Top 10 Breads of the World

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Today I have a user submitted guest post for you. Interested in guest posting on BigFatBaker? Contact me here!

Across the globe, breads of all shapes and sizes are a staple part of cultural cuisine. Traceable back to pre-historic times, bread is one of the oldest forms of fare, and to this day is one of the most comforting. We take a culinary journey round the world to discover some of the best breads the planet has to offer.

Bagel 

A dense and doughy, ring-shaped snack that is said to originate from 16th Century Poland. Boiled and then baked, these wheat-based bread products were often given as a gift to women in childbirth. Since the middle of the 19th Century, they’ve been sold in the Brick Lane area of London, and they were brought to the US by Polish-Jewish migrants. Traditionally served with cream cheese and lox, or salt beef and mustard, a shipment was even taken into space on the 2008 shuttle!

individual rolls Top 10 Breads of the World

Brioche 

A rich and buttery Viennoiserie, this Gallic delicacy is light and pillowy, with a fine, shiny crust. Often embellished with fruit or chocolate chips, this flexible foodstuff is great at breakfast or as dessert, but can also be served toasted to accompany foie gras or soup. Hailing from Norman origins, a region famous for the quality of its butter, its name derives from the French verb broyer, which means to break or grind.

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How Baking & Blogging Can Save Your Sanity {A Guest Post from Carla at Chocolate Moosey}

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Hello friends! Today is my final guest poster for my week of stress management tips. Today I present to you my new friend Carla from Chocolate Moosey! She is an awesome baker and she sweetly agreed to open up to all of you today and share her stress management experiences. With out further a’do, I present Carla! Enjoy icon smile How Baking & Blogging Can Save Your Sanity {A Guest Post from Carla at Chocolate Moosey}

Hello, everyone! I’m Carla from Chocolate Moosey. I want to thank Erin for having me guest post today.

Stress is something everyone experiences, whether you are a student, a worker, a parent, whatever you do for a living. And everyone has different ways of dealing with stress – reading, running, sewing, gardening, fishing.

For me, I have baking. I may be exaggerating, but food has saved my sanity. Several times. Funny I’m writing this post of all days because today marks Chocolate Moosey’s five year anniversary.

Five years ago, I studied abroad in Ireland. During my last month, I had a tough time dealing with my homesickness. Blogging allowed me to focus my energy on something positive and not so much on my emotions.

cliffs How Baking & Blogging Can Save Your Sanity {A Guest Post from Carla at Chocolate Moosey}

Of course over the years, that all changed. After graduating college, I blogged less and less. Then almost two years ago, I moved to a small country town by myself. No friends or family within 2.5 hours.

I work at a male-dominated company in a male-dominated career. Everyone in my building is either in a relationship, married, and/or has kids. For awhile, I was the youngest one in the building and the only female in my department. I had such a hard time connecting with people. Pair that up with living alone, and the loneliness quickly takes over. [Read more...]

Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup

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Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and I still haven’t decided on what dessert I want to make.

I’ve looked through all my cookbooks and all over Pinterest…still nothing has really struck me.

So instead of looking for something new, why not take a look back at some past favorites?

Organic Raspberry Curd – perfect as a macaron filling, cake filing, cupcake filling, over ice cream…the possibilities are endless!

organic raspberries  Valentines Day Recipe Roundup

Heart Shaped Chocolate Cake with Blackberry Buttercream — what better way to celebrate love with hearts and chocolate….and purplish pink frosting!

chocolate cake  Valentines Day Recipe Roundup

Pink Velvet Cheesecake — silky smooth with an oreo cookie crust and vanilla cream frosting (it uses the frosting from the oreos!!)

pink velvet cheesecake Valentines Day Recipe Roundup

Mini Red Velvet Whoopie Pies — the classic cake in a mini handheld form. Wouldn’t these make the cutest present for your Valentine?

red velvet whoopie pie  Valentines Day Recipe Roundup

Strawberry Cupcakes — you can’t have Valentine’s Day with out strawberries! These cupcakes are delicious with the strawberry frosting, but would also be tasty with a silky chocolate buttercream.

strawberry cupcake Valentines Day Recipe Roundup

What are some of your favorite things to eat or make on Valentine’s Day?

Bloggers Unite for Africa Giveaway

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our blogging community is very strong.

We like to help each other. We have proven time and time again that we can help each other reach goals and achieve success.

I love being apart of such a strong community. So when Jackie (from La Casa de Sweets) asked if I’d be interested in donating a prize to her giveaway to raise money for Bloggers Unite for Africa, I happily said yes.

Bloggers Unite for Africa works to raise money for those in the Horn of Africa affected by the recently declared famine.

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Click HERE to Enter the Latest BigFatBaker Giveaway!