Delicious fresh Oregano Baguette

During those days with longer weekends and people coming over for brunch or lunch or...I need quite a lot of bread. Of course there is some in the freezer and then there are the breads that you finish by only baking them. But I find that they do not taste as well as a fresh bread from the baker. Some weeks ago I discovered on the King Arthur  website a recipe for a Artisan Bread. And they say that you can store the dough for up to one week in the freezer. In fact for a long time I could´nt understand that one can regfrigerate a dough with yeast and that it will nonetheless raise perfectly. The first time I tried such a "refrigerated dough" was the recipe for a Focaccia that I found in the book "Delicious Days" from Nicole Stich. I made many variation from this Focaccia  (you can find the recipe on my Blog or the original recipe on the Blog from Delicious Days). And now a second recipe for bread where the dough is stored in the fridge. And it also works! You get great perfect crunchy fresh Baguettes! When I served them the last days no one could believe that I´ve done them by my own... So really a great recipe that needs no much time for preparation but needs enough time to raise at room temperature to get a delicious puffy and crispy Bread.

You need (for about 6 small Baguettes or 3 bigger one):

3 cups hot water

8 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. quick yeast

2 Tbsp. dried Oregano

To prepare:
1. In a large bowl pour the water, add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix until there are no dry spots; the texture of the dough should be fairly soft and shaggy looking.
2. Knead the dough gently for a few minutes, by hand or with the dough hook of your kitchen aid (or any other machine). Cover the container and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

3. Refrigerate overnight, or for up to 7 days!
4. To bake baguettes; scoop as many pieces of dough as you want and depending of the size of the Baguettes you intend to make. Place on a floured parchment paper (or work surface) and turn over to coat both sides of the dough with flour then shape into a rough, slightly flattened oval. Sprinkle some of the Oregano over the dough.

5. Fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten slightly, sprinkle once again with some Oregano and fold one more time lengthwise and seal again.

6. With the seam side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough a little bit.
7. Place the Baguettes seam-side down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Cover and allow the baguette to rise till it's very puffy, about 2 hours.
9.When the bread is puffy and doubled in size, slash the baguette several times on the diagonal with a very sharp knife.

10. Spritz the baguette generously with warm water, (this will make the crust super crisp and crackly) and bake in the 220 C preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Would wonder if you would not fall in love with this recipe. In fact there is some dough in my fridge..think that there will be some fresh Baguettes this weekend... :)

For Dessert: French Toast with Mascarpone ice and hot caramelized peaches

I confess that for a long time I was afraid to make French toast at home. All the good toasts I´ve got out in a Café for Breakfast; I thought that I never could do it that good... In my country French Toast is not so well known, so I ate it mainly when beeing in GB or France for Holidays.. I also thought that it would take a long time to do french toast... Since my last stay in London I was determined to try it very soon regardless my fears... And now I could do it every day... It is so easy and so fingerlicking... But why only serve them for Breakfast, why not as a dessert? So I was brooding for some days over the question what to combine with my french toast that I had decided to serve for dessert at my annual "Girlfriends Summer - Dinner"... And I think I´ve got it: a rich, milky icecream + caramelized, slightly warm fruits + the hot, soft French Toast....Yummie
You need (serves 4 - 6 persons):
For the Toast:
- 1 slice toast / person
- 280 ml Milk
- 2 big eggs
- 3 dashes Vanilla Paste (or a scraped vanilla pod)
- 3 Tbsp. butter and enough sunflower oil for the frying pan (to cover the base for about 5 mm)
For the Ice Cream:
- 350 g Mascarpone
- 200 ml Milk
- 90 g icing sugar
2 medium sized eggs
- 2 dashes Vanilla Paste
For the caramelized peaches:
- 2 big peaches (sliced)
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- a good knob butter
To prepare:
1. Start with the preparation of the ice cream as it will need some time to be ready/frozen (the time it needs depends on the way you prepare it: or over night in your fridge or the time that your ice machine needs. In my rather simple ice machine it takes about 50 minutes to get a  creamy ice).
Separate the eggs. Mix together in a bowl Mascarpone, icing sugar, milk and egg yolks until you get a creamy, frothy texture.
2. Beat the eggwhites until stiff and fold them in in your mascarponemix.
3. Put this mix in your ice machine and .. yeah wait until it´s finished and ready to serve.

4. Or you wait until your ice cream is ready to start baking the french toast or you have done the ice the day before or you use one from the supermarket... For the french toast mix together milk, eggs and vanilla paste in a flat dish and place the Toasts in it and let them soak on both sides for several minutes (the longer they soak the more difficult it becomes to handle them but also your toast will be more fluffy... so at least you should let them in your milkmix for about 5 minutes)

5. Heat up sunflower oil and butter in a non sticking pan and bake in it the soaked Toasts. Each side takes about 1 minute, just wait until golden brown and a little bit crispy... If you have to wait for the other toasts reserve the ready done ones in the to 50 C preheated oven. (drain them shortly on a kitchen paper when taken out of the pan)

6. Meanwhile the toast bake you give in an other pan the dark brown sugar and heat it up until it starts to melt. Than add the butter and wait once more until melted. Add the peaches that you have sliced previously and cover them with the caramel by turning them occasionally.

7. On a dish arrange the French Toast with ice and caramelized peaches, dust with icing sugar and drizzle all over some more of your fruitcaramel...

Even when you are no more hungry after your Lunch or Dinner... I would wonder if somebody could resist to this dessert..... :))

Fresh baked Pesto-Parmeggiano Focaccia

I like very much mediterranean food and in my opinion one of its particularity is his simplicity. Bread is quite important in mediterranean kitchen as well as in France, Germany and Austria. The odour from fresh bread is quite unbeatable accompained with the flavour of some fresh brewed coffee, a fine cup of tea or in the evening by a good glass of chilled wine.... Normally to make bread at home takes some time to prepare the dough, then one has to wait for hours until it raises.... The following recipe is easy done. You put the dough over night in your fridge (yes believe me) and bake it the next morning or evening and get a fresh baked bread that is great to savour slightly warm... (based on a recipe from "delicious days").  I like this recipe not only because of his simplicity and fastness but also because one has thousands of possibilities to varie the topping...
You need:
250 ml luke warm water
20 g fresh yeast
250 g all purpose flour
1 Tsp. salt
1 - 2 Tbsp. of Pesto genovese
1 - 2 Tbsp. grated parmeggiano
1 tsp. of coarse sea salt
some good olive oil, a 1 Tbsp. of a mix of dried or fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary..)
To prepare:
1. Dissolve in a bowl the yeast in the luke warm water and stir in the flour and salt until well combined. 
Cover witth a lid and put in the fridge over night.

2. Next morning: take your dough out of the fridge one or two hours before you intend to bake your bread.

3. Pour the dough on a oven tray armed with parchment paper.

4. With a finger tip make some holes in your dough an sprinkle all over with some olive oil. 

5. Disperse on your bread pesto, herbs, sea salt and parmeggiano.

6. Bake in the 230 C preheated oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown

I like this bread fresh out of the oven to dip in different oils such as hazelnut oil, different olive oils (italian, greek, croatian..)....