62
Create a well in the center of mixture
and add 1¼ cups sour cream into the
center. Using a fork and working in
circles, mix until large shaggy clumps
form. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured
surface and knead once or twice until it
comes together (flour your hands if
needed).^12 If there are any loose bits,
add them to center of dough and knead
once more to incorporate. Pat dough
into an 8x4" rectangle about 1" thick.
Working from a short side, fold dough
in thirds as you would a letter. It doesn’t
need to overlap perfectly. Pat dough into
another 8x4" rectangle, then fold dough
in thirds like a letter one more time. Pat
dough back into an 8x4" rectangle and
cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half
crosswise into 4 squares for a total of
8 biscuits.
Transfer biscuits to a parchment-lined
baking sheet. Brush tops gently with
melted butter; sprinkle with sea salt. Bake
biscuits until golden brown, 18–22
minutes. Serve warm with sour cream (or
more butter!) for slathering.^13
Shockingly Easy
No-Knead Focaccia
10–12 SERVINGS Letting the dough do its
first rise in the fridge overnight means
improved flavor and ease of handling,
but if you don’t feel like waiting that long,
leave it out at room temperature until
doubled in size—three to four hours.
1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast
(about 2¼ tsp.)
2 tsp. honey
5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp.
Morton kosher salt
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided,
plus more for hands
Flaky sea salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more
for pan
2–4garlic cloves
Whisk yeast, honey, and 2½ cups
lukewarm water in a medium bowl and
let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix
with a rubber spatula until a shaggy
dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
Pour 4 Tbsp. oil into the biggest bowl
that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer
dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil.
Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap
and chill until dough is doubled in size
(it should look very bubbly and alive),
at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Generously butter a 13x9" baking
pan (for thicker focaccia that’s perfect
for sandwiches) or an 18x13" rimmed
baking sheet. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into center
of pan.^14 Keeping the dough in the
bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest
from you and lift up and over into center
of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn
and repeat process. Do this 2 more
times; you want to deflate dough while
you form it into a rough ball. (Using a
fork in each hand makes this process
even easier and less messy!)
Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour
any oil left in bowl over the dough and
coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry,
warm spot until doubled in size, at least
1½ hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it’s
ready, poke the dough with your finger.
The dough should spring back slowly,
leaving a small visible indentation. If it
springs back quickly, the dough isn’t
ready. (If at this point the dough is ready
to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up
to 1 hour.)
Place a rack in middle of oven;
preheat to 450°. Lightly oil your hands. If
using a rimmed baking sheet, gently
stretch out dough to fill (you may not
need to do this if using a baking pan).
Dimple focaccia all over with your
fingers, as if you’re aggressively playing
the piano, creating very deep
depressions in the dough.^15 Drizzle with
remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with
sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and
golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.
Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small
saucepan over medium heat. Remove
from heat and grate in garlic (use
2 cloves if you’re garlic-shy or up to
4 if you love it). Return to medium heat
and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just
lightly toasted, about 45 seconds. Brush
garlic butter all over focaccia. If you
don’t want to serve the focaccia
immediately, hold off on brushing so it
remains crisp.Camouflage Chocolate
Fudge Brownies
MAKES 16 The secret to the fudgiest, most
chocolaty brownies is cocoa powder—
not melted chocolate. We borrowed
chocolate expert Alice Medrich’s
technique, then added a cream cheese
topping for tangy balance. Don’t stress
about your camo design; the brownies
will look even better when sliced.Nonstick cooking oil spray or
room-temperature unsalted butter
(for pan)
8 oz. cream cheese (not low-fat), cut
into 1" pieces
3 large eggs, chilled
1⅓ cups (266 g) sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1½ tsp. plus ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp.
cocoa powder, preferably
Dutch-process^16
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
(optional)
½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flourPlace a rack in middle of oven; preheat
to 325°. Lightly coat a 9x9" pan,
preferably metal, with nonstick spray.
Line with parchment paper, leaving
overhang on all sides. Lightly coat
parchment with nonstick spray. Place
cream cheese in a medium heatproof
bowl set over a medium saucepan of
barely simmering water (do not let bowl
touch water). Heat cream cheese, stirring
occasionally, until very soft, about
5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat (leave
water simmering). Using a heatproof
rubber spatula or wooden spoon, smash
and mix cream cheese until smooth. Add
1 egg, ⅓ cup (66 g) sugar, ½ tsp.
vanilla, and ¼ tsp. salt and whisk until
very smooth. Transfer about half of
cream cheese mixture to a small bowl
and whisk in 1½ tsp. cocoa powder.
Place butter in another medium
heatproof bowl. Add espresso powder
(if using) and remaining 1 cup (200 g)
sugar, ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa
powder, and ½ tsp. salt. Place bowl over
saucepan of still simmering water and13 –These are at their
peak when they’re
warm out of the oven.
Plan accordingly.15 –Press your fingers
all the way to the
bottom of the pan
when you dimple.14 –Buttering may seem like overkill
(there’s all that oil, right?), but it
helps the focaccia unlatch rather than
stick to the pan’s bottom and sides.12 –If your bowl is wide enough, you
can knead the dough once or twice
inside it for ease before transferring
to the work surface.