Category Archives: BREAD, ROLL, AND MUFFIN RECIPES

OVERNIGHT SOFT HERB ROLLS

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I love homemade bread straight out of the oven. Who doesn’t, right? So when I can build bread dough and shape it one day and bake it off the next, I call that a jolly good thing! And when the bread tastes as good as my slightly modified version of Bradley Ogden’s recipe for herb rolls that I found in Sunset Magazine a few years back, I am just one happy camper. You see, I am a proponent of doing as much prep work ahead of time as possible. And this bread, which truly benefits from some down time in the refrigerator, fits my style perfectly. Because you see, I consider myself a fairly good practitioner of the ancient French art of mise en place. (In fact, if they gave out belts in mise en place the way they do in karate I’m sure I would be at least a red belt!)

Now I know at least some of you are wondering what the heck I am talking about. And even though you may not know the term mise en place, many of you are already experts in the field. All mise en place means is that you have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you start to cook. And because I entertain large groups of people on a regular basis, I take the concept one step further. I prepare as many dishes and do as much prep work as possible before the day of the dinner party. (And yes, some would say I’m just lazy and don’t want to get up at o-dark-thirty on the day of the gathering. Well of course, that is absolutely true! But I prefer to think of all my hard “pre-day of party work” as the logical and intelligent way to help prevent a fiasco!)

So if you too would like to exude a fascinating aura of mystique at your next dinner party, do as much kitchen work as possible ahead of time. And these delicious rolls should help you with that mission. Then when your guests arrive, greet them at the door as if they were entering a 5 star restaurant, with you being the executive chef. After all, that’s what you are! (Of course you’re probably also the prep chef and the soux chef, but you don’t have to go into that with your guests.)

  • ¼ c. slightly warm water
  • 1 T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 T. minced Italian parsley
  • 1 T. minced fresh dill
  • 1 T. minced fresh chives
  • 1 T. minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 T. soft unsalted butter
  • 2 lg. eggs, divided
  • 1 c. half-and-half
  • 3½ c. un-bleached all-purpose flour or more as kneaded (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
  • coarse salt for sprinkling (I use course kosher salt)

In the bowl of your mixer combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to foam. Add the 1 teaspoon salt, herbs, butter, one of the eggs, half-and-half, and most of the flour. Knead dough on medium speed, adding more flour as necessary until the dough is smooth and soft, but no longer sticky to the touch. Shape into 24 small balls and place in a well greased 9×13-inch pan.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Cover with plastic wrap (do not let rise) and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator about 2 hours before you want to bake the rolls. Replace the plastic wrap with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the remaining egg and brush the rolls evenly just before sprinkling lightly with coarse salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a lovely golden brown. Serve the rolls hot, warm, or at room temperature. Best served the day they are baked.

 

 

 

DRIED CRANBERRY AND ALMOND BRAIDED DANISH

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I love to bake bread, especially specialty breads. And this lovely braided creation is no exception. Even the precarious step of transferring the 2 lengths of cut dough to the baking pan is my kind of fun. (And yes, I know I have a warped sense of what’s actually “fun”!) It’s just that it is such an exciting challenge to see if I can actually perform this task when it appears that the bread is just aching for the chance to jump out of my hands and land “jelly side down” on the floor. But I was given some advice, maybe the most important advice I ever received regarding working with food, from a cake decorating instructor I had many years ago. (I’ll tell you why I took the class after I finish telling you about my instructors’ sage advice. Don’t let me forget.)

Anyway, she said, and I quote (not quite verbatim of course because it was 30 plus years ago) – “always remember, you are a human being and have a brain; whatever ingredient or ingredients you are working with are inert and if they ever had even the tiniest of brains, like a pig or a chicken, it’s gone by the time you get it under your fingers. Therefore fear not, You Are in Charge!”

OK, so maybe those weren’t even close to the words my instructor used. She only informed us that any boo-boo made while building a wedding cake can be fixed by the judicious use of frosting. I just naturally took it to the next logical level. And I have kept it at that level ever since.

Food ingredients are inanimate. They can’t fight back, and even though it might feel like an ingredient or group of ingredients is being extremely recalcitrant, I’ve learned to not take it personally. I just get even. I wrestle the ingredient(s) until I have it or them under my thumb. (You too are welcome to adopt my very practical approach to working with food.) So where was I? Oh yes. Why I took a cake decorating class.

Our extended family decided we would cater the appetizer and cake reception for our good friend Jim’s wedding to Margo, the girl of his dreams (and ours too if truth be told). Fixing the appetizers was no problem. We had all been fixing party food for years. However, none of us had ever baked, let alone decorated a wedding cake. So my good friend Dodie and I decided to take a class. We did, we did, and the food was. We did take a class, we did bake 2 wedding cakes, and all the food including the cake was a success. Now I know you are asking yourself what all this has to do with a braided Danish? It has nothing to do with a Danish per se, but in practicality, it’s my way of reminding you not to be afraid of any recipe just because it might look a bit intimidating. And I have to admit, braiding this bread is a bit of a pain. But so what? Paying taxes or going to the dentist is no walk in the park either. Just think of it as an adventure and know that the rewards will be ever so worth the effort.

So next time you need a beautiful breakfast bread, give this recipe a go. Just put on your best “Atilla the Hun” persona, and manhandle the dough like you have been building this bread since you were 14 years old. You are in charge! Power to the people!

Bread Dough:

  • 1 scant T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • ¼ c. warm water
  • ½ c. warm milk
  • 3 T. sugar
  • 4 T. (½ stick) un-salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour (more or less)
  • canola oil

Cranberry-Almond Filling:

  • ¾ c. dried cranberries or cherries
  • 1/3 c. brandy
  • 6 T. butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¾ c. finely chopped almonds
  • 3 T. sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 T. brandy (use the leftover brandy from re-hydrating the dried cranberries or cherries)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it proof for about 5 minutes. Add the milk, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, and eggs. Stir to mix. Add three cups of the flour, one cup at a time. Beat for 2 minutes after each addition. Add enough remaining flour, a small amount at a time, until you have a soft dough. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed to prevent sticking. Pour a little oil over the dough and roll up into a ball with your hands, making certain the dough is completely covered with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours. Meanwhile prepare the filling.

Place the dried cranberries and brandy in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir the cranberries and let them cool. Drain the dried fruit reserving the liquid to use in the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the drained fruit, butter, flour, almonds, sugar, and almond extract. Set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and place it on a lightly floured board, kneading just enough to release any air bubbles. Roll the dough into a 9×30-inch rectangle. Crumble the filling over the dough to within 1-inch of the edges.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Starting on a long side, tightly roll up the dough, (just like for cinnamon rolls) pinching together to seal. With a sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Carefully transfer each half (cut side up) to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Loosely twist the halves around each other, keeping cut sides up.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

(And you’re right, not an easy step.) Shape into a round, pinching the ends together to seal. Let it rise, uncovered, in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. While the bread is baking, whisk together the powdered sugar and reserved brandy and set aside.

When the bread is done baking, remove it to a rack to cool, pan and all. Let it sit for a few minutes then drizzle the glaze over the warm bread. Allow to cool completely before serving. Best served the day prepared. Based on a recipe on the kitchn.com website.

Note:For Christmas, decorate with red and green candied cherries and holly.

 

ROTOLO AL FORNO (MEAT AND CHEESE ROLLED SANDWICH)

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

(The Rotolo al Forno is in the foreground, just to the left of the deviled eggs.)

This is one of those recipes that is easy to prepare and sure to please. It is simply a wonderful combination of soft white bread, tangy mustard, tasty deli meat, and 2 kinds of cheese. Sounds just like a sandwich, right? Well it should, because that’s exactly what it is. Except for the fact that it’s kind of fancy and looks divine on a table, Rotolo al Forno is just your basic meat and cheese sandwich presented in a gussied up form. (Love that word – “gussied”.) Anyway, it’s lovely to behold and even lovelier to consume.

I first had this appetizer/sandwich/main dish many years ago when my friend Julie made it for a dinner gathering she and her husband Joe were hosting. At the time, most of our friends had small children, good jobs or were starting new businesses, but no what you would call “disposable income”. We were all just able to pay our mortgages, feed and clothe our children (if we had them), go camping in the summer, and afford box wine or Coors beer for occasions with our buddies. (This was the 70s folks, so cut us some slack on the box wine and Coors beer!) Where was I? Oh yes – so for all of us, this much meat and cheese in one dish was considered if not gourmet, pretty swell and elegant.

And that was Julies’ forte. She loved to try new recipes and the more labor intensive the better. So those of us who were her friends got to experience all kinds of new and amazing taste adventures. She was a true gourmet and taught me a lot about fine cuisine. Julie and Joe are now both deceased, but their friendship lingers on in our memories of fun get-togethers, fabulous New Year’s Eve parties and new and exciting dishes. This may not be an exciting dish, but it is never-the-less delicious. Try it the next time you have guests coming for lunch or you need a hearty appetizer. Just don’t forget to lift a glass to Julie. I’m sure from heaven she will lift a glass right back at you. Cheers everyone.

  • 1 loaf frozen white bread dough
  • Dijon mustard
  • ¼ lb. thinly sliced deli salami
  • ¼ lb. deli pastrami, thinly sliced
  • ¼ lb. deli ham, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese
  • 1/3 lb. thinly sliced Provolone cheese
  • 1 beaten egg yolk

Thaw bread and let rise one hour. Punch down and roll out to approximately a 12×16-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush, spread a very thin layer of Dijon mustard over the bread dough. Layer with meat and cheese and roll up like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam together and place, seam side down, on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg yolk. Let sit uncovered for 30 minutes. Bake the bread in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is a dark golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 25 minutes before cutting into 1-inch slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: If you are going to bake the roll ahead of time, let the bread cool completely before you cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, slice, plate, and warm for a few seconds in microwave.

 

GARLIC TOAST

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OK, I know, almost everyone knows how to make garlic toast. But if you happen to be in the .04% of the population who doesn’t know how to make a truly wonderful garlic toast, I am going to help you out right now!

There are actually few things better than a crunchy, chewy, and totally butter infused with garlic piece of bread to accompany an entrée. Granted, garlic toast wouldn’t go well with Mexican or Chinese dishes, but Italian or French food – c’est magnifique! And even for breakfast with a side of eggs and bacon, garlic toast is a winner.

So next time you prepare an Italian or French feast, or just want to make your family and friends totally happy at dinner time, bake up a batch of this toast. It’s ever so easy and ever so much better than the prepared garlic bread loaves that you can buy at your local grocery store. There simply is no substitute for the real thing. And this is the real thing! Vampires beware!

  • 4 T. unsalted butter (½ stick), room temperature
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ of a crusty Italian or French baguette, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into serving size pieces

Place the butter, garlic, parsley, and salt in a small bowl and mix with a table fork until well blended. Place the bread on a baking sheet, crust side down. Spread the butter mixture evenly over all of the pieces. Bake the bread in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown. And of course, doubling or tripling, etc. is easy peasy.

SOFT FRENCH BAGUETTES

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As everyone knows, bread is the staff of life. And no group of people are in touch with their inner “must have bread” like the French. One of the best things about visiting France is watching people go about their business snacking on big old chunks of freshly baked baguettes. They rip off a piece and somehow manage to get at least the majority of the bread in their mouths. They carry the baguettes in bags, back packs, the little baskets on the front of their bicycles, anywhere their hands can reach with the least amount of effort. It’s amazing to watch how contorted their bodies can become when their mission is to eat the bread and maneuver through traffic at the same time. Boggles my mind, I’ll tell you that! And because of that, French bread has a special place in my heart. (Well that, and the fact that I am a sucker for good bread!)

This recipe, unlike most of the baguettes you see being consumed on the run, (so to speak), produces a soft and tender loaf of bread. The crust and crumb (inner portion) are both soft, with just enough “chew” to be interesting. And the preparation could not be easier or the final result more delicious. (And I know I have already given you plenty of recipes for bread. But buying good bread is just ridiculously expensive. And when you consider that basic bread is just yeast, water, sometimes a little something sweet to encourage the yeast, salt, and flour; well highway robbery immediately springs to mind!)

So I’m not going to bug you this posting about baking your own bread. I’m just going to remind you that there are no preservatives in home baked bread. There isn’t too much salt or sugar. And, it only costs pennies to produce. (That’s as close as I can come to “not bugging” you. And yes, it was very hard to show even that much restraint. But then, I’m not your mother! Or if I am, please let me take this opportunity to tell you once again how much your mamma loves you.)

  • 1½ c. warm water
  • 2 pkgs. or a scant 2 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 T. honey
  • 3½ to 4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • olive oil, for greasing the bowl
  • cornmeal, for baking pan

Combine the water, yeast, and honey in a large mixing bowl, preferably the bowl from your stand mixer. Let proof for about 5 minutes or until the mixture looks foamy. Add about half of the flour and the salt and mix until all of the flour is incorporated. Slowly add enough remaining flour to make a dough that is not too wet or sticky. Knead for about 4 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and pour a small amount of olive oil down the side of the bowl. Using your hands, lift the dough from the bottom of the bowl and coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rest in a draft free area until doubled in size, 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal and set aside.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide in half. Using your hands, form each half into an elongated, 12-14 inch loaf and place on the prepared pan. (To shape the dough, I hold the dough with one hand and using the other hand I squeeze the dough up and down its length until I have the desired size I need. Then I finesse it a bit once I have it on the pan. A little additional shaping here and there until it is roughly symmetrical.)

Once the baguettes are on the baking sheet, make diagonal cuts along the top at about 1-inch intervals. Cover the baguettes with the tea towel again, and let double in size. This takes about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Set the other rack in the middle of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. When your bread has doubled for the second time, remove the towel and place the pan in the pre-heated oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crusts are a lovely golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when you thump them with your knuckles. Allow to cool before they are devoured.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

There are just times when nothing will do but a biscuit. And I know, there is nothing wrong with toast, or muffins, or bagels – you name it. But sometimes, you need just that perfect vehicle for butter and honey or jam. And when that happens, there is no other bread type as perfect as a warm, straight from the oven, good old fashioned biscuit. And I’m not talking just for breakfast either.

The other evening I served a cold salad for a family dinner gathering and decided that biscuits would be just the perfect side. (I mean really, what do you serve as a side with a main dish salad?) Especially one like the Chicken and Wild Rice Salad on this blog that has the starch, meat, and all the veggies you can eat already represented. So I decided on biscuits. First of all, they’re easy. And they are just enough different to add a special quality to a meal. (Plus this recipe makes a lot of biscuits and I could serve them again for breakfast the next morning.) Luckily, they ended up being a nice side for the salad. And for breakfast, perfect with sausages and scrambled eggs.

So consider making biscuits the next time you want to change things up a bit at the dinner table. Your family and friends will love the soft texture and the depth of flavor imparted from the buttermilk. And I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful these biscuits are for breakfast all smothered with room temperature butter and jam. So be advised. If you serve your friends biscuits for dinner and they see that some are left, your friends might still be around in the morning. Make a note: Buy extra eggs when serving biscuits for dinner!

  • ½ c. lukewarm water
  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast or 1 scant tablespoon if you buy your yeast in bulk
  • 1 T. sugar
  • 5 c. flour
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 T. baking powder
  • ¾ c. vegetable shortening
  • 2 c. buttermilk

Place warm water in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle on the yeast and sugar. Set aside to proof. Meanwhile whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. (I use my KitchenAid mixer bowl.) Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yeast mixture and the buttermilk and mix just until combined. Do not over-mix.

Scoop dough onto a floured pastry cloth or a floured clean work surface. Allow dough to rest for about 10 minutes. Dust top with additional flour. Using your hands pat the dough to about ¾-inch. Cut into round or square biscuits as large or as small as you desire. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and let sit while you heat your oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. (Since I have a convection option on my oven, I start the biscuits in a regular oven for 7 minutes and then turn on the convection option for the next 3-4 minutes or until a light golden brown.) Don’t over-bake. Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.

Based on a Paula Deen recipe.

 

SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE CRESCENT ROLLS

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Whenever I make these rolls I think about my mother-in-law Betty. She loved these rolls, so whenever we had a family get-together, and I was assigned the bread duty, I would make these especially for her. Not that all the rest of us didn’t love them too, it’s just that she was especially fond of them.

When you think how easy it is to make someone feel loved simply by fixing one of their favorite dishes, it’s a shame we don’t take the time to do it more often.  It’s such a simple way to say “I love you”. For example, all I have to say to Mr. C. to see his face light up is “would you prefer something with pesto or Chicken Paprika for dinner?” He practically starts to purr at the mere mention of either of these two favorites.

That’s why I feel particularly sad for children who don’t grow up with parents that make an effort to cook tasty and healthy food; children for whom fast food is their primary source of sustenance.  Not only are they undoubtedly not receiving the nourishment their bodies require, they aren’t receiving the nourishment I personally feel their souls need too. (Is there anything more reassuring or comforting to a person of any age than good smells emanating from the kitchen?) I can still hear my kids’ voices when they would ask me what was for dinner and I would answer with the name of one of their favorites. There would always be loud happy exclamations that for me were worth all the effort I had expended and more!

So next time you are thinking about what to fix for dinner, pick a dish that you know is one of your family’s favorite. The same thing goes for your elderly relatives. Make dishes that you know are their favorites too. I would love to be able to make another batch of these for my mother-in-law, but I’m glad I made as many as I did while I still had the opportunity.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. The rolls are easy to make and perfect for holidays or dinner parties because the mixing is done the day before. Then roll them out, leave them alone for a couple of hours and pop them in the oven just before dinner. Pillsbury dough boy – eat your heart out!

  • ½ c. butter
  • 1 c. sour cream
  • ½ c. warm water
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 (.25-oz.) pkgs. or scant 2 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 4 c. bread flour
  • ¼ c. chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in small saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Meanwhile, pour water into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, salt, and yeast. When the sour cream mixture is lukewarm, add to the yeast mixture. Add the eggs, flour, and the chives. Knead for about 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Dough can be left in refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking.)

Divide dough into 4 parts. Knead and roll each piece into a 10-inch circle.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACut circle into 8 pie-shaped wedges. Roll each piece from and wide end to the point.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPlace on a lightly greased baking sheet pointy end down.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACover with a light weight tea towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. (I start the rolls in a regular oven and then turn the oven to the convection setting about the last 5 minutes of baking! This produces a nicely browned roll.) Best served within a few hours of baking with room temperature butter.

CLASSIC ITALIAN BAGUETTE

Leave a reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This recipe from King Arthur Flour takes about 20 hours from start to finish. OK, 99% of the time you are not on active duty, but I still think it only fair to let you know that this is definitely not a quick bread! But, boy oh boy is it good. I served it at one of our recent JazzVox pre-concert dinners, and all three baguettes were gone before I even had a chance to snag a piece. (I hate it when that happens, but love that my guests appreciate homemade bread.) I actually try to have some kind of homemade bread with every JazzVox meal I serve. First of all, people love homemade bread, and being the cheap frugal cook that I am, I like to save a buck or two where I can. And three really good baguettes from the store would cost me over $10, whereas I can bake 3 baguettes for about $1. (I will leave you to do the math!)

So the first time I made this bread, I knew I had a winner. I actually have several recipes for baguette style breads on this blog because every one of them is delicious in their own right. And even though I live in fear of being considered a nag, but going forward anyway, BREAD IS EASY TO MAKE!

So next time you have a dinner party, consider making homemade bread. Even, or maybe I should say especially people who are truly conscientious about what they put in their mouths are not going to be afraid of a piece of homemade bread, unless of course they are gluten intolerant, but that’s another story. Homemade bread has no preservatives or funny ingredients that most people can’t even pronounce much less want to consume.  And many recipes for baguette type breads contain no sugar, or if the recipe calls for any, a very small amount. (Usually just enough to start the yeasty beasties on their happy feeding frenzy!)

So if you are postponing bread making because you don’t think it will be well received, think again. Bread is the staff of life. Frankly, I don’t know anyone who can resist a piece of bread straight out of the oven. So get out your KitchenAid mixer or a large bowl, buy yourself some yeast and bread flour, and whip up a batch using either this lovely recipe or any of the other bread recipes on this blog.

For more information on making bread, please visit my Bread Baking 101 post.

Starter:

  • ½ c. room temperature water
  • 1/16 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 c. unbleached bread flour  

Dough:

  • 1 c. + 2 T. lukewarm water
  • 1 tsp. active dry yeast
  • all of the starter
  • about 3½ c. unbleached bread flour
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • extra virgin olive oil

Starter instructions:

Mix the yeast and water together. Stir in the flour. Cover and let rest at room temperature for about 14 hours. (Overnight works great.) After the 14 hours the “starter” should have risen a bit and appear “bubbly”.

Dough instructions:

Pour lukewarm water into a large prep bowl or into the bowl of your stand mixer. Sprinkle on the yeast. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Add all the starter, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix and knead everything together by hand or with your stand mixer for about 5 minutes adding additional flour as needed  to achieved a soft, smooth dough. Pour a little bit of olive oil on top of the dough, and using your hands, roll the dough into a ball with all sides very lightly greased with the oil. (Your hands should be nicely greased also!) Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.

Ever so lightly grease a large baking sheet with olive oil. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval and place on the baking sheet. Cover with either greased plastic wrap or a piece of parchment paper. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again. With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15-inch log. Place the logs seam-side down on your baking pan. Repeat with the other two pieces. (Try to keep the baguette dough pieces evenly spaced on the pan.) Cover them again and allow the loaves to rise till they’ve become very puffy, about 1½ hours. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8″ vertical slashes in each baguette. Spray the baguettes very lightly with cooking spray. (I use olive oil spray.) Bake the baguettes until they are a very deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

 

 

 

 

BANANA BREAD

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The first time I tasted my sister-in-law Evelyn’s banana bread I was hooked. First of all, I am not the banana lover everyone assumes me to be. OK, yes, I do almost always have bananas in the fruit basket I keep on my kitchen counter, and I do have half a banana most mornings, but that doesn’t mean I like them! Bananas are just convenient. You don’t have to cut them or core them or get all sticky from their juice, so like I said, they’re convenient. Add that to the fact that I am lazy, and you have a winning combination. And really it isn’t just that I don’t fully appreciate the taste of bananas, it’s just that I have always preferred veggies to fruit (with one notable exception discussed below.) Just the way I was made, I guess. And it’s not because I wasn’t exposed to fruit as a child.

We lived on 2½ acres when I was growing up and we grew every type of fruit imaginable (at least imaginable for western Washington).  We had several types of apple tree, a peach tree, cherry trees, a pear tree, a crabapple tree, and my favorite, a green Gage plum tree. According to the Raintree Nursery site, “Gage plums came from Italy to France in about 1520 where they were named “Reine Claude”. Brought to England in 1720 by Sir William Gage, he soon lost the labels. These delicious fruits, ideal for dessert or jams, have thereafter been named after him.” (A little bit of plum trivia that has absolutely no relevance to today’s post.)

Green Gage plums may be perfect for dessert or jams, but the best way to eat them is fresh off the tree. I can remember every year spending days harvesting plums, one plum at a time, and eating them until I was practically sick. I can still hear my mom calling to me from the front porch of our home warning me that one day I would eat too many plums and make myself sick. Never happened. And now, it’s hard to find these little darlings in the grocery store or even at a farmer’s market. Sigh…..

So I guess I’ll have to stick with bananas as my “get the minimum requirement of fruit in my daily diet” go to fruit. And of course, bananas will always possess that one redeeming quality that makes them worth appearing in every super market in America. They are, and will always be, the star of one of our most beloved quick breads. And if you can find even one person who doesn’t like banana bread, you will be one up on me. Auntie Evelyn, again a big thank-you for this easy and delicious recipe.

  • ½ c. butter, melted
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about 3)
  • 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1/3 c. hot coffee
  • ½ c. chopped walnuts, opt.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture alternately with the hot coffee until mixture is thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let sit for a couple of minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.

ONION DILL BREAD

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As I wrote in my Rosemary Olive Bread post, the use of a clay baker is really wonderful when you bake round loaves of Italian style bread.

When I say Italian style bread, I mean the type of bread you can find in practically every bakery all over Italy. It has a fairly thick, chewy crust, and a pleasant coarse texture, full of small holes perfect for sopping up pasta sauce or soup broth.

And this onion dill bread is indeed perfect with soup. The dill, although prevalent, is not overwhelming. It just lends a richness to the bread, as does the dehydrated onion. And for just the best taste treat imaginable, slather a piece of warm out of the oven bread with room temperature butter. Bite into this culinary delight and you will be ever so glad you took the time to bake your own bread.

I served this bread a couple of months ago for one of our pre-concert JazzVox lunches. I was a little concerned because I had no idea if my guests would appreciate the dill flavor as much as I do. But why I even bothered to concern myself is now way beyond my comprehension. Ours guests finished off the entire loaf before either Mr. C or I had a taste! You’d have thought I was feeding a bunch of teenagers rather than the very sophisticated, well educated group of vocal jazz lovers who were in attendance that day! But when it comes to homemade bread, there are few who can resist. And my guests that day were no exception.

For more information about clay bakers (as I call them), please read the blog post referenced above. And if you love vocal jazz and live in the Puget Sound area, please visit www.jazzvox.com for more information about home concerts in your area.

  • 2 c. warm water
  • 1 pkg. or 2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
  • 2 ½ tsp. salt
  • 3 T. dehydrated chopped onion
  • 3 T. dill seed
  • 5 T. gluten flour
  • 5 c. bread flour
  • vegetable oil

In the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, combine the warm water, yeast, and salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add onion, dill seed, gluten flour, and 4 ½ cups of the bread flour. Knead dough on medium speed, adding more bread flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and soft, about 8-10 minutes. Pour a small amount of oil into the bottom of the bowl and using your hand coat the bread with the oil and round into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Remove dough from bowl. Stretch sides of dough down and under to form a tight, round shape. Place dough in bottom of floured cloche or on a floured baking sheet. Dust top with flour. Cover with lid of baker or tea towel. Let rise 30 minutes. Cut a large shallow X on the top of the loaf using a serrated knife.

To bake using a clay baker: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, remove the lid, and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

To bake on a floured baking sheet: Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until done. When done, loaf will be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.