sat outside of baggage claim and stuffed my face, mum went on about how she will not be making any other kind of bread ever again. this is her new favorite bread and every other bread can suck it. (she didn't really say that second part.) she went on to explain the process: there's no kneading necessary, no eggs or sugar or butter or oil, just a lot of patience, bread flour, and a dutch oven. it sounded a lot like how you prepare pizza dough. a big big cake of pizza dough. 

(oh did somebody say cake?)

so i obviously rushed home to begin work on my version of mum's bread. it has bacon, chives, and a lot of black pepper. you can use any other kind of salty meat, like pancetta, prosciutto, salami... but if you're as big of a fan of alliteration as i am, you'll use bacon. and if you really want to up the decadence ante, you can reserve the bacon fat and use it in place of butter on a hot fresh bread slice. oooh yeah, baby.

it's true, this recipe does take time, but none of the steps require that much effort at all. a little mixing here, a heavy dusting of flour there. it's the perfect recipe if you're binge watching kimmy schmidt and you need an excuse to get up every few episodes and do one simple brainless activity at a time. 

no-knead bacon bread

makes one loaf

ingredients

approximately 4 1/2 c bread flour

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp kosher salt

1 c + 6 tb warm water

8 oz bacon

2 tb chopped fresh chives

black pepper

clues

in a large bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the salt. stir in the water until combined. it will be very very very sticky. cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise overnight, 12 hours or so. longer if you'd like. 

crisp up your bacon, pat off excess fat, and then give it a rough chop. sprinkle it into the bread dough, along with the chives and a heavy dose of black pepper. mix it a few times so that everything is generally incorporated (it doesn't need to be perfect, we just don't want too many bacon bits poking their heads out). lay down a clean kitchen towel on our counter and place a piece of parchment paper or a silpat on top of it. brush the parchment or silpat with a very thin layer of the bacon fat (or oil) and lay down a thick layer of flour, about 1/2-3/4 cup. scrape the dough onto the floured surface and use heavily floured hands to shape it into a round-ish blob. (again, it doesn't need to be perfect.) sprinkle the top with another thick layer of flour. brush another piece of parchment with oil, place it over the dough blob, and cover it all with another towel. let it sit for 1 1/2 hours.

during the last 1/2 hour of sitting time, preheat your oven to 450ºf, with a lidded dutch oven in it. (make sure your dutch oven and its lid are heat safe at 450ºf! also, i use a 2.75 qt dutch oven. you can certainly use a larger one, the loaf just won't be as tall as the one in these pictures since the dough will spread more.)

carefully remove the dutch oven from your oven and take off the lid. uncover the bread dough, stick your hand underneath it and flop it over into the dutch oven. (mum calls this step "scary and messy.") cover the dutch oven, stick it into your oven and bake for 30 minutes. remove the lid and then bake for another 15-20 minutes, until it is nicely browned on top. 

let it cool for about an hour, and then rip some off and dunk it into a bowl of soup.

a note on storing this: i get really paranoid about having meat things sitting out at room temperature for too long. so the way i've been storing this bread is that as soon as it cools, i slice it into single serving wedges, and put all of them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. i reheat it slice by slice briefly in the microwave, and then in the toaster or on the grill. it is *perfect* for avocado toast.

-yeh!

this bread is shown here with a great new thing: campbell's organic lentil soup! i really really like it for these reasons: it's very tasty, it doesn't require me to use my least favorite kitchen appliance (the can opener), and i know what all of the ingredients are without having to think hard or google anything. that is to say that there are no preservatives and it's made with organic ingredients. yes, this post is sponsored by campbell's, but truly, all of the soups in this new line that i've tried (there are six of them) have been wonderfully delicious and perfect with a slice of crusty bread. so go, put some bread dough in to rise and then run out to the store for some soup! 

fairy toast, three ways

in

yo. listen to this thing that kids eat in australia: bread with butter and (wait for it) sprinkles. 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that's it! it even has a cute name! it's called fairy bread. i think i'm actually probably really late to the game on this one, but i just can't get over how adorable everything is about it. it's like five-second funfetti. the happiest open-faced sandwich in all the land. the life of the australian birthday party. the new number one reason why i want to go to australia (sorry, koalas!!!). 

look at this buzzfeed list of fun fairy bread-inspired recipes. 

when i received my new best friend, the toaster, over the holidays (thank you, stella!!!!!!!!), it was clear that there would be only one way to christen it. fairy toast. on big thick bread, with silly toppings. it was so much fun. usually when i use that many sprinkles, i have to earn it by way of baking a cake, frosting it, etc., but this time i just had to toast bread and it felt so wrong but so so right.

for a good smile, try this.

fairy toast, three ways

the olivia newton-john (classic) // white toast + butter + sprinkles

the healthy one // multigrain toast + coconut butter + naturally dyed sanding sugar

the lorde (lively and far from traditional) // sourdough toast + butter + sweetened condensed milk + bits of marzipan

-yeh!