Bread Toast Crumbs is Here
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Photo by Eva Kolenko
Friends, somehow today, April 4th, Bread Toast Crumbs‘ birthday, snuck up on me. I had hoped to have a recipe posted, one that didn’t make it into the book, but one that I love so much. It’s for a Swiss chard gratin made with both the stems and the leaves, which melt and caramelize beneath a layer of fresh bread crumbs mixed with parmesan, olive oil, and garlic, which crisp up beautifully and, as you might imagine, are completely irresistible.
Alas, it’s 4:30pm, and I still need to make a dish for the women’s seder my friend Holly (yes of Holly’s Challah!) has organized tonight, feed the kids, shower, and find something to wear but before the day escapes, I just want to say thank you. Thank you all so, so much for reading and commenting and emailing for all of these years. Bread Toast Crumbs would not be here without you. I am so grateful for your support. Thank you.
I’ll be back later in the week (with any luck) with a recipe. Till then!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
60 Comments on “Bread Toast Crumbs is Here”
LOVE YOU!
LOVE YOU KATYKAT!!
I was so excited to see your book pop up today on my tablet. Started reading it first thing this morning before I had to leave the house, then continued as soon as I returned. It’s beautiful for certain and I’m already sure it’s going to be a favorite. Really great job! Thank you!
TAC — thank you so much! It means the world to read all of this. Happy baking!
BTC arrived in the mail today (thank you Amazon) and it is gorgeous! Ali, you are amazing! I can’t wait for my kids to go to bed tonight so I can really sit down and pore over the book.
Liz!! Thank you!! You are too kind. Wish we could somehow get together this summer and cook and bake and hang. Sending lots of love to The Bennetts!
Would like the recipe for that craggy loaf of bread at the top of this page!!! Looks absolutely wonderful and delicious!! Is it in the cookbook?
Dionakaye, thank you!! Yes, it is in the cookbook, page 84: https://books.google.com/books?id=_xhDDgAAQBAJ&q=Brioche#v=snippet&q=Brioche&f=false
I love this one!!
I have your book in my hot little hands and will read it page by page…..no skipping around! Thank you for the bread recipe that I made for the first time just a couple of months ago, have made many loaves since, and preordered the book. I’ve been making bread for at least 30 years and your recipe is just the best!
Ann, thank you!! I’m so happy to read all of this. Love that the book is in your hot little hands 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you thank you.
Your beautiful book was at my door tonight and I’m so excited to spend some time reading through it. Alas, packing for a trip for work and forcing myself not to open the cover! So excited for you! Looking forward to enjoying it for a long time. Congratulations, MDR
Maureen, thank you!! I still remember talking about cookbooks the first day I met you at Heather and Andrew’s — so fun. Sending lots of love. Hope the work trip went well! xoxo
I don’t have the book yet but I will….I am so amazed at all you do and say and see and so proud to say that I know you…..even thru the web…..you inspire me every day and have helped me enjoy cooking and the joy it brings for years. I have always believed from the time I was young and my grandmother was the cook at a small cafe in Woodward Oklahoma that when we feed our loved ones we feed the soul at the same time…..knowing you and cooking with you has fed my soul for years…..with much love and gratitude to my favorite magical artist…..❤❤❤❤❤
Laurie, oh my goodness, thank you!! I am so grateful you emailed me long ago re that Le Creuset dutch oven and your birthday 🙂 Thank you for so much kindness and support over the years. Can’t tell you how much it means. Big hugs!! xoxo
Congratulations on your book’s birthday!!! Well done, have fun, and enjoy this whole process!! 🙂 Life is busy, but clearly you have still managed to do and to achieve AMAZING things.
Thank you so much, Alexa! This process has been so enjoyable thanks to hearing from people like you — your kindness and encouragement inspire me every day. Thank you!
I would love to get a copy of your book as I’m sure it’s fantastic and inspiring. Also just made your chickpea and lentil soup and it’s amazing and so Perfect for these grey rainy days we are still having for the beginning of April. Have a fun women’s Seder. If you have any Yummy Passover dishes would be all for that.
So happy to hear this, Nancy! There were so many yummy dishes at the Seder that I wish I’d had the recipes for: matzoh lasagna, curried vegetables, kale salad. Going to ask my friend Holly if she collected any of them. I’ll report back!
I can’t wait for that recipe and I can’t wait for the book to arrive!!!! Congrats Ali! You’re awesome!
Thank you Sweet Dana!!
Ali, I’m so happy for you and happy for myself that Bread Toast Crumbs was on my doorstep, this morning. I can’t wait to dig in!!!! All the best!!!! ?
Jennifer, thank you!! You’re the best!! Happy Baking & Cooking!
Congratulations, Ali; when I arrived home today from some time spent in Montpelier VT, I found a box from Amazon on my front porch and couldn’t for the life of me think of what it might be! I didn’t remember ordering anything recently and thought that perhaps it was a gift someone sent me! (Don’t we just love surprise gifts for no special occasion?) Well, guess what I found inside? A fabulous gift! Two copies of Bread Toast Crumbs that I pre-ordered, whenever that was you announced the opportunity to do so! What a gift indeed – the gift of all these fabulous recipes (some of which I have tried already, and many more that I have not), beautiful photographs of the food and kitchen implements, that delightful photo of you, your four little ones and a woman I am sure must be your mother, given the resemblance!
Thank you SO much for putting such a tremendous effort into compiling this book for all of your current & future fans to devour!
When I see you next, I’d love to have you inscribe the copy I plan to give to my brother – oh and what the heck, the one for my book shelf too!
Congratulations again!
xo
Teri
Teri, I love it — the surprise boxes from Amazon from orders placed long ago are the best! Thank you so much for all of this!! Not one, but two books?! Thank you. I would be so honored to inscribe them the next time you are passing through town with bay leaves from your garden 🙂 Hope to see you soon! Sending you lots of love. xoxo
I made your Tomato Souo Recipe this week. It was amazing. Love your recipes. Can’t wait to order your book. Thank you!
So happy to hear this, Diana! I love that soup, too—easy and good, hard to beat, right? 🙂
Your book, via amazon, is now on my ipad. I’m going to curl up with it tonight when everything quiets down here. Congratulations and thank you!
Thank you so much, Pam! That sounds so cozy. Happy reading (and eventually cooking and baking, too :)).
I received the book today. Just a minor question- the peasant bread recipe on your website calls for 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast while the book says 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (like the packets). Does the extra 1/4 teaspoon make a difference?
Hi Sonia! Sorry for the delay here. Good observation! The 1/4 teaspoon really doesn’t make a difference. Most people, I have found, buy the packets of yeast, so I wanted the recipes to be user friendly — in other words, I didn’t want people stashing packets of yeast in their fridge with 1/4 teaspoon leftover in them. When I make the bread, I always use my bulk SAF instant yeast, and I always use 2 teaspoons. Hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else.
Good idea about the packets. I had originally used the packets but ended up switching to the bulk yeast because I was baking your peasant bread so often! I love your original recipe because it is so easy to memorize- 2 tsp. sugar, salt, yeast added to 4 cups flour and 2 cups of water.
Congrats! That’s so exciting.
Thank you Natalie!!
SO SO SO SO SO SO SO happy for you!!!!! Congratulations! Can’t wait to get my copy and hope to see you – can I believe my eyes – at BLOOMINGDALES in two weeks!!! I never open those newsletters, that was so exciting. Hope you had a wonderful seder and that book sales are hitting it out of the park this week!
Thank you so, so much Kathrin!! Are you coming to Bloomingdales?! I hope so!! Thank you for the kind words. Means so much.
Received your book yesterday, stopped what I was doing, sat down with a cuppa and read through it. What a delight! Beautiful pictures, great ideas for delicious breads, and how to use them. Thank your mother again for finally agreeing to share. She has reached so many of us and allowed our families and friends to experience the enjoyment her family has known from her delicious breads. And thank you for producing such a beautiful book. I know it will become one of my much used recipe treasures. I already enjoy making your basic loaf and am really excited to try some of the variations in your book.
So happy to read all of this, Denise. I will tell my mother thank you from you — I am so grateful, too, that her recipe has reached so many people and allowed them to enjoy the gift of homemade bread. Thank you for the kind words. Means so much.
Oh, Ali, I am so excited for you! I am thrilled, too, because your book is here and in my hands. It is so beautiful! I am so proud of you! I was going through it this morning, page by page, when I reached page eight. The picture of you, your children and your mother filled my heart with joy. When I saw that image I literally said out loud (to myself), “This, right here, is why I read her blog.” That beautiful picture conveys to me joy, love, and family. It does it an authentic way. I have told you this many times before but I love that you and your blog are so authentic. It seems to have developed organically. Your approach to your blog, and the way you write it, is analogous to the star of your book, your peasant bread…not fussy but of great quality. I love it.
I have a hard decision to make this morning. I can’t decide whether to read every single page of your book or get into the kitchen and start baking bread! Ali, thank you for sharing your extraordinary talent with all of us lucky readers! I wish you great success with your book. I am off to order two more copies.
xoxo,
Trish
Btw, while writing this comment, I received a text from my husband (in regards to your banana bread recipe that I made last night for the first time). It read, “That banana bread is delicious! Do not give any of it away.”
🙂
Oh my gosh, Trish, I love it — the banana bread, your husband, the text. So great 🙂 🙂 🙂 Trish, thank you thank you for your kind words. It is readers like you that have made this process so incredibly fun and meaningful. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to reach out and email and comment over the years. It’s truly what has kept this blog going, so thank you. Sending you and your family lots of love!! xoxo
In love with it already! Read it before going to sleep, the way I like it, cuddled in bed – it’s a wonderful book, I haven’t yet finished browsing through, but have a ton of things calling my name… that individual shakshuka is simply AMAZING! What a great improvement on a classic! Earl Grey Tea Bread? You kill me.. you kill me… not to mention Chocolate Panettone!
truly great!
congrats on a fantastic job, it surpassed my expectations…
Sally you are too, too kind — thank you!! I so admire your cooking and baking, which you somehow make seem so effortless. Thank you thank you for your support over the yeas. Hope to meet you one day soon! xoxo
😉
that would be awesome!!! Simply awesome
(now I am having a bit of a hard time with the effortless and me… cake-o-phobe that I am…)
Received your book yesterday, and I immediately sat down and read through it while eating a pb&j made with sprouted wheat bread from your recipe. I kept showing my husband pictures from across the room. The pictures are beautiful, and I’m excited to make the recipes. I love your blog, and I love the book.
Congratulations!
Deirdre, thank you!! So happy to read all of this and so happy you like the sprouted wheat bread. The photographer, Eva Kolenko, did such an amazing job. So glad you like the photos, too. Thanks for writing in!
Thrilled out of my mind to have your book. Thank you for all the work you put into it, and the gorgeous photos. I’m so happy for you I could weep. Many lucky friends will receive this book as a gift. I am part Greek, and I can’t wait to make the kalamata olive bread when my sister visits! Thank you, and congratulations to you, Alexandra. You’ve got untold people making and eating good bread!!!!
Mrs.D, thank you so, so much for your kind words! I could weep! I hope you and your sister enjoy the kalamata olive bread together. I love that one, which as you’ve probably read, was inspired by a Diane Kochilas recipe — love her and all of her Greek cookbooks. Thanks so much for writing in! Happy Baking!
I am not sure if I was more excited when Amazon notified me BTC had been shipped or when I received it. Like everything you do, this is a savory collection of refined culinary perfection – and so beautifully and meaningfully written. Honoring your Mother is lovingly heartfelt within every page. As I and millions of followers devour every last crumb of the long-awaited BTC, with anticipatory joy we will be dreaming of your next book. Know you are inexpressibly loved & cherished.
Kathleen, oh my goodness, thank you. I don’t know where to begin expressing my gratitude for your love, support, and encouragement. Thank you so, so much. xo
Yay, congrats!! We love the book already, and will never give up carbs again.
Carbs forever!! So happy you love the book. Thank you, Chirag!! xo
Hi Alexandra
Your book is amazing, I have followed your blog for a few years and made many of your recipes, they always turn out well. Made the blueberry buttermilk cake yesterday and it was fab. Thank you for sharing and for making bread making accessible to everyone.
Oh, Jennie, this makes me so happy 🙂 Thank you so much for writing in. Means the world. xo
I love your book! Have made the peasant bread (devoured two loaves in about 2 days and there are only two of us in the house)! I made your cheddar parm bread two days ago and it is so good. Thank you for the toast and crumb parts of the book-they are so helpful and delicious. 🙂
Kathleen, thank you!! I’m so happy to hear all of this. The cheddar-parm is one of my favorites. So glad you are enjoying the toast and crumbs chapters of the book, too. xo
Only 1/2 cup of water in the Honey Whole wheat bread? There is some liquid in the honey but not enough for the 4 cups of flour
Hi Marylou,
So happy you are baking from Bread Toast Crumbs! If you read in step one, you will see there is an additional 1.5 cups of water. Hope that helps!
Hi Alexandra,
Just made the Truffle Pâté. It tasted great at the “taste-testing” phase and is now in the refrigerator setting up. Will be eating it later today (with cocktails) – can’t wait! I hope the Grand Marnier flavoring comes through – I thought this was a very nice addition.
I’ve never roasted chicken livers, a very nice way to cook them – vs. frying/sautéing them (& therefore no range top to clean). One point of confusion for me was regarding the stick of butter for roasting the livers – I thought it should be cut up – did so in about 8 pats – although it didn’t note to do so – and I put the livers on top of the butter before placing in the oven – and that worked fine (not sure what would happen if I had just put the stick on whole onto the baking pan). I also am very picky about pâté as I like it very smooth so, even though I processed it for a rather long time, I also put it through a fine sieve before placing it in jars to ensure smoothness. My husband will be in charge of making some the different breads in your book but is waiting for the weather and humidity to drop off a bit before doing so.
We initially took your book out of our local library and loved it – so we then bought it. It is a “keeper”!
Hi Barb! Thank you so much for adding Bread Toast Crumbs to your library AND for making the truffled pâté. I hope the Grand Marnier flavor came through and that you liked it overall. I’m impressed by your sieving, and I totally get it — I like a smooth pâté as well.
Sorry for the confusion re stick of butter — I actually do just put the whole stick on the pan, but cutting it into pieces is fine, too. The reason I do the whole stick is because the chef I worked for at Fork in Philadelphia, would literally place a whole block of butter (1 pound) on the sheet pan without cutting it up. He was a quirky guy and could have been doing it for the sake of drama — I remember being in awe the first time I saw it — but he probably realized that the butter melts quickly enough, so there’s no real need to cut it up. But, I think it’s important to follow your instincts when cooking, so cutting the butter up is fine 🙂
I hope you like the breads, too! Thanks so much for writing in.
I have just eaten a slice of my first, but definitely not the last, loaf of Peasant Bread. OMG! You are a genius. I am unworthy. I fear bread no longer and can not wait to try more recipes. Thank you thank you thank you! I asked the Chicago Public Library to buy your book and they did! And I won a copy from Eat Your Books! And I shall sing your praises all over social media! Excuse me while I take my bread knife to get sharpened…my presentation left much to be desired…;-)
Jessica!! This makes me so happy 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for writing and for all of your enthusiasm. I love Eat Your Books. So happy you won. Happy Happy Bread Baking!!