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Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pita bread (Khobz arabi)

  • twoyolks on January 13, 2014

    Be careful when baking these as they very quickly become overcooked and are no longer flexible. They are more flavorful than most pita breads and most of them puffed up.

  • imaluckyducky on December 13, 2013

    Pg 71. This recipe is a personal game-changer, to the point that it's reaaaaally hard to go back to store-bought pitas bread. In fact, I don't. If I want a falafel fix, it goes in a lettuce wrap instead of store-bought pita. There's no comparing the texture... it's more moist and more chewy, and it has a good, fresh taste. I don't make this often, maybe 1-3 times a year, but I am an extremely happy camper for the week after this.

• Yemeni bread (M'lawwah)

  • twoyolks on August 21, 2014

    The bread ended up too greasy without enough flavor. This bread bakes into separate layers which gave it an odd texture.

• Flatbread from Emilia Romagna (Piadina Romagnola)

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2014

    I made this with the olive oil in place of the lard. Additionally, instead of cooking it over a cast iron pan, I grilled them. They were pretty easy to make (only took the time that the charcoal was lighting) and had very good flavor. They make a good accompaniment to grilled meals; particularly, kabobs.

• French country bread (Pain de campagne)

  • twoyolks on April 03, 2015

    This had an odd, almost fermented flavor. It also had a dense crumb.

• Pugliese bread (Pane Pugliese)

  • twoyolks on September 15, 2015

    The flavor of the bread was good but the crumb was very dense.

• Little milk breads (Petits pains au lait)

  • twoyolks on January 02, 2014

    These are more reminiscent of dinner rolls than a typical bread.

• Zucchini and rice pie (Torta di zucca e riso)

  • twoyolks on July 25, 2014

    The rice did not fully cook. The zucchini was uncooked. It was not appetizing in the least.

• Potato pie (Torta di patate)

  • twoyolks on October 27, 2020

    The filling was pretty good but a bit loose for a pie. The dough was close to inedible.

• Spinach böreks (Ispanakli tepsi böregi)

  • twoyolks on February 05, 2015

    I would've liked something with more cheese and egg in it. The spinach was a bit too earthy.

• Tian pie (Tarte au tian)

  • twoyolks on July 29, 2014

    This was amazing. It's like summer in a tart. The only way this would've been better is with a glass of rosé. The recipe is written in a somewhat confusing manner (as written, it makes 2 tarts but the recipe specifies amounts for one tart at times and both tarts at others). For that reason, I accidentally omitted half the peppers and onions. I successfully made this in a 9" tart pan instead of a 8" pie pan.

• Teresa's ricotta pie (La torta di ricotta di Teresa)

  • twoyolks on May 26, 2015

    This reminded me of a lighter version of a quiche. The flavor of the filling was very good. It got a little bit salty because of the prosciutto.

• Cheese focaccia (Focaccia al formaggio)

  • twoyolks on January 26, 2014

    The cheese flavor is extremely mild. I could not use the large amount of butter called for (it simply would not fit). The butter and cheese also had a tendency to be pushed out when I rolled the dough out.

• Focaccia from Puglia (Puddica or Puddiche)

  • imaluckyducky on April 23, 2017

    This is quite nice, although don't trust the kneading times to reach a "smooth and elastic" dough ball. 3-4 minutes by hand is not enough.

• Thyme "pizza" (Manaqish bil-za'tar)

  • imaluckyducky on December 13, 2013

    Pg 35. Made this along with the eggplant "pizza." Added some thinly sliced garlic cloves pushed in on top. Was delicious!

• Eggplant "pizza" (Patlicanli pide)

  • imaluckyducky on December 13, 2013

    Pg 39. I think it should go without saying that since this is a baking book, the recipes are going to take some time. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise and rest, and the topping can be prepared while the dough is doing its thing, so it doesn't necessarily feel like a lot of work. My dried pepper flakes are super potent, so it ended up being spicier than I thought it would be with the amount given in the recipe, but the flavor was good and the textures were satisfying. Made this for two picky, meat-loving/eggplant-hating males and they devoured it.