Growing up, breakfast revolved around 3 main ingredients: black coffee, french bread and butter. Other types of food were occasionally appreciated, but if bread, coffee or butter were missing… boy, oh boy… not a good start to the day. Especially because we would have to deal with the fury of the dragon (my mom’s bad mood!) for the rest of the day.
The bread of choice? Any type of french bread: usually little french rolls that are sold in any neighborhood padaria (Brazilian bakeries that specialize mostly in bread) or french baguettes. Always fresh and preferably still a little warm so the butter melts when you spread it on your bread. Oh, and no margarine, please! We like our butter and it had better be real good butter! I actually never understood why people eat margarine in the first place. Unless you’re dairy intolerant or have some type of allergy, it has been proved that butter is better for you. Margarine is highly processed and may contain trans fat while butter comes from a natural source: the cow’s milk! Not to mention butter tastes so much better and it even helps other food taste better too. (Yes green beans, I’m talking to you!)
For this post I had the amazing opportunity to work with Finlandia who recently introduced a delicious, creamy and rich premium butter to the American tables. You might be familiar with the brand because of their famous cheeses! Finlandia’s butter is crafted from pure, fresh milk and produced on family-owned farms in Finland. There’s nothing artificial in it and no hormones are added. Oh, and it is kosher! It is definitely a product that I’m very proud to try and spread the word about. And then spread it in my bread, my muffins, my croissants, my cookies… Finlandia and I are so certain you will absolutely fall in love with their product, that we are giving away a $25 ShopRite gift card that you can use to buy as much Finlandia butter as you can fit in your cart! Ok, maybe not that much, or the grocery store people will think you went cuckoo banana crazy… But enough to enjoy many delightful breakfasts, plus some more to use in baking or cooking. Just scroll down to the end of this post to entry the giveaway! I’ll be crossing my fingers you’re the one that wins it! :)
As for making the baguettes, this recipe works as a charm. I make things easy on myself and use a stand mixer and I let it do all the kneading for me. You could also use your bread maker or make it by hand! Making it by hand may require a little more time kneading, though… And some muscles! As for shaping the baguettes, if you need a little visual tutorial on how to roll your baguettes, this video will help you! A good trick for a crispier crust is to bake them on a pizza stone and also spray water inside your oven at least 3 times during the first 10 minutes of baking. Just make sure you do it quick and close the oven ASAP so the heat and the steam don’t escape. I don’t have a baguette pan, so my baguettes are flat on the bottom, which is fine by me. If you want your baguettes round all around, use a baguette pan to achieve those results! Be prepared to be in total awe of your baguettes. I know I was… I took pictures and sent to my whole family, saying: ‘Can you believe I made this? I’m awesome!’. The baguettes look and taste professional, as if they were bought from a french bakery in Paris… or in my case, NYC!
And now, it’s GIVEAWAY time!
Please enter the rafflecopter below! (you may need to give it a few minutes to load)
Entries will open on Sunday, March 30th, 2015 at 12:00 am EST and close on Wednesday, April 22th, 2015 at 10:00 pm EST. Odds of winning are determined by the number of valid entries received. The winner(s) will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter and will be contacted shortly after. The winner will be notified via email. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to reply to the notification email within the required time period (48 hours), or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize and a new winner will be randomly selected. This giveaway is open only to legal residents of the United States who are at least eighteen {18} years old at the time of entry, unless otherwise noted in the footer of each individual promotion. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter.com {not by facebook, blog post comment or email}. During the promotion period, follow the instructions in the required entry section in each promotion. You automatically will receive one {1} sweepstakes entry by completing each optional or required entry. Use of a private social media accounts {Facebook or Twitter} to promote this giveaway is at the entrant’s sole discretion and not required to enter. Note, promotion of a giveaway via social media accounts such as Facebook and/or Twitter are commonly used as a marketing tool, and also to provide entrant with an extra chance to win. Olivia’s Cuisine is responsible for prize shipment and will be shipped to you directly from ShopRite. This giveaway is not administered, sponsored, endorsed by, or associated with ShopRite, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or other social media outlet. Disclaimer is posted in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
