For a while now, I've seen recipes for yeast waffles floating around the internet and in cooking magazines. Why? I wondered, would one make a quick break into a time intensive yeast bread?
This summer I found out why. My grandpa is on peritoneal dialysis (long explanation could follow, but I'd probably get a bunch of info wrong, so if you're really curious, just google it). Part of his treatment plans means strictly monitoring his diet so all of his electrolytes and nutrient levels stay in sync to not interfere with his blood pressure medicine. In other words, thought needs to go into what we make when he comes over for supper. My mom wanted to make waffles and gravy for supper. However, her normal recipe had an ingredient in it my grandpa couldn't have (baking powder? or was it baking soda? I can't remember). Yeasted waffles were our answer.
I've made these twice at my house since then. I like them better than my buttermilk waffles. They are easier to make and take less bowls/utensils (my recipe involves beating egg whites, and using three bowls). They seem to get crispier in the waffle maker. Plus, I just like the yeasty taste. Curtis isn't too sure about them yet. I've told him when he makes waffles and does the dishes, he can make whichever recipe he wants. :)
The one caveat of yeasted waffles--they need to sit, all alone, for an hour before you make them. I made these the day daylight savings time ended so I had hours before it was time to go to church. A way around the wait time is to make them the night before, let them sit for an hour, and then refrigerate them until the next morning when you want to make them. That sounds ideal. This recipe has been doubled--one recipe isn't enough, two makes great leftovers for the week.
This makes 8 - 10 Belgian-style waffles
Yeasted Waffles
from King Arthur Flour
3 c lukewarm milk
12 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t salt
2 t vanilla
4 large eggs
4 c flour
3 t instant yeast
4 - 6 T (1/4- 3/8 c) maple syrup, optional (I've done this both ways--I haven't missed it, so I'll probably always leave it out)
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well (some lumps are ok). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for an hour, or until the mixture begins to bubble. Cook the waffles in a preheated belgian waffle maker or refrigerate until you are ready to use.
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bread. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Wholesome Blueberry Muffins
There is definitely no confusing these muffins with cupcakes.
I've found sometimes that line is close to indistinguishable. For example, at grocery stores, I can buy chocolate chocolate chip muffins (and I even make a mean version of these), chocolate cherry hazelnut muffins, strawberry and cream muffins. They have close to the same, light crumb as cupcakes, they are just missing the icing. I've also made blueberry muffins which were a nice light yellow in color that my husband harassed me for being cupcakes. The handheld pastry definitions seem to blur easily....cupcakes masquerading as muffins because they lack frosting, muffins masquerading as scones because they are triangular. (I've had these fabulous "scones" at the farmers market that have the texture of muffins, but are triangular. If Brits saw those, I know they would be appalled and believe even more that us Americans are nuts.)
But I have digressed so far. These muffins are not cupcakes. They can not disguise themselves as scone if they shifted shapes. They are muffin. They are a little ragged on top. In my efforts to make my food that I eat matter more, I took a basic Moosewood muffin recipe and changed the grains a bit---substituting part of the white flour for whole wheat flour and hemp seeds. I used less sugar than most people would.
Verdict. Pretty good. Rather addicting in fact. The first bite is a bit of surprise because these aren't overly sweet and have a very nutty flavor because of the hemp seeds. However, once we each finished our first one, all four of us (the boys, a neighbor boy, and myself) had a second and a third one.
Of course, you could just use 2 c of white flour or throw in flax seeds instead of hemp seeds or just increase the amount of whole wheat flour. You could also use 3/4 c of sugar. Additionally, you could substitute other fillings as you desire--they should just equal 2 cups. As you can tell, this recipe is more of a template than formula. Play around until you find your ultimate morning muffin that may even leave you feeling a bit good about yourself.
This makes 12 regular sized muffins.
Wholesome Blueberry Muffins
based off a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c hemp seeds
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c frozen blueberries
6 T butter, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c plus 2 T milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 c pecans and/or walnuts, chopped
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, hemp seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently stir in the blueberries (flour on the blueberries before mixing with the wet ingredients prevents them to sinking to the bottom of the muffins). In a separate medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth, using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg, then add the milk and vanilla. The mixture will probably look lumpy and curdled (from the cold milk hitting the warmer butter). Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula, being careful not overmix and break up those lovely blueberries. Spoon about 1/3 c batter into each greased or paper lined muffin tin. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes.
Enjoy.
I've found sometimes that line is close to indistinguishable. For example, at grocery stores, I can buy chocolate chocolate chip muffins (and I even make a mean version of these), chocolate cherry hazelnut muffins, strawberry and cream muffins. They have close to the same, light crumb as cupcakes, they are just missing the icing. I've also made blueberry muffins which were a nice light yellow in color that my husband harassed me for being cupcakes. The handheld pastry definitions seem to blur easily....cupcakes masquerading as muffins because they lack frosting, muffins masquerading as scones because they are triangular. (I've had these fabulous "scones" at the farmers market that have the texture of muffins, but are triangular. If Brits saw those, I know they would be appalled and believe even more that us Americans are nuts.)
But I have digressed so far. These muffins are not cupcakes. They can not disguise themselves as scone if they shifted shapes. They are muffin. They are a little ragged on top. In my efforts to make my food that I eat matter more, I took a basic Moosewood muffin recipe and changed the grains a bit---substituting part of the white flour for whole wheat flour and hemp seeds. I used less sugar than most people would.
Verdict. Pretty good. Rather addicting in fact. The first bite is a bit of surprise because these aren't overly sweet and have a very nutty flavor because of the hemp seeds. However, once we each finished our first one, all four of us (the boys, a neighbor boy, and myself) had a second and a third one.
Of course, you could just use 2 c of white flour or throw in flax seeds instead of hemp seeds or just increase the amount of whole wheat flour. You could also use 3/4 c of sugar. Additionally, you could substitute other fillings as you desire--they should just equal 2 cups. As you can tell, this recipe is more of a template than formula. Play around until you find your ultimate morning muffin that may even leave you feeling a bit good about yourself.
This makes 12 regular sized muffins.
Wholesome Blueberry Muffins
based off a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c hemp seeds
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c frozen blueberries
6 T butter, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c plus 2 T milk
1/2 t vanilla
1 c pecans and/or walnuts, chopped
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, hemp seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently stir in the blueberries (flour on the blueberries before mixing with the wet ingredients prevents them to sinking to the bottom of the muffins). In a separate medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth, using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg, then add the milk and vanilla. The mixture will probably look lumpy and curdled (from the cold milk hitting the warmer butter). Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together with a rubber spatula, being careful not overmix and break up those lovely blueberries. Spoon about 1/3 c batter into each greased or paper lined muffin tin. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Cherry-Orange Scones
Over the past couple of years of blogging, I've complained about not being able to make scones or biscuits. They've always tasted fine, but have not risen like I would like them to.
That complaining is over. All over.
I did it. I made perfect scones. I found a method that works and discovered that all I really need is for all of my children to be immersed in a PBSKids TV show. I then can give my undivided attention to the task at hand--making perfect scones.
I am so proud.
Cherry-Orange Scones
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
3 c flour
3 T sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
zest of 1 orange
10 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 c cold buttermilk or sour milk
1/2 c dried tart cherries (or cranberries)
1/2 c dried apricots, chopped
In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest a few times. Add the butter. Pulse until butter is in coarse, pea-sized chunks. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in buttermilk all at once, until a sticky dough forms. Stir in apricots and cherries. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently knead the dough, just until it holds together nicely. The dough will be very soft. Press the dough into a rectangle about 1 1/2" thick Fold like a business letter (in thirds), overlapping the short sides in the middle. Pat out dough into a thick rectangle and divide in half. Using a rolling pin, roll each half into a round 3/4" thick, 8" diameter circle. Cut each circle into 8 pieces.
Place wedges on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 425 oven until the scones are golden brown, 16 - 18 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, cool, and eat.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Pannetone
Last spring, after I made Columba di Pasqua for Easter, I decided I was going to make pannetone for Christmas. The breads are pretty similar---a rich bread dough stuffed with candied citrus zest. (That reminds me, I need to order the Columba di Pasqua molds now).
All fall, I kept my eyes open for pannetone recipes. I had one in my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, but wanted to make sure that was THE ONE. I stumbled upon Chocolate Cherry Almond Pannetone on the King Arthur Flour website and decided that one was it. I tried it twice. Both times, the results were rather dry (I decided I used the wrong size pannetone mold and overbaked it) The first attempt I also had a difficult time figuring out how to double the recipe, making some major mistakes. Neither time the dough rose very fast, which is unusual for my house.
Now if there is one personality trait that has been a constant in my entire life, it's persistence (that's the positive spin for the word stubborn). I was determined that I could conquer pannetone, so I ditched my sweet, chocolatey recipe and turned to Williams-Sonoma.
Perfection. It was light and rich with the texture of brioche. The candied citrus zest was the perfect match for the sweet bread. We gave some to our neighbors for Christmas. She is still raving to me about it.
So, at my cousin's urging (who has also fought with pannetone this winter and who is just as stubborn--wait, I mean persistent--as me), I am sharing the recipe. I have no pictures, because I had decided against posting this at one point.
A couple of notes. Make the candied citrus zest (if you are making from scratch and not buying somewhere) a day or two before you want to make the pannetone. If you want to buy paper pannetone molds, try Sur la Table (Williams-Sonoma doesn't carry them). I've found a couple of different size molds. For this recipe, use a mold between 5 - 6" in diameter. The 7" one is too big and will result in the bread being dry if you don't shorten the baking time considerably. If you don't want to buy them, or can't find them (you can also find them online at Amazon), try this (which is straight from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, I didn't try this myself so I didn't feel good giving my own directions).
--Line two 6" cake pans (springform or regular) that are 3" deep with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with butter. Cut a strip of aluminum foil about 8 inches wide and 2 inches longer than the circumference of the pan. Fold the foil in half lengthwise, and butter one side of the strip. Using kitchen string, tie the strip of buttered aluminum foil, buttered side faicing in, around the outside of each pan, making a collar that extends 2 - 3 inches above the rim of the pan.
Pannetone
slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
Candied Citrus Zest
4 oranges (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
4 lemons (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
3 c plus 2/3 c sugar
2 T fresh lemon juice
Scrub the oranges and lemons well. Cut a slice from the blossom end of each piece of fruit. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, cut strips of zest, leaving as much white pith behind as possible. Cut the strips into 1/4" wide strips. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the zest and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the zest, refill the pan, and repeat the process. In a second saucepan, combine 3 c sugar with 1 1/2 c water and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the zest, reduce heat to as low as possible, and simmer until zest strips are translucent and tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove zest from sugar water and place on a wire rack (waxed paper underneath makes clean-up easier). The strips should not be touching each other. Let dry overnight at room temperature. Put remaining 2/3 c sugar in a bowl. Toss the zest, about 10 strips at a time, in the sugar. If using for pannetone immediately, cut into small pieces. Otherwise, put in an airtight container for up to a month and chop before using.
The sponge
1/4 c warm water
2/3 c warm whole milk
4 t active dry yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 c bread flour
The dough
3/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 1/2 t salt
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
3 1/2 - 4 c bread flour
1 c golden raisins
candied citrus zest (recipe above--use it all), diced
2 T raw or coarse sugar
To make the sponge: Combine milk and water in a stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and a pinch of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy. Add 1/2 c bread flour and beat on medium speed until smooth, using the whisk attachment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the melted butter, 1/2 c sugar, zest, salt, eggs, egg yolks, and 1 c of flour to the sponge. With the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, adding flour a little at a time (1 T - 1/4 c. I add 1/4 c at a time in the beginning, and as the dough gets thicker, I add just 1 t at a time), if the dough is too soft and sticky. Knead in stand mixer until dough is soft, smooth, and springy, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, turning the dough once to coat dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (depending on your surface--on my quartz counters, I don't need flour) and knead gently for a minute. Return to the bowl, re-cover, and let the dough rise again at room temperature for another hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Have prepared bread pans ready (see above recipe if you are shaping your own bread molds). In a small bowl, stir together the candied zest and golden raisins. Set aside. Turn the dough out onto the work surface. Pat the dough into a large oval and sprinkle evenly with half of the fruit mixture. Press the dough to adhere the dried fruit to it and roll the dough up. Repeat, adding remaining dried fruit. Knead the dough a few times to smooth out the dough. Make sure dried fruit is evenly mixed in (if dried fruit ends up all in the middle of the loaf, the loaf will be unbaked in the center). Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into 2 tight round loaves, gently pulling surface taut from the bottom. Place one ball in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough domes up to the rim of the collar, about 1 1/2 hours (the added dried fruit slows down the rising process).
Place a baking stone in the center of an oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle each loaf with 1 T raw sugar. Place the bread on the stones and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 25 - 30 minutes, or until the leaves are a golden brown and have reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees (use a meat thermometer. You could use a cake tester. Insert cake tester into center of loaf. Tester should come out clean). Let the bread cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove foil collars, if using. Gently turn the bread out on wire racks, stand right side up, and let cool completely. If using paper molds, just leave in molds until you are ready to eat it.
All fall, I kept my eyes open for pannetone recipes. I had one in my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, but wanted to make sure that was THE ONE. I stumbled upon Chocolate Cherry Almond Pannetone on the King Arthur Flour website and decided that one was it. I tried it twice. Both times, the results were rather dry (I decided I used the wrong size pannetone mold and overbaked it) The first attempt I also had a difficult time figuring out how to double the recipe, making some major mistakes. Neither time the dough rose very fast, which is unusual for my house.
Now if there is one personality trait that has been a constant in my entire life, it's persistence (that's the positive spin for the word stubborn). I was determined that I could conquer pannetone, so I ditched my sweet, chocolatey recipe and turned to Williams-Sonoma.
Perfection. It was light and rich with the texture of brioche. The candied citrus zest was the perfect match for the sweet bread. We gave some to our neighbors for Christmas. She is still raving to me about it.
So, at my cousin's urging (who has also fought with pannetone this winter and who is just as stubborn--wait, I mean persistent--as me), I am sharing the recipe. I have no pictures, because I had decided against posting this at one point.
A couple of notes. Make the candied citrus zest (if you are making from scratch and not buying somewhere) a day or two before you want to make the pannetone. If you want to buy paper pannetone molds, try Sur la Table (Williams-Sonoma doesn't carry them). I've found a couple of different size molds. For this recipe, use a mold between 5 - 6" in diameter. The 7" one is too big and will result in the bread being dry if you don't shorten the baking time considerably. If you don't want to buy them, or can't find them (you can also find them online at Amazon), try this (which is straight from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, I didn't try this myself so I didn't feel good giving my own directions).
--Line two 6" cake pans (springform or regular) that are 3" deep with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with butter. Cut a strip of aluminum foil about 8 inches wide and 2 inches longer than the circumference of the pan. Fold the foil in half lengthwise, and butter one side of the strip. Using kitchen string, tie the strip of buttered aluminum foil, buttered side faicing in, around the outside of each pan, making a collar that extends 2 - 3 inches above the rim of the pan.
Pannetone
slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
Candied Citrus Zest
4 oranges (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
4 lemons (organic preferable since you're using the peel)
3 c plus 2/3 c sugar
2 T fresh lemon juice
Scrub the oranges and lemons well. Cut a slice from the blossom end of each piece of fruit. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife, cut strips of zest, leaving as much white pith behind as possible. Cut the strips into 1/4" wide strips. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the zest and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the zest, refill the pan, and repeat the process. In a second saucepan, combine 3 c sugar with 1 1/2 c water and the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the zest, reduce heat to as low as possible, and simmer until zest strips are translucent and tender, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove zest from sugar water and place on a wire rack (waxed paper underneath makes clean-up easier). The strips should not be touching each other. Let dry overnight at room temperature. Put remaining 2/3 c sugar in a bowl. Toss the zest, about 10 strips at a time, in the sugar. If using for pannetone immediately, cut into small pieces. Otherwise, put in an airtight container for up to a month and chop before using.
The sponge
1/4 c warm water
2/3 c warm whole milk
4 t active dry yeast
pinch of granulated sugar
1/2 c bread flour
The dough
3/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 1/2 t salt
2 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
3 1/2 - 4 c bread flour
1 c golden raisins
candied citrus zest (recipe above--use it all), diced
2 T raw or coarse sugar
To make the sponge: Combine milk and water in a stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and a pinch of sugar and stir to dissolve. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy. Add 1/2 c bread flour and beat on medium speed until smooth, using the whisk attachment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the melted butter, 1/2 c sugar, zest, salt, eggs, egg yolks, and 1 c of flour to the sponge. With the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time, stirring to incorporate after each addition, until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed, adding flour a little at a time (1 T - 1/4 c. I add 1/4 c at a time in the beginning, and as the dough gets thicker, I add just 1 t at a time), if the dough is too soft and sticky. Knead in stand mixer until dough is soft, smooth, and springy, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, turning the dough once to coat dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (depending on your surface--on my quartz counters, I don't need flour) and knead gently for a minute. Return to the bowl, re-cover, and let the dough rise again at room temperature for another hour, or until doubled in bulk.
Have prepared bread pans ready (see above recipe if you are shaping your own bread molds). In a small bowl, stir together the candied zest and golden raisins. Set aside. Turn the dough out onto the work surface. Pat the dough into a large oval and sprinkle evenly with half of the fruit mixture. Press the dough to adhere the dried fruit to it and roll the dough up. Repeat, adding remaining dried fruit. Knead the dough a few times to smooth out the dough. Make sure dried fruit is evenly mixed in (if dried fruit ends up all in the middle of the loaf, the loaf will be unbaked in the center). Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape into 2 tight round loaves, gently pulling surface taut from the bottom. Place one ball in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough domes up to the rim of the collar, about 1 1/2 hours (the added dried fruit slows down the rising process).
Place a baking stone in the center of an oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle each loaf with 1 T raw sugar. Place the bread on the stones and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 25 - 30 minutes, or until the leaves are a golden brown and have reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees (use a meat thermometer. You could use a cake tester. Insert cake tester into center of loaf. Tester should come out clean). Let the bread cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove foil collars, if using. Gently turn the bread out on wire racks, stand right side up, and let cool completely. If using paper molds, just leave in molds until you are ready to eat it.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Chocolate Babka--Update 2024-Don't make this one. Make the sourdough one on Pinterest.
Drat. I gifted the outcome of this recipe before I had a chance to photograph it. Curtis was slightly dismayed by the destination of this bread. He had to help finish them (as in, brush with egg glaze, slash the top, and bake) and thought one surely should have been left at home for him. Sadly enough for him, they went as Christmas gifts--one to M's teacher and one to the family we carpool with. As I was wrapping them this morning, I got a little forlorn myself and have now added them to my Christmas morning breakfast menu.
Despite the name and the delicious outcome, if you are comfortable baking bread, you will not find this recipe very difficult. It takes a chunk of time to make, but the hands on time is very short---lots and lots of rising with a little bit of work thrown in here and there.
If you would like to see the recipe step by step with fabulous pictures click here to be taken to the King Arthur Flour Baking Blog (and in case you haven't found it yet, King Arthur Flour website is wonderful!! resource). The recipe has been adapted just slightly to include generic ingredients instead of those products that King Arthur hawks. You don't need to use the espresso powder if you don't have it. However, it makes the chocolate flavor slightly stronger. I have a jar I keep in my freezer and pull out periodically for recipes. Click here for suggestions for substitutions, if you want them.
There's is still time---make this recipe, gift one loaf and enjoy the other.
Despite the name and the delicious outcome, if you are comfortable baking bread, you will not find this recipe very difficult. It takes a chunk of time to make, but the hands on time is very short---lots and lots of rising with a little bit of work thrown in here and there.
If you would like to see the recipe step by step with fabulous pictures click here to be taken to the King Arthur Flour Baking Blog (and in case you haven't found it yet, King Arthur Flour website is wonderful!! resource). The recipe has been adapted just slightly to include generic ingredients instead of those products that King Arthur hawks. You don't need to use the espresso powder if you don't have it. However, it makes the chocolate flavor slightly stronger. I have a jar I keep in my freezer and pull out periodically for recipes. Click here for suggestions for substitutions, if you want them.
There's is still time---make this recipe, gift one loaf and enjoy the other.
2024 update--the kiddos made this themselves and things were off....2 T instant yeast is TOO MUCH. use 2 t instead, but it may take longer to rise. Water and flour ratio was also off (but maybe they couldn't count??). I would suggest instead finding the original on the King Arthur Baking Website and use the weights given for precision.
Chocolate Babka
adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour baking blog: Baking Banter
Dough
2 lg eggs
6 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/3 c dry milk powder
2 t instant yeast (2 T active dry??)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 t salt
10 T butter, at room temperature
1 T vanilla
1 - 1 1/4 c water (depending on humidity and season of where you live. I use 1 1/4 c in the winter)
Filling
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 t espresso powder (also called instant espresso)
1/4 c melted butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans (walnuts are fine too--I'm just a pecan type of girl)
Combine eggs, flour, dry milk, yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and water in a large bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle (basic attachment) until just moistened. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, this will make the dough easier to knead. Put the dough hook on the mixer and knead for about 7 minutes (if you prefer, you can do all this by hand), until dough is smooth and soft. The dough will still be very sticky. Transfer to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough onto a lightly greased work surface (some surfaces are fine without grease--I didn't need to anything to my counters and it was fine). Divide the dough into two equal pieces, cover with a towel and let rest. While dough rests, combine the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and espresso powder in small bowl. Stir in the melted butter. The mixture will look very oily and rather stiff. Shape each half of the dough into 9 x 18" rectangle (the 18" is approximate, it doesn't need to be exact). Smear each piece of dough with half of the cocoa/butter mixture, coming within an inch of the edge. Sprinkle each half with 1/2 c pecans and 1/2 c chocolate chips. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough gently into a log. Seal the bottom seams and tuck the ends under. Place each log in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Tent with plastic wrap and let rise until they've crowned an inch over the rim of the pan, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Just before baking, brush each loaf with an egg glaze (1 egg, beaten). If there are large air bubbles, pop them gently a toothpick.Taking a sharp knife, cut one long vertical slash through the middle of each loaf, cutting through at least 3 layers. This will let the loaf expand straight up instead of blowing out at the sides. Leave the beautiful domed bread just as it is--no cutting necessary. (It comes out perfectly and presentable uncut). Bake in an oven preheated to 300 for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, tent the loaves lightly with foil and bake and additional 15 - 25 minutes (mine only took an extra 15 minutes). To check for doneness, use a meat thermometer to take the internal temp--it should be around 190 degrees. Remove the loaves from the oven, and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely.
Chocolate Babka
adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour baking blog: Baking Banter
Dough
2 lg eggs
6 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/3 c dry milk powder
2 t instant yeast (2 T active dry??)
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 t salt
10 T butter, at room temperature
1 T vanilla
1 - 1 1/4 c water (depending on humidity and season of where you live. I use 1 1/4 c in the winter)
Filling
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 t espresso powder (also called instant espresso)
1/4 c melted butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans (walnuts are fine too--I'm just a pecan type of girl)
Combine eggs, flour, dry milk, yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla and water in a large bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle (basic attachment) until just moistened. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes, this will make the dough easier to knead. Put the dough hook on the mixer and knead for about 7 minutes (if you prefer, you can do all this by hand), until dough is smooth and soft. The dough will still be very sticky. Transfer to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough onto a lightly greased work surface (some surfaces are fine without grease--I didn't need to anything to my counters and it was fine). Divide the dough into two equal pieces, cover with a towel and let rest. While dough rests, combine the sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, and espresso powder in small bowl. Stir in the melted butter. The mixture will look very oily and rather stiff. Shape each half of the dough into 9 x 18" rectangle (the 18" is approximate, it doesn't need to be exact). Smear each piece of dough with half of the cocoa/butter mixture, coming within an inch of the edge. Sprinkle each half with 1/2 c pecans and 1/2 c chocolate chips. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough gently into a log. Seal the bottom seams and tuck the ends under. Place each log in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan. Tent with plastic wrap and let rise until they've crowned an inch over the rim of the pan, 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Just before baking, brush each loaf with an egg glaze (1 egg, beaten). If there are large air bubbles, pop them gently a toothpick.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Zucchini Muffins
Fall is here in Central Texas which means a variety of things. The temperatures are falling---highs now are only usually in the 80's and on the glorious mornings they're in the 50's (on the not so glorious mornings, it only gets down to the mid/upper 60's). We get occasional cool fronts. The produce we receive in our CSA box increases. We are still getting lots of warm weather vegetables: cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, and zucchini. These vegetables are actually bigger and tastier than they were during the hot summer months of July/August/September. The cool weather crops are also starting to show up---a variety of greens.
After cooking with zucchini for 5 months now, I get a little weary. By September and October I am frequenting my zucchini in baked goods recipes. My typical zucchini bread recipe has seemed a little too rich than what suits my mood. In my search for a replacement recipe, I discovered these zucchini muffins.
I think these are about the perfect zucchini muffins. They're not overly rich, they're full of flavor, and they have nice add-ins (pecans and dried fruit). I can easily eat 3 of these when they are warm (did I really just admit that?).
This recipe makes 12 if you don't make large muffins (10 if they're larger).
Zucchini Muffins
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour (or omit and use 1 1/2 c white flour)
3/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 c canola oil
1/4 c orange marmalade (optional--I've never used this, but I'm sure it would be good!)
1 t vanilla
1 4-oz zucchini or summer squash, shredded (drain on paper towels if you use the marmalade)
3/4 c dried tart cherries (or raisins or other dried fruit)
1/4 c pecans, chopped
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, marmalade, vanilla, and zucchini. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until the batter is smooth and evenly moistened. Stir in the dried fruit and pecans until just mixed. The batter will be stiff.
Spoon the batter into 12 greased standard muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until muffins are golden, dry, and springy to touch, 17 - 20 minutes (a tester inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean). Cool for 5 minutes, unmold and eat.
After cooking with zucchini for 5 months now, I get a little weary. By September and October I am frequenting my zucchini in baked goods recipes. My typical zucchini bread recipe has seemed a little too rich than what suits my mood. In my search for a replacement recipe, I discovered these zucchini muffins.
I think these are about the perfect zucchini muffins. They're not overly rich, they're full of flavor, and they have nice add-ins (pecans and dried fruit). I can easily eat 3 of these when they are warm (did I really just admit that?).
This recipe makes 12 if you don't make large muffins (10 if they're larger).
Zucchini Muffins
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour (or omit and use 1 1/2 c white flour)
3/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 c canola oil
1/4 c orange marmalade (optional--I've never used this, but I'm sure it would be good!)
1 t vanilla
1 4-oz zucchini or summer squash, shredded (drain on paper towels if you use the marmalade)
3/4 c dried tart cherries (or raisins or other dried fruit)
1/4 c pecans, chopped
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, marmalade, vanilla, and zucchini. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir until the batter is smooth and evenly moistened. Stir in the dried fruit and pecans until just mixed. The batter will be stiff.
Spoon the batter into 12 greased standard muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until muffins are golden, dry, and springy to touch, 17 - 20 minutes (a tester inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean). Cool for 5 minutes, unmold and eat.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Almond Rolls
My former favorite bakery in town (former for a variety of reasons, including change of staff and consistent removal of my favorite pastries from their pastry case, never to be seen again) used to make bear claws. These were divine things, filled with just the right amount of almond paste, and if I got to the restaurant at just the right time in the morning, they would be still warm. Sigh. I miss those bear claws. I dream about those bear claws. However, they are no more.
I immediately bookmarked the page then when I found on SeriousEats.com a recipe for Almond Rolls. Could they be similar? Warm almond paste inside a pastry? I took the plunge and attempted the slightly complex (mostly because of the series of steps that involved lots of waiting) recipe. There were good pictures to accompany it and I was happy with recipe until I got to the last step. Baking. The oven temp was listed (which was pretty easy to figure out anyway), but bake time wasn't. All it said was bake until golden. How long is that? 15 minutes? 20 minutes? Exactly how golden are we talking?
I searched the net and discovered something interesting about food blogs. Did you know people have their own food blogs that just copies and pastes the entire recipes without adding their two cents or hints? It is so blatant copying that they don't even bother to change the blurb preceding the recipe, that is copied as well. Now why would you do that? Most of them don't even source the original. From I what I figured, they never made it either because they don't explain why it looks like (from the pictures) that the cook added something to her almond paste to make it more spreadable and not so pasty or how long to bake the darn things for! My eyes were opened and I remained frustrated about the baking time.
I just experimented, I had two pans of almond rolls and the second pan was baked perfectly at 20 minutes. Fifteen minutes was definitely too short. I am including the recipe (and not just ranting), but will continue to tweak and edit this post as I get them to perfection (which they weren't, in my opinion, but everyone who tried them said they were wonderful. I think they were just being kind). When you make this recipe, keep in mind these puppies need to rest for at least 9 1/2 - 10 hours (including one overnight resting). I suggest making this as a weekend activity for Sunday breakfast. Start the dough Friday night, roll and fold Saturday, and shape and bake Sunday morning.
This yields 16 rolls. Be prepared to share!
Almond Rolls
adapted from SeriousEats.com
1 c cool water
2 1/2 t instant yeast (this is not active dry yeast--if you can't find any label instant, use rapid rise yeast)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c sour cream
3 c bread flour
1 t kosher salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 (12.5) oz can almond filling (not marzipan, but almond filling, Solo brand is easy to find)
1 egg, beaten with a little water for an egg wash
In a medium bowl, mix water, yeast, sugar, and sour cream. Whisk to dissolve sugar and set aside. Put flour and salt into food processor. Drop butter into processor and pulse a few times (think pie dough or biscuits---you don't want to overmix the butter). Butter should be chick pea size, with variation to the large or small side ok. Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Gently fold the mixture with a rubber spatula to moisten all the flour, leaving chunks of butter intact. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, generously flour the work surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle and roll out to about 12 x 16": it doesn't have to be exact. The butter should still be chunky and clumpy. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Repeat the roll fold three times. Be sure to work quickly because the butter shouldn't melt or soften too much. End with the folded letter, fold it in half and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour (or as long as the next day).
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut into two pieces. Return half of the dough to the fridge. Flatten a piece of dough and cut into into 8 pieces. Roll a piece into a 3 x 6" rectangle. Put a T of almond paste in the bottom half (I had to shape the almond paste in my hands with my fingers and then lay it on the dough--it didn't spread with an other utensil. I want to tweak this step of the recipe. I'll let you know as I do...). Roll the dough up and place seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Repeat with remaining 7 pieces and then with the other piece of dough in the refrigerator. Once a pan is full, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. Brush the rolls with the eggwash after the 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven from 20 minutes or until they are nicely browned. Let them cool and then eat (inside filling is much hotter than outside dough).
I immediately bookmarked the page then when I found on SeriousEats.com a recipe for Almond Rolls. Could they be similar? Warm almond paste inside a pastry? I took the plunge and attempted the slightly complex (mostly because of the series of steps that involved lots of waiting) recipe. There were good pictures to accompany it and I was happy with recipe until I got to the last step. Baking. The oven temp was listed (which was pretty easy to figure out anyway), but bake time wasn't. All it said was bake until golden. How long is that? 15 minutes? 20 minutes? Exactly how golden are we talking?
I searched the net and discovered something interesting about food blogs. Did you know people have their own food blogs that just copies and pastes the entire recipes without adding their two cents or hints? It is so blatant copying that they don't even bother to change the blurb preceding the recipe, that is copied as well. Now why would you do that? Most of them don't even source the original. From I what I figured, they never made it either because they don't explain why it looks like (from the pictures) that the cook added something to her almond paste to make it more spreadable and not so pasty or how long to bake the darn things for! My eyes were opened and I remained frustrated about the baking time.
I just experimented, I had two pans of almond rolls and the second pan was baked perfectly at 20 minutes. Fifteen minutes was definitely too short. I am including the recipe (and not just ranting), but will continue to tweak and edit this post as I get them to perfection (which they weren't, in my opinion, but everyone who tried them said they were wonderful. I think they were just being kind). When you make this recipe, keep in mind these puppies need to rest for at least 9 1/2 - 10 hours (including one overnight resting). I suggest making this as a weekend activity for Sunday breakfast. Start the dough Friday night, roll and fold Saturday, and shape and bake Sunday morning.
This yields 16 rolls. Be prepared to share!
Almond Rolls
adapted from SeriousEats.com
1 c cool water
2 1/2 t instant yeast (this is not active dry yeast--if you can't find any label instant, use rapid rise yeast)
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c sour cream
3 c bread flour
1 t kosher salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 (12.5) oz can almond filling (not marzipan, but almond filling, Solo brand is easy to find)
1 egg, beaten with a little water for an egg wash
In a medium bowl, mix water, yeast, sugar, and sour cream. Whisk to dissolve sugar and set aside. Put flour and salt into food processor. Drop butter into processor and pulse a few times (think pie dough or biscuits---you don't want to overmix the butter). Butter should be chick pea size, with variation to the large or small side ok. Transfer the flour mixture to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Gently fold the mixture with a rubber spatula to moisten all the flour, leaving chunks of butter intact. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, generously flour the work surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle and roll out to about 12 x 16": it doesn't have to be exact. The butter should still be chunky and clumpy. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Repeat the roll fold three times. Be sure to work quickly because the butter shouldn't melt or soften too much. End with the folded letter, fold it in half and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour (or as long as the next day).
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut into two pieces. Return half of the dough to the fridge. Flatten a piece of dough and cut into into 8 pieces. Roll a piece into a 3 x 6" rectangle. Put a T of almond paste in the bottom half (I had to shape the almond paste in my hands with my fingers and then lay it on the dough--it didn't spread with an other utensil. I want to tweak this step of the recipe. I'll let you know as I do...). Roll the dough up and place seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Repeat with remaining 7 pieces and then with the other piece of dough in the refrigerator. Once a pan is full, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes. Brush the rolls with the eggwash after the 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven from 20 minutes or until they are nicely browned. Let them cool and then eat (inside filling is much hotter than outside dough).
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pita Bread
The pita when it comes out of the oven.Part of the reason I love summer produce is that it reminds me of Mediterranean eating. Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern food all use similar vegetables. We are overwhelmed with said vegetables now. Eggplants in particular delight me. Creamy baba ganoush, decadent moussake, ratatouille (I know.. that's French...), eggplant parmesan. Yep, eggplants delight me. I've got a pretty sweet deal going right now as well--I trade my dreaded okra from my neighbor's eggplant (which she dreads). We both end up happy.
I decided the other day that I should make my own pita to go with my Greek/Middle Eastern food (we had a mezze supper the other night---perfect dinner for the summer---cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, hummus, tabbouleh, caponata--which didn't quite fit, and homemade pita). I will definitely be making pita again. I learned a few things--like let the pita circles do their final rise on a kitchen towel, like the recipe suggests. Otherwise, they are very difficult to get off the counter. Don't over flour the counter when rolling out the rounds--put a little flour on top of the dough, but let the dough stick a little to the counter to make it easier to roll out.
Pita is a little like pizza dough--you want to time it to be ready to eat right at supper time. I gave myself 2 hours before to make this. It took a little longer than that, but I suspect making this a second time will go much quicker.
This makes 10 6-inch pitas.
Pita
from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
1 T active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t salt
3 1/2 - 4 c flour
Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 1/2 c of water. Stir gently to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Combine the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and 1 c flour in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in yeast. Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time until dough pulls away from bowl sides. Switch to dough hook. Knead on low speed until dough is stiff and sticky, about 3 minutes. Add a little flour at a time if the dough sticks. Transfer to dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours (and which point, the kids and I headed to the swimming pool!).
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Set one half aside and cover with plastic wrap. Divide the remaining half into 5 equal pieces and form into a ball. Repeat with other half of dough. Let rest 10 minutes.
Roll out the balls into rounds about 6" in diameter and 1/4" thick. Drape each round over floured rolling pin and transfer to a floured kitchen towel. Cover with another towel and let rest until puffy, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place a baking stone on the bottom rack of oven (if your stone has sides, put the stone upside down so it is totally flat). Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Preheat a baking sheet (not a baking stone, but a cookie sheet type pan) in the hot oven for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and quickly brush sheet with oil. Transfer 3 or 4 rounds onto cookie sheet and place it on the baking stone. Leave the oven door closed and bake until puffed and light brown, 6 - 7 minutes. Stack the pitas on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Bake remaining pitas and serve warm.
Finished PitaFriday, May 7, 2010
Scallion and Cheese Muffins
Have I mentioned how much I love this batch of library cookbooks? Yep. Willliams-Sonoma cookbooks officially ROCK!! I've been cooking out of these as much as possible lately so I can try all the recipes that look before I have to return them in another week (I've already renewed the baking cookbook once).
These muffins are terrific. They taste like something you would get a restaurant, you know which ones I am talking about--they are often called "Country Herb Muffins" or something like that. (Ok, so restaurant is used loosely as I am thinking of one of those salad/buffet only places).
We loved them. Next fall or spring when we are wallowing in scallions, I will make these again (and again and again!)
Scallion and Cheese Muffins
slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
5 T olive oil
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 c finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts only
3 c flour
1 1/2 c Swiss Cheese
3 T fresh parsley, minced
4 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 t dried oregano
2 lg eggs
1 c milk
Heat 3 T oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and saute until translucent, 2 -3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, parsley, baking powder, salt, and oregano. In a 2 c measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and 2 T oil until blended. Add the cooled onions (and any oil left in the pan). Make a well in the center of the floor mixture and stir in the milk/onion mixture just until everything is evenly moistened. (It's ok if the batter is lumpy). Spoon the batter evenly into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, 25 - 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove from muffin cups. Serve warm or at room temperature.
These muffins are terrific. They taste like something you would get a restaurant, you know which ones I am talking about--they are often called "Country Herb Muffins" or something like that. (Ok, so restaurant is used loosely as I am thinking of one of those salad/buffet only places).
We loved them. Next fall or spring when we are wallowing in scallions, I will make these again (and again and again!)
Scallion and Cheese Muffins
slightly adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book
5 T olive oil
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 c finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts only
3 c flour
1 1/2 c Swiss Cheese
3 T fresh parsley, minced
4 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 t dried oregano
2 lg eggs
1 c milk
Heat 3 T oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and saute until translucent, 2 -3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, parsley, baking powder, salt, and oregano. In a 2 c measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and 2 T oil until blended. Add the cooled onions (and any oil left in the pan). Make a well in the center of the floor mixture and stir in the milk/onion mixture just until everything is evenly moistened. (It's ok if the batter is lumpy). Spoon the batter evenly into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, 25 - 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove from muffin cups. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Orange Blueberry Muffins
I don't love citrus plain. Grapefruit, is the exception, but even then, I grow tired of eating it. Thankfully, M loves oranges and I can feed her oranges almost every day for snacks. I like using citrus in baking (what don't I like using in baking?) and was thrilled to find this simple blueberry muffin recipe that had and orange in it. I was able to pull out some of the blueberries I had frozen over the summer to throw in these muffins, which made them even better (because it didn't involve a trip to the grocery store). We all loved them.
Orange Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
about 3/4 c buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 T honey
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c sugar
2 c all purpose flour (or up to 1 c whole wheat flour and 1 c white flour)
1 T baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
Pour the orange juice into a measuring cup. Pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 c. Pour into small bowl and whisk with honey, eggs, and butter. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar smells strongly of oranges. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir quickly, but gently to blend. Stir in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups (either with muffin papers or greased). Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 22 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack, cool 5 minutes, and then enjoy!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cranberry Pecan Rolls
I made this recipe this afternoon on a whim. I had seen it in Bon Appetit's November issue and thought, "Those sound good." While nursing the babe the other day, I was flipping through the magazine again and saw that I had dog-eared the page these were on. I decided why not. If they made too many for us to eat, I'd show up on Thanksgiving at my in-laws with these in hand.
I won't be doing that. I don't thing there will be a single roll left by then. These are not just good, but freakin' good. I think I've eaten three this evening (or maybe four?). Everyone loved them. If you want to play with this recipe and make them more healthy, substitute some whole wheat flour for the bread flour.
Go ahead, make these tomorrow. They'll be perfect to serve on Thanksgiving--either at your table or the table you are going to.
Roasting the pecansCranberry Pecan Rolls
adapted from Bon Appetit magazine
1 c coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts if you are not in the South)
1 1/2 c milk, warmed to 100 - 110 degrees Fahrenheit
1 1/2 t yeast
1 T brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 c (and possibly more) bread flour
1 1/2 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 c dried cranberries (use the sweetened ones)
1 lg egg, beaten for glaze
Turbinado sugar (optional)
Stir nuts in dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 5 minutes. (The easiest way to tell these are done is to smell them. When they are toasted, they will smell very fragrant, but not burnt.) Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add yeast to milk and stir in brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Allow to stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast has dissolved and is bubbly. Add 3 1/2 c bread flour, salt, oil, and egg. Mix with an electric mixer using a dough hook until a coarse ball forms. Add cranberries and cooled pecans. Mix dough until it is smooth and elastic. It should be slightly tacky (but not sticky). If dough is too sticky, add flour by tablespoonfuls. Remove from mixture and knead briefly on a floured surface to bring dough to a ball. Place in an large oiled bowl, turning to coat dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise, until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Transfer dough to an unfloured surface. Divide dough into 12 - 18 equal sized pieces (if you divide it into 12 pieces, the rolls will be HUGE!! Divided into 18 pieces, the rolls are still generous in size). Form each piece into a ball, rolling briefly on unfloured surface (remember making play dough balls? Same idea). Place rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them apart to give them a chance to rise (if more than 12 rolls, use two baking sheets). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until 1 1/2 times original size. Brush rolls with egg glaze and sprinkle lightly with turbinado sugar. Let rise while oven preheats to 425 degrees.
Place rolls in the oven and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake 7 minutes. Rotate baking pans. Bake another 8 minutes or until rolls are golden and slightly firm to touch. Cool completely on a rack.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Olive Oil Salt Bread
With our soup the other night, I thought we needed some bread. However we had no bread in the house and it was too late for me to make my honey whole wheat bread. I remembered seeing a recipe for olive oil and salt bread in my Mark Bittman cookbook so I checked it out.
This is the perfect bread to go with soup recipe! It
takes about the same time to bake as it does to make a good soup (45 minutes of baking time). The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to be taunting me that I can't make biscuits (it is basically a type of biscuit--baking powder helps it rise instead of yeast). We all really liked it. Curtis and I dipped it in a little olive oil (I had some orange infused olive oil that I used). J and M also really liked it. I also liked cooking it in my black (cast-iron) skillet. There's just something about putting a black skillet into the oven to bake in that makes me happy.
Be sure to sprinkle the top with coarse salt at the halfway point. The salt on top was my favorite part about it, I believe. You can change the the add-ins to whatever you want. I also thought about adding some sun-dried tomatoes or rosemary or oregano. You can make it to match your soup! This uses a food processor to make it. I am sure you can also make it by hand. Just mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and briefly knead on a lightly floured surface.
Olive Oil Salt Bread
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
1/3 c olive oil
3 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt, preferably coarse or sea salt, plus coarse salt for sprinkling
1 c warm water
Add-in's:
1/4 - 1/2" grated Parmesan Cheese
2 T (or more) chopped black olives
Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade (the plastic one that came with the machine) and turn on. While the machine is running pour in the olive oil, then 3/4 c of the warm water through the feed tube. Process for 30 seconds. If the dough is too dry, add remaining water, 1 T at a time. If it is too wet, add a more flour, 1 T at a time. Process again if needed. The dough should be well-defined, not very sticky, and an easy to handle ball. Place the dough in a well oiled 8" oven-proof skillet or square baking pan. Press it until it fits the edges. Flip it over and press again. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375 degrees oven. Remove foil, sprinkle top with a little coarse salt, and bake another 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back when touched gently. Cool briefly and then cut and serve. This is best warm but will keep for up to a day.
This is the perfect bread to go with soup recipe! It
takes about the same time to bake as it does to make a good soup (45 minutes of baking time). The only thing I don't like about it is that it seems to be taunting me that I can't make biscuits (it is basically a type of biscuit--baking powder helps it rise instead of yeast). We all really liked it. Curtis and I dipped it in a little olive oil (I had some orange infused olive oil that I used). J and M also really liked it. I also liked cooking it in my black (cast-iron) skillet. There's just something about putting a black skillet into the oven to bake in that makes me happy.Be sure to sprinkle the top with coarse salt at the halfway point. The salt on top was my favorite part about it, I believe. You can change the the add-ins to whatever you want. I also thought about adding some sun-dried tomatoes or rosemary or oregano. You can make it to match your soup! This uses a food processor to make it. I am sure you can also make it by hand. Just mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and briefly knead on a lightly floured surface.
Olive Oil Salt Bread
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
1/3 c olive oil
3 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt, preferably coarse or sea salt, plus coarse salt for sprinkling
1 c warm water
Add-in's:
1/4 - 1/2" grated Parmesan Cheese
2 T (or more) chopped black olives
Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade (the plastic one that came with the machine) and turn on. While the machine is running pour in the olive oil, then 3/4 c of the warm water through the feed tube. Process for 30 seconds. If the dough is too dry, add remaining water, 1 T at a time. If it is too wet, add a more flour, 1 T at a time. Process again if needed. The dough should be well-defined, not very sticky, and an easy to handle ball. Place the dough in a well oiled 8" oven-proof skillet or square baking pan. Press it until it fits the edges. Flip it over and press again. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 375 degrees oven. Remove foil, sprinkle top with a little coarse salt, and bake another 20 - 25 minutes, until the top is golden and springs back when touched gently. Cool briefly and then cut and serve. This is best warm but will keep for up to a day.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sweet Potato Biscuits
As you may remember me saying before I am not a true Southerner. I know, I have lived my whole life South of the Mason/Dixon line, but I am still not a true Southerner. I was raised by a Northerner and a Midwestern. I know Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, jello salads, and casseroles. Southern food still beguiles me. Frying food---can be done only on occasion, okra--no thanks, black-eyed peas and the likes--you can have them, biscuits--as flat as flat can be.
I knew these wouldn't rise from the moment I made them. I had to cook sweet potatoes and mash them for the recipe and I didn't start far enough in advance. As I looked
at my steaming mass of mashed sweet potatoes, I knew that if that mound of orange didn't cool off quickly my biscuits were in big trouble. I put the sweet potatoes in the fridge, but wasn't able to cool them off fast enough. All my butter melted into the potatoes as I stirred and I knew. Flat biscuits once again.
The positive side--the biscuits still tasted good and the texture wasn't terrible. They weren't tough like some biscuits I've made or overwhelmingly dry. I liked them. So did my kids and husband so they weren't a total bomb. They just didn't have that nice rise and flakiness that good biscuits are supposed to have.
Learn from my mistake....cool the sweet potatoes thoroughly before starting the recipe. This will recipe will make 15 - 18 biscuits depending on the size of your biscuit cutter (which if you don't have, a drinking glass--upside down--works great).
Sweet Potato Biscuits
adapted From Baking, From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (totally worth it!! buy whole nutmeg in the bulk spice section and grate using a fine microplaner like you would for orange zest)
2 T packed light brown sugar
6 T butter, cold, cut into small pieces
3/4 - 1 c mashed sweet potatoes
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the brown sugar and stir to be sure there are no lumps. Drop in the flour, and using your fingers, combine the butter into the flour. Work quickly so the butter doesn't get too warm. Don't worry if the texture isn't consistent. Don't over stir, you should have lumps the size of oatmeal or peas. Stir in the sweet potatoes briefly with a fork until you have a nice soft dough. Give the dough a quick, gentle kneading, about 3-4 turns just to bring the dough into a round mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it is 1/2" thick. Using a biscuit cutter or the rim of glass, cut the dough into circles and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or well oiled. Work the scraps as little as possible and cut more biscuits until all the dough is used.
Bake in a preheated 425 degrees oven for 14 - 18 minutes. Let cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving. These supposedly are better after they cool. We wouldn't know. They went quickly.
I knew these wouldn't rise from the moment I made them. I had to cook sweet potatoes and mash them for the recipe and I didn't start far enough in advance. As I looked
at my steaming mass of mashed sweet potatoes, I knew that if that mound of orange didn't cool off quickly my biscuits were in big trouble. I put the sweet potatoes in the fridge, but wasn't able to cool them off fast enough. All my butter melted into the potatoes as I stirred and I knew. Flat biscuits once again.The positive side--the biscuits still tasted good and the texture wasn't terrible. They weren't tough like some biscuits I've made or overwhelmingly dry. I liked them. So did my kids and husband so they weren't a total bomb. They just didn't have that nice rise and flakiness that good biscuits are supposed to have.
Learn from my mistake....cool the sweet potatoes thoroughly before starting the recipe. This will recipe will make 15 - 18 biscuits depending on the size of your biscuit cutter (which if you don't have, a drinking glass--upside down--works great).
Sweet Potato Biscuits
adapted From Baking, From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (totally worth it!! buy whole nutmeg in the bulk spice section and grate using a fine microplaner like you would for orange zest)
2 T packed light brown sugar
6 T butter, cold, cut into small pieces
3/4 - 1 c mashed sweet potatoes
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the brown sugar and stir to be sure there are no lumps. Drop in the flour, and using your fingers, combine the butter into the flour. Work quickly so the butter doesn't get too warm. Don't worry if the texture isn't consistent. Don't over stir, you should have lumps the size of oatmeal or peas. Stir in the sweet potatoes briefly with a fork until you have a nice soft dough. Give the dough a quick, gentle kneading, about 3-4 turns just to bring the dough into a round mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until it is 1/2" thick. Using a biscuit cutter or the rim of glass, cut the dough into circles and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, or well oiled. Work the scraps as little as possible and cut more biscuits until all the dough is used.
Bake in a preheated 425 degrees oven for 14 - 18 minutes. Let cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving. These supposedly are better after they cool. We wouldn't know. They went quickly.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Soft Pretzels
Rainy days make me want to bake. I think this is probably because when I was a kid, on every snow day (or at least the first snow day of every snow day vacation), my dad would make homemade doughnuts. Here, we don't get snow days nearly often enough (hardly ever, in fact) and so those days the cool fronts roll substitute for snow days. Rainy days, work too, as long as it involves cooler temperatures and the gray clouds that roll and hang out for awhile.Having kids changes the whole love of rainy days. After a while, when my kids on our their 4th pair of clothes for the day, I need something for them to do inside. Pulling them into my baking schemes makes the most sense and pretzels are the perfect way to do that.
(M shaping a pretzel is pictured) Using the dough blade for an electric mixer makes this dough come together quickly (a little too quickly--I like to get my hands dirty when baking!). You could also do this by hand, it will just take a little elbow grease. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.Needless to say, everyone loved these pretzels. We ended up baking them on the Big Green Egg and they were wonderful. (Pictured is the last pretzel, which was the only one I had a chance to take a picture of--the rest disappeared too fast).
Soft Pretzels
from the Food Network, courtesy of Alton Brown
1 1/2 c warm water
1 T sugar
2 t salt
1 pkg (1 T) active dry yeast
4 1/2 c flour
1/4 c butter, melted
10 c water
2/3 c baking soda
1 lg egg yolk beaten with 1 T water
pretzel salt (or coarse sea salt or kosher salt)
Combine the water, sugar, and 2 t salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow to sit for 5 minutes or until mixture starts to foam. Add the flour and butter, and using a dough hook attachment on your mixer, mix on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 - 5 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 50 - 55 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
Bring the 10 c of water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot (I used my large soup pot---the pot should be wide, not tall and skinny). Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 16 pieces (8 if you want enormous pretzels). Roll out each piece into a 12" rope. Make a U shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to make the pretzel shape. Place on a parchment lined baking pan. Place the pretzels in the boiling water (one at a time) for 30 seconds. Remove from the water and put on a cooling rack. Brush the top of each pretzel with beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Transfer back to baking pan and bake in a preheated 450 degrees oven for 12 - 14 minutes, or until dark golden brown in color. Cool for 5 minutes until serving.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Experiments in Baking--Brioche
I have a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine--that probably surprises no one who checks the blog regularly since my favorite place to get recipes online is Epicurious. This has been a very good thing for my cooking. It encouraged me to try cooking Julia Child recipes and, even better, it introduced me to brioche.
Brioche is wonderful French bread, supposedly up there with croissants as a breakfast bread in France. It is buttery and has eggs in it, moving it slightly over into the realm of cakes. It is flaky and light. It is incredible warm with some nutella smeared over top. It is very time consuming to make as far as breads go (which usually take a lot of hands off time and just a little hands on time), both in letting sit--overnight in the refrigerator in fact--and in hands on time--turning the dough every 30 minutes for 2 hours.
The recipe is long and pretty detailed. I would make no changes to the recipe. So instead of repeating the whole thing here, I will instead send you to Bon Appetit's website so you can look up the recipe yourself. (Click here for accompanying article about brioche with some helpful hints). Try it. One Friday or Saturday late afternoon start the dough. Finish it the following morning and have a little vacation to France, right in your own house.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Whole Wheat Bread
The other day, I needed bread. I decided it was easier to make homemade bread than to load up and coral three children through a grocery store on not a good's night sleep (and thus, not much patience). In the process, I think I may have finally found my whole wheat bread recipe. (By the way--This is not a 100% whole wheat bread recipe, but a mixture of white flour and whole wheat flour.) I have tried a variety of recipes over the past few years, but haven't been convinced to repeat any of them. This one I liked. The texture was good---not too dense, but with dense enough to support jam. The flavor was great. It is nice to finally have that "go to" whole wheat bread recipe that was missing from my collection.
I did use bread flour for this--we somehow ended up with 3 partially opened and 1 unopened bag of bread flour in our pantry and I wanted to start using it up. It worked just fine.
Whole Wheat Bread
from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
3 - 3 1/2 all purpose flour
1 pkg (1 T) active dry yeast
1 3/4 c water
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T butter
1 1/4 t salt
2 c whole wheat flour
Combine 2 c of all purpose flour and the yeast. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat water, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (you should still be able to comfortably put your finger in the mixture--hotter than that and you will kill the yeast--120 - 140 degrees F) and the butter is melted. Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole wheat flour and as much of remaining all-purpose flour as possible.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 6- 8 minutes, adding enough additional flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape into a bowl and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning ball to grease surface. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (1 - 1 1/2 hours). Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape halves in loafs and place in lightly greased 8 x 4 x 2" loaf pans. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 30 - 45 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degrees oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove bread from pans and cool on wire racks.
I did use bread flour for this--we somehow ended up with 3 partially opened and 1 unopened bag of bread flour in our pantry and I wanted to start using it up. It worked just fine.
Whole Wheat Bread
from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
3 - 3 1/2 all purpose flour
1 pkg (1 T) active dry yeast
1 3/4 c water
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T butter
1 1/4 t salt
2 c whole wheat flour
Combine 2 c of all purpose flour and the yeast. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat water, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (you should still be able to comfortably put your finger in the mixture--hotter than that and you will kill the yeast--120 - 140 degrees F) and the butter is melted. Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole wheat flour and as much of remaining all-purpose flour as possible.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 6- 8 minutes, adding enough additional flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape into a bowl and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning ball to grease surface. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (1 - 1 1/2 hours). Punch down dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape halves in loafs and place in lightly greased 8 x 4 x 2" loaf pans. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size, about 30 - 45 minutes. Bake in preheated 375 degrees oven for 35 - 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove bread from pans and cool on wire racks.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year's
We alternate New Year's traditions between Southern and Pennsylvania Dutch. This is a southern year (since Curtis had to put up with my family for a week!). We had black-eyed pea soup, cornbread, and greens with sauce (I used kale instead of collards because we didn't get any collards this week in our box). I usually like black-eye pea soup, but didn't this year. I am going to blame that on being pregnant. J ate the soup just fine. M just wanted to eat cornbread and honey. She said she didn't like to eat "eyes." We did get her to taste one bean. Maybe next year she'll like it better.
Black-eyed Pea Soup
2 c fresh (frozen, but not canned) black-eyed peas
2 chopped jalapenos (more or less 3 T worth), optional
4 slices uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces
4 c chicken or turkey stock
1/2 c water
1 T garlic, minced
1/2 c onion, minced
Saute bacon, onion, and garlic together in a heavy skillet. In a heavy saucepan, combine cooked bacon, peas, jalapenos, and stock. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer until peas are tender, about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Corn Bread
1/3 c sugar
3 T oil
4 eggs
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1 /2 c milk
Cream together oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar mixture alternately with milk. Stir just until blended. Pour into lightly greased 9 x 9" pan. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 30 - 45 minutes.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
It is a long standing tradition in my family to have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning before we open presents. I know craziness, to do anything before presents , but that's how we do it. Whether we are at my parents' house or ours, cinnamon rolls come first. It's always a debate about whose recipe we are going to make--my brother's, my dad's or mine. We've come to an understanding that whatever state is hosting gets to make the rolls. This year, I got to make my cinnamon rolls. I think this is one of the best tasting roll recipes I've had--I've even gotten my brother to convert to my recipe!
To make preparation easier on Christmas morning. I let the formed rolls rise overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, when I preheat the oven, I remove the rolls from the fridge and let them warm up on the counter before putting them in the hot oven. This extends the cooking time slightly. Another option would be to form this into a bread loaf of cinnamon swirl bread (also very good!).
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
1/4 c warm water
1 T active dry yeast
2 c whole wheat bread flour (or regular whole wheat if you can't find w.w. bread flour)
1 c milk, scalded
3/4 c orange juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1 T orange peel, grated
1 1/2 t salt
3 1/2 - 5 1/2 c bread flour
2 T butter, melted
2/3 c sugar
2 T ground cinnamon
Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Combine whole wheat flour, milk, orange juice, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 c butter, egg, orange peel, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well. When cooled to lukewarm, add yeast mixture and mix. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8 - 10 minutes or until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours. Punch down and divide in half. Roll or stretch each portion to a large rectangle.
Combine 1/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Put 1/2 of melted butter on each rectangle. Top with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up lengthwise and cut into 1 - 2 inch slices (the easiest way to do this is with a string. Loop the bottom of the string underneath the dough. Cross the ends and pull until the string cuts the dough). Place in greased 9 - 13 inch baking pan. (If making this a day ahead, put in the refrigerator now). Let rise until doubled in size. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 - 25 minutes. Leave in pans for 5 minutes, then cool on wire rack. Top with favorite cinnamon roll icing (either cream cheese/confectioners sugar or just confectioners sugar/water icing) if desired. We usually eat these without icing. However, as M believes, icing never hurt anything! This will make 18 - 24 rolls depending on size.
To make preparation easier on Christmas morning. I let the formed rolls rise overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, when I preheat the oven, I remove the rolls from the fridge and let them warm up on the counter before putting them in the hot oven. This extends the cooking time slightly. Another option would be to form this into a bread loaf of cinnamon swirl bread (also very good!).
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
1/4 c warm water
1 T active dry yeast
2 c whole wheat bread flour (or regular whole wheat if you can't find w.w. bread flour)
1 c milk, scalded
3/4 c orange juice
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1 T orange peel, grated
1 1/2 t salt
3 1/2 - 5 1/2 c bread flour
2 T butter, melted
2/3 c sugar
2 T ground cinnamon
Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Combine whole wheat flour, milk, orange juice, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 c butter, egg, orange peel, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well. When cooled to lukewarm, add yeast mixture and mix. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8 - 10 minutes or until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours. Punch down and divide in half. Roll or stretch each portion to a large rectangle.
Combine 1/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Put 1/2 of melted butter on each rectangle. Top with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up lengthwise and cut into 1 - 2 inch slices (the easiest way to do this is with a string. Loop the bottom of the string underneath the dough. Cross the ends and pull until the string cuts the dough). Place in greased 9 - 13 inch baking pan. (If making this a day ahead, put in the refrigerator now). Let rise until doubled in size. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 - 25 minutes. Leave in pans for 5 minutes, then cool on wire rack. Top with favorite cinnamon roll icing (either cream cheese/confectioners sugar or just confectioners sugar/water icing) if desired. We usually eat these without icing. However, as M believes, icing never hurt anything! This will make 18 - 24 rolls depending on size.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Cabbage Bread Soup
The soup has a much fancier name that makes it sound more appealing if you like Italian names: valle d'aosta soup. However, it means nothing to me, so I renamed it. It was great comfort food for this cold evening and it used up 3/4 of my cabbage. Curtis and I loved it, as did M. I had forgotten that Curtis had gotten her hooked on cabbage on our road trip. She had 3 bowls of soup. J thought the cheese and cabbage was pretty good, but for a change, he didn't eat the broth laden bread. The only changes I would make in the future would be to use a saltier cheese (I used cheddar instead of the fontina it called for) or add a lot more salt to the soup. Other than that, it was perfect for a cold December day.
Cabbage Bread Soup
4 c cubed bread (about 1/2 pound)
5 T butter
5 - 6 c cabbage, thinly sliced or grated (easiest way to grate is using a food processor slicer or shredder attachment if you have one)
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt (or more) to taste
6 c broth (I used 5 c chicken broth and 1 c water)
2 c grated cheese
Spread the bread cubes evenly in a 2 -qt ovenproof dish If the cubes aren't dry (mine weren't), toast them briefly in a preheated 350 degrees oven. Melt 3 T of butter and drizzle over the bread. Set aside.
Meanwhile, blanch the cabbage until just tender in a boiling pot of water, about 2 minutes. Drain well. Spread the cabbage over the bread. Melt the remaining 2 T butter and stir in the nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Pour the seasoned butter on the cabbage and bread. Pour the stock over everything and evenly spread the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese melts and the starts to brown (in a preheated 350 degrees oven), 25 - 35 minutes.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Autumn Vegetable Soup and Oatmeal Muffins
We came back from our trip with colds (at least Curtis and I) so I decided tonight was a good soup night. I needed to use the kale from last week and the autumn vegetable soup (look back in the posts for that recipe) was sounding pretty yummy! To go with it, I made cinnamon topped oatmeal muffins.
M, Curtis and I loved the soup and the muffins. J held out for only the muffins. I am glad they at least had oatmeal in them to make them a little healthier!
To make the muffins, I stirred 1 c sifted flour, 1/4 c sugar, 3 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt, and 1 c rolled oats together (you could also had 1/2 c raisins here, but I am not a raisin girl). In a measuring cup, I combined 3 T oil, 1 beaten egg, and 1 c milk. I mixed everything together until it was just moistened. I filled greased muffin tins 2/3 way fill (it should fill about 12 depending on how small/big you make them) with the batter. Then I topped it with 2 T sugar, 2 t flour, 1 t cinnamon, and 1 t melted butter I had combined in a small bowl. I sprinkled a little of the cinnamon mixture on top of each muffin and baked in a preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes.
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