For this month’s HBin5, I decided to try out the avocado guacamole bread. Like Michelle, I also thought that the loaf would turn out to be slightly green, but it wasn’t. Still, it had a very interesting flavor. I made a half recipe of the bread, and while I can’t say I was all that crazy about it, I’m glad I tried it out. I think what I wasn’t too fond of was the tomato flavor in the bread – I don’t usually put tomatoes in regular guacamole in the first place, so perhaps that’s why. If you love tomatoes and guacamole, then this is a great bread for you!

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For this month’s HBin5 recipe, I decided to bake the chocolate espresso whole wheat loaf. I’ve never made chocolate bread before, although I have made brioche with chocolate ganache. I’m a big fan of enriched breads, so I enjoyed this one very much. And while I can’t post the recipe, I took step-by-step photos as I made the bread, so I’ll detail those steps below. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book if you haven’t already and trying this one out, especially if you’ve never tried any yeasted sweet breads before. Also, if you’re a chocolate lover but not so much in love with coffee, don’t worry – the coffee taste isn’t strong at all. Give this loaf a try today and chase away the Monday blues!

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One of the things I love the most about the weekend (aside from sleeping in, of course) is that I have time to be leisurely in the morning and make more involved breakfasts. Instead of grabbing the usual Special K bar as I run out the door on weekdays, I can make pancakes, muffins, omelets (or “fancy scrambled eggs,” if the eggs don’t make the flip!), quiches…the list goes on. This past weekend I was craving French toast. I make mine with buttermilk – like buttermilk biscuits, it just seems right. And while French toast is best made with day-old French or Italian bread, you can make it with whatever you have on hand. I used slices of a regular sandwich loaf I needed to finish up before it went bad. You can top your French toast with berries, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or anything your heart desires. I’m a maple syrup girl, myself!

Hope you all have a great Super Bowl weekend…even if you’re not into football, I hope you enjoy all the delicious food!

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One of the recipes that’s always been in the back of my mind to try after purchasing my copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and falling in love with the no-knead way of making bread is this one: the roasted red pepper fougasse. However, I’ve always been too busy making regular sandwich loaves or my personal favorite, pepperoni bread, to really experiment with too many other recipes in the book. It wasn’t until this past month that I finally decided to dedicate some of my dough to making this wonderful bread, and I am so glad I did. The savory sweetness of the red peppers paired perfectly with the soft crumb and crispy crust of the artisan bread, and the hint of rosemary sprinkled throughout the dough made it simply divine. And as usual for any bread in the book, it’s so easy to make!

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When I first saw this bread on A Bowl of Mush, it immediately went on my “to make” list. I had just made my cranberry coffee cake and I had fresh cranberries on the brain! I ended up making it as part of our homemade Christmas gift baskets, so I didn’t have any myself, but I was told that it was very good (and it definitely smelled heavenly!). Next time I will definitely make two loaves instead of one!

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