Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook: Chocolate and Cherry Jam Cookies / Il Ricettario del Mulino di Maroggia: Biscotti con cioccolato fondente e marmellata di ciliegia e anice

Here we go, another Friday and yet again another recipe for Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook. Today with Maroggia’s Mill flours we will prepare together some decadent and indulgent cookies, freckled with dark chocolate and topped with a delicious homemade cherry jam. I am a lucky girl, my father not only has a beautiful garden which delights us all with tasty fruit and vegetables (unfortunately this year I could not pick cherries…the fruits wilted on the tree the days I was in London) but I also have generous friends who, knowing of my love for this summer fruit, had a nice thought for me.

Maroggia’s Mill Cookbook: Aniseed, White Chocolate and Lime Zest Grissini / Il Ricettario del Mulino di Maroggia: Grissini all’anice, cioccolato bianco e scorza di lime

It’s already the third appointment with the Mill’s Cookbook, time does fly quick doesn’t it? This recipe is one that has been lying around for a long time, just as an idea, on my recipe notebook. No better chance to put it to practice and see whether the flavour combination would work or not, and hell it works!

MTC Challenge: Italian Stew, how I Iove you! / MTC Challenge: Spezzatino o anche di un amore nato a fuoco lento

To every recipe an introduction. A story, a few anecdotes. When I first read this month’s MTC Challenge recipe I got shivers in my spine. No, not those sweet old memories shivers. Cold and scary ones. My mother being British we grew up eating sheperd’s pies, Lancashire hot pots, pork and I remember few occasional stews. But not spezzatino, the italian version of stew. No nonna recipes, no Sunday lunch tradition, nothing.

Spelt, Semi-Whole Wheat, Buckwheat flour, Wheat Germ Sourdough Bread / Pane al lievito madre con germe di grano, farina di farro, semi integrale, e farina di grano saraceno

Until a few years ago, when I baked my bread with yeast and used AP flour only, it didn’t occur to me that flours could be so different and serve different purposes. In Switzerland we do not have a thing such as AP flour, mostly because wheat flours found in the shops have all 11% protein content, unless semi-whole meal, wholemeal or other kind of grains flour. Yes, how distressing.

Spelt, wholemeal and wheat bran bread / Pane al farro-spelta, farina integrale e crusca di frumento

Few days ago I was discussing with Barbara, on a bread baker’s group on facebook , about dough hydration. Highly hydrated doughs scare the wits out of me, and I have disastrous memories of my first attempts at highly hydrated ciabatta. Barbara encouraged me to try and hey, there is nothing as a good challenge to get me going. Since I had been doing very little baking and feeling a bit down in the previous days I decided I needed a proper kick in my backside.