Category: bread

Irish Scones with Kumquat Marmalade

Zoë François 20 Comments

Irish Scones Recipe | ZoëBakes | Photo by Zoë François

I fell mad in love with Ireland and have had the good fortune to visit a couple of times. My first stop after the long flight was to a farm, where I had my first Irish scone with marmalade. The love affair with the country and its scones was set in that moment. Like biscuits or pie dough here in America, there seems to be a scone recipe for every household in Ireland. The one constant is the quality of the butter and dairy used to make them. This is such a simple recipe and the butter makes all the difference, so go with a good one. I used Kerrygold, because I met the farmers and cows while in Ireland and know its incredible. You can use any “European” style butter, because it has a higher fat content than most American brands. The other thing I associate with Irish scones is the shape, round. I like a tall scone, so I press the dough into a thick mass before cutting out the shape. The bigger the scone, the more surface there is to spread it with marmalade. Every table in Ireland served scones with a jar of marmalade, which pretty much satisfies all my needs. I LOVE marmalade! It is the perfect balance of sweet and bitter. It is bright in color and flavor and goes with scones or ice cream or just a spoon. I made this kumquat “marmalade” by just cooking down fresh kumquats with sugar, that’s it. No pectin to deal with just gentle cooking. Because I am not thickening the juices, this is a bit runnier than a traditional marmalade. Works brilliantly for me.

Watch me make the marmalade on my Instagram stories!

Irish Scones with Kumquat Marmalade Recipe | ZoeBakes | Photo by Zoë François Read More

Cardamom Enriched Sweet Dough

Zoë François 1 Comment

Cardamom Enriched Sweet Dough

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Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups (420ml) lukewarm water
  • 1 tbsp granulated yeast
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom optional
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup (170g) honey
  • 8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter melted
  • 7 1/2 cups (1060g) bread flour

Instructions

  • Mixing and storing the dough: In a 5-quart container, mix Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and melted butter with the water. Add the flour, then use a spoon, Danish dough whisk or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to mix until uniform. Cover (not airtight) and allow to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours.
  • Dough can be used as soon as it’s chilled after the initial rise, or frozen for later use. Refrigerate remainder in a non-airtight lidded container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond that, the dough stores well in the freezer for up to four weeks in an airtight container. Freeze in one-pound portions.
  • When using frozen dough, thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before use, then allow usual rest and rise times. Defrost dough overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.

For Cinnamon Bun Epi on Instagram

  • Start with a buttery, rich dough. I used the recipe above, cardamom is optional. Divide the dough and flatten into 2 approximately 10 x 18" rectangles.
  • Make a cinnamon sugar mixture (mix 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tbsp. cinnamon) and sprinkle half over one rectangle of dough, then repeat with the second rectangle.
  • Roll the dough up lengthwise (the long way). Stretch the log to 36 inches and snip the dough at a 20 degree angle into 3-inch long sections and place into a generously buttered epi pan.
  • The pointy end of each should be facing out (see video). Overlap the pieces in the pan. Cover the dough with the epi pan lid and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and place rack on bottom shelf. Bake for about 15 minutes covered, then uncover and continue baking 15 more minutes.
  • Serve with cream cheese frosting and almonds, if desired!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Raspberry Swirl Bread from Do-It-All Dough

Zoë François 3 Comments
Raspberry Swirl Bread from Do-It-All Dough | ZoeBakes photo by Zoë François

As you know from all of my Breadin5 books, I am a BIG fan of a Do-It-All Dough. A dough that can go from sweet to savory, depending on your mood. I may want to make a deep-dish pizza after work or bake cinnamon rolls on the weekend all from the same dough recipe. I also believe in baking easy at the holidays and this recipe is PERFECT! If your oven is occupied by your holiday roast and potatoes, you can bake this SWIRL BREAD IN THE SLOW COOKER – NO OVEN!

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Raisin Pecan Bread

Zoë François 533 Comments

Let me tell you about this raisin pecan loaf that I baked from my book, New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (Breadin5). I made our big batch of the Master Recipe using Platinum Yeast from Red Star Yeast, then pulled off a piece of dough, rolled in some raisins and pecans using a French Rolling Pin from JK Adams, let it rest and scored the top with a super sharp Bread Knife from Shun Cutlery just before I baked it in an Emile Henry Cloche. Two days later I took out another piece of dough and rolled in olives and sharp VT cheddar. Five days later I grabbed yet another bit of dough, put it in a proofing basket and baked it as a pure and simple boule. If you have a bucket of dough on hand, you’ll have the base for all of these fantastic loaves.

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