Surprise Holiday House Guests with Heavenly Bread

The smell of fresh baked bread pressed with cinnamon and a hint of cacao wafts from the kitchen. We can barely wait for the hot babka to cool enough so that we can still melt butter and yet not burn the tongues.

The yeast has done its work, creating airy layers weighted only by cinnamon and chocolate. Sprinkle coarse sea salt on the best butter you can find and slather it atop the sweet, yeasty bread. Tug at the crust of your warm slice and feel the layers effortlessly unravel. The first, warm, sweet, buttery bite will stop time for a moment.

The first time I met a babka was in a Jewish deli in NY called Russ & Daughters where they offer either chocolate or cinnamon varieties. Babka is a sweet, yeast bread that is popular in Eastern European and Jewish bakeries. As I experimented with my own babka formula, I found I liked it best with dark chocolate and cinnamon together. In my particular version I love to use whole wheat flour as the basis for the streusel to add a nutty, coarse texture to the crunchy top.

If you plan to have house guests this holiday, make one of these loaves in the morning and let the smells from your oven awaken them and coax them downstairs.

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka
Yeast Dough
1 1/2 cups warm milk, whole heated to 110 F
2 (1/4 ounce each) packages active dry yeast, Fleishmanns
3/4 cups sugar, plus a healthy pinch of sugar for yeast starter
3 whole large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
6 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature,
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Cinnamon Filling
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and loaf pans
2 pounds 55-62% cacao chocolate, very, very finely chopped (use a Cuisinart to chop ultra fine) not too bitter (red fire would be delicious, banana victoria or really any bar would be great here…) Or omit chocolate and just use cinnamon
2 vanilla beans,
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, Ceylon is using Cassia reduce to 2 Tbsp
3/4 cup sugar

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

Streusel Topping
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup oats
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

The most important tip in making a babka is that your eggs are really at room temp, around 70 and not too cold or it can stump the growth of your yeast. The butter needs to be truly at a warm room temperature also along with the milk being at a true 110F. I suggest warming up your house and adjusting your thermometer up a few degrees so it truly is in a warm environment. Yeast is a tricky ingredient. So, let’s get started.

Warm milk in a saucepan when you reach 110F, sprinkle yeast and a healthy pinch of sugar over milk. Allow the mixture to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 eggs, and 2 egg yolks. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine. (Reminder: make sure your eggs are not cold to touch but at a balmy room temperature.)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, about 45 seconds. Change to the dough hook. Add 2 sticks butter cut in to tablespoons, and beat on medium-low until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated, yielding a smooth, soft dough that’s slightly sticky when touched, about 10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few turns until smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 -2 hours. Do not pull it out until it truly has doubled in size. (Alternatively, let dough rise in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)

Prepare chocolate cinnamon filling: chop chocolate using a cuisinart, or by chop by hand until very fine. Put the chocolate in a bowl. Cut open two vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, adding them to the bowl. Add sugar, 1-inch pieces of butter and cinnamon. Using your hands, combine all ingredients, creating a soft mixture. Set aside.

Prepare the streusel : In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats and butter. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend until fully combined with clumps varying in size the more variety the better the texture will be when baked.

Generously butter 3, 9″ x 5″ x 2 3/4″ loaf pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Make egg wash by beating remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk; set egg wash aside.

Punch back the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest 5 minutes. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Keep remaining pieces covered with a warm/damp towel while working with other piece. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16-inch square; it should be 1/8 inch thick. Use flour to smooth out evenly with rolling pin. Brush edges with reserved egg wash.

Take 1/3 of the chocolate filling (reserving 4 tablespoons for center of the babka) and evenly crumble over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roll dough up like a tightly rolled log. Pinch ends together to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal.

Twist 5 turns. Sprinkle reserved spoons of chocolate filling on right half of the dough then fold left side on top of that and twist 3 more times. This will give you a great marbling effect and it is ok if the dough breaks a bit.

Place twist in your prepared bread pan. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Carefully crumble 1/3 of the streusel on top. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining filling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. After the 55 minutes, lower oven temperature to 325 F and continue baking until babkas are deep golden, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks until cool. Remove from pans; serve with your favorite butter. You can wrap and freeze if desired.

Another tip: Use a great loaf pan like Rema hot air baking pans.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo

There are certain flavors that taste like the holiday season. Warm spices and traditional aromas tickle one’s nostalgia nerves. At Vosges Haut-Chocolat, when creating our limited edition holiday collections, I turned to nutmeg, gingerbread, eggnog, cinnamon and chestnuts along with other doses and spots of this and that.

When entertaining at the holidays, it is always handy to have made-ahead, individually portioned desserts. They can be served at the table or set on a sweets buffet. Semifreddo has long been my favorite creamy, cool dessert. A semifreddo is made with Swiss meringue and whipped cream. Combined and then frozen, the result is nearly cloud-like in its lightness. The cool, soft chocolate cream melts in your mouth delivering the flavors it carries.

It will not surprise you that my semifreddos are always touched with chocolate and a little surprising accoutrement. This version incorporates Black Pearl Bars, which combine dark chocolate with wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds. To further coax out the warm ginger flavor, I added an extra sprinkle of pulverized ginger.

Any of the exotic candy bar flavors will work, so experiment with your parfum of choice. The Naga bar (sweet Indian curry, coconut and milk chocolate) or the Red Fire Bar (ancho and chipotle chillies with Ceylon cinnamon) would also warm the palate this cozy season.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo
6 ounces (2 bars) Black Pearl Bars (or your favorite)
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 egg whites
3/4  cup sugar

Directions:
1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and melt slowly over a double boiler over simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and just warm. Set aside.
2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and place over a pan of low-simmering water. This process of making a meringue is called the Swiss Meringue style.  Whisk continually until the whites are just hot (110-120F) and the sugar is dissolved, about 6-7 minutes.  Be sure all the sugar crystals are melted, otherwise you will have a gritty semifreddo. As you whisk the eggs will get foamy and frothy, Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat the egg white-sugar mixture with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are shiny and glossy,  3 to 5 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, not firm; set aside.
4. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate then gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the mixture, followed by carefully folding in the meringue. Pour the chocolate mixture into individual ramekins. Place in the freezer until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before serving to “temper” the semifreddo.

Dark Chocolate Mole-Inspired Panini

The Vosges Haut-Chocolat Oaxaca bar is the Exotic Candy Bar with the darkest chocolate and most cacao content of any other. The single origin Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate is 75% cacao and has an earthy, fruity flavor. The dark chocolate stands up well to the two kinds of chillies, both guajillo & pasilla chillies that reinforce the bright, plum skin fruitiness in the bar.

Chocolate was first discovered by westerners when they visited the Aztecs over 500 years ago. The ancient people drank cacao ground together with vanilla, annato, herbs, cornmeal and chillies. The xocatyl was frothed and the foam was sipped numerous times a day. When Cortez, the explorer, and his men first drank the holy beverage, they believed they were being poisoned and were catching fire from the inside. When the Spanish crew brought cacao beans back to Europe, sugar was added to make the drink more palatable. And the rest, as they say, is history.

My many chillies + chocolate creations pay homage to chocolate’s origins. Oaxaca, Mexico is revered as the birthplace of chocolate. They are known for their thick, hot beverage and their wondrous mole sauces. Pairing raisins with the Oaxaca bar in this panini recipe was inspired by the fruits that are an important part of mole recipes. A little sweetness offsets the tannic nature of this incredibly dark chocolate while bringing out its fruity undertones.

Oaxaca Raisin Panini
yields: 1 panino
Ingredients:
2 slices of ciabatta or Italian country bread
1 tsp unsalted butter, softened Vermont butter is our favorite Maldon salt crystals
1 oz. Vosges Oaxaca Bar (3 squares), chopped
6- 8 plump raisins

Heat a panini press. Lightly butter both sides of each slice of bread. Spread chopped chocolate evenly across one slice of bread with the raisins and sandwich the other slice atop. Grill the sandwich in the press until brown and crispy on the outside, about 4 minutes.

Up the Ante on your Game Day Popcorn

Many of the best recipes and inventions are those that creep up on you and nearly invent themselves. A few days ago, a fantastic, red headed, spicy mama-to-be friend of mine was over and as we popped Red Fire Toffee morsels, conversation somehow led us to the upcoming Superbowl. (hearts are broken around here as our Bears head to their cave for hibernation…

I’ll admit, I am a bit of a closet football fan. And, like most gatherings, it is a great reason to socialize with friends and eat really delectable and sometimes junky things. It must have been the conversation of football merging with the sensations in my mouth and my love of bringing up the high on the low food… all of a sudden I felt that the Red Fire Toffee had to be tossed together with hot buttery, salted popcorn.  I jumped up, grabbed my Indiana forged, Whirley Pop popper and set those kernels a-bursting! It must have been the spicy red head influence.

The key to this recipe is to toss the fresh and hot popcorn with melted salted butter and then immediately follow with roughly chopped toffee while it is still steaming so it begins to melt into the corn dispersing it’s chili-spiked, cinnamon toast notes all around. The slightly melted chocolate and toffee will marry with the popcorn forming a heavenly salty, sweet, crunchy snack that is SO good, it just might steal the attention from the game.

Red Fire Toffee Popcorn
Makes 12-15 cups

2/3 cup corn kernels
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup salted butter (or add 3/4 tsp Maldon salt to unsalted butter)
1/2 pound Red Fire Toffee, roughly chopped (traditional Caramel Toffee or Bacon Toffee would be good too!)
Salt to taste if needed

Heat the oil in a stove top popcorn popper or pan. Add the kernels and cover. Keep the popcorn moving to avoid burning. Melt the butter. Pour the butter over the hot popcorn. Immediately add the Red Fire Toffee and toss to combine. Add additional salt to taste if needed.

Stout & Root Beer Float with Wattleseed Ice Cream

The first ice cream floats were served at soda fountains inside pharmacies as far back as the 1920s. It is no surprise that ice cream and penny candy were peddled in a place that also doled out tonics, salves, prescriptions and elixirs to improve wellbeing. The soda fountain treats in their tall, solid glasses must have given the takers, perched atop their stools, some cheer when the rising foam and bubbles from a tasty ice cream submerged in soda burst lightly in their mouths. Could they dare consider this medicine?

This summer, I have been experimenting with our Exotic Ice Cream parfums and their perfect liquid mates. One of the best is this Stout & Root Beer float. Stouts often have chocolate notes, which match well with the hazelnut and coffee flavors of the Aboriginal wattleseed. After some sipping, I found an extra splash of root beer was needed to add a touch of sweet against the stout’s bitterness.

 A little tip… if you like an extra foamy float, put the ice cream in your glass first and pour the liquid over top. If not, drop the ice cream in at the end. Try both ways… you will see a big difference!

I like these floats in mini glasses served alongside dessert or as a surprise on a sweets buffet with long silver spoons for guests to sip and roam at a standing party.

Root Beer & Stout Float with Wattleseed Ice Cream

Stout ( I like Guinness)
Root Beer (I like Virgil’s)
Wattleseed Ice Cream

Fill the glass 1/3 of the way with ice cream, 1/3 with root beer and 1/2 with beer.

Sufganiyot – Traditional Jewish Doughnuts

Fried Dough. Really, what could be better? It must be the  3 Rivers Festival and 10-year-old memories of eating elephant ears from the Red Barn. There is just something about Carni’ food that tickles the nostalgia button and stimulates the salivary glands. I have such vivid memories of reaching through that sliding window to grasp my hot dough with the background music of the squeaky tilt-a-whirl and screaming kids.

In fact, it was fried dough oozing with chocolate that gave inspiration to the name Vosges Haut-Chocolat. While I was a culinary student in Paris, I longed to dine at the famed Michelin three star restaurant,  L’Ambrosie, in the Place des Vosges. Chef Patrick Terrien of Le Cordon Bleu called ahead to have the restaurant staff take special care us- thus I quickly found myself (and my palate) in the adept hands of Bernard Pacaud of L’Ambrosie. It was there that I had my first chocolate experience. This epiphany of chocolate came in the form of a truffle beignet–- a rich, dark chocolate truffle encased in light, fluffy beignet batter and fried golden to turn the molten center into a burst of liquid chocolate upon the sinking in of my teeth. In a bite, it was all at once crisp, soft, hot, rich and gushing, a chocolate moment unparalleled. When I was thinking about what to name my chocolate company, I continued to recall my first true chocolate experience in Le Place des Vosges. So it had to be and Vosges Haut-Chocolat was born.

So, I take you from the Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s 3 Rivers Festival to Paris’ Place des Vosges and now to Jewish doughnuts in Chicago.

Awhile back, I tore this recipe for Sufganiot out of a magazine. They are traditional, Jewish doughnuts usually served at Hanukkah. My husband, a Hebrew man that likes the Grateful Dead and fried food always inspires me to make him happy. So, I often find myself on a quest to master traditional recipes and serve him familiar and meaningful foods. Though I doubt he has ever had a Sufganiot, it was fried and sweet, and seemingly his perfect treat.

Though Sufganiot are usually jam-filled, I unsurprisingly altered the recipe substituting a warm chocolate center, distantly reminiscent of the truffle beignets that changed my life in the Place des Vosges in Paris years ago. I also experimented with an apricot conserve and cocoa nib filling that was delicious but only if you use preserves the likes of June Taylor’s pluot conserve or Harvest Song’s Armenian Apricot preserve.

As shown in the photo, I experimented filling each with a different square of our Exotic Candy Bars and traveling the world through doughnuts we shall go.

Sufganiyot

3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
peanut oil, for frying plus more for bowl
1/4 cup apricot or blackberry jam or conserve or a Vosges Haut-Chocolat Exotic Candy Bar of your choice

1. In a large metal bowl, stir together warm water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt; mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour. Mix until combined, then knead dough in bowl until all flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead a few minutes until smooth. Knead in margarine until incorporated.

Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl; turn dough several times to coat entirely with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to form doughnuts, remove dough from refrigerator to let come to room temperature. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into an 11 inch square about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out about 24 rounds, dipping cutter in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Re-roll scraps and cut out about 16 more rounds.

Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Brush edge of a dough round with egg white, then mount 1/2 teaspoon jam or chocolate bar pieces in center, or both. Top with another round and press edges to seal. Repeat process with remaining rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; let doughnuts rise until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat a few inches of oil in a large (4-5 quart) heavy pot until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer or a scrap of dough sizzles upon contact. Working in batches of 4 to 5, carefully slip doughnuts into hot oil. Fry, turning once until golden brown about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain.

Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. While doughnuts are still hot, toss them in sugar, turning to coat. Serve immediately.

Modena – Strawberry – Cocoa Nib – Shortcake

When you make something that has varied textures and aromas and it tastes delicious, it is rewarding. When that something is also a feast of color, shape and texture and appeals to the tongue’s want for variety of notes from sweet to acidic, it is amazing. When that SAME something happens to have a variety of healthy benefits as well… it is a guiltless bliss. Well, maybe I am going a bit far on healthy, but let’s go with it.

The whole wheat flour in these shortcake biscuits not only adds substance and a nice nutty flavor that balances the cocoa nibs and also adds additional fiber. Cocoa nibs are considered a ‘super food’ with dozens of health benefits, most particularly their antioxidant strength, and they also add a chocolaty crunch. And the honey…. oh the honey! Where to begin? Rare Volcano Island Honey has long been one of my favorites, harvested by my friend Richard Spiegel and his team, following his unique process. As for Manuka Honey from New Zealand, it has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. Most honey has enzymes that create hydrogen peroxide. However, Manuka Honey has a second antibacterial component, which has become known as the Unique Manuka Factor or UMF.  Manuka Honey is used for digestion, on burns and cuts. In some places, it is even used as skincare, reducing wrinkles and making skin glow.  So go ahead, give yourself a honey facial, just smooth all over your face and décolleté, while creating this summertime dessert!

Modena Strawberry Cocoa Nib Shortcake

Serves 4

Shortcake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp butter, unsalted chilled, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing
1 tbsp turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
3 oz dark chocolate chips, optional

Strawberry Must
2 pints of strawberries, washed and sliced in half
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa nibs
1 tsp orange flower water, optional

Mascarpone Cream
8 oz mascarpone cream
2 tbsp volcano island or manuka honey
1/2 tsp Meyer lemon zest (no white yellow only)

Balsamic Must Garnish
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar – I recommend Academia Barilla from Emilia Romaga region (OPTIONAL) 

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the chilled butter in with a fork or pastry creamer into butter until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Stir in cream just until dough forms. Gather dough into a ball with your hands and gently knead together once or twice on a lightly floured surface.

Get out your ruler! Roll or pat out dough into a 6-inch square (at least 1/2 inch thick – be precise for a tall lovely biscuit). Brush dough with a bit of cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. THEN cut into 4 squares. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet until golden, 17 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.

While biscuits bake, blend strawberries, sugar, cocoa nibs and orange flower water in a bowl, cover and let fruit macerate at room temperature for an hour to make a delicious strawberry juice. These can be made the morning of the event.

Mix mascarpone cream with honey and meyer lemon zest. Cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. Mascarpone can be made the night before.

When shortcakes are cooked and slightly warm. Slice biscuits with a serrated knife. Shortcakes can be made 2 days ahead of time, just be sure to seal in an air tight container

Assembly:
Plate the bottom half of shortcake and put a generous spoon of the strawberry juice on the cake, followed by the strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic must, if you are using. Top with a large dollop (about 2 tbsp) of mascarpone cream and follow with top half of the shortcake.

Tips: Pastry blender utensil will help you cut the butter into the flour a bit easier than a fork. But both methods are fine. 

Always confirm the temperature of the oven with a thermometer. Your oven may run hot or cold and this could cause variation in recipe outcome. You can buy a decent oven thermometer at a hardware store for less than $10.00. You can make sure it is reading correctly (calibrate the thermometer) by hanging it on the edge inside of a pan with one inch of water at a full boil. Let the thermometer steam for a minute and then read it (without touching it!- its hot!). It should read as 100C/212F 

And finally, never use baking soda instead of baking powder or your shortcakes will be overly bitter and salty. I made the mistake by accident and boy was I sorry.

If Elvis Ate Organic…

It is widely known that the King had lustful cravings for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I can envision these beauties being served to him with a scene of hankering hip swaying and an ultimate falling to the knees. If only I had the chance to serve him this version oozing with chocolate and a sprinkling of crystalline sea salt.

I love panini for their sheer simplicity. They have a slim list of ingredients and thus it is imperative to use the BEST ingredients you can find. Even if that means flying it in from Italy, France or Zimbabwe!

Last year my panini press broke at the Lincoln Park boutique and I was devastated at the thought of my pressing being temporarily halted.  So, I had to improvise. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. I began using my waffle iron to press panini and I haven’t missed that old press since. You can also place the sandwich in an iron skillet and cover it with another iron skillet. You will have to flip the sandwich with this method since heat is only coming from one side. Or, use a clothing iron on the other side.

This Organic Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana panini is particularly special when using a specific butter that has coarse grains of grey sea salt in the butter. It is from Isigny Ste Mere and can be found at Wholefoods or other specialty markets. If you can’t find the butter, mix some coarse Maldon Sea Salt from England or Murray River Pink Flake Salt from Australia into softened unsalted butter.

I like to serve panini wrapped in parchment paper and tied with butcher twine. Or, cut them and line them up on a wooden board at parties.  My favorite is the wine barrel lazy Susan from Vivaterra.

Further experimentation of savory and sweet panini is my wont so stay tuned for many more varietals to pop up soon.

Organic Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Panini

Yields One Sandwich.

Equipment needed: Panini press or waffle iron or clothes iron and cast iron pan

2 Italian country bread slices about 4-5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp Sea salted butter, the great French brand, Isigny Ste Mere or make your own by mixing 1/2 tsp Maldon salt and 2 tbsp of a fabulous butter. One of my favorites is from Vermont Butter and Cheese Company
Pinch Maldon salt
2 squares Vosges‘ Organic Peanut Butter Bonbon Bar
½ organic banana

Spread butter on all sides of the bread. Place peanut butter bar squares on one piece of bread, followed by sliced banana and a sprinkle of salt. Place other piece of buttered bread on top and press with Panini press until golden brown.

Tips:

-Make sure your bread doesn’t have many gaping holes or your fillings may seep through and burn on the iron.

- If you don’t have a Panini press substitute with a waffle iron as you see I did in the photos. Or try a cast iron skillet hold with a clothes iron on top – quite the contraption I assure you.

-Make sure the bread you use isn’t overly crusty or it may cut your mouth a bit when pressed. At the same time, don’t choose a overly soft bread, not a good sign of quality bread and it won’t have the rigidity needed. I suggest a crusty ciabatta or Italian peasant bread.

-Use Organic or home grown where possible.