Today I finally did something that I have been wanting to do for years…I took a food photography class!! When I bought my camera, I had all the good intentions of reading the manual – but there was that little problem called time. I had no time, and every spare moment I had, I wanted to be snapping pictures, not reading. So, instead of learning the correct way, I just learned by trial and error. Up until today, I really had no idea what I was doing, but my pictures were turning out ok, so I just kept going. Believe me, after one class, I am no means an expert, but at least I know what white balance is!! I am so excited.

So back to this class, it was amazing, everything about it. I took the class The Pantry, which I believe was started by Brandi. It is also affiliated with this awesome pizza restaurant which is owned Molly and her husband Brandon. All of a sudden the Seattle food world seems to be getting smaller and smaller… The class was taught by a women named Ashley who takes photographs for Bon Appetit …and I met people like Holli, Stacy and Bray – I felt fortunate to be in the company of these talented women.

I am excited to start experimenting with what I learned…but in the meantime, I will post this fabulous recipe that I found in Bon Appetit. These were quite easy and quick to make, for a yeast recipe that is, and they were delicious. The girls both loved them, which was really amazing – since they pretty much stay away from anything green these days. I will definitely be making these again, and next time I will take an even more striking picture…let’s hope anyway!

Ingredients 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided

2 teaspoons sugar, divided

1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cubed

1 large egg plus 1 yolk

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped scallions

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (if you can find them)

3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for bowl and brushing

Preparation

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour 1/2 cup warm water (105°-115°) into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar over; let stand until mixture bubbles, about 10 minutes.

Place flour, butter, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar in bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Rub in butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat in egg, yolk, and yeast mixture, scraping down sides.

Knead on medium speed until dough is soft and smooth, about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball; transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine scallions and cilantro in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in all sesame seeds and 3 tablespoons oil and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°. Roll dough into a 18×9″ rectangle. Spoon scallion mixture evenly onto center and spread mixture to corners of dough. Working from one short edge, roll dough rectangle into a cylinder. Cut cylinder into 3/4″ dough swirls. Transfer dough swirls to prepared baking sheet; brush with oil. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cilantro-Scallion Bread