An Easy Bruschetta Recipe

For a fun twist on our French Baguette, make this recipe for bruschetta. It's delicious—and easy!

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil 
Adapted from yummly.com, Delia's Complete How to Cook

1 Breadsmith Ciabatta (loaf, cut in 12 thin slices)
1 clove garlic (peeled and rubbed in a little salt)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 plum tomatoes (red, ripe)
3 basil leaves (torn)
3 drops extra-virgin olive oil
rock salt
black pepper

To start, chop the tomatoes finely, leaving the skin on but discarding the cores.

Pre-heat the dry ridged griddle over a high heat for about 10 minutes.

When it's really hot, place the slices of bread—on the diagonal—and grill them for about 1 minute on each side, until they're golden and crisp and have charred strips across each side. (Alternatively, toast them under a pre-heated conventional grill.)

As they are ready, place them on a cooling rack; then when cooled, take a sharp knife and make 3 little slashes across each piece and spread with the garlic puree; then drizzle each one with a teaspoon of olive oil.

Top the bruschetta with the tomatoes. Then season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and finish each one with a basil leaf (or a piece of basil leaf) and sprinkle a few more drops of olive oil over before serving.

A Perfect Picnic Lunch

It's the season for enjoying lunch outside. And the simple sandwich is one of the easiest items to take outside—whether you're at work or at the park. Our breads are perfectly dense to withstand sandwich fixings—egg salad, tomato, cucumber—and light enough to not overpower them.

Honey Wheat is a perennial favorite for adults and one that kids enjoy, too.

Sandwiches also make great dinner fare in the spring and summer. Try this recipe for Goat Cheese and Vegetable Sandwich.

GOAT CHEESE AND VEGETABLE SANDWICH
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com, Everyday Food

8 slices Breadsmith Honey Wheat
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 medium red beet, scrubbed, peeled and shredded (1 cup)
2 large carrots, shredded (1 cup)
1 pear, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups arugula
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Brush 1 side of each bread slice with ½ teaspoon of the oil. Spread ½ ounce goat cheese on the other side of each bread slice. Layer beet, carrots, pear and arugula on the cheese side of 4 slices. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with remaining slices of bread, cheese side down.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in two batches, cook sandwiches, pressing gently on tops with a spatula, until golden brown, 3 minutes per side.

Dark Raisin Walnut Rye—A Hearty Hello

Our Dark Raisin Walnut Rye has a touch of sour, a hint of sweet and a deep caramel color. The raisins and walnuts make it a hearty bread that can complement any meal—or serve as a delicious snack. It pairs wonderfully with this recipe for Honey Whipped Butter. Our Raisin Walnut Rye is available every day except Sundays at all three bakeries.

Honey Whipped Butter
Adapted from Food Network, recipe by Claire Robinson, 2010

1 stick butter, room temperature
2 heaping tablespoons honey
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

French Toast with a Twist

Celebrate the end of a long week with brunch at home. French toast is a must for this weekend's breakfast—and you can make the morning treat with our Vanilla Egg Challah or Honey Challah. Here's a recipe to try at home. Enjoy!

Challah French Toast
Adapted from The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Serves 12

12 slices Challah, sliced 1-inch thick (cut larger slices in half)
1 cup lowfat milk
3 eggs
¼ cup flour
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1–2 tablespoons rum, Kahlua or Grand Marnier (optional)
¼ cup unsalted butter

This recipe works best with day-old or slightly stale Challah bread. If your bread is fresh, you can take some of the moisture out by placing the slices on a baking sheet and putting them in a preheated 350° oven for 10 minutes, flipping the slices once halfway through cooking. This will dry the bread out a bit, which will help it soak up the moisture from the milk and egg mixture. Don’t worry if you don’t have time for this step. Fresh bread works too.

In a blender, combine the milk, eggs, flour, banana, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and rum or liqueur (optional). Blend for a few seconds until well mixed. Pour the liquid mixture into a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Soak your slices of Challah in the liquid for about 60 seconds, turning once, until the bread is nicely saturated on both sides. This should be done in batches.

Heat your skillet over medium heat and grease it with 2 tablespoons butter. Fry the toast in two batches of 6 slices each. Let the slices brown nicely on each side for 3–5 minutes. Keep the heat on medium (or a little lower) to make sure the toast cooks through but doesn't burn. When the first batch of toast is cooked, regrease the pan with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and fry the second batch. 

Plate the French toast and garnish with powdered sugar, using a mesh strainer. Serve Challah French Toast hot with your favorite toppings. Some of our favorites include butter, maple syrup, berries, caramelized bananas or fresh whipped cream.

Austrian Pumpernickel with 100% Whole Wheat

Breadsmith Austrian Pumpernickel is a lighter interpretation of traditional pumpernickel.

Flavorful caraway seeds and cracked wheat and rye meal enrich the hearty flavor of this wholesome bread. It is 100% whole wheat—baked with whole wheat stone ground in Winona, MN—which makes Austrian Pumpernickel a delicious high-fiber favorite.

We bake Austrian Pumpernickel Saturdays in Edina, Mondays in Minnetonka and both Saturdays and Mondays in St. Paul.

Reinvent your soup or salad with homemade croutons baked from Austrian Pumpernickel!*

All you need is a loaf of Breadsmith Austrian Pumpernickel (preferably at least a day old since drier breads work best for croutons) and 3 to 4 Tablespoons of butter.

1. Cut the bread into even-sized cubes. One loaf of Austrian Pumpernickel should yield about 8 cups of cubed bread.

2. The bread should be a little dry. If it isn't, bake the cubes on a baking sheet in a warm oven for about 10 minutes. Make sure the cubes are spread evenly on the baking sheet.

3. Melt the butter on medium-high heat in a large sauce pan. Add the cubed bread and coat them with butter evenly.  Lightly brown each side of the cubes.

4. Cool before storing or serve immediately.

They're delicious as an addition to a classic Caesar salad or a crunchy topping to cream-based soup!


*Adapted from Simply Recipes

Start the New Year Strong

We love fresh—fresh ingredients, fresh bread baked daily, fresh interpretations on classic recipes and fresh starts!

In other words, welcome to 2014.

We have our brand new bread schedules posted on the site:

Edina
Minnetonka
St. Paul

New years resolutions include eating healthier? We've got some great suggestions in our upcoming newsletter. Have you signed up to receive your monthly Baker's Notes? Check out the December issue, and visit our homepage and sign up today!

The One-and-Only Reuben Sandwich, Reimagined

This sandwich is classically made with rye or pumpernickel bread (like our Caraway Rye, New York Style Rye  or Austrian Pumpernickel).

But we love reimagining classic recipes, like this Reuben recipe* on our delicious, plump and chewy Pretzel Buns.

Ingredients

1 Breadsmith Pretzel Bun
2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Russian Dressing (see recipe below) or Thousand Island Dressing
1/4 cup well-drained, fresh-style sauerkraut
2 ounces thinly sliced Gruyère or Swiss cheese
1/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef

Directions

Slice the Pretzel Bun and lightly butter each side of each slice.
Place one slice in a small skillet.
Spread 1 tablespoon of Russian dressing on the face-up side.
Spread sauerkraut evenly across the bun.
Arrange the cheese in an even layer over the sauerkraut.
Add corned beef, evenly.
Add a thin layer of cheese (this will help the sandwich stay together when you flip it).
Spread another 1 tablespoon Russian dressing on the dry side of the second slice of bread and place it, dressing side down, buttered side up, over the corned beef.

Place the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwich slowly, pressing down on it with a wide metal spatula.
Grill until the bread is browned, then turn the sandwich over.
Compress the sandwich  by placing a plate or small skillet over it and adding weight, like a 28-ounce can of tomatoes.
Grill until the second side has browned and crisped, then flip the sandwich over one more time to briefly reheat the other side.

Serve immediately!

Another easy option is to build your sandwich then heat it in a toaster oven around 300°, or this is a perfect opportunity to dust off that Panini grill!

Russian Dressing Recipe 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced dill pickle (or dill relish)
1 tablespoon minced green pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onion
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh horseradish or drained bottled horseradish
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or Sriracha
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until thoroughly mixed, but do not over blend.

* adopted from Epicurious

Recipe: We’re Thinking Sandwiches!

Can you believe our kids are already headed back to school? We’ve got visions of brown bag lunches, but isn’t it time to elevate the sandwich?

Check out this delicious turkey sandwich recipe. You might be surprised when your kids love it (it’s the tangy tangerines)!

What you’ll need:

4 thick slices of crusty bread (we love French Peasant, toasted)
2 tablespoons honey mustard
3/4 pound thinly sliced roasted turkey breast
2 nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced
6 ounces Brie, sliced (or sub a cheese your child loves)
kosher salt and pepper
2 bunches arugula or one 5-ounce package (it’s served on the side for picky eaters)
1/2 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia), thinly sliced (optional, but we highly recommend it!)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Here’s what you do:

Spread the honey mustard evenly over the bread.
Top with the turkey, nectarine slices, and Brie. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the arugula, onion, oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Serve on or with the sandwiches.

Absolutely delicious!

Fresh Spinach Dip Recipe

We love this spinach dip* because it incorporates fresh leaves of spinach instead of canned or frozen. And at Breadsmith we always think fresh is best!

Image by Daniella Segura.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds spinach, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup milk
6 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Coarse salt and ground pepper
  
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned (5 to 8 minutes).

Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted (5 to 8 minutes). Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.

In the same pot, warm milk over high heat. Whisk in cream cheese until melted (about 3 minutes).

Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Bake until bubbly and golden brown (20 to 25 minutes).

Serve the dip hot with Breadsmith bread. We love it with toasted Sourdough or cubed and toasted Austrian Pumpernickel.

Delicious!

*adapted from www.marthastewart.com