The Wood-Fired Blog
Drink a beer; get inspired.
Jun 07, 2015Last week my business travels took me to Boston. I was very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a private tour of the Harpoon Brewery. Harpoon is a working brewery that also has a large bar that you can visit and order up the breweries latest suds. To accompany your beer, they serve soft pretzels that are made to order. The pretzels have a wonderful fermented flavor, and... Read More
Tuscan Bread
May 26, 2015This Tuscan style bread is made with a straight mix method. No need to activate the yeast or make a sponge prior to making this bread. Once baked, the loaf has a deep golden brown crust that softens as it rests and a chewy, moderately dense texture. I personally love using this bread for bruschetta or for my toast the morning after baking. The recipe is adapted from the King... Read More
Roasted Garlic
Jan 29, 2015Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, roasted garlic accompanied more meals than less. It always seemed to be on the table next to an incredible crusty hunk of bread. Not a frequent occurrence these days, but a must for any pizza party. As I’ve cooked more and more with the Forno Bravo I am loving utilizing the heat up and cool down times for cooking beyond pizza. Here... Read More
Fire Roasted Clams with Andouille Sausage
Sep 24, 2014I am a big fan of utilizing the heat up and cool down times of the Forno Bravo oven. Here is a flavor packed simple quick sharable appetizer that is perfect for the heat up time prior to your pizza making. No Andouille – No problems substitute your favorite sausage or skip the meat and throw in a handful of fennel. Hope you enjoy until next week feast well! Chef... Read More
Classic Dough And Smoky Tomato Sauce
Sep 19, 2014I am thrilled to be a part of the Forno Bravo community, and I am excited to share recipes, techniques, videos, photos and musings through the lens of a professional chef. My first post, of course, has to be pizza. However, I promise that I will keep you on your toes with different dishes and cooking methods to show off the versatility of the Forno Bravo oven. My first dough... Read More
Kaiser Rolls
Dec 30, 2011So-called Kaisers are everywhere these days, from supermarket bins to small bakeries. Unfortunately, most are made with generic recipes, bleached flour and too many are extruded by machine before being baked on gas decks. The look might be right, but the actual bread is flavorless. They bear little resemblance to the chewy delights of childhood memory. The rolls from this wood fired oven bread recipe bring back that memory, because... Read More
Boule au Levain
Dec 30, 2011This recipe constitutes graduation day. The formula uses a wild yeast starter and a long, cool rise to develop maximum flavor from the grains. Often called a sourdough, barm or levain, there are many, many ways to cultivate a wild yeast starter. Some seem to involve voodoo or late night incantations. Neither is remotely necessary, and simple is better. The easiest and most successful method to propagate the yeast and... Read More
Parisian Baguette
Dec 30, 2011This formula is primarily used for the typical long, skinny loaf seen in Paris, but it can be made into many other shapes, from breadsticks to rolls. Using a preferment, this time in the form of pâte fermentée, gives the loaves a depth of flavor that can’t be achieved any other way. This is a two-day bread, but the first day’s preparation is very simple. Four baguettes made from... Read More
Biga Whole Wheat Bread
Dec 30, 2011Many people have problems baking wheat breads, producing loaves that are heavy and dense. This has a lot to do with the nature of whole-wheat flour, because it is relatively low in gluten compared to bread flour. The solution here is to use what bakers call a preferment, or a bit of a boost to get that whole wheat flour really moving, plus adding a percentage of hard, unbleached bread... Read More
