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Hello!
If you’ve ever wondered whether your questions or feedback influence the direction of the content I create for you within Insiders, take this journal issue as a case in point! Your emails and comments really shape the recipes and information I share here, and I’m always happy to help you cook the things you really enjoy or want to master.
Steam Oven Insiders member Andrea and I have had some back-and-forth communication about ‘breads with bits in’ over the past few months. Andrea wondered about adding fresh vegetables or fruit to simple yeasted loaves, and off I went to test and experiment with different options, before coming up with a gorgeous potato and poppy seed bread.
This is a great time of year to share this recipe, I think. It’s not a traditional holiday recipe by any means, but I do know plenty of you who enjoy baking fresh bread for festive gatherings. This one does double duty; serve as an appetizer (add charcuterie and pickled vegetables, or serve with soup), or as the bread component of a holiday buffet spread. It’s unusual enough that I almost guarantee no one is going to show up with the same dish, but the flavors are familiar enough that it has wide appeal. Oh, and leftovers make the best ham and cheese toasted sandwiches the next day (in fact I’d make a loaf just for the toasties, if I’m honest).
Happy steam oven cooking, see you in a couple of weeks with some Christmas content!
Emily x
New to Cook
Potato and Poppy Seed Bread with Rosemary
This potato and poppy seed bread with fresh rosemary is a rustic loaf that combines roasted potatoes, rosemary and nutty poppy seeds for a bread that’s deeply flavorful, aromatic and full of texture. The dough is made with part white and part whole wheat flour, so it’s got some heft (and plenty of fiber).
I recommend this as an addition to a charcuterie board, or as part of a holiday buffet. It’s straightforward to make and unusual enough that everyone wants to try a slice!
A couple of things for the many of you who are about to enter the kitchen for Thanksgiving!
From the Archives:
First up, there’s Thanksgiving Prep and Planning for Steam Oven Cooks. A big fat overview of what you can make, how to schedule it out and with a downloadable plan you can write all over (goodness knows I need a paper plan for events like this, maybe you’re the same).
Then, this lovely Rolled Turkey Breast with Cranberry and Pecan Stuffing. An Insiders recipe that’s perfect for smaller gatherings where you don’t want to roast a whole bird but still need an impressive centerpiece.
Finally, if you want a more general Thanksgiving inspiration scroll, go to the site’s Advanced Search page and check the box ‘Christmas and Thanksgiving’ under the Search by Category section. Voila – every post on the topic will pop straight up, so you can cruise around years worth of brilliant free and Insiders-exclusive content to help with your menu.
The Season Flip
Sweet treats for the silly season!
Southern Hemisphere
This mainstay of my holiday gifting repertoire is not a steam oven recipe, but I don’t think any of you will mind. Make it now and set it aside until next month, when it will have matured and improved enormously in flavor, ready to give wedges or whole cakes to all those who’ll appreciate its deep, spiced goodness.
Northern Hemisphere
Perfectly spiced with a gorgeous gingery crust, this pumpkin pie could be your new pumpkin pie! If you’re in the market for a new recipe, or just like to try different versions of the classic Thanksgiving dessert, this is a beauty.
A Thing I'm Loving
I have long been a fan of food writer Susan Spungen. Her recipes in general are inspiring and beautiful to look at, but her holiday cookie recipes especially are in a class of their own.
If you’re a cookie baker (or a complete baking tragic) like me, Susan’s cookie index over on her Substack, and her big holiday cookie guide, are worth upgrading to the paid subscription for. I recommend you do it before you finalise your list of cookies-to-bake for the festive season, or you’ll need to add extra recipes to that list!
Ask Me Anything (AMA)
Here’s your opportunity to ask me anything you like related to combi steam cooking!
I encourage you to submit questions, and do my best to answer as many as possible. I’m not always able to get to every single question, but I curate ones which are relevant and represent a variety of topics. I respond to as many AMA’s as possible every month, sometimes here in our journals and sometimes as individual email responses. We all learn from each other, and I often learn new things based on questions from all of you!
If you have an AMA question, please email it to [email protected]. Make sure you include INSIDERS AMA in the subject line so I can collate and read all your submissions.