Best Baby Gifts - Tried and True

Giving gifts is one of the more rewarding things we get to do in this life, especially for those whose love language is gift giving. Finding the perfect gift for the littles in your life can be a challenge, but rewarding knowing you’ve given something useful appreciated by both child and parent.

I’ve found myself turning more frequently to the online lists of gift ideas for certain age groups compiled by New York Times, Parents, Forbes, etc. I definitely vet the list thoroughly and only actually pursue a few ideas, but they’ve given great ideas that I otherwise never would have thought of.

As I had my first child and family and friends were having babies, I started to keep a running list of great baby gifts, a cheat sheet of sorts for gift giving, things I loved receiving and things people loved receiving. I’m writing them down since I know I can so quickly forget what I appreciated in certain stages of parenting. Now I’m sharing this list with you, for those looking for new tried and true ideas.

A Note About What You Won’t Find On This List

This list won’t include too many basic or essential items, since those are fairly obvious. Of course those make great gifts, but chances are if you’re turning to an online compiled list of gift ideas, it means you need some new ideas, right?

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Best Baby Gifts

Every Day Items:

• Diapers/wipes - yes, this is a basic necessity, but it will definitely be used! You could also consider pampering them with some quality diapers and instead of the usual Pampers or Huggies.

• Egg night light - this is an egg shaped night light, wire-free and touch activated. It’s portable, and brightness can be adjusted from very dim to very bright, perfect for breastfeeding and nighttime diaper changes. Double tap to turn on and off, long tap to dim or brighten, and press the logo to change colors (cold or warm light). There is a charging pad, but I find I only need to charge it every 3-4 days. I was gifted this for my third child and wish I had had it with all three of my babies! It’s not quite as techy as, say, the Hatch night light, but I prefer the egg night light. No app or internet required.

• Natural/Organic hygiene products - more every day products, but the beauty of these kinds of gifts is that they can always be used, even if the new mom starts with a small stash. It’s especially nice if you can find a trusted, natural/organic brand that new mom will feel good about using on her newborn. It can feel overwhelming as a new mom, trying to find the best, affordable products for your kids while wading through all of the marketing and greenwashing. Some brands I love include: Earth Mama’s Organics, Weleda, Mustela, as well as brands that I’m hearing good things about: Nature Sustained, California Baby, Shoosha Baby, and Attitude Baby. Think shampoo, body wash, lotion, diaper rash cream, sunscreen for when baby gets older.

• Baby Carrier - good to have with a first baby, essential for subsequent children. I highly recommend the Ergo Baby carrier. It can be used with babies from 7-45lbs with no separate inserts needed. It can be used for 4 different carry positions. Having a wrap carrier, such as a Moby wrap or a Solly wrap, is also really nice, mostly for the first 3ish months to hold baby close and cozy. Wraps take a bit more time to get on, and aren’t usually used for as long as the more supportive carriers can be. Each mama has their preference. I had both kinds, and used both with all 3 of my babies. If I could only have one kind, I would definitely choose the easier buckle-on carriers like the Ergo Baby Carrier over wrap carriers.

• Boppy Nursing Pillow - I know not everyone loves nursing pillows, but I absolutely loved mine. Many baby products are advertised as being able to be used through different stages, and nursing pillows are one of the few that I felt were actually useful through different stages. I used mine extensively through the first 3 months for breastfeeding, and noticed the amount of time I’d use it gradually decrease after. From just about the time babies are born you can use them for supervised tummy time, support for laying on their backs for short periods (they can see what’s going on around them easier rather than staring up at the ceiling and getting bored), and later at 4-6 months for support while sitting up.

  I’ve tried 3 different kinds of nursing pillows, and while all 3 were definitely better than nothing, not all are made equally. The Haakaa nursing pillow is similar in shape to the Boppy pillow, but it was a bit lumpier, and a little flatter and wider, not offering quite as much support. The “My Breast Friend” Pillow was a unique shape and actually buckled behind mom to keep it in position better, but I felt it was a bit flat and not as comfortable for baby or mom. Boppy wins all around, with quick on and off, thick pillow for good support, and even a plastic case to keep it clean in if you want to store it or transport it.

  You might also consider buying an extra cover for the pillow. I didn’t have an extra cover until my second baby, but I can tell you, it was extra nice to have a change-out for all the different liquids that leak! There many different knock off brands available with different patterns to choose from. I’ve only used the Boppy brand covers, so I can’t vouch for the off-brand. Boppy offers some organic, 100% cotton covers.

Books:

• High Contrast Baby Books - this is a great first book for infants, starting from birth up through around 6 months. Young babies can’t see far nor much color, but they see and are often mesmerized by high contrast images. I was given a hand-me-down from a friend in Italy and all three of my children enjoyed this book, especially my first. It’s great for tummy time and play time in those younger months.

• Car Car Truck Jeep - this book was gifted my first son for his first Christmas and it became a favorite for both of us. It’s a board book with plenty of vehicles going about their day sung to the tune of “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. By the time my son was 4 months old I’d just pick up the book and he’d start smiling, giggling on his favorite pages. My second son also adores this book. He had it memorized by the time he was around 18 months old, haha. Kids love, and retain, singing so well.

• Pout Pout Fish - of the hundreds of new books that I’ve read to my children over the last few years, this is a stand out. It has good rhythm, a cute story with a twist, and keeps the toddlers through preschoolers alike engaged with a repeating rhyme that the littles love and bigger words that keep bigger kids engaged. I thoroughly enjoy reading it, even over and over again.

• Peek a Who? - this a book that involves peek a boo, and despite being extremely simple, is a favorite for babies and toddlers.

• I Love You Like No Otter - I tend to lean towards humorous/entertaining books over sentimental/cheesy books, but I have to say this is a cute one. Yes, it is a little cheesy, but the images and the sayings are all very sweet and enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

• Happy Baby Books - these books are like magic for babies and kids. It’s the kind of book that, before I had kids myself, I never would have gifted to someone or understood why babies like them. But babies love pictures of other babies, pictures of animals, pictures of objects, and these books include all of those things and more. Kids love looking at them on their own, and of course, having you read them over and over, even more. There are several different versions of these, and all are great. I bought several of these used to keep in the car, in the diaper bag, so that wherever we were, we always had one on hand, and no worries about them getting dropped or beat up.

Toys:

• Stacking Cups - some baby toys withstand the test of time. Beloved by babies, beloved by parents. They don’t take up much room, affordable, don’t make noise, and good for baby’s development.

• Stacking Rings

• Teething toys - giving a baby something they love to chew on is so satisfying. Some favorite teething toys I’ve seen my own kids, nieces and nephews, and other children all go ga-ga over (sorry, too much?) include these Nuby 3-stage teethers (the stages are bit of nonsense, all 3 are great at any point), these fruit teethers, these Itzy Ritzy water-filled dinosaurs perfect for the freezer, and these tools

• Stuffed animals - while common gifts, there are certain ones that are just really good ones. Choose ones that you like, or use the ones you like best that you receive as gifts, because they will likely grow with your baby and always remind you of their babyhood. Stuffies can in and of themselves become a priceless gift in this way. Some favorites of ours that are still available include this fox (also in part a teething toy although my kids didn’t do much chewing on him), any of the Palm Pals, any of the Squishmallows (a bit cumbersome for babies but they grow into them quickly!), and this super soft pink bunny (actually gifted to my son but both my son and daughter love it). A word to the wise: once your child starts to become attached to a certain lovey, buy a duplicate. That way, if anything ever happens to it, you’ll have an extra on hand in case you can’t get the original back.

Clothes:

• H&M - still my favorite place to buy baby clothes, hands down. They’re cute, they hold up well, and they tend to run big which is huge (no pun intended) if you have big babies. The prices have gone way up since I first started shopping their baby clothes (hello pre2020 prices), but if you shop their sales, it turns out quite affordable. Plus they have big sales that go up to 70% off a few times a year, as well as very regular sales. Every few weeks they have flash sales where the entire site goes 25% off, and at Thanksgiving you can get the whole site 30% off.

• H&M baby socks - I know I just mentioned H&M, but their socks get a special mention because they’re some of the better socks I’ve tried for babies. Especially the terry socks with grippies. When I first started buying their socks I thought they were basically perfect (nice colors, comfy, and STAY ON), but I’ve since found not all their socks are made equal. I recommend the terry socks!

• Lou Lou and Company - new moms can get inundated with baby clothes, so I’ve always thought it is nice to gift (or get!) just a few quality pieces rather than an overload of cheaper pieces/brands. Lou Lou is one of the companies that makes quality, practical baby clothing. The baby gowns are wonderful, especially for quick diaper changes, sleeping, and look nice enough for photoshoots. They’re not cheap, running $30+ per nightgown or set, but even just having 1-2 is great.

• Caden Lane - another brand that makes really nice baby gowns and clothing. Pricier, just like Lou Lou, but makes a wonderful gift.

• Kyte Baby - bamboo baby clothing that is light, stretchy, and super comfortable. They have clothing, sleep sacks, and more. I know some people whose kids live in these!

• Zutano slippers - the nicest baby slippers out there, in my opinion. They’re soft, comfortable, grippy for new walkers, wash well, and last a long time. I was gifted a pair with my first, and we used them so much I wanted a second pair. When I saw the price I decided to go with the more affordable Hudson slippers. That was a mistake. Zutano slippers have snap closures. Hudson Baby has velcro, and it makes all the difference. Babies can quickly figure out how to undo the velcro, and poof, baby won’t keep slippers on anymore. Especially sitting in a carseat where their feet are conveniently in reach. A snap is secure enough that baby can’t get them undone as easily. What’s the use of slippers if baby won’t keep them on? I’m all for saving money, but this is one spot where I definitely recommend the nicer item. If the new mama is on a budget, do her a favor and get her the Zutano slippers. :)

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Is Ice Necessary When Baking Sourdough Bread in Dutch Ovens?

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The use of steam when baking sourdough loaves is essential to allow them to spring up in the oven before the crust forms.

One of the easiest ways to ensure your loaf is getting enough steam, is to bake it in a Dutch oven. Even more, you can put a couple of ice cubes in the hot Dutch oven right after you load your dough in, before you place the lid on and put it all back into the oven.

But is ice necessary? No, it’s not necessary, but it can be a helpful tool.

Safety First

It’s important to note that using ice in a very hot Dutch oven comes with the risk of thermal shock. Certain materials, like the enameled cast iron often used in Dutch Ovens, is prone to thermal shock. Adding any amount of ice to a very hot Dutch Oven risks breaking or shattering the pan. Not all Dutch ovens are made equal, also. Le Creuset, for example, are high quality, made in France enameled cast iron. They’re designed to distribute heat and cold evenly, but shouldn’t be taken from the freezer to the oven, unlike high quality stoneware such as Emile Henry which can be taken straight from freezer to oven. Other, cheaper brands of enameled cast iron, especially the more economical options, appear to report higher incidences of shattering and breaking, from my observations. I use La Tramontina oval 5.5Qt dutch ovens multiple times a week for several hours at a time to bake bread in.

I actually didn’t know the thermal shock element until I had used ice in my Dutch Ovens many, many times. I used to use about 4 ice cubes per loaf, but once I realized the risk, I reduced to 2 ice cubes. I read both sides from many seasoned sourdough bakers, those that were absolutely against using ice ever because of the risk, and those that pooh-poohed the advice, having used ice many times themselves and stating 1-2 ice cubes isn’t enough to cause thermal shock.

I now only use ice sometimes for certain kinds of loaves, those that benefit the most from a little extra steam. I score all of my classic/regular sourdough loaves using rice flour and don’t want the design to disappear, which extra steam can do, so don’t use ice with those.

Ultimately it’s up to you if you want to use ice.

When to use ice in a Dutch Oven

• If you suspect the crust is forming on your loaf prematurely, use ice to keep the inside of your Dutch Oven steamier

• If your loaves are springing up nicely but splitting in unwanted places, despite scoring, try ice

• If your loaves rise nicely but don’t get an ear, try ice

• If you want more of a blistered crust, use ice

When NOT to use ice

• If you’re worried about thermal shock and potential breaking/shattering of your Dutch Oven, as talked about above

• If you have used flour and scored a design on your bread, you’ll want to skip ice as the steam causes the flour to disappear and thus making the scoring difficult to see

• If you don’t see any noticeable differences in your loaves whether you use ice or not, no need to bother with it!

If you decide to use ice, here are a few tips:

1. Once your oven and Dutch Ovens are sufficiently preheated, load your dough in before adding the ice. Ice starts steaming within seconds of hitting the hot Dutch Oven, and if you load your dough after you risk burning your wrists or arms.

2. I recommend using parchment paper rather than silicone bread slings so the ice doesn’t come in direct contact with the bread, causing a soggy or gummy crust.

3. Place the ice underneath/outside the parchment paper in the Dutch Oven, not next to the bread. This way, like point 2, your bread won’t up with a soggy spot.

4. Ice is slippery, so place with care. I always do so with my beloved elbow-length Lanon oven mitts, to protect from burns. Despite these having fingers and more dexterity, I can still feel clumsy trying to grab a thin piece of parchment and holding it back while slipping an ice cube in. Go slowly as an ice cube that slips in next to the bread is stupidly difficult to get out. Don’t ask me how I know that, nor how many minutes of my life have been wasted trying to fish out a slippery little cube before it completely melts.

If you decide not to use ice, you could try misting your bread with water before loading it into your Dutch oven. Score your bread, spray generously with a spray bottle filled with water, and bake.

Ice vs. No Ice: A Side-by-Side Experiment

loaf baked without ice (L) next to loaf baked with ice (R)

I’ve now run this experiment a few times, and finally remembered to snap a few pictures for a visual experiment.

Both of these loaves are cheddar jalapeño loaves from the same batch, identical in every way, baked in the same oven at the same time, in two separate Dutch Ovens, with the exception that one was baked with ice and one was baked without ice.

The loaf baked with ice is a little bit bigger, probably because it had more time to expand before the crust set.

You’ll notice that the loaf baked with ice has a more pronounced ear. Honestly, while this is often the more aesthetically desired outcome for sourdough, less or no ears are easier to slice into.

loaf baked with ice (L) and loaf baked without ice (R))

The loaf baked with ice has a more blistered, glistening crust. The loaf baked without ice has a drier, almost “dusty” look to it. While neither loaf looks bad and both will taste divine, a blistered crust is a coveted outcome for sourdough and proves the bread had adequate steam.

loaf baked without ice

loaf baked wit hice

Hopefully this has been enlightening for you. What do you think, are you team ice or no ice?

Easy Sourdough Discard Waffles

These Sourdough Discard Waffles are super easy to make and use up an impressive amount of discard, making this my top discard recipe.

They’re crispy, satisfying, and very light. Everyone loves them, children and adults alike.

These waffles don’t call for any flour, just sourdough discard. You can finally get some of your discard moving out of your fridge, using up 1,000g (4 cups) of discard for 1 large batch. If you don’t have that much discard, this recipe is easy to cut in half.

Since this recipe is primarily made up of sourdough discard, you’ll want to consider how old your discard is. If it’s really old and funky smelling, your waffles will have a stronger flavor. I’ve used some pretty ripe stuff before and found I prefer using discard that is less than 2 weeks old for best flavor in these waffles. However, I’ve used some pretty funky smelling discard in the past and thought the plain waffles were a bit much, but once you add a little butter and maple syrup even my little kids were wolfing them down. They don’t even notice.

When it comes to discard, there are two camps of people. Those that gag at the thought of using discard that is more than 1 week old, and those that will use their discard no matter how old, as long as it has not gone bad. I’m definitely in the latter group, but I’m not extreme. I also use up discard usually within a month or much less. This recipe helps to keep my discard at bay, and is a staple in our household!

If you don’t have a waffle iron, we enjoy this one!

Shoutout to That Sourdough Gal for the original recipe! Genius. I tweaked it below to make it a tad healthier, using olive oil instead of melted butter, along with a few other minor adjustments.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Easy Sourdough Discard Waffles

Makes about 20 waffles

Ingredients:

• 4 cups / 1,000g sourdough discard

• 4 eggs

• 6 Tbsp / 85g olive oil

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

• 1 tsp / 5g salt

• 2 tsp baking soda

• add-ins of choice, such as blueberries, chocolate chips, etc.

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron.

1. Whisk together all ingredients except for baking soda and add-ins.

2. Add baking soda and whisk until well incorporated. Batter will become bubbly and aerated. Gently mix in any desired add-ins, OR sprinkle over batter in waffle iron each time before closing.

3. Cook in preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve with your favorite toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, powdered sugar, jam, peanut butter, etc.

Jenny’s Notes:

• The older your discard, the stronger the flavor your waffles will have. If you don’t prefer the “funky” taste of older discard, it’s best to use discard that’s only a few days old or up to a week.

• This makes a big batch of waffles, and they freeze beautifully. Pop in the toaster for a quick and crispy preheat.

• If an egg allergy is present or you’d like to make these vegan, substitute the eggs with flax eggs. Make 1 flax egg by mixing 1 Tbsp flaxmeal with 3 Tbsp warm water. For 4 eggs as in this recipe, mix 4 Tbsp flaxmeal with 3/4 cup warm water.

Yield 20 waffles

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

35 Min

Print

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Easy Sourdough Discard Waffles

Super simple waffles that use up an impressive amount of sourdough discard!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 4 cups / 1,000g sourdough discard
• 4 eggs
• 6 Tbsp / 85g olive oil
• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar
• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract
• 1 tsp / 5g salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• add-ins of choice, such as blueberries, chocolate chips, etc.

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Whisk together all ingredients except for baking soda and add-ins.
3. Add baking soda and whisk until well incorporated. Batter will become bubbly and aerated. Gently mix in any desired add-ins, OR sprinkle over batter in waffle iron each time before closing.
4. Cook in preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve with your favorite toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, powdered sugar, jam, peanut butter, etc.

Notes

• The older your discard, the stronger the flavor your waffles will have. If you don’t prefer the “funky” taste of older discard, it’s best to use discard that’s only a few days old or up to a week.
• This makes a big batch of waffles, and they freeze beautifully. Pop in the toaster for a quick and crispy preheat.
• If an egg allergy is present or you’d like to make these vegan, substitute the eggs with flax eggs. Make 1 flax egg by mixing 1 Tbsp flaxmeal with 3 Tbsp warm water. For 4 eggs as in this recipe, mix 4 Tbsp flaxmeal with 3/4 cup warm water.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

161

Fat

6 g

Sat. Fat

1 g

Carbs

25 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

24 g

Sugar

0 g

Protein

6 g

Sodium

477 mg

Cholesterol

33 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 1 plain waffle if recipe produces 20 waffles

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/7/30/easy-sourdough-discard-waffles

sourdough discard recipe, easy waffles, breakfast

breakfast

American

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The Birth Story of Isaac

As is fitting with my own little tradition, I’m sharing Isaac’s birth story now that he’s 2. Elyas and Miriam I made it by their birthdays, but Isaac is at least in his birth month, if barely. Happy Second birthday, baby boy. I’ve enjoyed these past 2 years immensely, and cannot wait to continue to enjoy being your mama for the next many, Lord willing!

It was December and the days were ever getting darker, colder, with snow blanketing the landscape. The desire to stay home, stay warm, and nest had already been strong for awhile. Exhaustion crept in, this third pregnancy was not my easiest, fatigue was persistent, but also fairly understandable given I was chasing around a 1year old and a recently turned 3 year old. Stress was also high after a particularly brutal autumn, but that’s another story for another time, that I will not allow to darken the story of my greatest blessing of 2023.

Isaac was due on December 10. I loved that I got to have a baby during the festivity. Given his due date and the general good advice to not go more than 2 weeks past the due date, I knew he would be here by December 24, no Christmas baby here! I so enjoyed having my first two going into the fall and winter months, hunkering down to cuddle and nurse babies during the cold months feels perfect. I couldn’t wait to have my new baby in my arms, sitting in the glow of the Christmas tree, rocking and treasuring these moments in my heart. The huge event of birth stood between me and that moment, however.

December 15

Now 5 days late, and with an official induction date for the 18th, I was still fully hoping to go into labor spontaneously as I did with my first two. I had a chiropractor appointment in the early afternoon, in the hopes to get that final “crack” (that may or may not have been that last something to get labor started with my second.) A couple hours after the chiro appointment I had a midwife appointment, where she offered to check to see if there was any dilation and effacement and possibly do a membrane sweep. A membrane sweep was a new experience for me, but the midwife could only do a partial sweep as I was only 1cm dilated.

I went home for another cozy evening by the Christmas tree and fire, making dinner and working on a Christmas puzzle. The entire evening after the membrane sweep I felt a low belly cramp. While not strong, it was almost constant, and left me feeling restless. We watched a movie, then I went to bed. Every night at term I always hope and pray for a full and good night’s sleep, as labor can be brutal without enough rest going into it. Around 2am I was awoken with some real contractions. I started to time some, still trying to rest, breathe, maybe go back to sleep. I slept on and off, but things kept getting stronger. By 5am they were getting strong enough that I felt I wanted some emotional support, so I let my mom know that I was having somewhat regular and strong contractions. Darkness doesn’t usually bother me, but experiencing labor in the dark when everyone else is asleep feels very lonely and isolating. I do not like it. Once the sun breaks everything feels manageable, but for whatever reason, the darkness gets to me in labor.

My mom got up with me and helped to time the contractions. She saw with my second labor that I can stay very calm and controlled, even through transition and beyond, resulting in getting to the hospital later than would be ideal. We had a plan to get to the hospital not so late this time.

She encouraged me to lay down and rest while I could. I slept during the in between moments, having regular and strong contractions. Around 7:30 the sun was up, I felt I couldn’t sleep anymore, and got up. Now being more upright and moving, naturally the contractions started getting stronger. My first two were waking up, and I was helping them as much as I could.

Contractions were ever getting harder, and it felt harder to work through them. The dreaded back labor started to kick in, a horrible dejavu to my first labor.  Around 10:30am we decided it would be best to head into the hospital. My oldest two stayed with grandpa while we got in the car as quickly as we could. The hospital is only 10 minutes away. I stepped out of the car and a strong contraction took me, and I threw up right there on the sidewalk. I was humiliated but also, you really only half care at that point, you know? In the absence of my husband my brother had driven us in, and he heroically ignored the gore, fetched a wheelchair, and pushed me in with my mom grabbing my bag. Into the familiar maternity ward we went, except this time I got to experience actual American triage. My first was born in Italy, and my second was basically ready to come out when I arrived at the hospital so we got to skip a good bit of the triage. Now that I’ve been through it, can I say I am absolutely not a fan? I want to say it took an hour, and no woman wants to spend an hour in a small room on an uncomfortable bed in positions that are not comfortable to labor in while filling out paperwork that feels like it could wait for more opportune times. Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

Baby’s vital signs were all great, and I was dilated to 5/6cm. Finally, they said I could move to my room. The bad news was, something was wrong with the heat and the room was not even 60 degrees. The nurses were very kind and brought multiple heated sheets to cover me in while I swayed on a birthing ball at the end of the bed.

It was time to put a line in, but the nurse was having the hardest time finding my vein. They had to call in a specialist with a little ultrasound machine to be able to locate my vein while inserting the needle. Even the specialist had difficulties and took several tries. My arm was sore, and I just wanted it back so I could use it to support myself. Another dejavu of my first labor, where my drip line was too short to reach where I was laboring on a clean blanket on the floor. My arm just had to stay suspended in air. Finally the specialist got the line in. I was already tired from it all and plopped on the bed.

Laying down didn’t seem to help much, and my brain decided now was my chance to finally labor in water, something else I had never been able to do. My body decided it was too tired, and each time I decided, “ok after this contraction I’ll get up and get in the tub”, it didn’t happen. I was frozen with fatigue, every bit of energy being put into mentally preparing for and getting through the next contraction. I was discouraged that this labor was so much harder than my second. It felt like my first labor all over again, and I hadn’t wanted to repeat that one. But here I was, back labor making me want to jump out of my body. Finally, after I don’t know how long, I got up the gumption to get int the tub. My mom helped my run some water and get in. It wasn’t nearly as helpful as I had always thought and hoped. Partly because the tub was a normal tub, and I felt I didn’t have enough room to get comfortable. Partly the grout was moldy and I could smell it. Heightened pregnancy scent meant I was done after just 20 minutes or so. I got out and plopped back on the bed. After a while I got up on my hands and knees, anything to keep the back labor at bay. The sweet nurse came to check on me, and asked if I would like some counter pressure on my hips. I agreed and she started to show my mom how to do it. On the second contraction with counter pressure I suddenly got extremely uncomfortable and my water broke.

The contractions kept charging on, and I was so ready to be done. I almost felt mad at labor, mad at the contractions, for being so relentless and not yielding my baby yet. My nephew had been born on this same day 8 years before, and we were waiting to see how close the timing would be. My nephew was born at 2:31pm. 2:30pm came and went. Just when I was starting to think this was going to go on forever and why don’t they just put my name on a plaque above the bed since I’ll be there for so long, I started to feel pushy so the nurse checked me. I was 9.5cm, or 10cm with a lip, and just about ready to push. Wait, what? Already? But I was just picking out my curtain colors since I was going to be in this room so long! She went to get the doctor on call, and he came in shortly. He checked me again and I was complete, ready to push. I opted to lay on my side to push. I started pushing at 3pm and at 3:11pm after 3-4 pushes, Isaac was out! He was posterior, sunny side up, facing the wrong way, as I had suspected for several months now, even though my third trimester ultrasound showed him in the correct anterior facing position.

The doctor was very impressed, and said in the over 5,000 births he had assisted, that was one of the most controlled births he had ever witnessed. And all the more challenging because Isaac was posterior! Sweet baby boy weighed 8lbs 3oz, a nice healthy boy, but I admit I rather thought/hoped he might be a 9 pounder for how I felt and how big my basketball belly was!

Sweet relief set in. The golden hour was here. I was smitten, and so thankful. Family came to visit, big brother and sister got to meet Isaac. The baby snuggles and long hours nursing now commenced, and I have loved every second of it. As the doctor was telling me, those third children are something special. Often forgotten and no one remembers their name, but there’s just something about those third children that steals your heart all over again in a special way.

Is Italian Flour Better Than American Flour?

The query “where can I find Italian flour in the USA?” is a question that has been gracing my inbox more and more recently.

One of my first thoughts is always…why? Why are people working so hard to find specialty Italian flours that yes, can be surprisingly difficult to find here in the USA, and also cost quite a bit more?

Maybe you’ve already guessed the answer: they feel better when eating it, usually citing a vacation in Italy.

I’ve heard many variations of this from quite a few people. The common theme often involves a trip to Europe, specifically Italy, which included eating lots of food and bread and very little bloat or indigestion.

I’ll note that I have never had gluten intolerances or sensitivities. I’ve lived in America and Italy and never noticed a difference in how I felt when eating. Since I have no personal experience with this, I rely on others’ experiences and combine it with what I know of American and Italian flours.

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Does Eating Italian Flour Really Make You Feel Better?

For some people, yes, I believe it truly does.

But not everyone.

There are many other factors that should be considered when thinking about a European/Italian trip before assuming that better digestion and more energy, among other improved symptoms, are automatically linked to the better flour and ingredients they use.

Take into consideration these factors:

• Increased amounts of exercise (i.e. walking around sightseeing) can help you feel better

• Lowered levels of stress while on vacation

• Eating more bread products that use long fermentation and/or natural yeast (lievito madre in Italian, what we know as sourdough in America)

• Generally eating healthier meals and less snacks - whether you’re eating out or buying food from grocery stores in Europe, many of the options are generally healthier. At home you know your grocery store in and out, where fast food locations are, where the snacks are in your home. Staying in a hotel or Air B&B can mean less snacking, more work to find and get food.

• Placebo affect - many people have the impression that food in Europe is higher quality, better tasting, less chemicals, less pesticides, etc. and go over expecting to feel better/eat better. Whether or not the food they’re actually consuming is better than what they regularly consume at home, their mind already thinks they’ll feel better, therefore they do.

If you’ve thought of all this and still believe that you feel better when eating in Europe, let’s dive into some of the possible reasons why.

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On average, Italian flours contain less pesticides than other international flours

This is good. But before we get carried away putting Italian flours on a pedestal, consider that this is saying it contains less pesticides “on average”, which means it will come down to the individual flour being consumed.

Ideally, we wouldn’t be eating any pesticides in our flour (or food). Less is better than more, though, certainly.

An easy fix if you’re worried about pesticides in your flour? Buy organic! A big question mark for me is the number of people I’ve talked to who pay more money and spend more time hunting down Italian flour (not organic - which would likely still be grown with some pesticides) than purchase American organic flour which would be grown without pesticides.

Organic, known as “bio” (BEE-o) in Italy, exists. This should clue you in that, non-organic also exists in Italy. I’ll take the wheat grown with less pesticides any day over the wheat grown with more, but if you really think about it, perhaps Italian flour shoudn’t be revered quite as highly as many tend to do.

Another point, Italy exports a lot of their flour. According to Andrea Villani of AGER Borsa Merci of Bologna, Italy imports more than 50% of their soft wheat, and 30/40% of their hard wheat. They mostly import from France, but also from Hungary, Romania, Poland, and Russia. Chances are, if you’re eating bread or pasta in Italy, it may not even be Italian wheat you’re eating. Not having done much research on any flours other than Italian, I would guess that European flours are still generally grown with less pesticides than in North America. However, it’s still a valid point not to put Italy and Italian flours too much on a pedestal as that may not be actually what you’re eating.

What about genetically modified wheat?

If you’ve ever heard someone go off on the food industry in America and GMO wheat being the culprit of bloat, digestional problems, fatigue, skin problems, etc. etc., and felt concerned and thinking our US grown wheat is basically poison…you’re not alone. Now, there’s probably, unfortunately, some truth to what they’re saying. But rest assured, at least for now, it’s not the GMO wheat.

There currently is no genetically modified wheat grown and sold comercially in America. A certain variety, HB4, was given the green light in America, following Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, but it is not yet sold commercially and it will likely take a few more years before it can be.

Bottom line, any wheat you consume in the USA and any wheat you consume in Italy will all be non-GMO.

Italy uses primarily soft wheat

Another reason why some may experience easier digestion of wheat over in Europe is due to the fact that Italy, France, and other European countries use more soft wheat in their baking. In the USA we grow and consume a lot of hard wheat.

Soft wheat generally is lower in protein, hard wheat is generally higher in protein. The lower protein makes the soft wheat a bit easier to digest.

If you’re interested in learning more about hard and soft wheat and the different varieties grown, you can read this post here.

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Terra dei Fuochi - Land of Fires

What was once called the “Terra Felix” by the Romans, or “Fertile Land”, a lush area in the Campania region of Italy, has more recently been named the “Terra dei Fuochi” or even the “Triangle of Death”.

The story behind how the Terra dei Fuocchi came to be is really quite awful, but fascinating at the same time. It started with the mafia bringing toxic waste and dumping it, in canals, burying it, leaving it out in the open, all the ways that toxic, sometimes radioactive waste, should absolutely not be disposed of. The region is known for higher rates of cancers, tumors, birth defects, infertility, even autism. Earlier this year Italy was found guilty of violating right to life by the European Court of Human Rights, with the court noting that Italy was aware of the illegal activity since 1988. Italy now has 2 years to clean up their act and provide comprehensive actions to remedy the situation.

You can find the affected areas here (in Italian).

Why am I bringing this up? Because the region of Campania, where you find Naples, Caserta, and the Terra dei Fuochi, is a top producer of durum wheat, the kind of wheat that is used to make pasta. If you were to go to your local grocery store tomorrow, you’d likely be able to find some boxes of pasta imported from Italy made with durum wheat from the Campania region. If it’s being exported, I’d certainly hope it’s safe. But how can one know for sure? I’ve known about the waste dumping problems in Italy for awhile now, and I always wonder if I should feel concerned about any of the Italian pasta I’m buying.

I haven’t seen direct evidence that durum wheat or other produce grown in the area is exported where it might reach our tables, but it’s something I’ve been curious about. We have enough to worry about rather than wonder if our beloved pasta is tainted, right?

I’ve looked into some of the biggest and most respected Italian pasta and flour brands, most of which use a mix of flour from Italy, USA, Canada, Australia, etc. While some do state they source durum wheat from the Campania Region in Italy, they don’t list specifically where.

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So much of what we consume is in faith that it is high quality, not tainted, and is what it has been marketed to be. We’re all doing the best we can to eat good food, but I do wish all American food wouldn’t be lumped together into the “evil” category while Italian food lands in the “saintly” category. Unfortunately there are some strong influences out there that may not give the true picture. Continue to investigate and learn about what you’re eating. Keep an open mind, and enjoy your food. We’re all just trying to do the best we can.

Explore Italy: Verona

view of Verona from Ponte Scaligero

More Explore Italy posts:

• Venice

• Brescia

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

• Livorno

• Assisi

• Milan

• Cortona

on Ponte Scaligero

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Verona in a nutshell

Location: Veneto, Italy

Best known for: Being the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Days needed to explore: 1+…can be easily done in a day trip, but is also a good option as a base to explore northern Italy as it is well connected.

Courtyard of Juliet, Juliet’s balcony, and Juliet’s statue

Casa di Romeo

What to see and do:

• Balcone di Giulietta / Juliet’s balcony - a courtyard, a bronze statue, and a small balcony capture the imagination for the setting of Shakespeare’s doomed love story. There is no fee to enter, nonetheless there is often a large amount of tourists around and often even a line to go up and take a picture touching the golden breast of Juliet’s statue. Rumor has it that touching, or rubbing, the right breast of the statue will bring good luck in love. I find this vulgar, seeing the hundreds of people going up, posing and smiling, touching the statue’s boob. I mean, c’mon. Just enjoy the moment. What would Shakespeare say? To each his own, I guess.

• Casa di Romeo - if you’re interested in Juliet’s balcony, you may want to see Romeo’s house also, although it’s not nearly as exciting. It’s a private residence so you won’t get to see much, just the outside of the palace with a plaque.

• La Tomba di Giulietta / Juliet’s Tomb - inside Museo degli Affreschi, formerly San Francesco al Corso Convent, there lies Juliet’s tomb. The museum has an entrance fee.

• L’Arena di Verona / Arena of Verona - the third largest Roman amphitheater in the world. For a fee you can enter to see the inside.

• Piazza Brà - conveniently located right next to the arena and is the largest piazza in Verona

• Piazza delle Erbe - the oldest piazza in Verona

• Ponti di Verona / Bridges of Verona - there are several bridges in Verona. A few notable ones were destroyed during World War II by Nazis, but were able to be rebuilt using the same durable blocks retrieved from the bottom of the river. Two of these would be the Ponte di Pietra, the oldest bridge, as well as the Ponte Scaligero, connected to the medieval castle Castelvecchio

• Castelvecchio - a medieval castle, can be entered for a fee

Part of Porta dei Leoni, ancient Roman Ruins

Established: The first settlers of Verona probably date back to the Neolithic period. Verona has a rich history, often finding itself the capital for many rulers, kingdoms, and peoples. It became an especially important city under Roman rule. Verona was ruled by Rome, Venice, France, and even Austria before finally becoming a part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

Typical foods to try:

• Gnocchi di Patate (Potato Gnocchi/Dumplings) - classic Veronese gastronomy

• Polenta - a popular dish in many of the colder, northern Italian regions, including Verona. Unlike polenta that you may have experienced where it is solid and gelatinous, sometimes sliced and fried or grilled, typical polenta in Italy is soft, like a thick soup or porridge.

• Risotto all’Amarone - a creamy rice dish prepared with several ingredients found exclusively in the region, such as Vialone Nano rice, Amarone della Valpolicella wine and Monte Veronese cheese.

• Sfogliatine VillaFranca - beloved puff pastry-like sweets known throughout Italy, try some while you’re here!

• Pandoro - literally, “bread of gold” or “golden bread” soft, sweet, cake-like bread, traditional at Christmastime. It’s similar to panettone, but without any add-ins.

L’Arena di Verona, would it be Italy if there wasn’t scaffolding somewhere??

Why I like Verona

Verona surprised me.

It took me long enough to visit it, for as simple as it is to get there from Florence. It’s one of those cities you hear about frequently, it seems every friend, tourist, student, or expat has just been. Since I had never been, I would always ask, “did you enjoy Verona?” and almost every time I would get the “meh” response. “It’s nice, but it’s overrated” seemed to be the consensus. “Too many tourists, and the only cool thing to see is Juliet’s House.” My excitement to visit dwindled, as I just didn’t seem to talk to anyone who loved it. It moved lower on my to-visit list.

Eventually a trip up to Brescia with time to spare for visiting a few new places came up. Verona was added to the list, as it seemed high time to visit, and is right next to Brescia. If you don’t visit Verona from Brescia after you’ve been there a few times, you’re basically just avoiding it, and I really wasn’t trying to. I just didn’t have the excitement built up like I did for other locations.

A Little Door in Castevecchio

When I finally got to Verona, I was pleasantly surprised. It was bigger than I expected, with more to see than I expected, and much more pleasant to wander around than I expected. I certainly don’t want to go the opposite direction and lead you to think that Verona is Top 3 Cities To Visit In Italy, but it is worthwhile if you have the time. I love the story of Romeo and Juliet (particularly the ballet as I grew up in the ballet world) and found having real places to visit for a fiction story was quite interesting. However, the single most crowded area always seems to be Juliet’s courtyard to touch her breast (for luck in love) and take a picture, which I found silly and vulgar. I did not do it, and was able to skip the line and just walk in and enjoy the statue and courtyard. Well, as best as I could watching person after person walk up and assault Juliet’s statue, aha. If you’re only thinking of visiting Verona for Juliet’s courtyard, I don’t think it’s worth it.

Aside from the well known Romeo and Juliet locations, the amphitheater, the castle, and the bridges are all impressive and fun to see.

Verona is a joy to explore, if you go in with the right expectations. The atmosphere and size make it perfect for exploring for a day or two, without feeling like you’re wandering around in circles or like you’re missing too much.

View of the Adige river from Verona

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What Temperature Should I Bake Sourdough at?

3 loaves from the same batch of dough, baked at 3 different temperatures (loaves 1, 3, 4 from experiment 2)

What is the best temperature to bake sourdough bread at?

Like anything sourdough, there is no hard and fast answer to this. If sourdough were more straightforward, it would be way easier, and I wouldn’t be writing this post.

Loaf 3 from experiment 2

The most popular temperatures are 450°F (232°C), 475° (246°C), and 500°F (260°). If you read enough sourdough cookbooks, sourdough blogs, and sourdough groups, you’ll see these temperatures mentioned the most. Some preheat to and bake at the same temperature (i.e. preheat 450°F, bake 450°), others preheat hotter, then drop the temperature when loading the dough (i.e. preheat 500°F, bake 450°F).

Each of these temperatures are viable. Each oven bakes just a little different, and you’ll find the best temperature that works for you and your dough.

Pros and Cons of Baking at Lower Temperatures of 400°F - 450°F (205°C - 232°C)

• Pro: Quicker time to preheat oven

• Pro: Less likely to burn, especially the bottom

• Pro: Stays within “safe” temperature ranges for more dutch ovens, parchment paper, and bread slings

• Con: Oven spring is a bit slower, and loaves have a bit more time to spread after being scored before they start springing up

• Con: Longer bake times

Pros and Cons of Baking at Higher Temperatures of 475°F - 550°F (246°C - 288°C)

• Pro: Can get better oven spring

• Pro: Quicker bake times

• Pro: Can keep oven clean, since the higher temps are close to the “cleaning” function on many ovens

• Con: More likely to get too dark or burn, especially the bottom

• Con: Crust can set too quickly which can stunt rise or cause unwanted splits

• Con: Longer oven preheating times

Baking Temperature Visuals

Here are a couple of visuals for you, from two different experiments using different temperatures. Keep in mind these are from from perfectly controlled experiments, but the results can still be informative, nonetheless!

The specs:

• For each side by side bake-off, the loaves came from the same batch of dough. This means for each of the experiments, the bulk fermentation time, temperature, etc. were all identical. The two different experiments were done on different days, so the two batches of dough are obviously not identical, but that’s part of the point of repeating experiments. There are so many factors, you don’t want to definitively say certain results are 100% due to the different temperatures.

• All loaves seen are made with 100% Kirkland organic all-purpose flour.

• All loaves are approximately 72% hydration.

• All loaves use 20% starter and 1.8% salt

• All loaves were baked fairly shortly after ovens were fully preheated, but not 30-60 minutes as some recommend. With the exception, of course, of the cold-bake loaf.

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Experiment 1

Loaf 1 was baked at 500°F (260°C) - it got the deepest color, the quickest. The bottom got very dark. It got a nice spring, and didn’t actually seem overly stunted compared to other loaves I’ve baked at 500°F or similarly high temperatures.

Loaf 2 was baked in an oven that was preheated to 500°F (260°C), then reduced to 450°F (232°C) when bread was loaded into the oven - another nice loaf, nice spring, nice color. Overall this seemed to be a good baking combo.

Loaf 3 was baked at 450°F (232°C) - yet another nice loaf. A bit lighter color, as would be expected at a more moderate temperature.

Loaf 1

Crumb shot of Loaf 1

Loaf 2

Crumbshot of Loaf 2

loaf 3 - don’t ask what this scoring is supposed to be…ok fine, it was supposed to be a lilac but looks more like, er, purple corn cobs hahaha

Crumbshot of Loaf 3

Overall all three loaves are nice, if not perfect. It would have been helpful if I had scored them all the same, but at the last minute I got too excited with these blank slates in front of me, just asking for some fun scoring. This was silly of me since the whole reason for these 3 loaves was to bake off for this temperature experiment. Ah well. I came away thinking preheating hotter and dropping the temp or simply baking at 450°F would be the way to go. The hottest bake produced a nice loaf but there’s no coming back from a burnt bottom, despite counter measures taken (tinfoil inside of dutch oven, cookie sheet beneath dutch oven).

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Experiment 2

Loaf 1 was loaded into a cold dutch oven, and placed in a cold oven to preheat oven to 450°F - still achieved an ear but this loaf was a bit flatter, most likely due to being over-proofed, but I don’t think the cold dutch oven did over-proofed dough any favors.

Loaf 2 was baked at 450°F (232°C) - this loaf turned out nicer than the first, and looked most like loaf 4. I do not have pictures since it was packaged up and given to a friend.

Loaf 3 was baked in an oven that was preheated to 500°F (260°C), then reduced to 450°F (232°C) when bread was loaded into the oven - this was the nicest loaf of the batch, with a good spring and nice belly. Perhaps the hot oven helped the over-proofed dough spring up, giving it just the boost it needed.

Loaf 4 was baked in an oven that was preheated to 475°F (246°C), then reduced to 450°F (232°C) when bread was loaded into the oven - this loaf turned out fairly similarly to the first loaf baked in a cold dutch oven. It didn’t spread quite as much, and got a touch more spring, however, the first loaf had a slightly better crumb in my opinion.

loaf 1

crumbshot Loaf 1

loaf 4

Crumbshot Loaf 4

While I did score these all with the same principal score, this dough was a bit over-proofed and not as nice as the other experiment. I’ve seen controversial reviews to baking in a cold dutch oven/starting with a cold oven, but even here, I’ve noticed something continuing to ring true. If you have a healthy starter, and bulk proofing isn’t too far over or under, you will still get decent results, no matter what tweaks you get. Some people chase after all the little tricks and gimicks in an effort to better their loaf, when in reality, these tricks may help, but it will always come back to the basics. Work on bulk ferment, make sure your starter is healthy and happy. Oven temperatures, the 5m score, freezing a loaf before baking, etc. can be helpful, but shouldn’t be pursued at the cost of continuing to study bulk ferment and finding a starter feeding routine that works for you.

Here’s What I Find Works, and Maybe You Will Too

I find comfortable, consistent results with preheating and baking at 450°F (232°C).

More recently, I’ve been playing around more with preheating to 475°F or 500°F then dropping to 450°F when loading the loaves, with good results. It seems to really help that initial oven spring, especially when dough likes to verge on over-proofed in a warm 80-82°F (27°-28°C) kitchen in the summer. When I’m baking off multiple loaves for my microbakery, my current favorite method is preheating to 475°F, then dropping to 450° as soon as the first loaves hit the oven.

What about preheating for 30 minutes or an hour, as some instruct? I don’t do that. When I first started I tried the 30 minute method…but honestly, I just don’t want my oven on for that much extra time, especially in the summer. My oven is on for long enough as it is. Maybe it does help a bit, I don’t know, I’ve never tried loaves side by side like that, but for me in this moment, it’s just not worth it.

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Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

Something about chicken and green bean stir fry has always been a favorite of mine from Chinese restaurants, buffets, etc. The ever crisp green beans, little bites of chicken, and a perfectly savory and salty sauce.

I’ve tried a few recipes over the years, peeked at some others. Nothing has quite come close to Chinese takeout. Until this recipe. Maybe my downfall was tending to avoid recipes with fish sauce and oyster sauce, since I didn’t always have those on hand, and generally didn’t have a favorable impression of those sauces. I mean, it’s sauce made from fish. Or oysters.

The first time I made this, I purposefully didn’t tell my family what was in it. Everyone liked it. In fact, we liked it so well (kids and all!), that we actually had to BUY another bottle of fish sauce and oyster sauce because we ran out instead of them expiring first. Between this recipe and my new favorite Pad Thai recipe, we have to keep the the fish sauce in stock!

While no one loves recipes that use specialty ingredients rather than pantry staples, there are certain specialty Asian ingredients I’ve started keeping on hand, even if they’re for just 1 or 2 recipes, because they’re just that good. The ingredients usually keep for a long time, even once opened, so there is rarely waste. This recipe, to my mind, has three of such specialty Asian ingredients: fish sauce, oyster sauce, and chilli bean paste/gochujang. Partly in thanks to this recipe, I always have those three things on hand.

Use Quality Ingredients

Part of the secret to this recipe to take it from “really good” to “amazing” is using authentic, quality ingredients, especially fish sauce and oyster sauce. Instead of just buying the cheapest grocery store fish sauce and oyster sauce, it’s worth it to splurge and get some good ones. If you look at the ingredients of some of the cheaper ones, you probably wouldn’t want to buy them anyway. Oyster sauce especially can contain caramel color, MSG, modified cornstarch, and more.

If you would like a recommendation for our favorite fish sauce, check out Red Boat Fish Sauce.

For our favorite oyster sauce, check out Megachef Premium Oyster Sauce. It’s made from real oysters, not just “oyster flavor”, no MSG, no added color, and it’s gluten-free.

For our favorite soy sauce, check out Ohsawa. It’s authentic Japanese soy sauce, the kind that is fermented and has actual health benefits for you.

Chilli Bean Sauce is another one of those Asian ingredients that can be so easily confused with others. If you’re having trouble distinguishing it from other “pastes”, “Chilli this or that”, or “Fermented Bean this or that”, here is what you’re looking for.

This recipe does have a bit of spice to it. Whether you choose to use Chilli Bean Paste or Gochujang, both add a kick, although I’m sure some brands are spicier than others, as with curry pastes and such. I usually do scant Tablespoons of Chilli Bean Paste or Gochujang to keep the spice mild for my kids. They don’t complain but may ask for an extra glass of water during dinner, haha.

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Recipe by Jenny, inspired by Taste Asian Food

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Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce

• 2 tsp / 5g cornstarch

For the Sauce

• 2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce

• 2 Tbsp / 36g oyster sauce

• 2 Tbsp / 28g water

• 2 tsp / 10g sesame oil

• 2 tsp / 10g fish sauce

For the Stir-Fry

• 2 Tbsp / 28g neutral-flavored cooking oil

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp / 36g Chilli Bean Sauce or Gochujang

• 1 lb / 454g green beans, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Rice, for serving

Directions:

Marinade the Chicken

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, and cornstarch until chicken is evenly coated. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients; set aside.

Stir-Fry

1. In a large cast iron pan or wok, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.

2. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally until cooked (internal temperature of at least 165°F / 74°C). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

3. Add about another tablespoon of oil to pan. Add garlic and chilli bean sauce and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add green beans and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender yet crisp. Add water as necessary to keep from cooking too dry.

5. Add sauce and chicken, bring to a simmer.

6. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!

Yield 3-4

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

45 Min

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

Tender bites of chicken and crispy green beans in a savory, salty sauce that is just as good or better than takeout!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce
• 2 tsp / 5g cornstarch

For the Sauce

• 2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp / 36g oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp / 28g water
• 2 tsp / 10g sesame oil
• 2 tsp / 10g fish sauce

For the Stir-Fry

• 2 Tbsp / 28g neutral-flavored cooking oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp / 36g Chilli Bean Sauce or Gochujang
• 1 lb / 454g green beans, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

Marinade the Chicken

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, and cornstarch until chicken is evenly coated. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Sauce

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients; set aside.

Stir-Fry

1. In a large cast iron pan or wok, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
2. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally until cooked (internal temperature of at least 165°F / 74°C). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Add about another tablespoon of oil to pan. Add garlic and chilli bean sauce and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add green beans and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender yet crisp. Add water as necessary to keep from cooking too dry.
5. Add sauce and chicken, bring to a simmer.
6. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

388

Fat

17 g

Sat. Fat

2 g

Carbs

22 g

Fiber

5 g

Net carbs

18 g

Sugar

11 g

Protein

38 g

Sodium

2282 mg

Cholesterol

97 mg

Nutritional info is approximate, based on 3 servings, not including rice

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/8/2/chicken-and-green-bean-stir-fry

Better than Chinese takeout, Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

Dinner

Asian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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How Often Should I Change the Razor Blade on My Bread Lame?

UFO Lame by WireMonkey

Scoring sourdough bread can be dreamy with the right tools, including have a fresh, sharp razor blade on your bread lame.

Like anything to do with sourdough, reading helps give you an idea of what you should be doing, but actually DOING, and doing repeatedly, will give you the hands on knowledge of what works best for you.

Making sourdough occasionally, weekly, or daily, one principal score or detailed score, will all impact how often you should be changing your razor blade.

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Signs Your Razor Blade May Need to be Changed

Wiremonkey UFO Lame, a stick lame, and a Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Loaf

Keep in mind that none of these are absolutes

• The blade has a hard time breaking through the skin of the dough

• The blade catches and drags while scoring

• It slices inconsistently despite even pressure and movement

• It has crusty dried dough or inclusions on it

You can find my favorite razor blades here. They’re the trusted Astra brand and not expensive!

How Often You Might Need to Change with Occasional Sourdough Baking

If you make sourdough bread only on occasion, let’s say less than once a week, then you might need to change your razor blade only once every several months. If you’re doing only principal scores, no fancy designs, you might get away with even longer.

When I first started sourdough back in 2017, I didn’t even know that the razor blades on lames even needed to be changed! My stick lame had its razor blade on it for, ahem, maybe a few years. It was largely unused during this time, but still. Haha. The realization that my razor blade was long overdue to be changed coincided with about the same time that I drastically started increasing the amount of artisanal loaves I was making. Using a new lame was great, but it wasn’t as drastic of a difference as I was expecting. This was in part due to the fact I first tried a new single edged razor blade, and also dough that hadn’t been bulk fermented properly. Sometimes under, mostly over fermented. More on that later.

How Often You Might Need to Change with Regular Sourdough Baking

If you bake sourdough loaves at least once a week, you’ll probably want to change your lame more frequently. If you only do principal scores and are frugal, you might try every couple of months.

If you enjoy intricate scoring and want the freshest cuts, you might want to change your blade once a week.

When I started baking more regularly, 2 loaves 2x or even 3x a week, I started changing my blade more often while still keeping it probably longer than I should have. I would change it once every 3-4 months. I was doing mostly principle scores with simple wheat stalks or simple designs. In fact, after buying a 100 pack of Astra razor blades I did the math and realized that $9 worth of razor blades would last me about 25 years.

How Often You Might Need to Change with Frequent Sourdough Baking

If you bake frequently throughout the week and especially if you make large quantities of bread, for friends and family or your own microbakery, you’ll want to rotate your razor blades frequently.

I opened my microbakery just a little over 2 months ago, and while I really bake just once or twice a week now, there are still plenty of loaves to score, with varying quantities each week that I do more intricate scoring on. I change my blade once a week, but I often start to feel it dragging before my bake day is over.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• Dough that has not been fermented correctly, especially if it is overfermented, is going to be very hard to score. Changing out your razor blade will not help your dough.

• Double edged razor blades work better than single edged. Double edged are thinner, and thus create a cleaner score.

• Blades will give you more life if you rotate them and use each of the 4 corners of a double sided razor.

• If you have to clean your blade, do so very carefully to avoid dulling the blade and of course, cutting yourself. If your blade needs cleaning that badly, it might be time to rotate or change it out anyway.

• If you have a pouch or other protective covering for your lame, be mindful that covering and uncovering could be contributing to the dulling of your blade if it comes in direct contact with it.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, if you’re still really unsure if your razor blade needs to be changed or not, just try it. If you don’t notice much of a difference, maybe you didn’t need to change it, and you can put the old one back on until it really does need to be changed out. If you do notice a difference, then it was probably a good call.

With time, the more you bake sourdough and score it, you will learn when you need to change out your blades intuitively, no blog posts needed. :)

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Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Homemade enchilada sauce is so easy to make, you might not ever buy it in a can again.

It consists of spices and pantry staple items. Chances are you have everything you need to make it right now.

Whisk together a few spices, make a roux, and the rest is a delicious enchilada sauce. I’ve tried out several enchilada sauces over the years, and while they were all good, this one became a favorite with its deep flavor from the toasted spices, a slightly thicker consistency thanks to the roux rather than relying on cornstarch, and ease of making.

Is This Authentic Enchilada Sauce?

I don’t believe so. At least, it’s different than the authentic recipes I’ve seen so I’m going to say no. I’m all for authentic, but I do not have on hand the 3 different types of dried chilis called for in authentic Mexican enchilada sauce. That is why I use this recipe and now am sharing it with you. It has wonderful, deep flavor without having to track down specialty ingredients. If you’d like an authentic recipe, check out Isabel Eat’s.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe by Jenny, inspired by Cookie and Kate

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Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

• pinch of ground cinnamon, optional

• 3 Tbsp / 42g neutral-flavored cooking oil

• 3 Tbsp / 22g all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups / 356g vegetable broth or water

• 8 oz / 237g tomato sauce

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, sugar, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour and all spices and whisk. Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes, to toast spices.

3. Slowly add in about 1/4 cup of broth while whisking continuously; mixture will thicken. Slowly add in remaining broth, stirring constantly.

4. Add in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Allow to cool, use as desire. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Yield 12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

30 Min

Print

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Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Homemade enchilada sauce is quick and easy to make, using pantry staples. It's healthier and tastier than store-bought!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
• pinch of ground cinnamon, optional
• 3 Tbsp / 42g neutral-flavored cooking oil
• 3 Tbsp / 22g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups / 356g vegetable broth or water
• 8 oz / 237g tomato sauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, sugar, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour and all spices and whisk. Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes, to toast spices.
3. Slowly add in about 1/4 cup of broth while whisking continuously; mixture will thicken. Slowly add in remaining broth, stirring constantly.
4. Add in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Allow to cool, use as desire. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

49

Fat

4 g

Sat. Fat

0 g

Carbs

4 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

3 g

Sugar

1 g

Protein

1 g

Sodium

412 mg

Cholesterol

0 mg

Nutritional info is approximate, based on 12 servings of 1/4 cup each

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/3/4/enchilada-sauce

condiment, sauce, Mexican, wet burritos, Enchilada

condiment

Mexican

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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How to Survive the Hot Italian Summers

Hiking Cinque Terre in July

The first time spending a whole summer in Italy can be a doozy.

Ok, so really any time you spend any amount of summer in Italy can be a doozy. The further south you are, the hotter it is, and the more you live in the city, the hotter it seems to stay. That’s not to say that Italy has the hottest summers known to mankind. No, but they are hot, and depending on where in the world you’re coming from and what you’re accustomed to, it will seem either “hot” and you deal with it, or it may verge on hellish for others.

I spent 6+ summers in Florence and Tuscany. I love summer, but I’m not a huge beach/endless summer person. I struggle with heat and humidity. I don’t sweat as much as I get flushed in the face. I get headaches if it’s too hot or muggy. All in all, if it’s above 90°F / 35°C, I’m not rejoicing. Yet, despite coming from northern Michigan where we have more months of snow than we do summer, I was constantly surprised by how much Italians and expats complain about the heat. I had figured if anyone was going to be complaining, it would be me since I wasn’t accustomed and didn’t know the cultural how-to’s of staying cool. I think I mentally braced myself so much while also not wanting to look wimpy, that I fared maybe better than most. Well, mentally at least. If a day rolled around in July or August that was 90°F or below, I would get excited about the “cool” day!

Why do Italian summers feel so brutal?

It’s the relentlessness of the heat. High temperatures, little shade, lots of cement and buildings absorbing the heat and reflecting it back at you, nights that get to 68°F at coolest if you’re lucky, barely cooling down before the sun rises and another heatwave is upon you. Add on to that Italian apartments and stores may or may not have air conditioning, and you find yourself at the mercy of the heat for months on end, with little to no respite. Even the places that do have air conditioning, like larger stores and trains, won’t feel the same as say, air conditioning in the USA.

When you find yourself in the heat constantly, you have to find ways to cope. Some things you could call cultural, what Italians know to do to keep their apartments as cool as possible, others are things I did to beat the heat. Yes, sometimes it felt like surviving, especially when I was in my third trimester of my first pregnancy right smack dab in the height of Italian summer, having to walk 30 minutes to all my prenatal appointments. Life in Italy is always an adventure, never a dull moment!

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Here are best practices for beating the heat in Italy:

Air Conditioning / Aria Condizionata

Don’t expect air conditioning, but appreciate it where you can get it. Italy has air conditioning, but it is not available everywhere and it is not used to the extent that Americans use it.

Italians believe that abrupt temperature changes can make you sick, thus they disapprove of having to go in and out between hot summer air and cold air conditioning. So, if used, the air conditioning tends be set at a much warmer temperature than an American would be used to. I often see American stores set at 68-70°F or even cooler, where Italian stores, if used at all, would be closer to 80°F. I lived in Mississippi for a couple of years and always struggled because I was too hot outside and too cold inside. Contrast that with how Italians use AC. Once I went into one of the biggest department stores in the city center of Florence, La Rinascente, during the heat of the summer. As I was riding the escalator, I noticed the thermostat on the wall was set to 26°C / 79°F. This was one of the stores I used to visit frequently in the summer not just because I liked it, but because they were a store that reliably used nice air conditioning. And by nice, I mean 79°F. As you can see, not the arctic blast of American AC!

If you have air conditioning in your apartment is another matter. Only about 30% of Italian homes have air conditioning, where closer to 90% of American homes do. Of the 5 different apartments I lived in, 3 had AC. At least, I think 3 did. My first apartment I never turned it on, although I think it was there. Each apartment has just one AC unit. In one apartment I lived in the AC unit was in the hallway, probably to get air as evenly as possible between the main living area and the bedroom. Another was only in one bedroom (and note that I was not in that bedroom but the second bedroom hahaha). The other apartment I think was in the living room, that was the one I never turned on. So again, even if you’re one of the few who has AC, it will be a light cooling air coming from one place in your house and not ice cold air seeping out of all the vents in your home.

When having to run around town for errands and such, I used to have all the places with the best AC pegged down. That way I could plan my day doing what I needed to do, taking breaks from the heat when necessary. Grocery stores are usually pretty good with their AC. So are the bigger book stores, like La Feltrinelli. Trains have air conditioning, but depending on how long the train has been running and how old the train is, it’s not always reliable. I would take the train multiple times a week when I lived just outside the city center and later in a little town just outside of Florence. I can tell you, if the train has been sitting, such as at the beginning of the line, then it will take 30+ minutes before you can start to feel the effects of the AC. This is unfortunate, since my ride was rarely longer than 45 minutes. Usually the AC was just getting going when it would be my stop, and off into the beating sun to walk the rest of the way into the center or home it would be.

Stay inside for the hottest part of the day

Where possible, stay inside for the heat of the day. Depending on just how how it gets, this may mean you’ll want to be indoors by 10am and not got out again until after 5pm, or even later.

This is where the cultural idea of a “siesta” really starts to make sense. Many Italian stores close from 1pm - 4pm (13:00 - 16:00) anyway, which discourages one from going out.

The Italian summertime rhythm is ideally waking up early, working/errands done before the heat of the day really starts, staying indoors for the afternoon, then going out later in the evening and staying out late in the fresh and cooler night air.

Yet another reason late dinners make sense: Not many have an appetite to eat a big dinner at 6pm (18:00) when it’s still 95°F / 36°C outside.

Keep windows and shades closed

Italians know to close all their windows and shutters/shades in the morning before it gets hot out. As depressing as it may seem to keep your apartment or house all closed up and dark, sometimes it’s the only way to keep your home somewhat cool. You’re considered lucky if you have a ground floor apartment. Woe to those on the upper and top floors.

Close everything up before it gets hotter outside than it is inside, then open everything up as soon as it gets cooler outside than inside. It’s as simple as that.

I used to do some experiments in some of my apartments, going back and forth between closing up the apartment during the heat of the day, and other times leaving it open.

On the hottest days my apartment would get up to 95°F / 35°C if I left everything open. Ouch. If I closed everything up in a timely manner, it would get up to 86°F / 30°C. Still hot but much better. Not to mention, the hotter your apartment gets, the longer it takes to cool down when the cooler evening breezes finally start coming in.

Get a stand fan

Since most Italian apartments don’t have air conditioning, you’ll want to get yourself a fan (or 6).

I love fans. You could say, I am a fan of fans. I like the cool air, I like the white noise they provide, I think it’s really cozy to sleep with a fan on. But there’s a catch. Italians and certain Mediterranean cultures believe that having a fan blowing directly on you can make you sick.

So keep in mind that if you room with an Italian, marry an Italian, or stay in an Italian’s house, that you might find yourself in a situation where the other person believes very strongly that it is apparently better to not be able to sleep because it’s too hot than risk getting sick by having a fan blow on you. Heheh.

Dress appropriately

While you might think that the hotter it is, the less you should wear, that’s not actually true. If you think about some of the hotter places in the world, the people and cultures there tend to keep themselves covered, don’t they? You want to protect your skin from the sun, keeping it as covered as you can stand. I for one am not going to be able to withstand wearing a long sleeve shirt in 90°F+ weather, but I would often choose a loose fitting, light cotton T-shirt over spaghetti straps.

Wear a hat and loose clothing. Use sunscreen on any exposed skin. Stick with breathable, lightweight materials like cotton. Wear light colors.

A note for sleeping: wear pajamas, even if you feel like stripping down. Wearing some (preferably breathable, lightweight) pajamas will actually help to wick any sweat away from your skin and keep you cooler. Plus, it’s more sanitary! Same story goes for sheets, choose lightweight and breathable materials to stay as comfortable as possible.

Drink plenty of water

Hydration is your friend! This can be a bummer when you have to walk and be out and about for a period of time. The longer you’re out, the more water you need, and the heavier that is to carry in a backpack. It can also be a bummer if you need a restroom, since free restrooms are hard to come by.

Often when I knew I would be out longer than just needing a bottle or two of water, I would periodically stop in at a grocery store to get a new bottle. Not ideal, but to avoid carrying around too much extra weight you do what you have to do. You can also choose to buy a bottle of water at a bar. You’ll pay more money this way but you’ll also get to use their restroom if you need to.

Also a bummer that in Italy, you pay for water when eating out. Most everywhere serves bottled water, no free tap water. So no diving into a restaurant at lunch time to drink endless water and maybe find some air conditioning. Nope. You’d be better off buying the same bottle(s) of water from the grocery store for some cents rather than euros.

There are a couple key places around the city center of Florence where you can refill a water bottle. I wish there were more, but chances are, if running errands in the city center you might cross one of these places:

• Piazza della Signoria - alongside the (north?) side of Palazzo Vecchio there is a little water filling station. Apparently there is a natural spring under there. Choose from “acqua naturale” or “acqua frizzante”, this one is naturally sparkling!

• Piazza Indipendenza - there is a water bottle filling station here, which is decently close to the train station.

• Outside the city center, sometimes in parks, along shopping areas, and other various spots, are more water filling stations. These are designed to be conveniently located for locals to fill their own bottles, save on plastic, and save on money. When in doubt, follow the people with empty liter-sized water bottles to find the nearest filling station.

Take a warm shower

• Supposedly, taking a lukewarm shower will help you stay cool. If you take a cold or cool shower, while you may have momentary relief, your body will be temporarily tricked into thinking it doesn’t need to sweat/cool down, only to find it does indeed need to sweat and keep your body cool once you step out of the shower. You can read more about that here.

Now, of course I tried this because it sounded good, right? I do not like this advice. It might be scientific, but I think part of the reason the heat in Italy is so hard is that there is no break, and it just wears on a body. Taking a cool shower gives your body a much needed break, and while I may get hot and sweaty after, sometimes that break is just enough to avoid a heat headache. That’s my personal experience, anyway.

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, even spicy foods

Most fruits and vegetables have high water contents and can help with hydration when it’s really hot out.

Like the hot showers, counterintuitively, eating spicy foods can help you cool down. Again thinking about some of the cultures that inhabit the hotter places of the earth and what their cuisine is like, a lot do them eat hot and spicy foods. Seems strange, doesn’t it? Spicy and hot foods can make you sweat, which is your body’s way of cooling itself down. While I don’t love the hot shower advice, I do love spicy food, even in hot weather!

Soak your feet in ice water

This used to be one of the first things I would do after being out in the heat of the day when I was pregnant. Whether I had just been in the hot, stuffy train, or had to walk to a prenatal appointment and back, cooling my feet seemed to be one of the quickest and easiest ways to cool my whole body down without having access to air conditioning. We had just one ice tray, so I would usually split half the tray for my feet and the other half for an iced drink. Ahhh, such relief when being so hot and miserable. Moments like those makes me never want to complain about heat if it’s not truly hot. The little ways of coping, God’s grace, and a (mostly) thankful and positive attitude got me through that particularly difficult summer.

Escape to the seaside

While at first this may feel very 19th century Jane Austen-esque to escape to the seaside for your health, you may soon realize the genius in it. Italians spend a lot of time at the seaside, you could even say most of August when most businesses close for weeks on end. Hot summers are best coped with when spent by water. Florence has a few lakes, but you would need a car to get to most of them, so it’s easier to hop on a train and take the straight shot to the coast. Viareggio is among the more popular destinations, but there are many beaches and the whole coast to choose from! Remember that most beaches in Italy aren’t public beaches, usually they are privately run; very carefully divided and set up with beach chairs and umbrellas for which you must pay for use for the day. This will run you around 30euro for an umbrella and a couple chairs. If you are traveling with more than 3-4 people you will need to pay for more umbrellas/space.

Eat lots of gelato

Ok, so this is one is not so much official advice nor Italian advice as it is my advice and coping tactic: eat gelato daily. This is your ticket to eat it guilt free! Your body is working hard to beat the heat and stay cool, so reward it with a nice and cold sweet treat.

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Explore Italy: Cortona

Piazza della Repubblica

More Explore Italy posts:

• Venice

• Brescia

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

• Livorno

• Assisi

• Milan

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Cortona in a nutshell

Location: Tuscany, Italy

Best known for: Cortona may not be immediately known for any one thing like, say, Rome is known for the Colosseum, but it is yet another charming hill town in Tuscany. The movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed here. Views and small-town charm make Cortona a wonderful place to visit.

View from Cortona

Days needed to explore: 1+ - Cortona is small enough that a day trip is sufficient, but any town will always be more fully appreciated when you’re able to spend more than a day or two there.

What to see and do:

• Piazza della Repubblica - the central large piazza where you will find the 14th century clock tower, is one of the main bustling areas of the little town. It’s hard to miss, and most wandering can start from there

• Piazza Garibaldi - a square towards the south with gorgeous views

• Le Celle - just outside of Cortona you’ll find a very old place of meditation, where Francesco d’Assisi used to retreat in the wilderness of the Tuscan countryside. It is accessible by foot for the more adventurous, otherwise you can reach it by car

Clock tower in Piazza della Repubblica

Established: Like many of the cities around Italy, the exact origins of Cortona are unknown. Some say it was originally founded by the Umbrians, then later taken over by Etruscans. Others say there is no evidence for this. One more fun myth is that Cortona was first settled by one of Noah’s sons after the flood. Cortona was later taken over by the Romans, and still stands as a gem of a Medieval town.

Typical foods to try:

Another point that makes Cortona an “easy” place to visit is that there is no one food the is absolutely not to be missed. No stress about where and what to eat, just wander and find what looks good to you in that moment. Many less tourist traps here than in Florence, Rome, Venice, etc. Whatever your favorite typical foods are in Tuscany, you will likely find in Cortona. Crostini, pici, boar, even rabbit and other typical dishes of the area and region.

Why I like Cortona

Hilly Cortona

I first visited Cortona with one of my dear friends. The previous year she had spent a few months as an au pair in Camucia, which is the small town at the base of the hill that Cortona sits on. Camucia basically serves as the train station for Cortona, since no train can reach Cortona up on the hill. Camucia is one of those places that is probably quite nice to actually live in, but not somewhere you’d recommend anyone go as a tourist.

My friend and I went and stayed with her au pair family, who were wonderful hosts. They took us to see Gubbio, Assisi, and dropped us off at Cortona one day, too. Cortona is small enough that they let us wander around on our own. It’s not overly crowded with tourists, and once you are out of the central piazza the streets are quite quiet for wandering. There are some nice places to eat, gelato, and most walks will end up on the edge of town where stunning views of the valley below will meet you. It’s hilly, but not overly large, and charming.

While Cortona might not make my top 10 list of places to visit in Italy, I have very fond memories of wandering around Cortona. There can be so much to see and so much to do while travelling, it’s refreshing to find the little towns that you can put away your maps and agendas and simply enjoy it for what it is.

Sunflowers in a small via in Cortona

View of part of Cortona and the valley below

Why Do My Sourdough Loaves Spread When Tipped Out of Bannetons?

Help! My sourdough is spreading when I take them out of the proofing bannetons!

After waiting almost 24 hours to see how your bread will turn out, it can be most disappointing to get to the baking part, only to turn your loaves out of the proofing baskets and find they’re spreading and losing shape.

Why does this happen? Why doesn’t dough stay nicely in its shape when turned out of bannetons?

There are a number of reasons this could happen. I know, I wish it was a one step simple solution too, but part of the fun of sourdough is getting to troubleshoot.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Let’s start with some of the more common problems:

Dough is over-proofed

Whether bulk fermentation was too long or the final proof was too long, dough that is over-risen and too bubbly will deflate and spread when tipped out of the banneton.

Another sign dough is over-proofed is if the dough is sticky and sticks to the banneton, not wanting to come out despite adequate flouring.

If you’re following a recipe for sourdough, make sure you’re following a bulk ferment that is proper for your dough, temperature, and environment, not the recipe author’s. Watch your dough, not the clock. Question any recipe that tells you to bulk ferment for a specific amount of time when precise temperature is not taken into account.

Inadequate Gluten Development

This simply means the dough was not worked/kneaded enough to hold its shape. This is especially important for loaves that are baked freeform, like classic sourdough; they don’t have the support of bread pan sides to help guide their rise upwards. Without proper gluten development, dough won’t hold its shape well, and instead spread or sag.

From the moment you mix all ingredients together, to stretch and folds and coil folds, you’re working up dough strength. By the end of your last coil fold or stretch and fold, the dough’s gluten should be just about fully developed. One way you can test this is by performing the window pane test. The window pane test is most illuminating when done throughout the bread making process, from the moment the ingredients are barely mixed (to appreciate the complete lack of window pane) all the way up to the end of bulk ferment where ideally, the window pane will be strong. If you achieve a strong windowpane with your dough during bulk ferment but notice that it starts to become less so towards the end of bulk ferment, you may be fermenting your dough too long. The acidity in sourdough can start to break down the strong gluten network if fermented for too long.

Poor Shaping

It’s important to shape sourdough into its final shape securely and tightly with good surface tension. There are many effective ways to do this. You don’t have to do what the next person is doing, pick one that works well for you. Consider the Tartine method, a trifold and rolling, a single or double Caddy Clasp.

If you struggle to get a good shape initially, then try stitching your dough after it’s in the banneton. To do this, shape and place dough into banneton, then wait 10 minutes. Pinch a small piece of dough from one side and stretch it over and attach to the other side. Now start on that side, pinching and stretching across. Work your down the whole loaf until it is all “stitched.” This is an effective way to create more surface tension and help the dough keep its shape. It may not completely fix a poor shape job, but it will help.

Over-hydrated Dough

High-hydration doughs are trickier to work with, but can yield a beautiful loaf. However, once the hydration is taken too far for the particular flour being worked with, the dough won’t be able to hold its shape. A bread flour can generally hold more hydration than an all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flours are also “thirsty” flours.

If you desire to work more with higher hydration doughs but wonder how much water you can successfully use with your flour, then try a flour hydration capacity test, as outlined here.

A note here, as higher hydration doughs will naturally spread a bit more than lower hydration loaves when tipped out of bannetons. The key difference is that a high hydration dough using the proper flour, with a healthy starter, proper fermentation times, proper gluten development, and proper shaping will still spring up beautifully in the oven.

Another phenomenon I’ve read about is where the dough will flatten out almost like a pancake when dumped out of the banneton, to the point the baker thinks their loaf is no good, only to bake up into a loaf with impressive oven spring. I’m not sure why this happens to some, but I might venture a guess that it’s a somewhat higher hydration loaf with improper shaping, but a very healthy starter that springs their loaf up despite some possible errors in the process.

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Favorite Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is classic American comfort food.

Tender bites of chicken, carrots, celery, and peas all enveloped in a creamy thyme-infused béchamel sauce (milk gravy) between two flaky crusts. It’s not a light meal, but it is full of vegetables and protein, making it hearty and satisfying.

I grew up eating my mom’s homemade chicken pot pie. Ironically, it was never a particular favorite of mine, until I lived abroad. Something about being so far from home and comfort and everything familiar. I suddenly stopped taking for granted all the dishes and recipes I grew up with my mom making. One by one, I’ve been converted over to what many would consider American staples. I had always preferred making the unusual, the challenging, the international. Then I lived the international life. Suddenly, I wanted to make and eat the familiar. I no longer live in Italy, but the desire to learn my mom’s and other classic recipes continues on.

Most recently I’ve been on a Chicken Pot Pie kick. It is not one-pot nor is it quick to make, but it is so worth it and there are usually enough leftovers that we can easily get another meal out of it. It’s great to make ahead, then bake when needed. We like to make this on Saturday for an easy Sunday dinner. Every single in person in our family LOVES Chicken Pot Pie.

Why is this our favorite Chicken Pot Pie?

As all my taste testers agreed, the recipe that follows is the sweet spot. The perfect amount of gravy, not too dry, not so much it gets soggy. Creamy, a little bit of garlic (which my mom says is not traditional, but approves of) and a little bit of thyme, and plenty of chicken and vegetables. In fact, some might say there are too many peas, but that’s the way everyone over here likes it. Even yours truly who doesn’t even care for peas doesn’t mind the quantity. Whether you grew up with Chicken Pot Pie or it’s new to you, I invite you to give this recipe a try.

Here goes, in our humble opinion, the best Chicken Pot Pie.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe by Jenny, inspired by her mama’s recipe, her sister-in-law’s recipe, and Sally’s Baking Blog

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Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 1 9x13 pan, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (907g) chicken breasts

• 5 1/4 cups (1,244g) chicken broth

• 2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 carrots / 300g )

• 1 cup sliced celery stalks (about 2 stalks / 100g)

• 1/2 cup (113g) neutral-flavored cooking oil OR butter

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 2 cups (474g) milk

• 2 cups (320g) frozen peas

• 1 top and bottom pie crust, such as this butter crust or this oil crust

Directions:

Oven 425°F / 218°C. Lightly grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm deep baking dish

1. Place chicken breasts in an even layer as best you can in a pot and add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add carrots and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pot and slice into bite-size pieces.

2. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.

3. Add flour, stir to coat onions and garlic. Add salt, pepper, and thyme.

4. Slowly add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken. After all milk has been added, bring to a simmer.

5. Add broth, carrots, and celery to sauce, stirring until heated through and simmering. Remove from heat.

6. Prepare bottom crust, rolling out to at least the size of the bottom of the 9x13” pan. Carefully flip into pan, press gently into bottom and up sides as needed.

7. Spread chicken over bottom crust. Scatter peas over chicken. Pour filling over peas, smoothing into an even layer.

8. Roll out top crust to the size of the 9x13 pan, carefully place/flip on top of filling. Trim as needed.

9. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top crust is starting to turn lightly golden and filling is bubbling around the edges.

10. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into. Enjoy!

Jenny’s Notes:

• Frozen chicken can easily be used in this recipe, just make sure the chicken breasts are separated and not in one frozen chunk for even cooking. Increase boiling time as needed to ensure chicken reaches 165°F internally, an instant read thermometer is an invaluable help in this.

• If using boxed chicken broth, you may want to use 1 carton (4 cups / 1 liter) with 1 1/4 cups water to avoid leaving a partially used second carton.

Yield 12-15

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

1 H & 30 M

Inactive time

10 Min

Total time

2 H & 10 M

Print

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Favorite Chicken Pot Pie

Classic chicken pot pie with tender bites of chicken, carrots, celery, and peas in a creamy, thyme-infused gravy enveloped in flaky crust. Comfort food at its finest!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (907g) chicken breasts
• 5 1/4 cups (1,244g) chicken broth
• 2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 carrots / 300g )
• 1 cup sliced celery stalks (about 2 stalks / 100g)
• 1/2 cup (113g) neutral-flavored cooking oil OR butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups (474g) milk
• 2 cups (320g) frozen peas
• 1 top and bottom pie crust, such as this butter crust or this oil crust

Instructions

1. Oven 425°F / 218°C. Lightly grease a 9x13in / 23x33cm deep baking dish
2. Place chicken breasts in an even layer as best you can in a pot and add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add carrots and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pot and slice into bite-size pieces.
3. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.
4. Add flour, stir to coat onions and garlic. Add salt, pepper, and thyme.
5. Slowly add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Sauce will thicken. After all milk has been added, bring to a simmer.
6. Add broth, carrots, and celery to sauce, stirring until heated through and simmering. Remove from heat.
7. Prepare bottom crust, rolling out to at least the size of the bottom of the 9x13” pan. Carefully flip into pan, press gently into bottom and up sides as needed.
8. Spread chicken over bottom crust. Scatter peas over chicken. Pour filling over peas, smoothing into an even layer.
9. Roll out top crust to the size of the 9x13 pan, carefully place/flip on top of filling. Trim as needed.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top crust is starting to turn lightly golden and filling is bubbling around the edges.
11. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting into. Enjoy!

Notes

• Frozen chicken can easily be used in this recipe, just make sure the chicken breasts are separated and not in one frozen chunk for even cooking. Increase boiling time as needed to ensure chicken reaches 165°F internally, an instant read thermometer is an invaluable help in this.
• If using boxed chicken broth, you may want to use 1 carton (4 cups / 1 liter) with 1 1/4 cups water to avoid leaving a partially used second carton.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

523

Fat

26 g

Sat. Fat

4 g

Carbs

24 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

21 g

Sugar

5 g

Protein

22 g

Sodium

857 mg

Cholesterol

55 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 12 servings, using an olive-oil top and bottom crust

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2025/2/8/favorite-chicken-pot-pie

classic chicken pot pie, traditional chicken pot pie, best chicken pot pie

dinner

American

Did you make this recipe?

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Explore Italy: Venice (Venezia)

Basilica di San Marco

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More Explore Italy posts:

• Brescia

• San Gimignano

• Siena

• Lucca

• Orvieto

• Gubbio

• Desenzano del Garda

• Cinque Terre

• Pisa

• Naples

• Viareggio

• Livorno

• Assisi

• Milan

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Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio

Fruit and Vegetable Boat

Venice in a nutshell

Location:

Veneto, Italy

Best known for:

The Italian city of canals and gondolas

Days needed to explore:

2+ - of course, you can see any city in a day, or two, if that’s all you have. Seeing some is definitely better than skipping altogether! But if you are able, Venice is spectacular enough that 3 days/2 nights or more would be ideal.

If you do opt for a day trip, be aware of the new tax implemented in 2025. Anyone over 14 not staying overnight on weekends or public holidays between April 18 - July 27, will have to pay a tourist tax. The fee is 5euro per person if booked at least four days in advance, or 10euro per person if booked less than four days before the visit.

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Clock Tower in Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

Gondola Ride

What to see and do:

• Piazza San Marco - the heart of the city, a large piazza off of which you can see some other must-sees, such as Doge’s Palace and the Basilica di San Marco

• Palazzo Ducale / Doge’s Palace - a museum off of Piazza San Marco with stunning Gothic architecture, once the ducal residence, a jail, as well as housing political institutions

• Basilica di San Marco / Saint Mark’s Basilica - the large, ornate church off of Piazza San Marco dedicated to and supposedly holding the remains of Mark the Apostle. It was built starting in the 11th century

• Ponte dei Sospiri / Bridge of Sighs - the famous bridge connecting the Palazzo Ducale with the once prison. The bridge was so named because the prisoners would sigh crossing the bridge, knowing it would be their last time seeing the outside world before their death

• Ponte di Rialto / Rialto Bridge - the most famous and oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal. It is considered an architectural and engineering feat of the Renaissance period

• Canal Grande / Grand Canal - the largest canal in Venice

• Mercato di Rialto - a large market with fruits, vegetables, fish, and more

• Scala Contarini del Bovolo - a palace in Venice with a beautiful spiral staircase that offers excellent views of Venice from the top. Paid entrance, children under 12 are free

• Visit the three islands Murano, Burano, and Torcello as a day trip. Take a vaporetto to get there. Murano is known for its glass, Burano is known for its colorful houses and lace, and Torcello is quieter but with a world famous restaurant, Locanda Cipriani where even Queen Elizabeth II has eaten

Piazza San Marco

Palazzo Ducale and Colonna

Palazzo Ducale and Campanile di San Marco

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Established:

The exact origins of Venice are unknown, but tradition and evidence points to it being founded by refugees fleeing German and Hun invasions. Its name comes from the Veneti people who inhabited the area from the 2nd millenium BC to the first millenium BC. Venice was the capital of the Republic of Venice for almost 1,000 years, until Napoleon Bonaparte swept in. It was even under Austrian rule two separate times, until it became a part of the Kingdom of Italy in1866, and finally, the Republic of Italy as it is now today.

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Typical foods to try:

• Sarde in Saor - a sweet and salty antipasto of sardines, a dish for the adventurous!

• Bacalà Mantecato - creamed salted cod. Bacalà is one of my favorites, and it’s a popular choice among Venetians. If some of the more unusual and fishy options don’t appeal to you, perhaps the bacalà will, it’s not very fishy tasting. It’s prepared in various ways, here as a creamy topping to Polenta fritters

• Bigoli in Salsa - Bigoli, a long pasta, tossed in a simple sauce of onions, garlic, white wine, and anchovies

• Risotto - while Risotto al Nero di Seppia (cuttlefish ink risotto) might be a Venetian choice, the Veneto region is a large producer of rice and the land of risottos. You’ll find less pasta here and more rice and corn in the form of Polenta and such

• Fritole alla Veneziana - little fried pastry balls with various fillings, delightful treats available mostly around the Carnevale season

Where to eat:

Venice has wine bars aplenty, bacari, where you can get traditional small plates, called “cicchetti”. All’Arco is a good choice for a beloved bacari!

• Corte Sconta - a well-known seafood restaurant

• Vini da Gigio - for classic Venetian dishes

• Bacán - Latin American cuisine for something different!

• Osteria Giorgione da Masa - Japanese Italian fusion

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Why I like Venice

Venice is a marvel. Water is beautiful, but so much water everywhere is both fascinating and slightly uncomfortable. On the list of cities I have loved visiting but would not desire to live, you’ll find Venice. I have more pictures of Venice than many other places I’ve visited but gosh, everything is just so unusual here, isn’t it?

Venice is wildly unique, with its watery roadways, history, and lively culture. It can be a pain to visit with the high tourist traffic, but it’s somewhere you really should visit if you can. Go just off season while the weather is still nice, but the crowds dissipate quickly once you get away from the train station and Piazza San Marco.

Venice is perfect for wandering, almost too good. Sometimes you want to be on the other side of the canal, but you just can’t manage to find a crossing. I prefer to wander cities as much as I can without using a map, but Venice was one of those that kept stumping us. Bridges everywhere, until you need one!

Venice reminds me of stark contrasts, some parts of the city are so congested, others feel almost abandoned. It will also always remind me of a very full bladder. You see, there are no free public restrooms, you either have to eat to drink somewhere or pay around €2 to use the bathroom. I had not yet learned the art of stopping in at Italian bars to get a water or drink and use the restroom. A good part of my day was spent refusing to pay for the loo, thinking I would find a free one somewhere before too long, only to realize that was not happening and suddenly needing to find any restroom and pay willingly! So there, I was bested by Venice.

Venetian Mask Shop

Don’t drop your laundry, Signora!

Venetian Canal with Basilica Santa Maria della Salute

Santuario di Lucia / lucy’s Sanctuary

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Why Is My Sourdough Sticking to the Banneton?

Help! My sourdough stuck to the banneton.

We’ve all been there. After two days’ worth of time investment and hopes, the moment finally comes to tip the sourdough loaves out of the bannetons only to find that they are stuck. Dreadfully. All that time to carefully ferment the dough, ruined, completely collapsed into a messy glob, unrecognizable as a loaf.

Well, it might not always be quite so bad. But sometimes it is. And if you’ve had it happen to you, you know how frustrating and, mind the pun, deflating it can be.

To prevent this from happening, it’s best to try and understand why this is happening.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Reasons Why Your Dough Might Be Sticking to the Banneton and How To Fix It

The Dough is Overproofed

The main reason dough sticks to the banneton is because the dough has been overproofed. Overproofed dough is sticky, which causes it to stick to the banneton. The more overproofed the dough, the stickier it becomes, the harder it becomes to get it out.

While the easy fix is to not let your dough overproof, understanding bulk ferment is not always so easy. In fact, the bulk ferment is one of the most important, and trickiest, things to understand when it comes to sourdough. It may take time, but with patience, you can learn to read your dough better, and nail the bulk ferment. For starters, I highly recommend referencing this chart from the Sourdough Journey, which helps to take much of the guesswork out.

Improper Gluten Development

Dough that has had the gluten developed properly is strong and more likely to hold its shape. It’s less sticky and won’t stick to the banneton as much. Underdeveloped gluten is another common reason that dough sticks to proofing baskets.

Make sure you’re adequately working your dough to develop the gluten. Sourdough generally has such a long fermentation that the gluten develops with gentler handling than say, a bread using instant yeast that is kneaded for 10 minutes upfront. That said, you’ll still want to make sure your gluten has a good head start by mixing the dough adequately in the beginning. Once the gluten has a good start upfront, you can continue to strengthen your dough with stretch and folds or coil folds, maybe even a lamination if you’re so inclined.

It’s helpful to know the protein content of the flour you’re using. The lower the protein, the more you will have to work the dough to get it strong enough to hold its shape, get good oven spring, and yes, not stick to the banneton. There’s always the possibility the flour you’re using has too low a protein content, not suited for bread at all. On the flip side, flour with high protein gets strong with less effort. Ideally, look for a protein content between 12% and 13%. Note that whole wheat flour usually has a high protein content but does not perform the same way as a white flour with a high protein content, so don’t treat it as a bread flour.

New Bannetons

Using a new banneton, never before used, can also be a potential problem. Make sure you’re more generous with flouring the banneton, especially rice flour the first few times you use it. I’ve never had problems with my dough sticking to new bannetons, but some would advise to “season” the bannetons before first use by spritzing with water, sprinkling with rice flour, then allowing to dry for about 30 minutes. Repeat.

Alternatively, you can use proofing basket liners or really any clean cotton or linen cloth to line your baskets with. They can be washed, baskets stay clean, easy peasy. I especially enjoy using liners and cloths when working with dough that has messy inclusions, like cranberry orange, basil pesto, lemon blueberry, etc. That way anything that leaks out is absorbed by the washable cloth and not the banneton.

Using All-Purpose or Bread Flour in the Banneton

If you find that using a bit of flour in your banneton helps, but your dough still sticks some, try using rice flour instead of all-purpose or bread flour. You can also use a mix of the two flours, find what works best for you. Alternatively, try semolina (semola), cornmeal, polenta, or even coconut flour.

Using Improper or Low Quality Bannetons

Not all bannetons are made equally, and there are now bannetons made from many different materials. Bannetons typically are made from rattan, but wood pulp, silicone, and other materials are popping up and gaining popularity.

Part of the function of bannetons is to wick moisture away from dough. If a banneton is made from a material that is not breathable, such as silicone, this is going to prevent your dough forming that light outer skin that makes holding its shape as well as scoring so much easier. Bannetons that trap in moisture may cause the dough to stick and overall result in a less desirable loaf, anyway.

Look for high quality bannetons made from rattan or wood pulp, both of which wick moisture. I really like these bannetons from Breadtopia. If you’re looking to go the wood pulp route, look into Rose Hill or Bulka, both known and respected brands. Either way you go, do some research into the material of the banneton, the quality of that particular material, and the quality of the company.

The Banneton Was Inadequately Floured

Sometimes it’s as simple as the banneton not being floured quite enough before placing in the dough. This is more true of doughs with higher hydration that are already stickier.

Even with higher hydration, this is not often the case, however. Dough that has been properly proofed with good gluten development doesn’t usually stick to the bannetons too much. There are many different environments and variables, and sometimes high humidity or other factors just might cause the dough to stick more, despite developing the dough correctly. If so, adding flour or rice flour to the banneton is an easy fix. If you feel you can’t add any more flour to the banneton and your dough is still sticking, try some of the other possibilities here as there’s something else going on with your dough.

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Best Pie Pan Materials

Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Pie dishes come in many different shapes, sizes, as well as a several different materials. More than just looks, what a pie dish is made of can have a significant impact on your pie, especially the crust.

Pie dishes (also called pie plates, pie tins, pie pans…let’s just get that out of the way!) are typically made of glass, ceramic, or metal. Each baker has their personal preference, and each material has its pros and cons.

If you’d like to read more about how to select the the best pie dish size for your needs, read here.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Best Pie Pan Materials

Glass

Pros:

OXO Good Grips Glass Pie Plate with Lid

• Inexpensive

• If made of clear glass, can easily see how well crust is turning golden

Cons:

• Can shatter - avoid extreme temperature changes, i.e. moving a pie from the freezer to the hot oven. To avoid this, look for borosilicate glass, such as the OXO plate linked.

• Shouldn’t be used under the broiler due to the risk of shattering

Ceramic

Emile Henry 9" Pie Dish - Modern Classics Collection | Twilight

Pros:

• Visually appealing

• Best for avoiding crusts shrinking or slipping down

• Cleans up easily

• Can be used under the broiler

• Can usually be transferred from freezer to oven without risk of thermal shock, but it’s always wise to double check with the manufacturer as not all ceramic or stoneware is made equally

Cons:

• Can be expensive

• More variety, sizes, and tend to be deeper than glass or metal, which lends to some pie recipes not adequately filling the pan

• Usually the heaviest of the three materials

Metal:

USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel Pie Pan, 9-Inch

Pros:

• Inexpensive

• Lightweight

• Good for golden, crispy crusts, and fast heat conduction

• Can be used under the broiler

• Can be transferred from oven to freezer without risk of thermal shock

Cons:

• Not as good for longer baking pies due to the superior heat conduction of metal, especially in darker colored metal pans

• Can get scratched easily

• Are sometimes non-stick. While this may be a pro as far as pies coming easily out of tins, it can also mean the pie plate is coated in controversial chemicals such as teflon. If you desire the non-stick feature but not the chemicals, look for a pie tin that is coated with silicone, like the USA Pan linked.

• If non-stick, you should avoid using metal utensils to cut or serve the pie, as this can damage the non-stick coating.

Key Lime Pie

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No matter which pie dish you choose to use, all can give you excellent results.

Ideally, one would have a few different sizes of pie dishes and materials on hand to be able to suit each recipe and type of pie, but we don’t all have that luxury. Hopefully this summary has helped you understand which pie plate material is best suited to your personal baking adventures.

What Size is a Standard Pie Dish?

What size is a standard pie dish, anyway?

Generally speaking, a standard size pie dish is 9 inches (23 cm).

It gets tricky, though, because pie dishes are not standardized in measurements or how they’re measured. More on that later.

The Conundrum of Pie Dish Sizes

Have you ever made a pie recipe and been disappointed that the pie doesn’t adequately fill the pie dish? Or conversely, had way too much filling that you then didn’t know what to do with or maybe it came bubbling out while baking and made a mess of your oven?

Why do pies turn out looking different than the pictures in the recipe, even though you used the pie pan size called for?

While we’re at it, why are there so many different names for the round vessel in which we bake pies: pie dish, a pie pan, pie plate, and pie tin?? Which one do you say?

These are the deep questions that plague me throughout the day, bogging me down until they are satisfactorily answered. This is why I can’t simply “make a pie.” Making a pie inevitably turns into wondering which pie dish I should use, why we have at least 4 different sizes, and why there need to be so many.

Helpful recipes will specify which size pie dish is called for, but what if you don’t have that size? What if you use what you have anyway but the recipe doesn’t fill your pan or it’s too much? If you want to make that kind of pie again, do you find a new recipe, or buy a new pie dish? Or do you take the time to adjust all the measurements to better fit your pie tin?

WHY are there so many questions surrounding just one small aspect of making a pie? Let’s do our best to clear things up.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Lack of Standardization in Pie Dishes

There is no standardization in pie dish measurements which can make choosing one a bit difficult. While most would consider 9 inches (23 cm) as standard, there are several other factors that go into pie dishes that can make them differ dramatically.

You could order several different 9 inch (23 cm) pie dishes from various companies, bake the same pie recipe in each one, and the pies would probably all come out differently. Side height, the angle of the side slope, if there is and how big the lip might be, if the edge is fluted or fancy, all will affect how the final pie looks. One brand’s 9 inch (26 cm) pie pan measuring from outer edge to outer edge is quite different to another brand’s 9 inch (23 cm) pie pan measuring from inner edge to inner edge.

Since these aspects aren’t standardized, let’s dive into the various options.

Three Aspects to Consider When Choosing a Pie Dish

1. Pie Dish Diameter: The most important aspect to consider is the pie plate’s diameter. There is some discrepancy here as some are measured from outer edge to outer edge, some inner edge to inner edge, and others the diameter of the bottom of the plate. On top of that, many manufacturers don’t specify how their pie dishes are measured.

2. Pie Dish Depth: Pie dishes also vary in height - shallow, regular, and deep dish. This is also not standardized, but most standard dishes fall between 1.5 - 2 inches (4 - 5 cm). A shallow pie dish could be as low as 1 inch (2.5 cm), and a deep dish is often 2 inches (5 cm) or deeper.

3. Pie Dish Capacity: Another important indicator is the capacity of a pie dish. 4-6 cups or 1 - 1.5 Qts (.95 - 1.4 L) is common, with anything less being a smaller pie pan and anything more being a bigger pie pan.

If I want to have just 1 pie dish on hand, which size should I have?

9 inches (23 cm) will be your best bet all around, with a height of 1.5 - 2 inches (4 -5 cm). Things to consider:

• If you’re buying just one pie pan to have on hand, it would be safer to have a slightly greater capacity, so go with deep dish 9 inch (23 cm) and look for one with sides are about 2 inches (5 cm) high.

• If you most often make fruit pies, go with a 9 inch (23 cm) with higher sides. No one likes a fruit pie that bubbles over and leaves a mess or worse, ends up dry because so much of the filling bubbled over.

• Cream pies, often those with graham cracker crusts (key lime pie, peanut butter pies, etc.) often do better in a 9 inch (23 cm) pie plate or one with shorter sides, closer to 1.5 inches (4 cm) or even less depending on the pie. I’ve made too many cream pies that looked dwarfed by the pie pan they were made in.

Ideally, if you make pies often, you’d have two or three different pie dish sizes on hand. A shorter 9 inch (23 cm) for cream pies, a deeper 9 (23) or even 10 inch (26 cm) for fruit pies, and a more standard size 9 inch (23 cm) for everything in between.

OXO Good Grips Glass Pie Plate with Lid

Material Matters, Too

What pie dishes are made of is also of importance. Glass, ceramic, or metal are typical.

Everyone has their favorite material for a pie dish, for different reasons. They all have pros and cons.

USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel Pie Pan, 9-Inch

Emile Henry Made In France 9 Inch Pie Dish, White

My favorite to work with is ceramic, with simple beauty added to each pie and even browning of crusts. They’re also a good choice for helping to keep crusts from slipping or shrinking down.

Favorite Brand of Pie Dishes

Even beyond pie dishes, Emile Henry is one of my absolute favorite bakeware companies. Emile Henry is a French brand, made in France and very high quality.

They’re elegant, a breeze to clean, and come in various sizes. Emile Henry bakeware can be quite pricy, but their pie dishes aren’t actually too much more than other pie dishes on Amazon. For the investment, it’s well worth it.

Between my mom and I, we have four different Emile Henry pie dishes, which means I can accurately measure four different styles and compare them to their online measurements to see how they add up.

Emile Henry Pie Dishes:

Shape Code: 61.31 - 10 inches (26 cm)

My actual pie plate has stamped on the bottom that it is “26 cm” and “9 in.” When I measured the pie plate, the 26 cm is correct, which is actually 10.25 inches. This means the stamped “9 in” is incorrect. Their website lists it as 10 inches. From this I gather that their dimensions are measured from outer edge to outer edge.

• The inner edge to inner edge measurement is 9 inches (23 cm).

• Capacity 1.5 Qt (1.4L).

• The sides are 2 inches tall (5 cm).

Ceramic Shape Code 61.21 - 10.25 inches (26 cm)

• 10.25 inches (26 cm) measured from outer edge to outer edge.

• The inner measurement 9.25 inches (23.5) cm.

• Capacity 1.7 Qt.

• Sides are 2.6 inches (6.5 cm) tall.

Shape Code 61.62 - 9 inches (23 cm)

This Emile Henry pie dish is no longer available on their site and I couldn’t find really any other source selling this particular shape code, so the only measurements I have to go on are my own.

• 9 inches (23 cm) measured from outer edge to outer edge.

• The inner edge to inner edge measurement is 8 inches (20 cm).

• Sides are 2 inches (5 cm) at the tallest part of the lightly ruffled edge.

Shape Code 61.81

This pie dish is no longer available on the Emile Henry website, but it looks fairly similar in size to the other 10 inch plates above.

• 10.5 inches (26.5 cm) measured outer edge to outer edge.

• 9.25 inches (23.5 cm) measured inner edge to inner edge.

• Sides are just shy of 2.25 inches (6 cm) tall.

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Using Beets for Color in Baked Goods

Beets in baked goods can be finicky. Many a baker has tried their hand at beets, hoping for that vibrant hue in their baked goods, only to be disappointed by the color baking out and leaving an unexciting brown.

If you’re reading this wondering what you are doing wrong, don’t feel bad. It’s what beets like to do. It’s a natural chemical reaction that can be difficult to offset. It’s taken me years, but only after I finally came to terms with beets losing their color, did I actually have success in them keeping their color.

I’m happy to share some insight with you, although I won’t claim it to be 100% foolproof. I feel I’ve finally made friends with beet color in baking, and hope you too have better success.

Take a good look at the photos in this post, as these will show you what to expect. Beets just work better in some things than others. Bread seems to have the best success, since the extra hydration from beets is more easily offset in bread than in cakes or other bakes where extra moisture can lead to heaviness or gumminess.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Adding Beets for Color

This post is not a precise recipe, but will help you figure out how to add beets to your bakes to get optimal color, as well as some troubleshooting tips.

How Much Beet to Use?

For bread recipes, I find the best success with using up to 50% of the flour weight in beets. This means for a bread recipe that uses 500g (about 4 cups of flour), I would use up to 200-250g of beets (1-2 beets, depending on size).

Roast Beets

For optimal color, roast beets in their skins. Boiling beets, using beet powder, or other preparations don’t seem to work as well.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C.

2. Wash beets, leaving on skins, and wrap in tinfoil.

3. Bake for about 1 hour or until tender when a fork or knife is inserted into beet. Baking time will depend on size of beets.

4. Allow to cool enough to handle, then remove skins, roots, and any stem stumps. Skins should slide off fairly easily.

Purée Beets

Once beets are roasted, cooled, and skins removed, they need to be puréed.

There are a number of ways to do this:

1. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a bowl and blending with an immersion blender until smooth.

   You also don’t have to use some of the liquid from the recipe with the beets, but I find it’s easier and quicker to get the beets smooth and also easier to scrape out.

2. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a blender and blend until smooth. This works best if you have a nice, high-powered blender.

Once beets are puréed, add something acidic to help maintain the color when baked. 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar should do the trick. You can also use citric acid, about 1/2 teaspoon.

*What does “liquid from the recipe” mean? It means using any liquid (water, milk, etc) from the recipe you’re using to help blend up the beets before adding to the recipe.

Let’s say you have a sandwich bread recipe that calls for 1 cup of water. You have 2 roasted beets you want to add to make a beautifully colored sandwich bread. You could take 1/2 cup of water from the 1 cup called for to help purée your beets. Then you can add the puréed beets into the recipe and add more of the remaining 1 cup water as needed. Beets add moisture so you may not want to add all of the called for water.

Adjust Liquid As Necessary

As mentioned, beets add moisture to a recipe, so you may want to hold back some of the liquid from the recipe. Another option when making bread is to simply add more flour. I’ve seen people do both. I’ve tried both also, and they both work. Just be wary of using a LOT of beets, then having to add a ton more flour. This can start to upset the balance of the recipe. Use your beet judgement. Excuse me. I meant “best” judgment.

Bake!

The only thing left to do now is finish the recipe, enjoy playing with the brilliantly colored dough or batter, and bake.

Troubleshooting a Brown Beet Bake

Why did my beet bake still turn brown?

As easy as it might seem, some beet bakes still turn brown despite our best efforts. If it was easy, or if there was a foolproof method, there wouldn’t be so many brown beet baked goods. That doesn’t mean we give up. We keep trying, experimenting.

If your bake still turned brown, try the following:

• Make sure you used enough beets. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Beets turn doughs/batters brilliant colors with very little added, but more is needed to KEEP the color.

• Make sure to use an acid, or maybe try more acid if you already did. Vinegar, lemon juice, ascorbic acid.

• I’ve read fresh beets produce a better red. I haven’t tried fresh and old beets side by side to see any difference, nor do I always know how “fresh” the beets I have are. I can say that the same batch of beets can still produce different results, even if they’re all the same “age.”

• Make sure you are using a regular oven setting and not convection. I’ve had the same batch of dough turn different colors simply because one was baked on the convection setting.

• Check the kind of recipe you’re making. If it’s cake, cupcakes, cookies, or similar, those can be a lot harder to get color with, and even then it’s usually more pink or pinkish brown at best. Bread is the easiest to get deep color with. Keep expectations reasonable.

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My Quest for Natural Red

Over a decade ago I set out to achieve a naturally colored Red Velvet Cake. Red Velvet was having a moment and it bothered me to no end since Red Velvet as we know it now is essentially just a barely chocolate cake with a whole bottle of red artificial food dye dumped in. And if you know me, you know I’ve never liked artificial food coloring. I felt people were being duped. So, I set out to bake a natural Red Velvet Cake, so at least if you were going to eat a somewhat chocolate cake, it didn’t have to be with artificial coloring in it. I had looked up the origin of Red Velvet, discovering that it did not originally include artificial coloring, its more subtle red color owing to a chemical reaction in the cake from vinegar, baking soda, and buttermilk. Following this cue, I tried all the tricks I could to get the cake to keep its color, along with the help of beets. No amount of acidity seemed to help the vibrant color stay. It always baked out, leaving a pinkish hue at best. After awhile I gave it up, one can only eat so many beet cakes, you know, and anyway, I didn’t see anyone else having much success, even those who confidently had beet cake recipes published.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when my algorithms on Facebook had been completely taken over by sourdough groups even though I never joined nor even looked them up, but there they were. Doing their thing, reeling me into their sourdough troubleshooting.

I happened to see a post where beets for color came up. Inevitably, several shared how beets naturally lose their color, yet one commenter shared a photo of her bread colored with beets. It was the most vibrant, fuschia dough I had ever seen that baked into a still impressively colorful, braided Challah. She did it, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. She wasn’t sharing her photo as a first time, proud accomplishment but rather, almost in defiance of the others saying it can’t be done. It can be done, and she does it.

I made it my new goal to see if I could get my bread to look like that.

A Fresh Attempt with Beets

Feeling freshly inspired and challenged, I grabbed the last beets from my mom’s garden. Going off of the little information that had been shared about using beets successfully, I set out with more hope about beets than I had in a long time.

Beets in a Sourdough Boule

I decided to use the beets first in a loaf of classic sourdough bread. The dough was beautiful, yes, but the color all but baked out. I felt the familiar pang of disappointment. I probably did not use enough beets. You can almost tell by the color of the dough. While bright, it’s not quite vibrant enough to keep a deeper color when baked.

Beet Sourdough Boule before baking

Sourdough Beet boule baked

Crumb shot of sourdough beet bread

Beets in Sourdough Challah

Knowing it can be done, I tried again, this time with Challah. The original commenter had done challah, King Arthur also has a beet Challah recipe posted, and I make Challah often. Seemed a fitting recipe to adjust. I used my dear friend’s recipe, while referencing King Arthur’s. I doubled my recipe to make a large braided Valentine’s heart. I still think I needed more beets.

Again, the dough was vibrant and beautiful, but an interesting change in color occurred during the final proof. You can see in the photos how the newly braided bread is a nice magenta, then after it has risen it has lightened in color. I do not know why. Once baked, the bread retained some color. I used beet powder for the finishing glaze so the contrast makes the bread look less colorful, than it really was, actually.

Better, but not there yet.

Challah Dough

Challah Beet Dough, weighed, shaped into balls, awaiting rolling and stuffing with chocolate

Beet challah dough braided into a heart, ready for the second rise

Beet Challah Dough fully proofed, ready for baking

Beet Challah Heart baked

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beets in Nutella Twists

My third attempt with this batch of beets I just went wild and added twice the amount of beets as I had added in the other recipes, since that was what I had left. I really think that did the trick.

I was starting to think there was something in my environment or my beets were not fresh enough…but the attempt I expected the least out of, turned out quite nice. Convection bake doesn’t work well for bread in general but I tried it with one batch and it actually affected the color, also.

My theory thus stands, it doesn’t take that many beets to get a rich color, but it takes a good amount of beets to keep the color through baking.

Beet Brioche dough rolled out

beet brioche dough filled with nutella and shaped into various knots

Beets are persnickety, but they can be done!

Happy baking, and good luck!

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi - Four Cheese Pasta

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, or Four Cheese Pasta, is basically Italy’s more luxurious macaroni and cheese.

The ingredients couldn’t be simpler, the sauce is made from milk and four different kinds of cheese. The trick is to use the right cheeses and not overcook it, otherwise the flavors won’t be as balanced and the cheese might clump up.

If made correctly, the sauce will be velvety, smooth, and rich, perhaps with bits of cheese here and there.

Is this like the pizza ai quattro formaggi?

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a straight answer to which 4 cheeses are traditionally used in the Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi. Because of this, I’ve looked to the pizza version of quattro formaggi for inspiration to create the perfect blend of cheeses, as well as some Italian recipes, of course!

The pizza ai quattro formaggi is one of my favorite pizzas. I usually like pizzas with vegetables on them, but once you have the right pizza ai quattro formaggi, you’ll never go back. Not only is it super cheesy, but the way the four different cheeses pair together is pure magic. Yes, the Gorgonzola blue cheese, too. It makes it. Pizza ai quattro formaggi may have been the key to turn me from tolerating blue cheese in certain dishes to genuinely liking it.

Of course, today’s recipe is the pasta, not the pizza, but if you’ve had a good run in with the magical four cheeses, then you know the pasta will be (is) just as magical.

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi vs. Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi generally uses the same cheese choices. At least, 3 are typical, the fourth is more interchangeable.

• Mozzarella (Fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala)

• Gorgonzola dolce

• Parmigiano reggiano (parmesan, or occasionally other aged cheese such as pecorino)

• A soft cheese such as Emmental (Swiss cheese), groviera (Gruyère), or fontina, or a creamy cheese such as stracchino

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi is less straightforward, with more leeway for playing with different cheeses. 2 Cheeses are generally the same, while the other two often change out depending on the recipe and mood of the creator. Mozzarella is not a good choice for pasta, since it’s classic stringy quality so desirable in pizza, does not work so well in pasta sauce.

For the pasta, these two cheeses are the cornerstones:

• Gorgonzola dolce - it is not Quattro formaggi without it!

• Parmigiano reggiano - the aged hard cheese of choice

The other two types of cheese have options:

• A soft cheese - a soft taleggio is a good choice, or Brie, or other similar soft cheese (rinds removed)

• A swiss or good melting cheese - fontina, Gruyère, etc. In Italy they sometimes use Edam or emmental, which are similar to Swiss cheese. I haven’t personally tried those (except for Gruyère) and find that the block Swiss cheese here in the States isn’t always my favorite for melting or flavor.

As long as you don’t stray too far from these guidelines, you will find yourself with the most heavenly, creamy and cheesy bowl of pasta in front of you.

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all’Americana

Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all’Americana

Curiously, I have two recipes on here that are very, very similar. One is the original Italian version, which is where you are, the other is also four cheese, but “Americanized”, if you will.

Why?

The Italian version is simple, with the cheese and milk sauce. However, the method can be finicky and the cheeses called for can be rather expensive in the States, not to mention hard to source. They can’t really be switched out for more economical cheeses without risking the sauce getting clumpy. This means you’re required to buy more expensive cheeses that might not be available at your local grocery stores. I can only find taleggio, for example, at specialty cheese or Italian stores in my area.

For this reason, I created the “American” version, starting with a roux. This method is more forgiving for using a wider variety of cheeses, including more budget friendly ones. I almost always have Parmesan or Parmigiano on hand, sometimes have Gorgonzola and gruyère, but rarely do I have Taleggio or some of the other suitable substitutes.

Click here for the Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi all”Americana Recipe

It would cost me less than $4 to make the American Four Cheese using mozzarella, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, and cream cheese, while the most recent time I made the Italian version it cost about $20 in cheese. That was even using American Parmesan and not authentic Parmigiano Reggiano. You can see where the American version is more approachable, at least for those not living in Italy.

Both of these recipes I have made several times. I have yet to mess up the American version, no matter how careless I get. I have messed up the Italian version more times than I care to confess as someone who publishes and develops recipes. Troubleshooting seemed to be amiss on other recipes, so I am happy to share with you what I learned in my trial and error!

The con to the American version is that it is thickened with flour, which means that the sauce has gluten in it. Pasta itself is made with flour and definitely not gluten-free, but it is easily switched out with any gluten-free pasta readily available at any grocery store

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Serves 4-6

• 1 lb / 500g short pasta of choice

• 1 1/4 cups / 296g whole milk

• 5.5 oz / 156g Gorgonzola (dolce), rind removed, cut into chunks

• 4.5 oz / 128g soft Taleggio, rind removed, cut into chunks

• 4.5 oz / 128g Gruyère, shredded

• 4.5 oz / 128g Parmigiano reggiano, shredded

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, generously salt; cook pasta 1 minute less than according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat milk over low heat until almost simmering. Do not let milk boil. Whisk in gorgonzola, stirring until mostly smooth. Add in taleggio, whisking until melted and almost smooth. Stir in Gruyère, again stirring until mostly melted and smooth. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Combine pasta and cheese sauce, along with about 1/2 cup of pasta water, mixing to evenly coat pasta. Add more water if a thinner sauce is desired. Continue mixing for a few minutes until sauce is creamy and clinging to pasta. Serve immediately.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Is your sauce ending up with chewy cheese chunks instead of a smooth sauce? You might be overheating the cheese when making the sauce. Keep your heat on the lowest setting, stir constantly, and make sure the milk isn’t boiling when you add the cheese.

• I’m all for switching out ingredients for healthier alternatives, but this is one recipe I would not suggest you sub in any lower fat or other varieties of milk. If anything, sub in half & half or cream!

• Like most Italian pasta dishes, this dish is best eaten right away, and not intended for leftovers.

• While some cheeses can be switched out, choose wisely, as not all cheeses melt homogeneously into a smooth sauce. The cheeses in this recipe are chosen for their melting qualities and balanced flavors.

Yield 6-8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

25 Min

Total time

30 Min

Print

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Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi

Classic Italian Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, or Four Cheese Pasta, features perfectly cooked pasta in an ultra velvety cheese sauce made with four different, perfectly balanced cheeses.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 lb / 500g short pasta of choice
• 1 1/4 cups / 296g whole milk
• 5.5 oz / 156g Gorgonzola (dolce), rind removed, cut into chunks
• 4.5 oz / 128g soft Taleggio, rind removed, cut into chunks
• 4.5 oz / 128g Gruyère, shredded
• 4.5 oz / 128g Parmigiano reggiano, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, generously salt; cook pasta 1 minute less than according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat milk over low heat until almost simmering. Do not let milk boil. Whisk in gorgonzola, stirring until mostly smooth. Add in taleggio, whisking until melted and almost smooth. Stir in Gruyère, again stirring until mostly melted and smooth. Turn off heat and stir in Parmesan until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Combine pasta and cheese sauce, along with about 1/2 cup of pasta water, mixing to evenly coat pasta. Add more water if a thinner sauce is desired. Continue mixing for a few minutes until sauce is creamy and clinging to pasta. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Is your sauce ending up with chewy cheese chunks instead of a smooth sauce? You might be overheating the cheese when making the sauce. Keep your heat on the lowest setting, stir constantly, and make sure the milk isn’t boiling when you add the cheese.
• I’m all for switching out ingredients for healthier alternatives, but this is one recipe I would not suggest you sub in any lower fat or other varieties of milk. If anything, sub in half & half or cream!
• Like most Italian pasta dishes, this dish is best eaten right away, and not intended for leftovers.
• While some cheeses can be switched out, choose wisely, as not all cheeses melt homogeneously into a smooth sauce. The cheeses in this recipe are chosen for their melting qualities and balanced flavors.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

635

Fat

28 g

Sat. Fat

17 g

Carbs

60 g

Fiber

2 g

Net carbs

58 g

Sugar

5 g

Protein

35 g

Sodium

1098 mg

Cholesterol

80 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 6 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/9/10/pasta-ai-quattro-formaggi

Classic Italian Four Cheese Pasta, Traditional Pasta ai Quattro Formaggi, quick pasta dinner

dinner

Italian

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