If you want to learn to be a better baker and cook, you should definitely pick up one (or several) of Marcy's cookbooks. The recipes are ultra-clear and full of pictures and helpful techniques to get you going. Right now I'm working my way through one of her older books, A Passion for Baking and I'm really learning a lot. As one of my New Year's resolutions I challenged myself to get better at baking bread and I think Marcy's approach has really made me more comfortable with using yeast. I really LOVE this book and I was having trouble picking which recipe to feature but the answer came when my son James, who often groans when he sees me trying some new out-there recipe, walked into the kitchen after I'd just baked this bread, grabbed a slice and broke out into a rapturous smile!
I am so jealous. If I had to pick only one food to have for the rest of my life, it would be bread. And ciabatta and focaccia are two of my three favorites (the third would be Italian stretch). Your husband rocks my world.
The bread looks great! I also just made a great loaf and I had a suggestion: if you don't own Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" or "Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor", I highly recommend them. Although a bit pricey ($35 each), they all provide the best techniques and recipes for any serious bread bakers. Take care & love the blog!!
While Pastabilities recommends dipping some bread in the sauce, Food & Wine states that the restaurant advertises it as a "put-on-anything" sauce, so you could also use it in some pasta, or over eggs in the morning. Pastabilities shared its recipe for Wicked Chicken Riggies with Food Network, where it combines chili oil, peppers, and tomato sauce with chicken, rigatoni noodles, and cheese to make a delicious, spicy dinner.
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