christmas gifts Archives

Every year we put together a list of the best pottery gifts for everyone on your list.

Here are a few ideas to get you started!

The Griller: A Pizza Stone or Grill Basket are perfect for the person who loves to barbeque.

a horizontally framed photograph shows multiple clay coyote pottery pieces being used to make a fresh pizza. working left to right there is a clay coyote chili bowl glazed in yellow salt, that contains finely ground corn meal. to the upper right of that bowl is a clay coyote deep salad bowl glazed in feather. it has had some liquid recently used in it, as there is nothing in the bowl currently but there is a liquid shine inside the bowl. below that is a clay coyote pizza stone, which has the fully assembled but still raw pizza on its cooking surface. to the right of the pizza stone/pizza is another clay coyote chili bowl, this one is filled with shredded white cheese. above that or at the "2 o'clock" position relative to the pizza stone, is a clay coyote small tray with out handles. it has fresh herbs inside it. directly above that piece is a clay coyote little dipper (the square style) with sliced green pepper pieces inside of it. finally to the right of the small tray with the herbs is a clay coyote whiskey bowl filled with the pizza sauce. all the pieces listed except for the first (the chili bowl with cornmeal) are resting on a wooden cutting board. the wooden cutting board has wide stripes of light and medium colored wood that is divided by thin stripes of dark wood. the cutting board and the chili bowl with the corn meal are resting on a white kitchen counter top.

a clay coyote flameware grill basket is seen from 3/4 view. The grill basket is sitting on a grill with the black grill bars running vertical, visible under the basket. The grill basket is filled with brightly colored cut up vegetables and baby yellow potatoes. the picture is in soft white daylight.

The Home Chef who Loves to Travel: Wow with a Dutch Oven, Moroccan Tagine, or our new *Special Edition* Cassole for French Cassoulet

a horizontally framed picture. a clay coyote dutch oven is sitting on the iron grate of a stove top gas burner range. The burner is lit and there is a small blue flame visible underneath the dutch oven. The dutch oven is in coyote grey with darker speckles through out the glaze. The lid is on, and the handles are pointing to the left and right sides of the frame. To the left of the dutch ovens are two stacks of clay coyote chili bowls. the nearest stack of bowls is 3 high with dark glazes visible, and the top bowl is in mint chip glaze. The second stack of bowls, slightly behind the first and to the left is 5 high with 2 joes blue, 1 mint chip and a yellow salt glaze on the top. the bottom bowl is hard to tell glaze. Behind the stack of first bowls is a clay coyote large vase in joes blue, filled with a fall bouquet with orange, yellow and red flowers

the photograph shows a clay coyote tagine resting on a stove top gas range. the lid is glazed in yellow salt. in the base of the tagine there is chicken and olives with fresh herbs and lemon slices. there is visible condensation on the part of the lid visible, and small wisps of steam are visible coming off the chicken. behind and to the left of the tagine base, on the nearby white kitchen countertop, is a clay coyote small vase glazed in feather. it has a large bouquet of flowers resting in it. the flowers have red and green colors. the background is a white brick facade

The Baker: From No-Knead Breads to casseroles, quick Breads to tasty desserts, we have you covered or (uncovered as it may be):

a vertically framed photograph shows a close up view of a clay coyote bread baker glazed in yellow salt. the lid is resting on the circular lip of the base, and an angle that allows the viewer a "top down" view of the bread bakers lid. the lid handle is shaped like a reverse "S" with the handle itself being twisted to provide a visually pleasing aesthetic. the base of the bread baker has a whole loaf of freshly baked bread inside, that is visible behind the lid, relative to the viewer. the bread loaf if whole and unsliced. the bread baker is resting on a wooden cutting board. the cutting board has large strips of light and dark colored wood, which is divided by thin stripes of dark colored wood. the bread baker and wooden cutting board are sitting on a white kitchen counter top. the photograph is lit by both warm yellow light and white natural light.

a vertically framed photograph shows a clay coyote baking dish in joes blue filled with apple crisp. it is a top down view. lower in the photograph is a clay coyote chili bowl in merlot glaze ( red, brown and black). it is empty. to the right of the bowl is a ice cream scoop with a metal head and red serving handle. in between the baking dish and the bowl, slightly to the left is a full pint of vanilla ice cream. it has a smooth surface, with no scoops missing. all of this is sitting on a white kitchen counter top.

The Entertainer: Create a spread that wows with our new Entertaining Sets and Wine Cup collections.

a horizontally framed photograph shows a overhead top down view of a charcuterie spread. everything is on a wooden butchers block, which in turn is sitting on a white kitchen countertop. the spread is using clay coyote serving pottery, including little dippers, a large tray with handles, and a small tray without. there is slice baguettes hard and soft cheeses, green grapes, green olives, honey, mixed nuts, multiple kinds of crackers and some thinly sliced deli meat.

a horizontally framed photograph shows a close and low angle view of a clay coyote large tray glazed in midnight garden that is being used to serve sushi. there are 17 pieces of sushi and a dab of wasabi on the tray. the tray is laying horizontally across the photograph with both small sides and handles cut out of frame. the sushi row to the very left of the photograph is nigiri style with the fish draped over the rice, the other 3 rows are regular roll style. the row of 4 pieces of sushi on the very right of the photograph have one side of each piece (the side towards the viewer) coated in a brown crunchy layer. the clay coyote little dipper is near the top center of the photograph, resting behind the large tray. it has two pairs of chopsticks sitting on the square little dipper making an X. the photograph is well lit with white light. the tray and little dipper are resting on a white kitchen counter top.

a horizontally framed photograph shows a charcuterie spread on a white kitchen counter. there is a clay coyote large tray with handles in midnight garden, various glazed little dippers, small trays, yunomis, clay coyote plates in various glazes and a clay coyote wine coaster. the charcuterie spread has green grapes, green olives, sliced apples various hard cheeses, brie cheese with jam, slices of bread, various crackers and nuts. behind this spread is a group of clay coyote yunomis in various glazes. to the right of the yunomis is a bottle of wine, sitting in a wine coaster, further right from that is a stack of clay coyote dinner plates. all of this is on a white kitchen counter top, and there is bright outside light streaming in from an unseen near by window

Secret Santa & Stocking Stufffers: Sold in Sets of 4, these Cups and Omelete Cookers are great because you can keep one for you and have three gifts ready to go. Save $5 when you let us mix and match the glazes.

Four Clay Coyote Microwave Omelette Cookers in a variety of glazes

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PS: Remember, shipping times are more tight than ever before so we encourage you to order asap to be first in line.

There are only so many kiln firings before the end of the year. If you see a pot on “backorder” we can provide an update on the delivery timing and where you are on the waitlist.

We’ve been making No-Knead Bread Bakers at the Clay Coyote for more than a decade. I looked back, the first mention was back in 2010. The thing about this technique is that there are many, many variations. It’s also a super forgiving recipe, which is good for a baker of my caliber.

We have a friend that refers to herself as the Anxious Baker, if I were to give myself a moniker it would be the Unconventional Baker. Following directions has never really been my thing. Measuring, meh. Where cooking is an art, and all my wild ways are heralded; baking is a science and requires a little more restraint.

That said, No-Knead Bread Baking is right up my alley. Three ingredients, four if you count water, and a little bit of patience. Ok, fine, patience is not really up my alley, but I’ve been practicing it a lot lately and I’m coming around.

I will share that baking your own bread is very satisfactory. It’s very primitive and historic in its own way. According to wikipedia, the first known bread was baked in Eastern Europe around 9,100 years ago, I’d say that’s historic.

No-Knead Bread Baking Process:

Combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ⅔ cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky.
Cover bowl, let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 hours, at warm room temperature. Use a heating pad in cooler months.
The dough will be sticky and bubbly.
Add about ¼ cup flour, folding in gently.
Let rest for another 15 minutes.
Flour a surface, and using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.
Cover and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, the dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
Set dough aside on a floured surface, we use a breadboard or towel.
Clean and dry bread baker.
Set the bread baker with the lid on in a cold oven and turn on heat to 400F.
Allow the bread baker to preheat for about 20-30 minutes.
Using hot pads, pull the bread baker out of the oven, carefully roll the dough ball into the hot base.
Cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned.
Cool on a rack.

Ingredients:

384 grams (about 3 cups, sifted) flour
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 ⅔ cups water
Additional cup of flour for mixing and dusting.

Yields one 1 ½ pound loaf of bread

Now, let’s get creative: Try some other combinations! Depending on the mix-in combos you’ll add them at different times. In an effort to make it easier we’ll call the 12-18 hour part the 1st rise, then the 15 minutes the 2nd rise, then the 2 hours right before it goes in the oven the 3rd rise. It’s not 100% technical, but it will help when thinking about your flavor combos.

Wild Rice and Cranberry: Add ¼ cup cranberries (if dried, soak in a little warm water to plump up), ½ cup cooked wild rice, a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a tablespoon of orange zest into the 1st rise.
Everything but the Bagel: Add 1 tablespoon of everything but the bagel mix to the 3rd rise. After baking, brush on a little butter and sprinkle more mix on top.
Jalapeños and Cheddar: Add ½ cup shredded cheddar and ½ cup sliced jalapeños to the 1st rise. You may want to strategically place a few on the top of the loaf before you pop it in the oven for presentation. And you can use fresh or jarred jalapeños, but you may want to pat them dry a little if the jar ones are super wet.
Olive: Add ½ cup fresh chopped Kalamata olives and ¼ cup of a fresh herb like rosemary, sage, thyme, or basil to the 1st rise.
Bake like Prince and Let’s Go Crazy: Think about your favorite possible combos and give it a try …

Gluten Free Thoughts:

We have used Cup4Cup flour as our best substitute, but we also highly recommend the gluten free recipe options in Nancy Baggett’s Kneadlessly Simple Cookbook (which is out of print but you can find it at the library and used book resellers).
The general rule of thumb seems to be that you can swap out the flour, but you’ll need to make sure the substitute has xanthan gum or that you add some in.

We have a couple cookbooks that have no-knead recipes in them. Check out New World Sourdough if you’re looking for sourdough options.

If you’re looking for a Flameware option you could go with a Dutch Oven or a Tagine, we have Coyote customers who use both regularly for baking bread.

And if you’re more of a Quick Bread kinda person (me) then we recommend our Square Baking Dish, it’s wider and lower than a loaf pan, but the same volume. Our trusty Banana Bread recipe is a crowd pleaser.

As always, if you have any questions we’re here to help. While we’re not professional bakers or chefs, we are professional potters and we’re constantly experimenting and learning new ways to put our pots into action.

Happy Baking!

Morgan & The Coyotes