Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)

On August 24, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, salads4 Comments

If you grow your own vegetables, spring salads feature shades of green: various lettuces, herbs, asparagus, scallions, and peas. Late-summer salads burst with color, but most of my lettuces have bolted by the time tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and red onions are ready. At least that’s my excuse for replacing greens with chunks of homemade sourdough bread that can soak up the tomatoes’ juices and oil-and-vinegar dressing.

I share my favorite variation of panzanella, a tomato and bread salad, this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. It’s heavy on late-summer and early-fall vegetables and herbs, but I also throw in cheese and Kalamata olives. If your garden or farmer’s market features other produce, you can swap in plenty of other ingredients, drop the cheese for a vegan option, and replace the olives with capers or skip them altogether for less tang.

For a solo lunch, I use this recipe as a guideline when piling all of the ingredients straight into the bowl I’ll be eating from, only stopping when I reach the end of the list and the bowl is overflowing. The key is to start with a base of bread and tomatoes and build from there.
Learn to make Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)

6th Annual Sourdough Giveaway

On January 5, 2023December 27, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, Giveaway, sourdough2 Comments

Welcome to the 6th Annual Sourdough Giveaway! I’ve been sharing my starter every January since I started this blog, but last year’s giveaway broke all of my records, with 154 sourdough packets leaving my kitchen and heading out into the world.

Many of those packets went to readers of my Twice as Tasty column in the Flathead Beacon, so thank you for supporting local journalism, as well as reading my column and blog. Twice as Tasty starter has now traveled to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Slovenia, and throughout the United States, and I hope to share it with even more new sourdough bakers this year. Request your starter by the end of January to get in on the sourdough adventures.
Read more about starting with sourdough

Sourdough Cabin Bread

On January 27, 2022December 27, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdough2 Comments

This week’s Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon wraps up Sourdough Month, which has been a resounding success. I’ve sent out more than 100 packets of sourdough starter, and there are still a few days left of the giveaway. If you’re just now learning about the giveaway, you can read about it and my starter in this blog post.

To round out the month, I’m sharing my first and still favorite sourdough bread recipe. My niece and nephew initially called it Auntie Julie’s Special Bread, because they only ate it when I visited with a loaf. It’s lost that title now that my brother-in-law bakes with sourdough starter. It may be less special, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious.
Learn to make Sourdough Cabin Bread

5th Annual Sourdough Giveaway

On January 6, 2022December 27, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdough3 Comments

It’s January, which means Sourdough Month here on Twice as Tasty—and the 5th Annual Sourdough Giveaway! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been sending my sourdough starter out into the world for so many years. I’ve been committed to sharing my starter every January since I started the blog, with additional packets distributed during the extended giveaway last year and occasional random requests throughout each year. Twice as Tasty starter has now traveled to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Slovenia, and throughout the United States.

This year, I’m excited to share sourdough starter across the world but also closer to home. I’m offering my starter and will be sharing sourdough recipes all month through my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, as well as here on the blog. Request your starter by January 31 to get in on the sourdough adventures.
Read more about starting with sourdough