I posted about this delicious, crusty, incredible bread a couple of months ago. In the interim, I’ve continued to bake it, and I’ve altered the recipe slightly. It is now even better, in my view.

Here is the original recipe from Cook’s Illustrated:

• 3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting work surface
• 1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) room-temperature water
• 3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) mild-flavored lager (I use Yuengling)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

I have replaced some of the all-purpose flour (King Arthur, always) with Hodgson Mill whole-wheat flour. The bread rises just as high and tastes even more delicious. Also, a more full-bodied beer, such as Newcastle, adds extra flavor. Finally, warming the water for 60 seconds in the microwave speeds the dough’s development. All of these steps have enhanced the flavor.

So here’s the recipe now:

• 9 1/2 ounces King Arthur all-purpose flour
• 5 1/2 ounces Hodgson Mill whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Star instant yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) water, microwaved 60 seconds
• 3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) Newcastle Brown Ale
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Combine flours, yeast, and salt in a medium-sized glass bowl. Mix with wire whisk until combined. Microwave water; pour into 2-cup glass container. Add vinegar to water. Measure 3 ounces Newcastle in 8-ounce glass measure and add to water and vinegar mixture.

Pour liquid into flour mixture and combine with rubber spatula until ingredients are combined and moist. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours (note–I never let it sit for less than 18 hours).

Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. It will be quite moist. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle.

Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough (I sometimes skip this step), and slash surface with razor blade or scissors. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment paper, and lower dough into pot, letting any excess paper hang over pot edge. Cover pot and place in oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (20 to 23 minutes is the magic interval for me.) Carefully remove bread from pot, transfer to wire rack, and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Yum, yum, yum. For a special treat, soften unsalted butter, then add finely minced fresh rosemary, a small clove of garlic, minced, and kosher salt to taste. Serve the bread warm with garlic-herb butter.

Although we ate at the home of good friends on Thanksgiving, we were sent home with a vast quantity of leftovers—including a good-sized chunk of one of the most tender, moist turkeys I remember eating. Whatever our hostess did to that bird, it was the right thing to do.

From the time we put away the leftovers, I was plotting turkey soup. A number of recipes begin with making stock from the turkey’s carcass. Well, I didn’t have a carcass. But after looking a couple of my soup cookbooks and a couple of websites, I settled on lemon turkey soup with fresh spinach and farfalle, published in Bon Appétit in January 2005 and available on epicurious.com. It requires two cups of diced cooked turkey, and I had just enough in my care package.

The soup (see recipe below) begins with sautéed onion, followed by celery, carrot, garlic, and red pepper. The red pepper adds not only beautiful color but also sweetness, which is perfectly offset by the small amount of lemon juice added near the end. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Instead of chicken broth, I used chicken base, a pasty concentrated chicken goo to which one adds water. One teaspoon goo + one cup water = one cup broth.

I had never used it before but bought the base as a money-saving measure. Have you priced Swanson chicken broth lately? A 16-ounce jar of Le Goût cost $6.89 at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company and makes five gallons. I thought the flavor was fine, although I haven’t tested it head to head against Swanson.

Once the vegetables are soft, you add 8 or more cups of broth and simmer for 20 minutes. You then add pasta; cook another 12 or 13 minutes; add a couple of tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and some lemon zest and the diced turkey; and toss in fresh spinach, cooking another 3 minutes–just long enough to wilt the spinach and let the flavors meld.

Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan or other favorite strong cheese.

I wasn’t sure about the lemon, but it was the perfect complement to the vegetables’ sweetness and gave the soup a delicate, bright taste. Definitely a keeper.

I might experiment in future by adding a can of cannellini beans. I was thinking of canned diced tomatoes too, but their acidity would probably interfere with the lovely lemon effect. Oh–I also threw in a couple of diced new potatoes that were soon going to go bad if not eaten. You could probably add turnips as well.

Here’s the original recipe. Note that it does not call for any added salt. That seemed odd to me, and I tossed in 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt once the vegetables had been sautéed. The result was just right–not over salty.

Lemon turkey soup with fresh spinach and farfalle

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced [I used 3]
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth [I used 9 cups]
• 2 cups dried farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 5 ounces fresh spinach (about 6 cups)
• Grated Parmesan cheese [I used Asiago]

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir 1 minute [Note: I began with just the onion and cooked it 4-5 minutes, then added garlic for another minute]. Add celery, carrots, and red bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add 8 cups broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes. Add pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes [or more].

Mix turkey, lemon juice, and lemon peel into soup. Add spinach. Simmer until spinach wilts but is still bright green, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Thin soup with additional chicken broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Tomorrow is the birthday of two friends: my very good girlfriend Toni and my talented assistant editor, Dan.

On my birthday in September Toni brought to the office an excellent five-cheese and pasta dish that I had often heard her speak of. It was delicious. She also brought a fabulous dessert, cannoli with a sweet, cheesy filling that included apricot preserves and chocolate chips. If I can find the photos we shot of that feast, I’ll post them. Man, it was good.

It seemed like a great tradition, so tomorrow we’ll continue it. I made a chicken-and-rice casserole, and Toni’s bringing a cake that I know will be incredible. I’m also bringing a little surprise–but won’t mention it here in case Toni checks the blog before lunch. If the chicken-and-rice dish is good, I’ll post the recipe [gotta do that—it was a keeper].

It smelled delicious while I was cooking. No canned soup here–just onions, carrots, salt, and garlic softened in butter; a little flour added; chicken broth and whole milk added and brought to a simmer; rice, black pepper, and cayenne pepper added; mixture cooked for 20 minutes; thin strips of fresh chicken breast added and cooked in the rice mixture.

Once the cooking was completed, I stirred in frozen peas and 8 ounces of sharp grated cheddar cheese. Before baking it tomorrow, I’ll add a topping of buttered crumbs with a little Parmesan.

Sounds good, right?

While sauteeing the aromatics in butter, I was again struck by how such simple ingredients can smell and taste so delicious. Food is truly a miracle. I’ll let you know how it turned out.

I’m not talking about the loaves you pick up the store, as you probably know. For weeks I’ve been obsessed with a recipe called "Almost no-knead bread," published in Cook’s Illustrated (the world’s best cooking magazine, OK?) in January 2008. I’m a subscriber but discovered it on Cook’s website when searching for bread recipes.

I’ve probably made a dozen loaves in the last two months. It begins with a sponge of flour, yeast, salt, water, beer, and white vinegar. You mix it in a medium-sized bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 8 to 18 hours. I’ve let it sit at room temperatore for as long as 24 hours, and on occasion, when my schedule was crazy, I’ve let it go longer in the refrigerator, then let it return to room temp before baking. The ultra-crunchy crust is dark golden brown. The interior has the scent and flavor of sourdough.

Once the bread comes out of the oven, I can hold out only 30 minutes to an hour before I start cutting slices. You’re supposed to let it cool to room temperature, but I find it delicious warm–especially with herbed butter (unsalted butter + 1 clove of garlic minced + 1 or 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary + salt to taste). The recipe follows.

You’ll need a Dutch oven in which to bake the bread. One good and relatively inexpensive option is the enameled cast-iron Tramontina 6.5-quart Dutch oven. It comes in cool colors (mine is a lovely dark green) and should last a lifetime. After I joined Sam’s Club not long ago, I saw that Sam’s offers the Tramontina Dutch oven under its own brand name, Member’s Mark (or something like that). It is identical to my Tramontina, which I found at Walmart. Cook’s Illustrated gave it a very high ranking. Almost no-knead bread Makes 1 large round loaf

• 3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting work surface
• 1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) room-temperature water
• 3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) mild-flavored lager (I use Yuengling)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in medium bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. (I usually have to work the dough a little with my hands to incorporate all the dry bits.)

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle.

Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray (I usually do not spray the dough). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough (I sometimes skip this step), and slash surface with razor blade or scissors. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment paper, and lower dough into pot, letting any excess paper hang over pot edge. Cover pot and place in oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 425 degees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. (20 to 23 minutes is the magic interval for me.) Carefully remove bread from pot, transfer to wire rack, and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Funny–I almost never make candy, yet here I am posting about the fudge again. If you’ve read Hissy Fit’s comments, you’ll see that the fudge was a major success.

I am curious about whether processing the sugar helped enhance the creaminess of the fudge. I tried that initially just to make sure the coffee powder was well-blended . . . but at least once in the past I’ve processed sugar when a recipe called for superfine sugar.

I should consult Shirley Corriher’s excellent tome CookWise (HarperCollins, 1997) to see whether she discusses that point. Shirley gives you the science behind recipes–fascinating stuff.

Today’s mail brought a copy of her long-awaited new book BakeWise (Scribner, 2008). I should be working tonight (my semimonthly work deadline is tomorrow morning) but instead spent a few precious minutes reading what she has to say about cookies. I will definitely consult her recipes before making goody bags this Christmas.

My next post will probably address breads. I have three excellent recipes that I keep repeating. One is an artisanal loaf that approximates sourdough in a mere eight to 18 hours. Incredibly delicious. Crust so crusty that when you first cut into the loaf, crispy fragments fly off into the air. You can hear it crackle when you pull it from the oven and the crust hits the cooler air.

The second is a rustic country loaf that incorporates rye and whole-wheat flour. It develops a dark, dark brown crust that looks more like a baked potato than anything else I can think of. Wonderful with honey. You’ve got to consume it in a day or two, though, or it becomes too hard.

The third is a part-whole-wheat sandwich bread. Makes great toast too.

Well, the fudge was a hit. Most of it ended up at the reception following our second goddaughter’s baptism this evening, and I heard numerous compliments. I warned the father of three young girls that it contained coffee powder . . . and he let them eat it anyway.

It was highly amusing to watch them going round and round on a metal support between the doors of the Chancery office, where the reception was held. They were definitely wound up on a combination of sugar, chocolate, and caffeine. Let’s hope they get to sleep sometime tonight.

Silvia, the new Christian, showed herself a champ as she successfully made the transition from pagan to Catholic. No tears. Meanwhile, goddaughter No. 1 (whom my husband was holding during the proceedings) could be heard to say “I want to eat cake” while the priest was busy administering the sacrament.

The girl is no fool. Her mama had ordered a very nice white cake with lemon curd filling from an excellent local bakery, Rita’s.

I should have taken photos, but Mama did. If I get a nice one, I’ll post it.

This year we’ve decided to simplify and to give gifts that are more personal–and cheaper at the same time. To wit, most people on our gift list, with the exception of our little goddaughters, will be receiving edible gifts. Cookies, bar cookies, fudge, small pound cakes, and so on.

Tonight I auditioned a recipe for espresso toffee fudge that I found on the Food Network website. I made a couple of tweaks to the recipe (adding one-quarter teaspoon of kosher salt and processing the sugar, instant coffee, and salt in a food processor until the coffee powder was well blended and the sugar was superfine) and thought it turned out quite well.

This will make excellent gift fudge. Now if only I could find my mother’s recipe for two-tone fudge. I’ve seen several recipes online, but I’m not sure how closely they approximated Mom’s recipe. And since she died in July, I can’t ask her, more’s the pity.

Here’s the fudge recipe, as I prepared it:

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
• 30 large marshmallows
• 1/2 cup Heath-bar bits

Combine sugar, salt, and coffee or espresso powder in bowl of food processor. Process until coffee is well blended and sugar is superfine–30 seconds or so.

In a large saucepan over medium heat combine butter, milk, and sugar mixture. Heat to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Let mixture boil 10 minutes, continuing to stir.

Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows and chocolate chips. Stir until marshmallows and chips are melted. (This recipe is a pretty good arm workout.)

Pour into a 9″ by 13″ pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth quickly with a spatula before mixture begins to set.

Sprinkle Heath-bar chips onto fudge and gently press down with your hand.

Cool until set, three to four hours. Cut into squares and serve.