Twelve Loaves October: Apple and cinnamon pull apart bread muffins / Twelve Loaves Ottobre: Muffin di pane alla mela e cannella

Last few months have been a mess. I for holidays with all posts for the blog scheduled and ready to post automatically for at least two weeks (thanks to my innate swissness) and confident I would go immediately back to my routine in the kitchen. But the unexpected consequences of the accident in Copenhagen (luckily resolved within two month or so of physiotherapy) and a bad flu got in the way. Add a last minute collaboration, a personal project to develop and Food Immersion Festival and you’ll have the perfect recipe for disaster. My whole routine scrambled up. So much to think about, and I forgot the usual deadlines to submit a recipe for Twelve Loaves’s bread collection. It has been a long time I hadn’t taken part to it. This month, with the excuse of going to my sister’s on a visit, I took the challenge and its theme: apples, and put together a quick recipe. Just a simple recipe for my niece’s Ada afternoon snack.

Twelve Loaves August: Basil Buns / Twelve Loaves Agosto: Panini al basilico

And we’re back with the monthly appointment with Twelve Loaves, one of my favourite collections of bread. In August the theme we were given was that of herbs. I immediately thought of making a dough with a high concentration of basil, a Hulk dough that would lend perfectly itself to a weird project that I have been having in mind for some time. This project was inspired to me by a person whom I respect very much. Among the people I have been following for years, and who I’ve also had the great pleasure of meeting personally, is a talented photographer and art director who works in Milan.

Savoring Italy Guest Post and Hidden Treasure Soft Buns / Savoring Italy Guest Post e Saccottini morbidi con sorpresa

Thursday is no blog post day usually, but this month my usual schedule has flexed in favor of spontaneity and other circumstances. Today you will not be reading me on my own pages, but you will be redirected to a very nice blog, Savoring Italy, born from the enthusiasm and love that Lora and Megan feel for Italy.

Twelve Loaves: Courgette, feta, honey and sesame seeds pull-apart bread / Twelve Loaves: Pane da strappare con zucchine, feta, miele e semi di sesamo

Last month has been quite hectic…attending Food Blogger Connect Conference was quite tiring and it took me a few days to recuperate my energy, then trying to put together the lessons learned at the conference (I am still struggling, I admit, especially geek wise) writing a couple of advertorials and working on other projects. So stressed out I completely forgot about Twelve Loaves. I could have dropped out just for this month but the theme, Summer Fun, immediately triggered something in me. Summer, sun, sea. My memory has taken a leap back in time, an Olympic jump to twenty years ago.

Twelve Loaves June: Cherry and Beetroot Buns wrapped in Bacon / Twelve Loaves: Panini al latte con ciliegie e barbabietola avvolti in pancetta

With the start of a new month one of my favorite baking appointments, Twelve Loaves, comes too. What I like the most is when we choose an ingredient rather than a generic theme, such restrictions are always a good starting point to feed the imagination! Besides it’s too interesting to see how everyone interprets differently the monthly ingredient. For June, choice fell on cherries, a fruit that I love – a picture of me as a child testifies it, my face is completely plastered with juice and bears an unmistakable expression of satisfaction…”cherry thief”! – and for which it’s easy to fall into the temptation of baking a sweet bread.

Garlic and Lemon Thyme Ciabattas for Twelve Loaves / Ciabatte all’aglio e al timo limonato per Twelve Loaves

When this month’s Twelve Loaves theme came out I was so happy! Onions, garlic, chives, shallots, leeks and Co. Love them all and the choice is so vasti t was only a matter of flavour pairings. Michela just came by for a few days, bringing with her nice presents and a few little glass jars filled with herbs and spices. One particular herb stole my heart and amazed my tastebuds: lemon thyme. I wanted, at all costs, to use it in a bread. Lemon thyme and garlic, I just knew it would work.

#Twelve Loaves: Rye and fennel seeds snails with blood oranges and red onion chutney / #Twelve Loaves: Girelle di segale e semi di finocchio al chutney di arance sanguinelle e cipolle

I’ve been thinking a lot about this recipe, most of all because the need to create a savoury bread was stronger than ever. What triggered this flavour combination was the poll that Lora-Cake Duchess launched in Twelve Loaves to choose April’s theme.

Twelve Loaves: Licorice, Strawberries and White Chocolate Babka / Twelve Loaves: Babka alla liquirizia, fragole e cioccolato bianco

Here we are, as every month I participate to Twelve Loaves bread collection. I must admit this month’s theme has been a bit hard on me since strawberries, the chosen ingredients, are anything but in season at my latitude.

I bought you flours: Potato and Za’atar Bread Roses for Twelve Loaves / Rose speziate per te: Panini a forma di rosa con patate e za’atar per Twelve Loaves

As things of life unravel I find myself almost two weeks from my last blogpost. Blame it on the weather, blame it on too many failed recipes and things to do, blame it on me and my laziness. The last days I’ve been blessed with good recipes, good lightning and the urge of writing a new post. The recipe has been waiting two weeks in the “limbo” folder and after yet another good review from one my food testers I can share it with you. This recipe was inspired by this month’s Twelve Loaves theme: spices.

Beetroot, tangerine, tonka beans and vanilla Sourdough Bread / Pane al lievito madre con barbabietola, mandarino, fava tonka e vaniglia

This bread was inspired to me by this month’s Twelve Loaves theme: roots. I had been looking for many weeks at the great achievements obtained by fellow bakers with this kind of bread (both professionals and home bakers) during my web surfing. Every single one had a different shade of pink, a different crumb, crust and rise. A whole world of beetroot breads.