OK, if you have ever dined at a Red Lobster restaurant, then you have probably made as big a pig of yourself as I have when a basket of their cheesy garlicky biscuits is set in front of you. If you haven’t gone crazy like me, then frankly, I don’t think we can be friends! Because anyone who doesn’t think these are the best biscuits, they ever tasted, is way beyond me culinarily. In fact, as my daughter Paula would say – these biscuits are simply life-changing!

On our way home from a family reunion in Oregon a couple days ago, we stopped at the Red Lobster in Kelso, Washington for a quick lunch. I was hungry for a Crab or Shrimp Louie. And what better place to find a Louie than at a restaurant specializing in seafood? Well, as it turned out, I would have had the same luck if we had stopped at McDonald’s. Not a Louie to be had. But I’m telling you the truth, the cheese biscuits saved the day for me.

So, of course, when I got home, I decided that I had to learn how to make these biscuits. So, the recipe you find below is what I came up with after reading 436 copy-cat recipes I found online. (Apparently, I am not the first person to decide these biscuits just must be a part of their life!)

If you too think cheddar garlic biscuits are the be all and end all, then let me recommend you give this recipe a try. Besides being beyond delicious, they are very easy to prepare. You don’t even have to roll out the dough. Or get out your mixer. Just plop blobs of the dough on a baking sheet, throw it in the oven, and wait the interminable 14 or so minutes until the biscuits can be removed from the oven, slathered with more garlic butter, and devoured before any of the rest of your family is even aware that you have been in the kitchen!

There are just those times when being able to produce an edible that is really amazingly delicious is the greatest feeling in the world. And when the said item is as easy to build as one of these biscuits, I get super/supper excited to be able to share the recipe with you.

So, next time a biscuit would be the perfect addition to a meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, give this recipe a try. You and your family are in for a treat. That is, if you deem it necessary to share with your family. If not, they will never know what they missed, and I’m sure as heck not going to tell them! This can remain our little secret.

So, regardless of whether your little shoulder angel or devil wins, I wish peace and love to all.

For the biscuits:

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed  

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp. granulated garlic

1 packed c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

½ c. (1 stick) melted unsalted butter

1 c. buttermilk or whole milk (or a combination)

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and granulated garlic together in a large bowl. Stir in cheese.

Combine melted butter and buttermilk until small lumps form. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Don’t over mix.

Using a #16 ice cream scoop (¼ cup) or two soup spoons, drop quarter cup balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 14-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Meanwhile make the topping.

Remove from oven and slather the hot biscuits with the topping.

For the savory garlic topping:

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. dried parsley

½ tsp. granulated garlic

Whisk together just before biscuits come out of the oven.

Two and a half of the baguettes with four of the cheese toasted “croutons” for Mushroom Onion Soup

The most delightful thing about baking bread is that you can almost never screw it up! And as I’ve gotten older, the simpler and fewer the ingredients, the better I like the whole “get out the stand mixer, pull the yeast from the fridge, get the flour out of the pantry, and turn on the water until warm water magically appears” production. And as I have gotten better at baking bread, I have learned to trim off a few steps that many other bread bakers would be horrified to read about. Never, never they would say. To which I would now respond – hogwash!

So, today I baked this bread which was absolutely delicious. I’m not even going to bother you with the steps I eliminated which I too would have followed faithfully even a few months ago. But I have become lazy as I approach 80 (in 2 weeks). And frankly, I simply don’t have the time or energy to waste on frou-frou.

So, if you too can’t abide unnecessary work but still want to make French baguettes from scratch, this is the recipe for you.

I made these baguettes because I was serving lunch to three classical musicians practicing in our living room this afternoon. Mr. C. (on piano) was host to violinist Cecilia and violist Dorthy for an afternoon of chamber music. (They plan to have a concert in our home sometime soon.) And I served them lunch. Mushroom Onion Soup (on this site) with large cheese “croutons” made with this bread.

Now I am not normally a woman who blows her own horn. But damn, this bread sliced, loaded with grated Emmentaler and Parmigiano Reggiano, and then toasted in the oven, was outrageously good. It simply made for dunking in soup heaven.

OK, I know some of you don’t bake bread. But if you were ever to begin baking bread, I think this would be the recipe you should go with.

And as always, peace, love, and happy baking to all.      

1½ c. warm water 

2¼ tsp. instant yeast 

1¼ tsp. kosher salt 

3¾ c. bread flour (more or less)

extra virgin olive oil (for greasing the mixing bowl)

Combine the water and yeast in your stand mixer. Add the salt and enough flour to make a shaggy dough. (The dough shouldn’t be sticky. But tacky is perfect.)

Pour some olive oil in the bowl, (anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon) and using your hands and a stiff spatula, roll the dough into a lightly greased ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the dough from fridge, punch it down, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Shape each piece into about a 10-inch log, rounded on each end. Place on a parchment paper lined baguette pan or baking sheet. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been lightly greased with cooking spray. Let rise again until almost doubled, about 60 minutes.

Once doubled, lightly sprinkle with flour and then make about 4 slashes on the surface of each baguette.

Lightly spray baguettes with water and place in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes. Then spray again and let bake for about 8-10 minutes more. The bread is done when it reaches 205-degree when tested with an instant read thermometer.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing.  

I can’t help myself when it comes to trying easy bread recipes. Especially recipes that contain only the 4 basic ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, and water) you find in any yeast bread recipe, no matter how many other items might be included in the list of ingredients. After all my years of baking bread, I finally realized that you only need these 4 essential ingredients to make unimaginably delicious bread. And for just pennies, rather than several dollars spent when purchasing the same type of bread at your local grocery store or bakery. And this recipe from the ciaoflorentina.com site could not be easier.  

I did change the baking directions on Florentina’s recipe however, because I really like to bake a simple bread like this one in a Dutch oven* or cloche** (clay bread baker). And Florentina’s recipe called for baking the bread on a pizza stone.

Because another important thing I have learned from years of baking bread – I CAN NOT TURN OUT HOMEMADE BREAD QUITE AS PERFECT AS BREAD BAKED IN A COMMERCIAL OVEN***. However, when I use a Dutch oven (regular cast iron or Le Creuset) or clay cloche, I can come pretty darn close. And for my pennies spent, close is good enough. And in most cases, better than just good enough. Wonderful, to be exact.

So, if you too are into baking bread, give this amazing recipe a try. Just be prepared and have soft butter available. But try to let the freshly baked bread cool before diving into it. I know, I’m asking a lot of you. But trust me, as soon as the bread is cool, slice off a big hunk and liberally spread it with butter.  After all, who deserves a treat more than you?!    

And on that happy note I wish you, as always, peace and love. And happy baking.

3½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp. fine sea salt

2 tsp. instant yeast

1½ c. warm water

In the bowl or your stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and yeast with the paddle attachment.

Add the warm water and mix until a soft dough has formed. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for about 3 hours or until doubled in size.

Place a bit of flour on a pastry cloth or clean kitchen counter. Transfer the bread dough onto the floured surface using a stiff spatula. Then flour your hands and form the dough into a boule (ball shape). (Do not knead the dough or handle it more than necessary.)

Place the formed bread dough on top of parchment paper and using a serrated knife, gently carve an X on top. Rest the formed dough while you place a Dutch oven or cloche on the middle rack of your oven and turn the temperature dial to 450-degrees.  

Once the oven has come to temperature, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven, and gently place the boule and parchment paper inside the Dutch oven.

Cover and bake the bread for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 205-degrees.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

*Using a Dutch oven helps to mimic the environment of a commercial oven. That being a moisture-sealed chamber with intense and (mostly) even radiative heat. Dutch ovens offer ample thermal mass to ensure a temperature-stable baking environment with their thick cast iron walls. 

**A cloche is designed to support bread dough while it bakes creating a perfect rise. Cloches should have tight-fitting lids that trap steam, giving the bread a lovely crispy golden-brown crust. A good cloche also comes with a heavy-duty bottom that also ensures a thick, crispy, golden base.

***Commercial ovens provide heat from both below and above. They can also inject steam into the baking chambers.

I know, I know! Another bread recipe. But as much as I think I have every base covered with bread types, something comes up that causes me to go online and search for exactly what I need. Then invariably, I change the recipe anyway. Which is exactly what I did with this recipe. So much so, that no one could possibly recognize this recipe as their own inspiration. Unless of course, they had the same type of bread in mind. Then all bets are off.

What I wanted was a quick and easy bread to build, that was tasty, and came with a soft crumb. And believe it or not, that’s exactly what I achieved. When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars. Let’s just say it was a 5^th Dimension “Aquarius” kind of moment. And I shall now always believe in harmony, understanding, sympathy, and trust abounding. Let the sunshine in!

So, if you too want to build a bread that is just amazingly easy to make, tastes like a million dollars, and can be used in multiple ways, may I recommend this recipe. It is so stinkin’ delicious as to be almost unbelievable. And – it’s inexpensive to make.

So, without further ado, let the baking begin. And while you hurry to your kitchen to bake this bread, I’m going to start a new book. Some people believe in eating an apple a day. While we too love apples, Mr. C. and I get more nourishment from reading a book a day. Or if we are really busy, a book every two or three days.  

So, from this, you may ascertain, and rightly so, that we spend a great deal of our time reading books. (Enough so that our TV has disowned us.) So, I was pleased to learn a new word that explains why time often slips away unnoticed when our noses are buried in a good book. It might also help you understand more about yourself if you too are an avid reader. The word is Book.clipse, pronounced boo-klips. Definition – a phenomenon in which a book is so engrossing that it completely obscures one’s perception of time. So, as you can clearly see, since there is now a word to describe our condition, we are not alone. And isn’t that nice to know.

And for those of you who aren’t into books, a few things to consider. Batteries are not required. Books don’t have to be plugged in at night. And you can borrow them from a library (free of charge). And best of all – you can learn about other cultures, places, and how people live in books. While simultaneously improving your ability to empathize, gain valuable knowledge, exercise your brain, while being entertained commercial free.    

On that happy note, peace and love to all. And happy reading.

2 tsp. instant yeast or 2½ tsp. regular dry yeast

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 c. warm water

2½ c. bread flour

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the dough

1 tsp. kosher salt

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water with your dough hook. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until yeast is foamy.

Add 2 cups flour, olive oil, and salt. Stir on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding just enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, smooth and elastic dough. (Just a bit of the dough will stick to the bottom of the bowl, but the sides will be clean.)

Pour a bit of olive oil in the bowl, and using your hands and a stiff spatula, form the dough into a greased ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise 60 to 70-minutes or until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down the dough and shape it into about a 12-inch rounded ends football shape (bâtard). Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with a bit of cooking spray (greased side down) and let rise another 35-45 minutes until puffy. Gently use a serrated knife to make a few ¼-inch deep slits in the surface of the loaf just before placing in the oven.

About 20 minutes before the dough is ready to bake, place a pan of water* on the bottom rack while you pre-heat your oven to 400-degrees.

When the oven is up to heat, bake the bread for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 200-degrees.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until completely cool before slicing.

*When I pre-heat my oven for this bread (and many others for that matter) I place a 9-inch cake pan filled with water on the bottom rack and bake the bread on the middle rack.

Adding steam to the oven when baking bread makes a huge difference to the final product. When the dough is fully risen and ready to go in the oven, it still has some potential to rise further in the heat of the oven. This is referred to as “oven spring”. The carbon dioxide trapped within the gluten expands in the heat of the oven and causes the air bubbles to expand and the loaf to grow larger. So, to achieve maximum “oven spring”, the dough requires a steamy atmosphere. If you place the dough into a hot, dry oven, the crust will very quickly dry out and harden. And once it has hardened it won’t be able to expand as easily. Steam will also help improve the color of the crust by gelatinizing the sugars on the exterior of the loaf, resulting in better browning, and a shinier, thinner, and crispier crust.