Cinnamon Swirl Bread

For those times you crave a little something sweet that isn't complicated to make or requires a trip to the store...

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Ingredients:
1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon; set aside. 

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. 

Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle with half the reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar mixture. Draw a knife through batter to marble. 

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing.

Tine's Changes: The only edit I did was use 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup coconut milk just to give it a little kick. I did notice that the bread was a little tougher than I would have preferred, maybe bread flour next time. It forms a nice crispy crust though!!

Marbled Pesto Bread

You must make this if you have a bread machine [and extra pesto lying around!]. Your house will smell heavenly!

Marbled Pesto Bread
Recipe from 150 Recipes for Your Bread Machine by Jennie Shapter

Ingredients:
5 fl oz milk
5 fl oz water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups unbleached white bread flour
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 rapid rise yeast
7 tbsp pesto sauce

Topping:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt

Preparation:
1. Put ingredients in bread machine per instructions (dry before wet, wet before dry, etc.) Set to basic dough setting. Lightly oil a 10 x 4 inch loaf tin.

2. When dough cycle is finished, turn out dough to a slightly floured surface. Punch it down gently, then roll it out to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick and 10 in long. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to relax for a few minutes, if the dough proves difficult to roll out.

3. Spread the pesto sauce over the dough. Leave a clear border of 1/2 inch along one long edge. Roll up the dough lengthways, Swiss (jelly) roll fashion, tuck the ends under and place seam down in the prepared pan.

4. Cover with oiled clear film and set aside in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until the dough has more than doubled in size and reaches the top of the loaf tin. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

5. Remove the clear film and brush with olive oil over the top of the loaf. Use a sharp knife to score the top with flour diagonal cuts. Repeat the cuts in the opposite direction to make a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with sea salt.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

Tine's Notes: I used more of the prepared pesto sauce (and STILL have some left over-- it's a large jar). I noticed while kneading the dough that because the recipe calls for real milk as opposed to dry milk powder it was tougher to deal with. After letting it rest, it became much more manageable. This would be a perfect accompaniment for an Italian dinner in lieu of dinner rolls!

Pretzel [time]

I made this recipe many times during the winter because I love baking and the smell that lingers in a cold house. With everyone home for the holidays, one full recipe barely lasted... minutes. Not kidding. I was the kid that grew up to the mall pretzels as a treat for not complaining when I was bored out of my mind. These taste EXACTLY like the mall pretzels. Who knew it was the baking soda?

Soft Pretzels
Recipe from Recipezaar

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water (approx 105 degrees)
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups occident flour (bread flour)
2 cups flour

Dipping solution:
1/2 cup baking soda, into
3 cups hot water

sweet creamy butter, for 'dipping' face of pretzels after baking (melt butter, then let set a few minutes, and use paper towel to remove cream which will float to the top)

Preparation:
1. Dissolve yeast into warm water.

2. Add sugar, then flour & mix well- do not 'knead' as this toughens the dough. (Mix just until combined well) Let rise until doubled, at least 20 minutes.

3. Cut into long 'ropes'. Shape into pretzel shapes, then dip into prepared dipping solution.

4. Place on well-greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with pretzel salt.

5. Bake at 500-550°F for 4-6 minutes until golden brown.

6. Dip face of pretzel into melted butter.

Variation: add 1 t vanilla to the dough.

Flavor variations:
Cinnamon/sugar- omit salt& dip into cinnamon sugar after face has been coated with butter.
Sour cream & onion- after dipping face of pretzel in butter, sprinkle with sour cream & onion powder
Garlic- same as sour cream & onion, but use garlic powder.
Sesame or poppy seed--BEFORE baking, AFTER dipping into dipping solution, dip pretzel face-down into the seeds, then bake. Salt is optional with this one.

Tine's Notes: I've only made the original and cinnamon sugar variations. I had to fight off a hoard to even let them cool off. These will go fast!

Just Roll with It

Life. That's what some people say right? Or roll with the punches?

 

My best friend and I used to joke about rolling around our apartments after a long, debauchery filled night. Shhhh, don't tell her I'm sharing that with y'all. It may be privileged information.

What I'm getting at is.... I love rolls. A) Carbs. B) It's personal-sized and travels well. C) Endless flavor variations. I don't need to continue do I?

Cute aren't they? And yes, food can be cute. I don't know why...

Recently, I've come into possession of a book titled Stop and Smell the Rosemary. It is a collection of recipes compiled by the Junior League of Houston. I'm already a huge fan. This is my first attempted recipe from the book....

Coolrise Sweet Dough

Ingredients:
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 packages dry yeast (~5 tsp)
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:
1. Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to blend. Add butter and hot water all at once. Beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

2. Add eggs and 1 cup flour. Beat at high speed 1 minute, scraping bowl occasionally. Gradually stir in enough dough out onto a floured board and knead 5 to 10 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let dough rest 20 minutes on the board. Punch down.

This is the basic recipe for Coolrise Sweet Dinner Rolls, Coolrise Orange Rolls, and Coolrise Cinnamon Rolls. Coolrise Sweet Dough may also be shaped into 2 mini-loaves.

Tine's Notes: I made two shapes- the cloverleaf and pan rolls! 

Coolrise Sweet Dinner Rolls

Prepare Coolrise Sweet Dough as directed. Shaped dough into any of the shaped described below. After shaping, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake rolls 15 to 20 minutes.

Dinner Rolls: Pinch off 2-inch piece. Rill into a ball. Roll until ball forms a log 4 inches long. Roll ends between hands to taper. Place on a greased baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Cloverleaf Rolls: Pinch off a 1-inch piece. Roll into a ball. Place 3 balls in each cup of a greased muffin pan. Balls should touch bottom of cups and fill them half full.

Pan Rolls: Pinch off 2-inch pieces and roll into balls. Place in greased round cake pan, letting balls touch each other. Do not place in center of pan.

Butter Horns: Roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, brush lightly with melted butter and cut into a 12-inch circle. Cut circle in 16 pie shaped pieces. Starting at wide end, toll up. Place, point end down, on a greased baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Crescent: Same procedure as Butter Horns, but curve ends to form crescents.

Yields: 2 to 2 1/2 dozen rolls

I don't braid hair, only bread

For Easter, I wanted to bake so bake I did. Allrecipes.com had an Easter section that I riffled through for something simple yet elegant. Thus we have braided bread. I found a very cute braided round bread but it also had actual Easter eggs baked into it. I'm not a huge eater of eggs so mixing them into something works better for me. P.S. This makes a fairly large loaf so share!

Braided Egg Bread
via Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 (.25 ounce, ~2 1/2 tsp) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil [I used olive oil, recommended for better flavor]
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

TOPPING:
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat water and oil to 120 degrees F-130 degrees F. Add to dry ingredients along with eggs. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

3. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Set a third of the dough aside. Divide remaining dough into three pieces. Shape each into a 13-in. rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Divide reserved dough into three equal pieces; shape each into a 14-in. rope. Braid ropes. Center 14-in. braid on top of the shorter braid. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

4. Beat egg and water; brush over dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Perfect Pita Bread

Perfect Pita Bread

Ingredients:
1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast (~2 tsp of yeast)
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

Preparation: 
1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

2. Combine flour and salt in large bowl.

3. Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.

4. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.

5. Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

6. Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated.

7. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

8. Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

9. Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

10. Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

11. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.

12. Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.