The 'aha' moment came when I tasted a focaccia recipe from Bari, Italy, brought back by our editor, J.M. Hirsch. The dough was so wet (hydrated) that one had to pour it into the pan. There was no shaping which meant a baked bread that was light and chewy and, the best part, foolproof. The other surprise is that this recipe uses a massive amount of yeast and rises for a full four hours, long enough for the dough to rise, collapse and rise a second time. In other words, this recipe breaks all the rules.
What do you get? A crispy top and bottom, the latter reminiscent of a Chicago deep-dish pizza, and an airy, slightly chewy center. It may not look like an artisanal pizza—the top crust is shiny rather than charred matte—but it is exceptional nonetheless, a stress-free solution to homemade pizza."
- Christopher Kimball
And here’s what we’re making the rest of the weekend...
For Brunch:
The World’s Lightest Doughnuts
These lemony doughnuts are crispy, fluffy, yet yeast-less, and they require just two mixing bowls. A version of Romanian doughnuts, gogoși rapide, from Irina Georgescu’s “Tava,” they’re the lightest we’ve ever made. Perfect for loading up with cherry jam and soured cream.
For a Lazy Afternoon:
Brazilian Cheese Bread
You’ll be amazed how quickly these come together—and disappear! Brazil’s pão de queijo—cheesy, chewy puffs, similar to popovers—are eaten as a breakfast snack, a bar food, or mini sandwich breads. Best served fresh out of the oven.
For Dinner:
Birria Tacos
Birria—a hefty, meaty taco filling, loaded with chilies—is inspired by one J.M. Hirsch was served at Fernando Gonzalez’s table in Mexico City. “With all those chilies, I expect searing heat,” he wrote.
“But when I taste the mixture, it’s fruity and warm. Spiced, yes. But not so spicy. It has a depth and richness that is shockingly good. The mixture is poured over beef chunks, which she places in a Dutch oven to cook low and slow for several hours, sealing the pot with a thin strip of masa dough to keep the moisture inside.”
For easier cooking, we adapted it for the Instant Pot (if you don’t have one, we made a Dutch oven version too.
For Dessert:
French Apple Cake
“The French apple cake offers an offhand charm,” Chris Kimball writes. “It is a last-minute dessert thrown together without a recipe. When one requests exact measurements, French cooks explain the process with a disdainful flick of the head, an exhalation of cigarette smoke and a phrase of discouragement: ‘N’importe.‘”
Despite the laissez-faire approach, though, this apple cake is everything we want in an apple dessert: a pile of apples, with the springy cake portion used more as a glue to adhere the moist apple slices. A golden crisp from a sprinkling of sugar gives it an elegance that belies its simplicity. Our go-to year-round dessert.
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