Baking and Pastry | Saveur

Sweet Fried Milk Buns with Ice Cream, Peanuts, and Cilantro

Danielle Spencer — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 23:45:00 +0000

Photo: Nina Gallant • Food Styling: Madison Trapkin. Photo: Nina Gallant • Food Styling: Madison Trapkin

Peanut- and cilantro-topped ice cream may seem surprising, but this is a popular flavor combination in Taiwan’s coastal Yilan County, where night market vendors roll the ingredients in thin wheat-flour wrappers for a beloved snack called hua shen juan bing qi. At Win Son in Brooklyn, pastry chef Danielle Spencer fries fluffy milk-bread dough to make an oversized and shareable ice cream sandwich inspired by the famous street food. For an over-the-top flourish, Win Son co-owner and chef Trigg Brown suggests frying the peanuts in salted butter.

Featured in “6 Bold Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes to Change Things Up This Summer” by Kat Craddock.

Yield: Makes 8 sandwiches

Time: 8 hours

¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole milk
½ tsp. active dry yeast
2 cups plus 3 Tbsp. (275 g) bread flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter
Vegetable oil, for frying
Vanilla ice cream
Coarsely chopped peanuts, cilantro leaves, sesame seeds, flaky salt, and sweetened condensed milk, for garnish

Instructions

In a medium pot, cook the milk over low heat until just barely warm to the touch (75–80°F). Transfer the milk to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, sprinkle in the yeast, and set aside until slightly foamy, 3–5 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, and salt, then mix on the lowest speed just until a shaggy dough begins to form, about 4 minutes. Turn the speed up to the second-lowest setting, add the butter, and continue mixing, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally, until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and the dough is smooth and elastic, 8–10 minutes. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to 2 days.
Lightly oil a clean work surface. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper as well. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and, using a bench knife or chef’s knife, divide into eight 2½-ounce portions. Roll each portion into smooth balls, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature until the buns have nearly doubled in size, 45–60 minutes.
Place a wire rack in a large rimmed baking sheet and set it aside. Into a heavy pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and turn the heat to medium-high. When the temperature reads 325°F, working in batches, gently drop the dough portions into the oil and fry the buns, using a metal spoon to occasionally flip them and baste the tops with the oil, until the exterior is blistered and deep golden brown, 4–6 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, transfer to the rack to cool while you fry the rest of the buns. Set aside until cool to the touch.
Use a serrated knife to split each bun in half. Place half of the halves into individual shallow bowls or on a large platter. Top each with a generous scoop of ice cream, followed by the remaining bun halves, pressing down lightly to make sandwiches. Garnish with peanuts, cilantro, sesame seeds, flaky salt, and sweetened condensed milk, then serve immediately, with spoons.

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Ginger Matcha Ice Cream Sandwiches

Hannah Bae — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 23:37:38 +0000

Photo: Nina Gallant • Food Styling: Madison Trapkin

A former business operations manager, Hannah Bae has done extensive recipe testing in the name of engineering the ideal ice cream texture for Noona’s, her eight-year-old line of frozen treats inspired by Asian American foods and flavors. Bae uses dextrose, a sugar derived from grapes, to ensure a soft and scoopable texture, as well as guar gum, a popular plant-based ice cream stabilizer that helps prevent the formation of icy crystals over time. If you plan to serve the ice cream within a few days of freezing, feel free to omit the latter. To best preserve the matcha powder’s delicate flavor, be sure to cool the ice cream base thoroughly before adding the tea.

Featured in “6 Bold Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes to Change Things Up This Summer” by Kat Craddock.

Yield: Makes 14 sandwiches

Time: 12 hours

Ingredients

For the ice cream:

¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. dextrose
2 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. malted milk powder
Pinch guar gum (optional)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup matcha
¼ tsp. fine salt

For the cookies:

12 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. fine salt
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1¾ cups (215 g) all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda

Instructions

Make the ice cream: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, dextrose, malted milk powder, and guar gum (if using). To a medium pot, add the milk and heavy cream, then whisk in the sugar mixture. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, then pour into a large heatproof bowl, cover, and refrigerate or freeze until cool to the touch, about 2 hours in the fridge, or 20 minutes in the freezer.
Uncover the ice cream base, sift in the matcha powder, and use an immersion blender to incorporate. Alternatively, add the matcha to a small bowl, whisk in ½ cup of the ice cream base to make a smooth paste, then whisk the matcha paste back into the bowl of ice cream base. (If any clumps remain, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve.) Cover and return the liquid to the fridge to rest for 8–24 hours.
Meanwhile, make the cookies: In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, ginger, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda, then using a silicone spatula, fold the flour mixture into the butter-and-egg mixture. Refrigerate until the dough is cool but still soft and pliable, at least 20 minutes or up to 12 hours. (If refrigerating for more than an hour, cover the bowl.)
Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Scoop the dough into 28 two-tablespoon portions. Stagger the portions on two parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. (If the cookies do not all fit on two sheets, refrigerate the remaining dough and bake in batches.)
Bake, rotating and swapping the top and bottom pans halfway through cooking, until light golden brown but slightly underbaked in the center, 7–8 minutes. Set aside to cool completely on the baking sheets; the cookies will flatten and continue cooking as they cool. (If making ahead of time, transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Transfer the matcha liquid to an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until thick, frozen, and no longer wet in appearance, about 25 minutes. Add the salt and continue churning to incorporate, about 3 minutes.
Assemble the ice cream sandwiches: Line a baking sheet or large platter with parchment paper and place 14 of the cookies on it, bottoms up. Top each with approximately ¼ cup of ice cream, then top with the remaining cookies, pressing down slightly. (If you like, smooth the sides with the edge of an offset spatula.) Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. Serve straight from the freezer. (Wrapped tightly in plastic, the sandwiches keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.)

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Brown Butter Sugar Cookies

Javier Zuniga — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:01:43 +0000

Photo: Nina Gallant • Food Styling: Madison Trapkin. Photo: Nina Gallant • Food Styling: Madison Trapkin

At Bad Habit Ice Cream—a natural wine bar-meets-scoop-shop in New York City—a reach-in freezer is stocked with to-go pints and Big Mac-sized ice cream sandwiches featuring chef and co-owner Javier Zuniga’s playfully elevated flavor combinations. These chewy sugar cookies starring rich, nutty brown butter frequently sandwich fruit-based ice creams such as roasted banana or sweet milk with a swirl of orange marmalade or fig jam. Fake it at home by softening a quart of store-bought vanilla ice cream and folding in a ripple of your favorite preserves.

Featured in “6 Bold Ice Cream Sandwich Recipes to Change Things Up This Summer” by Kat Craddock.

Yield: Makes 32 cookies

Time: 6 hours

26 Tbsp. (13 oz.) unsalted butter
3 cups (21 oz.) light brown sugar
2¾ cups (14 oz.) all-purpose flour
2 tsp. fine salt
1½ tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks

Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and cook, using a wooden spoon to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot frequently, until the solids are toasty, browned, and very fragrant, about 8 minutes. (Do not walk away from the stove; butter can go from perfectly browned to burned and bitter very quickly.) Remove from the heat, then immediately stir in the brown sugar. Set aside until room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
When the butter-sugar mixture has cooled, use the wooden spoon or a silicone spatula to stir in the eggs and yolks, then stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 4 and up to 24 hours.
Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Scoop the dough into 32 two-tablespoon portions, then roll each into golf ball-sized spheres. Working in batches, arrange the spheres 3 inches apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets and bake, rotating and swapping the top and bottom pans halfway through cooking, until the cookies have spread and are lightly browned on top and slightly darker at the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Between batches, rinse (under cold water), dry, and reline the baking sheets with parchment. Serve warm or at room temperature, or, if making ice cream sandwiches, chill the cookies before assembling.

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Estela’s Tomato Toast

Ignacio Mattos — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 17:44:33 +0000

Marcus Nilsson (Courtesy Artisan). Marcus Nilsson (Courtesy Artisan)

Ignacio Mattos, the chef at New York City’s celebrated Estela, likes to use milky, buttery Fromager d’Affinois for this open-faced tomato sandwich, but Brie or any triple-cream French cheese would also be delicious here. The flaky sea salt can be swapped out for gray salt.

Featured in “The Best Tomato Sandwich Isn’t a Sandwich at All” by Marian Bull.

Yield: 1

Time: 15 minutes

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
One scant ¼-in.-thick slice pumpernickel or other dense, seeded bread, crusts removed
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp. Fromager d’Affinois, Brie, or triple-cream French cheese, softened (with or without rind, as desired)
1 firm-ripe heirloom tomato, sliced into ⅛-in.-thick rounds
2 pinches flaky sea salt

Instructions

To a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the bread and toast, pressing down with the back of a spatula so it cooks evenly, until well charred and deep brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. (It’s okay to have a few blackened bits; if the edges are burnt, just slice them off.)
Rub one side of the toast lightly with the garlic, then spread the cheese on top in a light, even layer. Season the tomato slices with flaky salt.
Arrange the tomato slices on the toast, letting them drape over the sides. Drizzle with the remaining oil and serve immediately.

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Plum-Blackberry Pie

Mitchell Davis and Laurent Gras — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 22:20:00 +0000

Belle Morizio. Belle Morizio

This plum-blackberry pie recipe and technique—from chef Laurent Gras and writer Mitchell Davis—can be adapted to use just about any summer fruit that you like. Try substituting the vanilla to your taste with almond extract or any liqueur. If working with extremely ripe and juicy fruit, add an extra tablespoon or two of cornstarch to adequately thicken the filling.

Featured in “4 Simple Steps to Baking Better Pie.”

Yield: Makes one 8-inch pie

Time: 10 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled, plus more for greasing
⅓ cup vegetable shortening, chilled

For the filling:

1 lb. fresh plums, pitted and sliced into ⅓-in. pieces (about 6 cups)
5 oz. fresh or frozen blackberries (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

Make the crust: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, incorporate the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Drizzle 5 tablespoons of cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, gently work the mixture into clumps to begin to form a dough. Drizzle in an additional 5 tablespoons of cold water and continue working just until the dough comes together. Use your hands to pull in the last bits of flour, being careful not to overwork and melt the butter. Shape the dough into a ball.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface, and flatten into a ½-inch-thick disk. Fold it over itself, then flatten and fold an additional 4 times to form layers. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a disk, wrap them each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24. Pull the dough from the refrigerator 15–20 minutes before you are ready to roll it out.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir together the plums, berries, sugar, vanilla, and salt and set aside at room temperature until the juices begin to run from the fruit, about 30 minutes. Carefully pour off the excess juices, then sprinkle the fruit with the cornstarch and mix gently to incorporate the starch into the filling.
Assemble the pie: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch pie plate with butter. Dust a countertop with flour and roll half of the pie dough out to a 15-inch circle. Gently lift the crust and settle it into the pie plate, leaving any overhanging crust intact. Pour the fruit mixture into the crust and press it down carefully to fill.
Make the lattice top: Roll the other half of the dough out to a 6-by-14- inch rectangle. Use a knife or a fluted pastry cutter to cut the rectangle into ½-inch-wide strips. Place one strip across the center of the top of the pie. Leaving an equal amount of space between each strip, lay one strip parallel to the first. Working in the opposite direction, weave the remaining strips of dough over and under to create a lattice. Trim the ends of the lattice strips to the same size as the bottom crust, then fold the bottom layer up and over the loose strips. Crimp the edges together to decorate the rim of the pie. Chill the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes, or until the dough is firm.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350°F. Continue baking until the juices are thickened and bubbly and the crust is evenly golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (If the outside edge begins to darken before the filling has thickened, loosely cover the rim and any dark spots with foil for the remaining time.) Let the pie cool completely, about 2 hours, before cutting into wedges and serving.

The post Plum-Blackberry Pie appeared first on Saveur.

Dutch Baby

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:38:21 +0000

Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Browned in the oven, this large-format pancake makes for a fun alternative to the traditional griddle cakes. This version of the Dutch baby is adapted from former Honolulu magazine editor David Eyre, who famously shared the recipe from the 1919 Hotel St. Francis Cookbook with New York Times food editor Craig Claiborne in 1966. It became the most requested recipe of Claiborne’s career—and still holds up today.

While the Dutch baby comes out of the oven perfectly puffed, it collapses quickly—the surface will deflate like a balloon as you sprinkle the powdered sugar and lemon juice on top. The pancake will still be just as delectable, but if you want your guests to enjoy the dramatic presentation, plan accordingly.

Buy the SAVEUR Selects Nitri-Black Carbon Steel 12-Inch Frying Pan here.

Yield: 2–4

Time: 20 minutes

2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole milk
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
Juice of ½ lemon (about 1½ Tbsp.)
Jam, preserves, or marmalade, for serving (optional)
Toasted walnuts, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then whisk in the flour, milk, and nutmeg until incorporated but still slightly lumpy (do not overmix or the pancake will be tough).
In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When it stops foaming, pour the batter into the center of the skillet.
Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. (If you open the oven door to check, be careful not to disturb the skillet or else the pancake will start deflating.)
Working quickly, remove the skillet from the oven and sift the sugar over the surface of the pancake. Return to the oven and bake for 2 minutes more.
Sprinkle the pancake with lemon juice and serve immediately with jam and walnuts, if desired.

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Pan con Tomate

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:40:27 +0000

Photo: Linda Xiao • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Summer Moore. Photo: Linda Xiao • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Summer Moore

Pan con tomate translates as bread with tomato, and that’s basically all it is. But what a combination! The dish originated in northern Spain, in the region of Catalonia. There, it’s known as pa amb tomaquet, and it’s usually eaten at lunch or dinner, as a light side dish. But down south in Andalusia, pan con tomate is more often eaten in the morning, and it’s a hearty and luscious food. Its simplicity belies the pleasure that comes whenever it is served. All you need is good-quality olive oil, bread, garlic, a ripe tomato, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Use the largest holes on a box grater to get at the juicy meat of a beefsteak tomato, discarding most of its skin as you go. Next, rub pieces of toasted baguette with a clove of garlic, drizzle them with olive oil, and top with the sweet grated tomato and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Yield: 4

Time: 15 minutes

Two 6-in. pieces baguette, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 very ripe large tomatoes
Coarse sea salt

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500°F. Place the baguette halves on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Using your fingers, rub the garlic over the cut surface of the toasts, then drizzle with oil.
Place a box grater over a large bowl and grate the cut sides of the tomatoes over the largest holes, discarding the skins. Spoon the grated tomatoes onto the toasts, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve immediately.

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Thai Sugar Cookies

Austin Bush — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 21:18:48 +0000

Austin Bush. Austin Bush

This recipe is brought to you by the SAVEUR Cookbook Club, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

In his travels through the island city of Phuket, cookbook author Austin Bush noticed an abundance of sweets and snacks made with wheat-based flour. Though most Thai-style treats are rice-based, the cuisine of Phuket province is shaped by the history of its Chinese residents, most notably laborers who brought with them an appetite for wheat-based noodles, breads, and treats. These cookies, sold by a Phuket bakery in operation for more than two generations, are known by Hokkien Chinese as khanom naa taek, or “cracked top.” Their light color and small size make them a perfect snack to accompany coffee or afternoon tea.

Ammonium bicarbonate is an ingredient used as a leavening agent in many Thai sweets and baked goods. During the baking process, it releases both carbon dioxide and ammonia, and can produce a strong, almost noxious smell. At high heat, however, the aroma disappears completely, leaving behind a flavor akin to fortune cookies. (If your oven can’t reach as high as 500°F, Bush suggests cranking it to its maximum heat and baking a minute or two longer to ensure your cookies emerge crispy, toasty, and ammonia-aroma-free.)

Featured in “Decades of Travel Inform This Guide to Southern Thai Cooking” by Jessica Carbone.

Yield: Makes 50–60 cookies

Time: 30 minutes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. ammonium bicarbonate
½ tsp. fine salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1–2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, ammonium bicarbonate, salt, and baking powder. Stir in the oil, egg, food coloring (if using), and 1 tablespoon of water. Using your hands, knead until the ingredients are well incorporated.
Roll heaping teaspoons (10 grams each) of the dough into balls and space at least ½ inch apart on two large unlined baking sheets. Using your finger, make a shallow dimple in the top of each ball.
Bake, rotating halfway through, until the cookies are just firm and slightly toasted on the bottom, about 7 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets. The cookies are best eaten the day they are baked but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

The post Thai Sugar Cookies appeared first on Saveur.

Salmorejo

Alex Raij — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:48:23 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

I first encountered salmorejo—gazpacho‘s thicker, more decadent cousin—in Madrid. The cool and creamy tomato soup transcended seasonality. It was topped with egg and jamón ibérico, which wept fatty tears over its surface. Salmorejo demands that you act as a Spaniard and mop up every drop with bread. Then, like an American, you order another bowl.

Yield: 8

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

3 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
8 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 baguette (10 oz.), preferably stale, cut into large pieces
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
½ small yellow onion
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
1½ cups finely chopped Ibérico or serrano ham, or prosciutto
3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped

Instructions

To a blender, add the salt, tomatoes, baguette, garlic, onion, and enough boiling water to cover; set aside for 1 hour.
Reserve 1 cup of the liquid. Drain the vegetables and return them to the blender. Add the oil, vinegar, and reserved liquid. Purée until silky, then season with salt and additional vinegar to taste. Refrigerate until chilled.
Pour the salmorejo into eight bowls and top evenly with the ham, eggs, and a drizzle of oil.

The post Salmorejo appeared first on Saveur.

Torrijas (Spanish ‘French’ Toast)

Benjamin Kemper — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 23:04:31 +0000

Photo: Andrew Bui • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Andrew Bui • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Though traditionally deep-fried in olive oil, torrijas—Spain’s quintessential Holy Week dessert that falls somewhere between French toast and bread pudding—are subtler and less greasy when baked, as this knockout recipe from Madrid’s Panem bakery goes to show. Challah or good white sandwich bread may be substituted for the brioche. If you own a kitchen torch, you can use it in lieu of the broiler in step 5 to brûlée the bread on the top and sides. Panem doesn’t top its torrijas with cinnamon sugar, but the flavor combination is so classic that it felt like heresy to exclude it completely. Torrijas will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days, though they lose their sugary crunch after a day or so. The bread slices may be halved into rectangles in step 2 for smaller servings.

Featured in “Torrijas Are Spanish ‘French’ Toast—With a Few Tantalizing Twists,” by Benjamin Kemper.

Yield: 6

Time: 30 hours

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
6 large egg yolks
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped (pod reserved for another use)
Six 1½-in.-thick day-old brioche slices, crusts removed (about 11 oz.)
Cinnamon sugar, for dusting (optional)-sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, ⅓ cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, egg yolks, and vanilla bean seeds. Cover and refrigerate to infuse for 6–24 hours.
Cut the bread into six 4-inch squares, then arrange in a single layer in a medium baking dish. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the custard mixture evenly over the bread. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly soaked, about 24 hours.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Place a large wire rack over a few layers of paper towels. Using a spatula, transfer the bread slices to the rack to dry slightly, about 30 minutes. (Discard any remaining liquid or reserve for another use.)
Place the wire rack with the bread over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the slices are dry at the edges but still pale, 8–12 minutes. Set aside until cool.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the remaining ⅔ cup of sugar evenly over the bread slices. Broil, rotating the baking sheet halfway through cooking (and checking the toasts every minute or so to prevent burning), until the tops are amber in color, 3–5 minutes.
Transfer to a platter, dust with cinnamon sugar if desired, and serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.

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Guinness Soda Bread

Byron Moussouris — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 13:05:18 +0000

Belle Morizio. Belle Morizio

This quick and not-too-sweet brown soda bread comes from Byron Moussouris, the executive head chef of the Bloomsbury Hotel in London. Made with a generous splash of Guinness stout and black treacle—a robust cane syrup similar to molasses—this bread is best served warm or at room temperature, with soft, cultured butter or clotted cream and jam.

Yield: Makes one 8-by-4-inch loaf

Time: 1 hour

1 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats, plus more for sprinkling
1¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup black treacle or molasses
½ cup Guinness

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Lightly grease an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with butter and line with parchment.
In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat and all-purpose flours, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles small crumbs and holds together slightly when squeezed in the palm of your hand. Add the milk, treacle, and Guinness, then use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold the liquids into the dry ingredients just until combined. (Do not overmix.) Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of oats.
Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then unmold the loaf and slice to serve warm (or cool to room temperature before slicing).

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