Love the sweet chili sauce observation. That sour cream combo sounds counterintutive but makes perfect sense when you break down the flavor profiles, hitting umami, acid, sweetness, and cooling all at once. I've seen alot of cooks overthink condiments when the best pairings are usually that simple layering of contrasting elements. The Australian cafe culture really nailed the balance between health-focused and actually enjoyable food, which feels like where the middle-age cookbook concept is heading.
Lukas—I thought of you this morning when I was making savory oats, now an early January ritual thanks to you. I want to bake more bread this year. And I am super excited about your book project! Congrats!
I'm ready to get into my oats game once I'm home, there is always something satisfying about the ritual. Thanks so much, Annie, hope your year is off to a good start!
Thanks, Bryan! Unfortunately we're leaving just before the Open begins, and also in Sydney... plus the time here is pretty packed with family time. One day.
The crust contributes about 80% to the flavor of bread, so that oven baking makes a world of difference. Congrats on the new book, and enjoy life Down Under!
That makes perfect sense -- and explains why people always talk first about the texture of bread machine bread (doughy for those who like doughy), and rarely the flavor.
I am looking forward to ordering your new cookbook, it looks like you are targeting what I am trying to add into my diet. I enjoy your recipes. Happy New Year!
Yes! This is awesome bread. I made it with partially whole grain freshly milled flour, used beer for the water and my sourdough starter Sir Bobby Farts-Alot. This was the first bread I ever made with cottage cheese in the dough! Totally cool. I used a Pullman Loaf pan without the lid and this dude went way up! Nice big slices, perfectly baked in my "still-new-to-me" Miele Steam Combi oven! Thanks for the recipe!
Love the sweet chili sauce observation. That sour cream combo sounds counterintutive but makes perfect sense when you break down the flavor profiles, hitting umami, acid, sweetness, and cooling all at once. I've seen alot of cooks overthink condiments when the best pairings are usually that simple layering of contrasting elements. The Australian cafe culture really nailed the balance between health-focused and actually enjoyable food, which feels like where the middle-age cookbook concept is heading.
Exactly! That is the goal.
Lukas—I thought of you this morning when I was making savory oats, now an early January ritual thanks to you. I want to bake more bread this year. And I am super excited about your book project! Congrats!
I'm ready to get into my oats game once I'm home, there is always something satisfying about the ritual. Thanks so much, Annie, hope your year is off to a good start!
This bread is SO good (snuck a few slices in the test kitchen).
Excited for your new book too, exactly what I need! Are you getting to watch some live tennis while you’re down under?
Thanks, Bryan! Unfortunately we're leaving just before the Open begins, and also in Sydney... plus the time here is pretty packed with family time. One day.
The crust contributes about 80% to the flavor of bread, so that oven baking makes a world of difference. Congrats on the new book, and enjoy life Down Under!
That makes perfect sense -- and explains why people always talk first about the texture of bread machine bread (doughy for those who like doughy), and rarely the flavor.
I am looking forward to ordering your new cookbook, it looks like you are targeting what I am trying to add into my diet. I enjoy your recipes. Happy New Year!
Thanks so much, Gwen! I'm excited to be working on it.
Excited about the new cookbook, and about more peas!!!
😊😊
Since I do not eat eggs, what would be a good replacement
You might just replace the eggs with water or milk -- since the recipe is engineered around protein I haven't tried it without eggs, though.
Congratulations on the new cookbook! I can't wait to hear more. And thanks for this bread recipe; it looks perfect for this time of year.
Thanks so much, Jenna! Happy 2026, hope you are well.
Yes! This is awesome bread. I made it with partially whole grain freshly milled flour, used beer for the water and my sourdough starter Sir Bobby Farts-Alot. This was the first bread I ever made with cottage cheese in the dough! Totally cool. I used a Pullman Loaf pan without the lid and this dude went way up! Nice big slices, perfectly baked in my "still-new-to-me" Miele Steam Combi oven! Thanks for the recipe!