"breads" news and stories

"Top Chef" judge Tom Colicchio has written in the current issue of Saveur of his love for Parker House rolls, an American classic invented at Boston 's Parker House Hotel in the late 19th century. This being the 21st century, his version is smaller and less flattened than the original, and the top is sprinkled with salt, but he serves them every evening at his eponymous Colicchio & Sons restaurant in Manhattan, and reports that guests often eat three or more. It got us to wondering what other breads have become associated with renowned chefs.

Here, and after the jump, a half-dozen cooks and their favorite breads:

David Chang, who founded the Momofuku restaurant mini-empire, where Asian-American fusion is the rule, is a big fan of northern Chinese bao – puffy and pale steamed flatbreads that can be folded over a variety of ingredients to make little sandwiches that at Momofuku he calls ssams. The most popular is made with pork belly, but the same bread is served on the side with the entrée of pork shoulder and raw oysters at his East Village restaurant Ssam Bar.

In the grocery store the other day (traveling sans camera, so no photos!), I spotted a relatively new product in the bread aisle. Orowheat seems to have released a half loaf of bread. Instead of the nearly two pound loaves of whole wheat and other popular flavors, you can now buy just a handful of slices at a time. These loaves aren't lacking in anything but the number of slices; the height and width of the bread is the same. They seem like they are designed to appeal to singles and couples who don't run through a whole loaf of bread during the average week, as if you fall into this category, you know how irritating it can be to have to waste an uneaten half-loaf at the end of the week when it is uneaten, but past its prime.

The only remaining question is why did it take so long to come up with this idea in the first place?

When you hear the term "quick loaves," most home cooks will assume that it refers only to quick breads/cakes, especially if they like to bake. In the book Quick Loaves: 150 Breads and Cakes, Meat and Meatless Loaves, however, the term applies to all kinds of baked loaves, both sweet and savory. It is divided up into five main chapters. The first deals with the basics of loaf-making and, to ensure that every one of the recipes really is "quick," the author includes directions for some basic, homemade mixes, to which you can add just a few simple ingredients to turn out a number or different finished products. Most of the things made from the mixes are cakes and breads, but once you become familiar with the strategies that the author has used to turn them into very different things, you should be able to experiment with flavors a bit yourself. The following chapters deal with quickbreads and coffee cakes; cakes and other desserts; meatloaves; and vegetarian loaves (as main or side dishes). For the baked good lovers, Devil's Food Cake in Two Shakes and are good bets, while Quick-Mix Five-Ingredient Meatloaf and Thai Turkey Loaves will please those looking for something more substantial.

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Generally, the concept of coffee cakes is a fairly limited one. The cakes are usually sweet, with a moist and somewhat dense crumb that holds up well to being eaten alongside a hot drink or just held in your hand - like a muffin. There are actually a lot of things that could potentially fall under the "coffee cake" umbrella if you consider it to apply to all breakfast breads, quick and yeasted, sweet and savory. Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet, and Savory has over 50 recipes for all kinds of coffee cakes and breads that are "perfect for breakfast, brunch, picnics, and desserts."

Honestly, the label of "coffee cake" doesn't really work for all the recipes in this book in my opinion. Ruby Grape Focaccia? Not coffee cake. That being said, the name is really the only problem with this book. Content-wise, it is very appealing for someone who likes to bake more than cookies because of the wide variety of cakes and breads if offers, most of which will be very appealing to family, friends or whoever you like to share with. The recipes - like Cranberry-Pecan-Orange Coffee Cake, Cinnamon-Apple Walnut Torte, Cheese-Swirled Chocolate Bundt Cake, Holiday Cranberry-Nut Bourbon Cake, French Prune Plum Cake and, on the savory side, Olive-Herb Potato Fougasse - are easy to follow and there are great color photos to tempt you as you try to pick out what to make first.

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In our quest for a great set of Thanksgiving recipes, we've already seen the recipes from a lot of our favorite bloggers. First, we tackled the turkey and stuffing and then we moved on to the side dishes. Today, we're looking at some great ideas for breads to serve along with the meal. Carbs may be filling, but you need something to soak up all that extra gravy, right?

• First, we have some Pumpkin Thyme Dinner Rolls from Wednesday Chef, which have a lot of flavor and a lovely color from the pumpkin.
• Nothing goes better with gravy than real Southern Biscuits from Andrea's Kitchen with White Lily flour. If you can't find white Lily, try this recipe instead, as it uses all purpose.
• This is a great time to try your hand at the ever-popular no-knead bread (recipe in the comments)
• Cornbread is a classic Thanksgiving option with a great texture. Many prefer skillet cornbread, as Meathenge does, but sweet cornbread, is a popular option, too.
• Culinary in the Desert's Roasted Garlic and Fresh Rosemary Cloverleaf Rolls (pictured) are delicious even without a feast to accompany them.
• Popovers, like Orangette's, are light, quick-cooking and very impressive when served. They're good for sopping up gravy and juices, but are also fantastic with jam in the morning.
• Parker House Rolls are the gold standard of dinner rolls and will be a favorite with everyone at the table. Take the advice from Humble Pie and keep some butter on hand when serving.
• If you prefer to have a whole grain bread for dinner, try a loaf of Maple Whole-wheat Bread, which Seriously Good said had a "nutty sweetness" and certainly looks seriously good.