Breadsticks

It was 8:00 one night and, although the past few nights had been cold, this particular night was quite warm. That gave me an idea and I thought, I just have to take advantage of the higher temperature. I'm going to bake some bread. Apparently, the fact that it wouldn't be done until almost 11pm didn't faze me. I wanted bread and by golly, I was going to have it.


But, I didn't feel like making a loaf. No, instead, I had breadsticks on the brain. I used a recipe I found on Our Best Bites and it did not disappoint. The breadsticks were perfectly chewy with a nice crust. They would probably be delicious dipped into some marinara sauce, or brushed with some garlic butter, or, Our Best Bites suggested also sprinkling them with cinnamon-sugar for a sweet treat. However way you make them, they're sure to please.

Breadsticks (Our Best Bites)

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it’s okay if they’re close; pulling apart hot bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures!

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425F. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cranberry Orange Ginger Bread

When I was a kid, I remember how I only liked bread if it was white, and, of course, that meant the squishy, air-filled, breads you find in the supermarket aisle. Thank goodness my palate has since changed and I've grown to love breads of all kinds and flavors and textures. Yup, those supermarket breads no longer have a presence in my home.


Now only fresh, homemade bread appears on my table and it's anything but plain white. I specifically search for recipes that are full of something special that will wow the tastebuds, and boy do I ever have a lot of recipes all queued up just waiting to be made.

This time, since dried cranberries were super cheap, I decided to make this Cranberry Bread found on The Avid Baker. It's got that delicious combo of cranberries and orange, but this time in a yeast bread instead of a quick bread. Naturally, I couldn't resist dressing it up just a little with some candied ginger. I just knew it would pair well with the flavors.



I just loved how this bread was studded with fruit in every bite and the orange was not at all overpowering. That's just how I like it and the ginger also added a yummy touch. Not to mention that the egg glaze turns the crust into something truly superb (I could nibble on that alone and be happy). The bread is a little denser than others which probably means that it would make one fantastic french toast too. With breads like this, who needs storebought? I definitely can't wait to bake bread again.


Cranberry Orange Ginger Bread (adapted from The Avid Baker)

1 1/2 c. bread flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk, warmed to 110F (I used skim milk)
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1-2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
1 egg yolk mixed w/ a little water (for glazing)

Combine the milk and the yeast with a pinch of sugar and let sit till foamy, about 5 min. Add the melted butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest and stir until well blended.

Add the flour a half cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (you may need to add a little more - the dough will still be tacky though). Transfer to a floured work surface and knead the dough until smooth and slightly tacky, but not sticky, adding more flour if necessary, about 7 min. Knead in the dried cranberries a little at a time. You can also knead in the ginger now or see below for what I did. Form the dough into a ball.

Oil a large bowl. Add the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two mini loaf pans. Punch down the dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two pieces. Roll each piece out into a small rectangle. At this point, you can sprinkle the ginger on top and then roll it up jelly roll style and put it into a mini loaf pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour until doubled in size. You can sprinkle more ginger on top if you wish. Glaze with the egg yolk + water. Bake at 350F for 25-30 min. Let cool in pans for a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:

1. I put my dough into the fridge overnight for the first rising.
   
2. The original recipe called for 1/2 Tbsp. orange extract, but the orange zest + juice works just as well.
   
3. The recipe above is half the original recipe which gave me two mini loaves.
   

Finnish Coffee Braid

This Sunday, I decided that I wanted to make some sweet bread and this Finnish Coffee Braid has been on my radar for some time. It's made special by the additions of orange and cardamom as well as the fact that it's formed into a pretty braided ring and bakes up all golden and shiny. Who wouldn't like to wake up to this in the morning?

To save time, I always start the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge to cold rise until the next morning. Yup, extra sleep on a Sunday morning is always a welcome thing. That way, the only thing left to do is set it up for a second rise and then bake it.


Lately, the mornings have been getting colder making it more difficult to get bread to rise in the house. So, I've come up with a couple of tricks. One way is to preheat your oven on the lowest temperature and then put the dough in there. You can choose to either turn the oven off or keep it on. Either way will be alright. The other method I use is to put it into my car. I kid you not. Since the car is parked outside, the sun heats up the inside and makes a perfect place for the dough to rise.


Once it gets all nice and puffy, simply glaze it with some egg yolk and milk and pop it into your oven. Yeah, about that glazing step . . . after it had already been baking in the oven for 10 min., I suddenly remembered that I hadn't glazed it. So, I quickly rushed to the oven and pulled it out. Memo to me: panicking while holding a 350F metal cookie sheet is NOT a good idea. Without thinking, my unprotected hand touched the sheet resulting in a small burn. That'll teach me to calm down next time.

Glaze - check. Back into the oven where it turned a lovely shiny golden brown and this incredible orange-y smell began to permeate the kitchen. The finished bread was wonderful. My braid didn't exactly come out perfect (it kinda became misshapen as it baked), but that didn't affect the taste one bit. All that yummy orange flavor in every bite of soft, sweet bread was simply delicious. This bread is a feast for the eyes and for the palate.



Finnish Coffee Braid (Sweet Jumbles)

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
1 c. milk
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar (I increased this to 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cardamom (I doubled this to 1 tsp.)
grated peel of one orange (I doubled the amount of zest)
5 c. all-purpose flour

Glaze: 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbsp. milk (or water)

Combine yeast and warm water with a pinch of sugar and let sit 5 min. until foamy.

Place milk and butter in a saucepan (or microwave safe bowl) and heat until butter is melted and milk is hot but does not boil. Cool to lukewarm.

Add eggs and milk/butter mixture to the yeast. Add sugar, salt, cardamom, and orange zest, stirring to combine. Gradually add the flour to make a stiff dough (I probably used 4-4 1/2 cups).

Turn dough out to a well-floured surface and knead until smooth.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.

Punch down and divide into two portions, then divide each portion into three pieces. Form each third into a rope about 18-24 inches long. Braid the ropes, pinching the ends to form them into rings.

Place each ring onto a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush each loaf with the glaze and bake 35 min. or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Notes:

1. I didn't have any milk so I used 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 c. water to make it into a liquid.
2. I increased the sugar and doubled the cardamom and orange zest in the recipe. I highly recommend doing so as it made for a very flavorful bread.

This recipe is linked to:

My Meatless Monday
A Little Birdie Told Me
This Chick Cooks
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Cast Party Wednesday
Whisking Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Friday's Potluck

Honey Yogurt Bread

Do you ever find yourself craving bread? At times like that, sweets just won't cut it for me. I need carbs, lots of them.

This bread is just the thing to satisfy that craving. It's not sweet at all, even with the honey in it, and it is so soft and so chewy, almost reminiscent of a potato bread. There's just nothing like it when you remove it from the oven with its crackly crust, tear off a hunk, spread it with butter, take a warm bite, and ooohhhhhh.


I made the bread into mini loaves, but I know without a doubt that it would be awesome made into dinner rolls. This bread recipe is going into my "favorites" list for sure.

Honey Yogurt Bread (adapted from I Like Lemons)

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey (I doubled it to 3 Tbsp.)
1/2 c. warm water (110F)
1 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 tsp. salt (I decreased this to 1 tsp. salt)
3 c. all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine warm water and 1/2 Tbsp. honey. Add the yeast and let sit for 5 min. until foamy.

Stir in 1 cup of flour and mix well. Allow to sit for 5 min. so that the flour can absorb the liquid. Then, add in the remaining honey, yogurt, and salt. (Note: It will look like a lump of dough and it'll be a little difficult to beat the yogurt into it. Just beat it with all your might and the dough will even out into a thick, smooth batter.) Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl (I used about 1 cup of flour).

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 8-10 min. (During the process, I kneaded in about 1/2 cup more of flour.) You'll know you've kneaded it enough when it passes the windowpane test.

Lightly grease a clean bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat the surface with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Turn risen dough onto a floured surface and knead for about a minute to remove air bubbles. Form dough into a ball and allow to rest, covered for 15 min. (Note: I missed this step but the bread still turned out great.) Grease two mini loaf pans.

Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each one into about a 9x7 inch rectangle. Starting at the shorter edge, tightly roll dough up, jelly roll style, pressing the seam and the ends well to seal. Place loaves seam side down in the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Slash the top of each loaf lengthwise. Bake for 20-25 min., until loaves are golden brown. Remove from pans and allow to cool on wire racks.

Cherry Rosemary Focaccia

When you think of the words "match made in heaven," what comes to mind? In the foodie sense, I think of chocolate and peanut butter, lemon and ginger, and raspberries and white chocolate. But, have you ever thought that those words could apply to cherries and rosemary? Up until now, I never even imagined of combining the two. That is, until that one fateful Sweets for a Saturday when Catalina of Catalina Bakes linked up her recipe for Cherry Rosemary Yogurt Mini Loaves. She absolutely raved about how well the two flavors complemented each other.


As it turns out, the idea to pair cherries and rosemary in sweets or baked goods wasn't a new one. Upon further search, here are some other recipes I found that use the same combo.

Cherry Rosemary Scones by Honey and Jam

Rosemary Chocolate Cherry Semifreddo by Profound Hatred of Meat

Cherry and Rosemary Shortbread Cookies by There's a Newf in My Soup

Sweet Cherry and Rosemary Biscuits by The Olive Press


Then, of course, there was the one recipe that caught my eye - Cherry Rosemary Focaccia. It was on Food Gal's site and it looked so wonderful that I knew I had to try this especially since I had never tried a sweet focaccia before. However, I didn't use her recipe. Instead, I used my go-to King Arthur Flour No-Fuss Focaccia recipe and topped it off with the cherries and rosemary as well as a little demerara sugar while it baked.


First of all, let me just say that this focaccia bread turns out absolutely beautiful. The dark red cherries stand out in contrast to the lighter background of the bread and make for one eye-catching loaf. Then, there's the taste. It is such a delicious thrill to bite into it with the juice from the sweet cherries exploding in your mouth and the rosemary there in the background melding perfectly with it. I'm so glad that I learned about this new flavor sensation.


This is now my new favorite focaccia. I can't wait to make it again, and again, and again.

Cherry Rosemary Focaccia (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. olive oil (plus additional 1/2 Tbsp. for drizzling)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. active-dry yeast
4 tsp. sugar

25-30 pitted dark cherries, halved
2 - 2 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 -1 Tbsp. demerara sugar (i.e. raw sugar) for sprinkling

Combine the warm water with the active dry yeast and the 4 tsp. sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5-10 min.

Add the flour and salt gradually to the yeast mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until your dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (the dough will be very soft).

Drizzle 2 Tbsp. olive oil into a 9x13 metal pan. Place the dough into the pan. Cover and let rise for 60 min., till it's become puffy. (Note: the risen dough will be super sticky so make sure that whatever you use to cover it will not touch the dough by the end of the hour or you can grease the plastic wrap) While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375F. Gently poke the risen dough all over with your index finger. Drizzle it lightly with the remaining olive oil and arrange the cherries on top. Sprinkle with the dried rosemary. Bake the bread till it's golden brown, about 35-40 min. In the last 5 min., sprinkle with the demerara sugar. When bread is done baking, place it under the broiler for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. This will caramelize the sugar on top so that it sticks to the bread.

Bushman Bread

I've never eaten at Outback Steakhouse before, so I had never heard of something called Bushman Bread. But, when Mickey from Monster Mama posted about it in her blog, I was intrigued. The recipe called for ingredients like cocoa powder and molasses and just looked too good to pass up. So, I whipped up a batch the very next day.

I ended up making quite a few changes to the recipe. For one thing, I didn't have any food coloring, so my loaves ended up being only a light brown rather than the rad purplish color that Mickey's got. Secondly, I realized while making the bread that I was out of bread flour. I could have sworn that I had some left, but apparently I had already used it up on something else. I also don't usually have wheat flour on hand either. So, I ended up using only all-purpose flour to make the bread. Finally, I changed the order in which the ingredients were mixed.

But, even with all the changes, the bread still turned out perfectly. It really did make the house smell amazing as it baked and I couldn't stop nibbling at the crust when it came out of the oven. I'm definitely glad I tried this recipe out. I don't know how close it is to the actual Outback Bushman Bread, but it's good enough for me.

Bushman Bread (adapted from Monster Mama)

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. molasses
cornmeal, for dusting

Mix sugar with warm water, then dissolve the yeast in the solution. Let stand 5 min. until foamy. Combine the honey, molasses, and butter. Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Add the cocoa powder and salt, then add the flour gradually until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.

Knead the dough for about 10 min. in a lightly floured surface, then roll into a ball and place it in a covered bowl in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size. When dough has doubled, separate it into 4 even portions. Roll each into a log shape. Sprinkle cornmeal all over work surface. Moisten your hands and rub a little on each loaf and roll each one into the cornmeal. Transfer each log onto a cookie sheet (or you can put each one into a mini bread pan like I did) and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to rise for another hour until they have doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350F. Uncover and bake 35-40 min. When bread is done, let it cool for 10-15 min.

Makes 4 mini loaves

Chocolate Croissants

Well, you all know my dad's favorite treats, so now I'll share one of my mom's. As I've mentioned before, my mom loves the movie, "It's Complicated." You might remember this one scene in the movie where Meryl Streep and Steve Martin are making chocolate croissants in a bakery late one night. Well, ever since watching this movie, "It's Complicated," my mom has been begging me to make her some chocolate croissants. However, as many of you know, croissants are not the easiest thing to make. They require a butter packet and turns that you need to keep track of, not to mention the fact that they start with a yeast bread which takes time. The idea of even attempting these croissants got farther and farther from my mind.



Then, I came across Sarah Flinn's recipe on her site, Call Me Fudge (she also has a great picture tutorial so you can see exactly what to do). Her croissants looked so wonderful and the best part was that they employed a simpler method. Instead of a butter packet, you simply dot the dough with butter before folding it up. I made sure to ask her a LOT of questions and she was so sweet to answer them all so that I could understand exactly how to go about making the croissants. Finally, I felt confident enough to begin.

It is still a long process since there's a lot of waiting time involved - rising, chilling, etc. So, I started making the dough the night before so that we could have them for breakfast the next morning.

I filled each one with a Hershey's nugget and dressed them up by drizzling more chocolate on top. Then, my mom and I took a bite. We marveled at all the buttery layers and were both pleased that the Hershey's nuggets had melted inside for one deliciously gooey chocolaty bite after another.


It was a long process, to be sure, and a lot of hard work, but it was all worth it to see how happy my mom was. One day, I will be daring enough to make croissants in the more conventional way, but, for now, this one is going to be my go-to recipe.



Croissants (adapted from Call Me Fudge)

1 pkg. active dry yeast
3/4 c. milk (I used skim milk)
2 c. bread flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
8 milk chocolate Hershey's nuggets
1 egg yolk

1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk (about 105-115F) with 1 tsp. of sugar. Let stand 5 min. until foamy. Combine the flour with the salt and remaining sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture. Knead together to form a dough and shape into a ball (I had to add a tablespoon or so of water in order to get everything to hold together). Place in a greased bowl and turn your dough over so that all sides are greased. Let rise until it doubles in size (about 30 min.-1 hour).

2. Roll the dough out in a long rectangle. Dot with butter (a little more than 1 Tbsp.). Fold in thirds (like an envelope) then turn so an open side is facing you. Dot with butter and fold again. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for about 30 min. (the dough will rise while it chills)

3. Roll out chilled dough into a long rectangle. Dot with butter. Fold in the left and right sides until they meet at an invisible center line and then fold it in half at that line. Turn the dough 90 degrees. Roll it out again into a long rectangle, dot it with butter, and repeat the folding step. Wrap it up and put it back in the fridge to chill for 30 min.

4. Repeat Step 3 again. Chill the dough for at least 30 min., but preferably overnight.

5. After chilling the dough, roll it out into a 12"x16" rectangle and cut into eight 4"x6" rectangles. Cut the Hershey's nuggets in half lengthwise. Put two pieces in the middle of each smaller rectangle and roll up one third of the dough (from the shorter side first) over the chocolate. Roll it over and seal it to the other side. Place the croissants on a greased cookie sheet and put it back in the fridge to chill for 30 min. (this will prevent the butter from running out of the dough)

6. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425F. Remove the croissants from the fridge and brush each one with the egg yolk mixed with a little water. Bake for 15-20 min. Let cool a little and drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired.

This recipe is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked
Let's Break Bread Together
Sweet Tooth Friday
My Meatless Mondays
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Bake with Bizzy
Hearth n' Soul Hop

No-Fuss Focaccia

I love looking at the fresh baked breads in the bakery section of the grocery store. French bread, ciabatta bread, shepherder's bread, they all look so good. But, the one that especially calls out to me is the focaccia bread. How can you possibly resist something that looks like a pizza?



Well, difficult though it may be, I do resist after seeing the $4 price tag on it. How can something made out of flour, water, yeast, and a little olive oil possibly cost so much? Wait a minute. I have all those ingredients at home. Surely I could make my own, right? Thanks to the King Arthur Flour site, I found out that anyone can make focaccia. In fact, it's so quick and easy that the recipe is called, "Blitz Bread or No-Fuss Focaccia."


All you have to do is mix up your ingredients and put the dough into a baking pan with a little olive oil in it. Let it rise, drizzle with a little more oil, season to your liking, and bake. That's it. No "secret" ingredients or complicated techniques. Soon, you'll be taking a gorgeous loaf of focaccia out of your oven and wondering why you've never done this before.

The finished focaccia was so good. It was fluffy and flavorful and every bit as good as anything from the grocery store, even better because it was fresh. This may have been my first focaccia but it most certainly will not be my last.


No-Fuss Focaccia (aka Blitz Bread) - adapted from King Arthur Flour

3/4 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
5/8 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tomato, de-seeded and sliced

Combine the warm water with the active dry yeast and the 2 tsp. sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5-10 min.

Add the flour and salt gradually to the yeast mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until your dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl (the dough will be very soft).

Drizzle 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil into a 9-inch round cake pan. Place the dough into the pan. Cover and let rise for 60 min., till it's become puffy. (Note: the risen dough will be super sticky so make sure that whatever you use to cover it will not touch the dough by the end of the hour or you can grease the plastic wrap) While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375F. Gently poke the risen dough all over with your index finger. Drizzle it lightly with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Top with the tomato slices. Bake the bread till it's golden brown, about 35-40 min.

Notes:

• The recipe as written here is for a half batch. If you bake the full batch, KAF directs you to make it in a 9x13 pan.
• I adapted this recipe so that it could be made without a stand mixer and using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast.
  
• My gas oven doesn't brown bread at all, so I baked mine for about 32 min., then put it under the broiler for 2 min. It browned up beautifully. If you do this, make sure you watch it well because you don't want it to go from browned to burnt.

This recipe is linked to:
Full Plate Thursday
These Chicks Cooked
Made it on Monday
Fat Camp Friday
Fresh Food Friday

Orange Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

I absolutely love baking bread. I suppose I'm a little odd, but I take great delight when I see my yeast bubble and foam or a beautiful lump of dough all doubled in size. All these things just hint at the yummy bread that will soon be baking up in my oven.

This time, I decided to try a sweet bread and boy what a sweet bread it was. I've been seeing a recipe for Lemon Pull-Apart Bread and really wanted to try it, but lemons are not exactly on sale right now. I soon got to thinking that an orange version might work. Then, to my absolute glee, that is exactly what appeared on Lizzy's blog, "That Skinny Chick Can Bake." Her pictures were all I needed to see and I decided to proceed, full steam ahead.

I will tell you in advance that this recipe does take a lot of time, effort, and preparation. It also caused me a little stress because I once again decided to try rolling it out on waxed paper. You would think I'd have learned my lesson from when I made cinnamon rolls. Word to the wise, it doesn't matter how much you flour the waxed paper, in the end it will still STICK. A cookie sheet or your counter is probably a much better idea. I also forgot to grease my bread pan, so halfway through the second rising, I began sticking an oiled knife into the sides, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. Luckily, the bread still popped out in the end.

But, is all of this worth it? Of course it is!!! In the end, you will be rewarded with this soft brioche type bread in which every piece is infused with a delicious orange flavor. And do not even think about skipping the cream cheese icing on top. It is an absolute must!!! It takes everything up to the next level and will truly make your bread the piece de resistance of any table.

Believe me, this is one of the ultimate breads. One bite and you will swoon. You may want to shout about it from the rooftops. Okay, maybe not cause then you'd have to share. But, your tastebuds will definitely do a little happy dance

Orange Pull-Apart Coffee Cake
(adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake)

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/3 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. salted butter
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (I just used all orange zest)

Cream Cheese Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese (I used 4 oz. cream cheese)
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. orange juice

Grease a standard loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 inches).

Heat milk and butter just in microwave or on stove until butter melts. Add water, then allow to cool till just warm (110-115F). Add the yeast and 2 tsp. sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 min. Add the vanilla.

Combine the flour and the rest of the sugar. Add to the yeast mixture and mix till flour is just moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, beating till incorporated. Add 1/2 c. flour and mix till dough is smooth. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and mix till smooth.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough for about a minute. Add the last 2 Tbsp. flour if dough is too sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat, cover, and let rise in a warm place till doubled, about 1 hour.

Rub the orange zest into the sugar until it is orange and fragrant. Combine with the melted butter and set aside.

Punch down the dough and roll into a 12x20 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the filling on the dough. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 5 strips, each 12x4 inches (use a ruler to get this as accurate as possible). Carefully stack the strips on top of each other, so you have a stack of five 12x4 inch rectangles.

Cut this stack into 6 equal rectangles, each 2 inches wide. Carefully place each of these smaller stacks into the loaf pan, cut side up. Cover and let rise in a warm spot till doubled, about 45 min.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 30-45 min. (mine took 30 min.). Cool on rack about 10-15 min., then remove from pan to rack to continue cooling.

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar till smooth. Add the milk and juice and mix till combined. Ice warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is linked to:
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Rook 17
Full Plate Thursday
Fat Camp Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday
What's Cookin' in the Kitchen
Your Recipes My Kitchen
Let's Break Bread Together
Themed Bakers' Sunday

French Bread

Suddenly I'm on a bread baking kick and this time, I decided to finally try my hand at French Bread. I have to admit, my loaf is not as pretty as I would have liked it to be. Somehow, it got a little crooked. I also realized that I should have made the slashes longer, if only for that great popped open effect on the top.


But, once it was sliced, it was a different story. The crust was thick, chewy, and crunchy, the bread inside was soft and fluffy, and boy did it ever taste good.


If I had known it was this easy to make, I would have done it long ago. Oh well, at least now I'll have a future full of yummy bread, and that's not a bad thing at all.

French Bread (adapted from Allrecipes)

6 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. warm water (110F)
1 tsp. sugar (I added this)
1 Tbsp. cornmeal
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. water

Combine the yeast with the 2 c. warm water and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 min. Combine 2 cups flour with the salt. Add this to the yeast mixture. Beat until well blended using a mixer or a spoon. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (I ended up using 5-5 1/2 c. flour total). Knead for about 8-10 min. Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 min. Roll each half tightly into a large rectangle. Roll up from the long side. Moisten edges with water and seal. Taper ends.

Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 Tbsp. water. Brush onto the loaves. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, about 35-40 min.

With a very sharp knife, make 3-4 diagonal cuts about 1/4" deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 20 min. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15-20 min., or until bread tests done (mine took about 15 min.). If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

This recipe is linked to:
What's Cooking Wednesday

No-Knead Bread

I have finally jumped on the no-knead bread wagon and am loving the ride. It's almost like magic how you can use so little yeast, leave the dough on your counter, and then wind up with a loaf of bread that looks like it came from a bakery. Crusty on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside, I guarantee you will fall in love with this bread. My family consumed slice after slice and then proceeded to "order" several more loaves from me. I feel like a bakery already.

No-Knead Bread (from the New York Times)



1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. bread flour
1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 5/8 c. water
cornmeal

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 min.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel an dust with more flour, bran, or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 400F. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot or ceramic baking dish in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove it from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is okay. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

This recipe is linked to:
Rook 17
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Recipe Swap Thursday
Friday Potluck
Fat Camp Fridays
Decidedly Healthy or Horridly Decadent
What's Cookin' in the Kitchen

The BEST Bread I Have Ever Eaten

This past Sunday, I had signed up to bring the bread for our church's sacrament meeting. But, instead of simply buying some from the store, I decided to bake my own instead. As for a recipe, I decided to go with one that I had seen on the site, At Home with Haley. It looked so good that I knew this was the one I wanted to try.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe and used regular all-purpose flour and water instead of whole wheat flour and milk, simply because that's what I had on hand at the time. I also decided to form the dough into rolls and mini loaves using these cute ceramic bread pans I found at Michael's.


When the bread was finally baked, I could hardly wait to try a piece. The crust was a beautiful golden brown and had a fantastic crunch. The inside of the loaves were pillowy soft. And the taste, ohhhhhh the taste. I know you're thinking this is just plain white bread, but this is anything but plain. My eyes popped open in delight as I took my first bite and I just could not stop exclaiming about how delicious it was. After finishing my first slice, I went back for a second and would have gone back for a third and even a fourth if I had allowed myself the luxury. Seriously, it was THE best bread I have ever tasted, hands down, I kid you not. This will forever and ever be my go-to recipe for bread and rolls. Thank you Haley!!!


Sandwich Bread (adapted from At Home with Haley)

2 c. whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose flour)
2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. yeast
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (if using salted butter, omit 1 tsp. salt)
1/4 c. honey
1 1/4 c. warm milk or water - 105F (I used all water)

Combine the water, melted butter, and honey in a bowl and heat until it reaches 105-110F. (I microwaved it to get it to reach that temperature) Add the yeast and let sit until mixture is foamy, about 5 min.

Mix the 2 cups of bread flour with the salt. Add to the yeast mixture. Stir in the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl (I ended up adding about 1 1/2 cups). Knead mixture by hand on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes until dough is soft and pliable. If it is too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time. If it is too dry, add a teaspoon of milk or water at a time. The proportions may vary depending on your climate. (I ended up kneading in about 1/4 cup of flour in the process.)

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, then flip the dough bottom side up to lightly coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 30-60 min. or until doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Roll each half into a rectangle about 10x14". Starting with the 10" side, roll the dough up, pinching together as you go to make a log. Pinch all seams together with moist fingers. Fold ends under and place dough seam side down in a well greased bread pan. Cover pans loosely with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let rise for another 30-60 min. or until doubled in size.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for about 25 min. (For my mini loaves and rolls, it took about 15 min.) Remove from pans and let cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

This recipe is linked to:
Decidedly Healthy or Horridly Decadent
Fat Camp Friday
Full Plate Thursday

Angel Biscuits

Years ago, when I was a child, my mother's friend brought us a plate of freshly baked biscuits. These biscuits, however, were not your usual buttermilk biscuits. They were lighter and fluffier and just different in a way that I couldn't put my finger on. All I knew was that they tasted out of this world and, as I grew up, I still have never forgotten them.

I learned that they were called, "Angel Biscuits" and that they were lighter than normal biscuits due to the addition of yeast in the dough. Luckily, she had also left the recipe with us though years passed by and we never made them.

Teased by the memory of that taste, I finally decided to undertake the task. While being slightly more time-consuming than other biscuit recipes, the time spent is well worth it. When that oven door opens, you are rewarded with marvelous biscuits as light as a cloud and almost akin to a roll. And, if you add a little pat of butter to them, I guarantee you'll be in heaven for sure.


Angel Biscuits

1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
5 c. all-purpose flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk (I used 2 Tbsp. vinegar and then added milk to make 2 cups)

Add 2 tsp. sugar to the warm water and dissolve the yeast in it. Let sit about 5 minutes until foamy.

Sift the dry ingredients, including the remaining sugar. Cut in the butter until fine as crumbs. Combine the yeast mixture with the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture. Stir quickly until the dough holds together.

Knead on a floured board for 30 seconds to make a smooth dough. Do not allow to rise. Fold the dough over itself about three times, pat out to 1/2" thickness, and cut with a biscuit cutter. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12-14 min. in a 425F oven. If dough cannot be baked immediately, refrigerate.

Note: This recipe makes quite a lot. I used a mini biscuit cutter, about 1 1/2" in diameter and got 4 dozen mini biscuits. However, they're so good that I don't think you'll have any problem devouring them all.

This recipe is linked to:
Friday Potluck

Cinnamon Rolls Like Cinnabon's

Cinnamon rolls have always been one of those items on my bucket list of things to bake. Originally, I had intended to make these two years ago, but just couldn't get up the time and energy to do it. However, I determined that this year (or rather last Christmas) would be THE time. Plus, a house full of people meant that there would be no trouble finding someone to eat them all up.

Thus, I became a man (ahem a woman) with a mission. I set my alarm and woke up early to start my dough. The recipe was originally made for a breadmaker. However, I haven't had the best of experiences with my breadmaker, so I decided to modify this recipe so it could be made by hand. Once my dough was set to rise, I promptly . . . went back to sleep for another hour. Yeah, like I said, it was early and with everyone in the house still asleep, what else was I going to do?

The rest of the process went off without a hitch, until I got to the point where I had to roll the dough up. In my naivete, I had rolled the dough out on a piece of wax paper believing all the while that it wouldn't stick. Oops. I guess I should have floured the paper a little more, or better still, used the countertop because that dough fought me for all it was worth. I was pretty much praying at that point, "Please don't let my dough tear. Please, just let it roll up all nice and pretty (or, forget pretty, just roll up NOW.)" Luckily, although it didn't roll up tightly enough that first time, I was able to re-roll each one after slicing it off and it all worked out fine.

They baked up beautifully, iced fantastically, and smelled heavenly. But, what would everyone think? That was the important thing. I watched like a hawk as the others took a bite. "These are exceptionally delicious," were the exact words of my sister's friend as he ate one and then another. I breathed a sigh of relief and joy, then gleefully went to cram a roll in my own mouth and sigh once again with pure sweet cinnamony pleasure.











Clone of a Cinnabon (adapted from Allrecipes)

1 c. warm milk (110F)
2 eggs
1/3 c. margarine, melted
4 1/2 c. bread flour
1 tsp. salt (I used less)
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Filling:
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt (I omitted this)

Add two teaspoons of sugar to the warm milk and stir to dissolve. Add the yeast to the milk, stir a little to prevent clumping of the yeast, and let sit 5-10 min. until foamy.

Beat the eggs with the melted margarine and add the milk mixture. Add two cups of bread flour with the salt to start and stir to combine. Gradually add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl (I ended up using only about 3 1/2 cups of flour).

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic (you can add a little more flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and the surface). Place dough into an oiled bowl (I use a large measuring cup), cover with plastic wrap and a dishtowel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread the dough with 1/3 c. butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll the dough up and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 min. Preheat the oven to 400F.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 c. butter, and powdered sugar. Fold in the vanilla with a rubber spatula. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Notes:

• For the first rising of the dough, I prefer to use a large measuring cup with markings on the side. That way, I can simply look at the measurements to determine what my starting point is and what the "doubled" point should be.
  

• I also recommend using a piece of dental floss instead of a knife when slicing the rolls. It's a whole lot neater and easier.

This recipe is linked to:
Fat Camp Friday
Friday's Potluck
Decidedly Healthy or Horridly Decadent Blog Hop

Thanksgiving Dinner Roundup

I hope you all had a delicious and memorable Thanksgiving. It was wonderful being able to spend Thanksgiving with my family. It was sort of thrown together at the last minute, so we just had a roasted chicken instead of a turkey this year. Also, forgive me, but the stuffing and mashed potatoes came out of a box. What can I say? For us, that's traditional and nothing else will do.

However, everything else was made from scratch. I pulled out a couple of old recipes and tried a couple of new ones as well. Everything was delicious and they will definitely be a part of my Thanksgiving dinner in years to come. Here's what I made:

The Menu:
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Pumpkin Knot Rolls
Pumpkin Cornbread
Butterscotch Yams
Red Velvet Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

All told, it was a Thanksgiving filled with food, fun, and family. In short, perfect.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (adapted from Allrecipes)


12 oz. cranberries
1 c. sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1 c. water

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the water. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 min.). Remove from heat and place in a bowl. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Butterscotch Yams


6 medium yams
1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. evaporated milk (or heavy cream if desired)
4 Tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Parboil the yams until you can pierce the outside with a fork. You don't want the fork to go all the way through, you just want them soft enough so you can peel them easily. Cut the yams into about 6-8 pieces each. Arrange the yams in a single layer in a baking pan.

Combine all the other ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking the mixture until it thickens to the point that it can coat the back of a spoon. Pour it over the yams in the pan and bake at 400F until the yams are tender, about 30-45 min. To finish it off, top with marshmallows and put it back in the oven for a few minutes until the marshmallows are melted.

Pumpkin Knot Rolls (Handle the Heat)


1 c. warm water
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp. olive oil (I used regular canola oil)
1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
3 1/2 c. unbleached bread flour

Pour the warm water in to a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast (I also added a pinch of sugar). Let sit until frothy, about 10 min. Whisk in the honey, oil, and pumpkin puree.

Whisk together the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in your wet ingredients.

Using a rubber spatula, pull all the ingredients together. When you can no longer mix, use your hands to start kneading the dough. Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth and elastic ball, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Lightly oil another large bowl and put your dough ball inside it -- flipping over once to coat both sides lightly with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425F and divide the dough into two equal pieces. You can freeze half the dough at this point if you want or store it in the fridge if you plan to use it the next day.

Tear off sections of the dough (2 Tbsp. at a time) and roll them into a long snake shape. Tie that snake into a knot. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough.

Once you've made all your knots, put them onto your baking pan and let bake until golden brown on the tops, about 10-15 min., depending on the size of the knots.

Makes 24 rolls

This is linked up to:
Meatless Mondays
Just Another Meatless Monday
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesdays

Tyler Florence's Parker House Rolls

Welcome to my blog! Can you believe this is my first time posting ever? I'll try to make it interesting. Anyway, I actually made this recipe a month ago, but just got around to posting about it now.

It's a natural thing for me to bake whenever I go home to visit my family for the holidays. For one thing, they love it and for another, I'm not faced with the mammoth task of trying to eat up a whole pan of goodies by myself.

This time around was no different. In addition to several red velvet cakes, more about those later, I got that domestic urge (c'mon it all hits us sometime) to bake some fresh, homemade, honest-to-goodness from scratch bread. Now, I've always had a bit of fear when it comes to yeast and kneading dough. After all, no one wants to end up with a bunch of doughy rocks. So, up to this time, I've been using a bread machine. But, that added up to its own set of problems, namely extremely dense bread that nobody would touch (still can't figure out what went wrong). Thus, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just do it by hand once and for all. And boy, am I glad I did!

I decided to go with Tyler Florence's Parker House Rolls recipe. I found the recipe on the Nummy Kitchen blog. It was extremely easy, and with Tyler Florence, how can you go wrong? Like any bread recipe, it does take time, but guess what, you barely need to knead the dough at all. If anything, overkneading the dough will lead to tough rolls. So, for all of you out there who have a fear of making bread, I highly recommend that you try this recipe. It's a guaranteed success!


Tyler Florence's Parker House Rolls
(as found on Nummy Kitchen and Tyler Florence's website)

1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. butter (not unsalted)
1 c. milk
2 c. bread flour
2 c. all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast with the warm water and sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 min. Heat the butter and milk and stir till the butter melts. Let cool until it is lukewarm (i.e. until it feels slightly warm to the touch). Add the milk mixture to the yeast. Fold in the bread flour. Gradually add the all-purpose flour to make a dough, or in other words, until the ball of dough no longer sticks to the bowl. (I added about 1 1/2 c. and it was enough). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5-6 times until the dough is smooth and elastic (very important - resist the urge to overwork the dough). Form the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.

Butter a 9x13 pan. Form the dough into 12-14 balls and arrange them so they are just touching one another. Cover with plastic wrap, then the towel. Let rise again for 40 min. Use a pair of kitchen shears to snip the tops of each bun twice, forming an "x". Set aside for 15 min. to rest. Brush with melted butter or milk, or melted butter + honey/sugar for a sweeter taste and bake at 375F for about 15 min. or at 350F for 20 min. or until golden brown.


These rolls have a wonderful chewy texture on the outside with a soft and pillowy inside. The taste is absolutely delicious! My family couldn't get enough of them. In fact, they loved them so much that I had to make this recipe twice in one week.

Woo-hoo. My first post. Here's to many more.

This recipe is linked to:

Moms Crazy Cooking "This Week's Cravings - Thanksgiving Dinner & Side Dish Recipes"