Mykitchenarea

08/25/2026

Happy birthday to Bart!

My sourdough starter turned 12 years old today! And since I promised you the recipe for these blueberry kolache in the last reel, I figured today was the perfect day to finally share it.

This dough recipe has a little family history behind it. My mom got the original recipe from my grandma, so it’s been in our family for quite a while. The only thing I changed was turning it into a sourdough version.

It’s a wonderfully versatile dough for all kinds of kolache—filled with fruit, nuts, or, like these, a creamy farmer’s cheese filling topped with fresh blueberries and buttery streusel.

PS: And if you noticed the blue-and-white plate in the photos—it’s decorated with traditional Haban folk motifs. I’m from a town with the largest historical Haban settlement, so seeing these patterns always feels good ♥️

So, as promised, here’s the recipe:

Blueberry Sourdough Kolache

Dough
100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration, white wheat)
200 g all-purpose flour
200 g bread flour
40 g egg yolks (2 large)
110 g butter
60 g sugar
4 g salt
5 ml vanilla extract
160 g milk
20 g dark rum

Farmer’s cheese filling
225 g farmer’s cheese
1 medium egg yolk
20 g honey
20 g powdered sugar
5 ml vanilla extract
5 ml lemon extract

For finishing
1 egg, for egg wash
Fresh blueberries, washed

Streusel
50 g cold butter
50 g flour
25 g powdered sugar
25 g granulated sugar

A 12-year-old starter, a recipe passed down through three generations, and one of my favorite summer bakes.

Enjoy! 😊

07/31/2026

“Excuse me, sir… can you tell me where I might find Platform 9¾?”

— somewhere between bulk fermentation and oven spring.

From the archives:
Baked a couple of years ago, but still one of those loaves that felt like pure kitchen magic.

A sourdough marked 9¾, because every good bake deserves a slightly mysterious entrance.

Chlebik, ktorý som piekla pár rokmi a zdobila ku príležitosti narodenín knižnej postavy čarodejníka Harryho Pottera, pretoze každý chlieb si zaslúži trošku tej čarodejníckej mágie :😄

07/31/2026

Malý rozhovor so mnou ♥️

Ak by ste chceli prispieť na spomínanú Pelotoniu, vďaka ktorej aj náš výskum bol financovaný, tak prikladám link na Martin Benej jazdu :)

https://my.pelotonia.org/profile/MB0442

Cez deň koordinuje vedecký výskum na jednej z najprestížnejších amerických univerzít, večer pečie kváskový chlieb, medovníčky či originálne torty. Katarína Benejová žije už roky v americkom Ohiu, kde spája svet vedy s vášňou pre tradičné pečenie a ukazuje, že slovenské recepty majú svoje miesto aj za oceánom. Pečie nielen pre rodinu a priateľov, ale aj na charitatívne podujatia. V rozhovore nám povedala o svojich pekárskych inšpiráciách, amerických dezertoch aj o tom, či v jej repertoári nájdeme kúsok Slovenska.

Prečítajte si celý článok na 👉https://www.epochtimes.sk/jej-slovenske-medovnicky-si-ziskali-aj-americanov-vedkyna-katarina-prinasa-do-ohia-chute-domova-rozhovor_96777.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=picture



📸 Archív Kataríny Benejovej

07/24/2026

Christmas in July…

These little reindeers are my take on the classic Slovak včelie úľky—no-bake, rich, and dangerously easy to keep “just one more”-ing.

The base is a soft cocoa dough made from ground lady fingers, butter, almonds, and a splash of rum…
then filled with an almond-amaretto cream that keeps everything perfectly melt-in-your-mouth.

Shaped in an egg cakepop mold (because efficiency matters 😄),
finished with modeling chocolate details, and coated in that smooth s’mores chocolate from Stover & Company 🤎

It's different from the traditional version. More work with decorating
But it's very much worth it.

Slide to see the insides of the reindeer.

—

Recipe below 👇

Dough:
150g ground lady fingers (or neutral cookies)
100g powdered sugar
70g butter
50g ground almonds (or walnuts)
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp dark rum

Filling:
75g butter
75g powdered sugar
3 tbsp amaretto
1 tsp almond extract

—



Hosted by Michelle Shellies Cakes - Michelle and
Sally The Party Project x

07/21/2026

Grilling season is in full swing… and that means one thing: we need proper burger buns 🍔

Not the ones that fall apart halfway through, but soft, enriched sourdough buns with a light, fluffy crumb and just enough structure to hold everything together—from a juicy burger to all the toppings you can pile on.

These are buttery, slightly sweet, and naturally leavened, so you get that subtle sourdough depth without overpowering the flavor.

If you’re firing up the grill, this is the kind of bun that makes the whole burger worth it.

Recipe:
100g active starter (100% hydration)
350g bread flour
100g all purpose flour
120g eggs
50g sugar
100g butter
180g milk
10g salt

Give them time to proof properly—it’s what gives you that cloud-like texture.

Grilovacia sezóna je v plnom prúde… a to znamená jediné: potrebujeme poriadne burgerové žemle 🍔

Nie také, ktoré sa rozpadnú v polovici jedenia, ale mäkké, maslové kváskové žemle s ľahkou, nadýchanou striedkou a dostatočnou pevnosťou, aby udržali všetko pokope—od šťavnatého burgera až po všetky tie vrstvy navyše.

Sú maslové, jemne sladké a krásne nadýchané.

Ak rozpaľuješ gril, toto je presne ten typ žemle, ktorý spraví z burgera naozaj zážitok.

Recept:
100 g aktívneho kvásku (100 % hydratácia)
350 g viaclepkovej múky
100 g hladkej múky
120 g vajec
50 g cukru
100 g masla
180 g mlieka
10 g soli

Dopraj im dostatok času na kysnutie—práve to im dá tú nadýchanú štruktúru.

07/15/2026

I’m back with the Zassenhaus bread slicer… because a loaf like this deserves precision. And yes, I just love it 😄

This bread leans into deep, earthy flavor — almost 40% pumpernickel, slow-fermented sourdough with a hint of caraway.
The crumb is tighter, the flavor is bold, slightly nutty, and unapologetically “bread-forward” (definitely not your average fluffy white loaf — and that’s exactly the point).

Check the close-up on the next slide 👉

Recipe:
100g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
300g bread flour ()
200g pumpernickel flour ()
375g water
10g salt
5g caraway seeds

Pumpernickel changes the game — lower gluten strength but incredible depth of flavor. And the caraway adds that little extra umph.

Fun fact: caraway is one of the most-used spices in Slovakia. We put it in everything — breads like this, soups, goulash, stews, roasted meats, and even roasted potatoes.

07/08/2026

There are birthday gifts… and then there are dangerously good birthday gifts 😄
This year, my husband completely nailed it with this Zassenhaus bread slicer and honestly, this is not just a slicer, this is German-engineered respect for sourdough.… it’s a whole experience.

Clean, even slices. No squishing. No sawing disasters. Just that perfect crank-and-glide moment that makes you feel like you’ve got your own little artisan bakery at home.

Swipe through to see it up close — and don’t miss the last slide where it’s in action.

I didn’t think slicing bread could be this satisfying… but here we are, we sliced the whole bread, just because it was so fun.
So, excuse me while I slice everything I bake from now on😄


Zassenhaus

07/02/2026

Red, white, blue… and somehow my birthday turned into a national event....
Happy Birthday to me and Happy early Birthday to the USA ❤️🤍💙

Ever since we moved to the States, my birthday parties have been getting suspiciously bigger… I mean, what a coincidence that it’s so close to Independence Day 😄

Here are some celebratory cookies, but don't stop on the first picture, swipe for the close-ups to see the details I was playing with. Which one is your favorite?

Stencils,cookie cutters and airbrush colors:
Icing :

05/02/2026

If focaccia and pizza had a baby… it would be this.

In Slovakia we call it podplamenník (or podpecník) — literally it means “under the fire.” because traditionally it was baked in a wood-fired oven. It’s the kind of street food you’ll spot at fairs, harvest festivals, or open-air markets… and smell long before you see it 😁

The dough is simple, often enriched with cooked potatoes, which makes it extra soft and flavorful. The topping? That’s where it gets personal — bryndza, farmers cheese, bacon, onion, smoked meats, sausage… whatever you have on hand.

This is an old favorite so I baked it again especially for National Egg Month, as my contribution to the third volume of the "wherestheyolkcollab" hosted by Mark Anthony and Justine as the topping can be with egg yolks, and in fact, it's nice and creamy if you add them 😊.

Recipe:
100 g active wheat sourdough starter ( 100% hydration)
460 g all-purpose wheat flour
8 g salt
30 g sugar
1 egg (medium)
40 g butter
140 g cooked potato (medium to large potato, boiled in the skin, then finely grated )
150 ml milk (you can add a bit more if needed, since this is a tray dough; adjust depending on how much the flour absorbs, but it should still be shapeable)

Topping:
230 g quark/farmers cheese
70 g sour cream
50 g grated cheese (I used cheddar)
1 egg or couple of egg yolks
Black pepper and dried garlic up to taste

Red Onion
Smoked bacon (cut into small cubes)

Knead the dough and let it rise until doubled. Then turn it out onto a work surface, gently knead, stretch it onto a baking tray, and let it rise again. Add the topping to taste, brush the edges with egg white or a whole egg (I used the yolk in the filling, so I brushed the edges with egg white only).

Bake at 190°C (380°F) until golden brown (about 35 minutes).

04/03/2026

Mazanec — Easter sweet bread, a classic from Slovakia & the Czech Republic, made with sourdough.

Traditionally, mazanec is made with raisins… but personally, I'm not a fan of baked raisins, so this marzipan-filled version is MY favorite.
Soft, buttery crumb — closer to brioche than bread, just as traditional mazanec should be. Swipe to see the rich crumb.

Ingredients:
100 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
200 g strong/bread flour (~13% protein, qi use )
400 g all-purpose flour (~12% protein, again I use )
110 g butter, sliced
110 g eggs (2 medium)
3 egg yolks (from medium eggs)
50 g almond butter
260 g half-and-half (or 130 g milk + 130 g heavy cream)
100 g sugar
5 ml vanilla extract
5 ml lemon extract
7 g salt

Filling & topping:
200 g marzipan or almond paste, divided into 4 parts, rolled into thin logs (put them inside of dough logs during the shaping)
Egg wash
Sliced almonds
Powdered sugar



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