Posts Tagged ‘bread’

Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. What’s not to love?

Crusty Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (105 degrees F. to 115 degrees F.)

•1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

• 5 1/2 to 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• Olive oil cooking spray

• Coarse salt

• Yellow cornmeal

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in sugar and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the flour as you can. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough (6 to 8 minutes)

Or, you may prepare the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook: In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in sugar and salt. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating with the dough hook on low speed until a moderately stiff, smooth dough forms.

For both methods, light spray a bowl with olive oil cooking spray. Shape dough into a ball and place in oiled bowl. Turn dough once. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (45 minutes to 1 hour). Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board or surface. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 14 round rolls.
Spray a very large baking sheet with cooking oil spray. Sprinkle heavily with corn meal. Place rolls on prepared baking sheet. Let rise for 5 minutes. Slash tops in 2 or 3 places with a sharp knife. Brush rolls with water. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.

Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack of an unheated oven. Pour boiling water in the pan to a depth of one inch. Set oven at 400 degrees F. Place rolls on the ovens second rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crusty and golden brown. Remove from baking sheet immediately and cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

I had an unfortunate incident with my puff pastry for this recipe. It just wouldn’t pull apart. I’ve bought the off-brand before and never had this problem. So I just rolled out the pastry to make it work. And it did! I added garlic powder and left out the cayenne since hubby hates spicy things. This recipe I found on SeriousEats.

Mozzarella and Basil Puff Pastry Twists

Ingredients:

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Unfold puff pastry dough onto a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a 9×13 rectangle (measurement is only approximate). Using a pastry scraper or a pizza cutter, cut dough down the middle.

3. Whisk together egg and water and brush the egg wash on each rectangle of puff pastry dough (only on one side) and reserve the leftover egg wash.

4. Mix together the Mozzarella cheese, basil and Cayenne pepper and sprinkle mixture over one of the rectangles. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Place the other half of the pastry (egg side down) on top of the cheese mixture and press the two halves together using your hands or roll lightly with the rolling pin. Gently press edges to seal.

6. Using the pastry scraper or pizza cutter, cut the pastry into 1/2 inch strips.

7. Working one at a time, gently twist each strip and lay on the baking sheet making sure to press down the ends so that they don’t curl when baking. When all of the strips have been twisted and placed on the baking sheet, lightly brush each twist with the remaining egg wash.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the twists are golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

This recipe I saw on Once a Month Mom ages ago. I finally decided to make this for Eli. I ended up with about 5 full quart size ziplock bags of the french toast sticks. They reheat in seconds and will quickly fill up your little monkey. The pumpkin adds flavor and nutrition. This is tasty for adults too! You can easily double this recipe.

Toddler French Toast Sticks from Once a Month Mom

Ingrediants:

30 slices of whole wheat bread
1/4 c. butter, melted
8 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. pumpkin puree

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the bread together in a bowl. Take all your
bread and cut it into thirds. Heat a griddle and dip the bread into the egg
mixture to coat it and cook on the griddle. Flip over once one side is brown
& make sure both sides are fully cooked. Place finished bread on cookie
sheet, keep separated & allow to cool completely. Once completely cooled,
place cookie sheet in the freezer. Flash freeze the toast sticks for 30
minutes. (The flash freezing allows the food to start to freeze, so when you
place them in a bag they won’t stick together). Remove from cookie sheet
and place in a freezer bag. Freeze until ready to use. To warm up:
microwave 30 – 45 seconds.

I found this on King Arthur Flour’s website. The middle buns were a bit mushy still, I should have cooked them just a tad longer. Otherwise, these were warm, soft, and buttery.

Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns

Buns

• 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons potato flour or 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
• 3 tablespoons Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons soft butter
• 2/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk

Topping

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1) Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and knead — using your
hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a soft, smooth dough.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased container — an 8-cup measure works well here — and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it’s just about doubled in bulk.

3) Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.

4) Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, by dividing in half, then in halves again, etc. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

5) Lightly grease two 8″ round cake pans. Space 8 buns in each pan. It’s ok if you don’t have two cake pans. Use whatever you have, such as a cheesecake pan (that is what I used) or a long casserole dish.

6) Cover the pans, and allow the buns to rise till they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy, about 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7) Uncover the buns, and bake them for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the center bun should register at least 190°F.

8 Remove the buns from the oven, and brush with the melted butter. After a couple of minutes, turn them out of the pan onto a cooling rack.

9) Serve warm. Store leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.
Yield: 16 buns.

You can’t exactly duplicate the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. They incorporate what they use in their scampi mix in the biscuits. They also use oil instead of butter. This is a copycat recipe as close as you can get. I put tons of garlic in it, I just don’t measure any more. I also add garlic to the butter as it’s melting in the microwave. A little extra cheese doesn’t hurt either.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits (Red Lobster copycat of Cheddar Bay Biscuits)

2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
2/3 cup milk – low fat okay
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese – low fat okay
1/4 cup butter OR margarine – melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
parsley flakes – as needed

-Combine Bisquick, milk, and cheddar and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds. For extra garlic flavor, add some to this mix as well.
-Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
-Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 – 10 minutes.
-Combine butter and garlic powder and pour over hot biscuits; sprinkle with parsley.

I found this on one of my cooking blogs. I ended up halving the recipe and came out with a single loaf. It was almost gone the first day. The Irish cheddar cheese is smells smoky, tastes a little sweet. It’s very good.

Irish Cheddar Cheese Bread
Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Makes four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Egg Wash: 1 egg (well-beaten) mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt and sugar with the water in a 5-quart bowl,or lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix the dry ingredients and the cheese without kneading, using a spoon. You may need wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temp. until dough has risen and collapsed (or flattened on top), about 2 hours.

4. Refrigerate the dough in a lidded (not airtight) container for use over the next 7 days.

5. On baking day, dust the surface of the dough. Cut into 1-pound or grapefruit-sized pieces. Dust your working surface with flour. Quickly shape into loaves. For twists, divide each ball in half, make two long strands and twist together. Allow the dough to rest and rise on a pizza peel or cookie sheet dusted with cornmeal.

6. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a broiler tray half-filled with water on the lower rack to create steam while baking.

7. Brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm in the center. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

8. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Bread making is something I’m trying to learn to do well. I’m okay at it, but not perfect. Here is another crack at it. This bread turned out moist with a nice crust. You can add more or less garlic depending on how you like it. I threw cornmeal on my baking sheet before I put the loaf on it to bake. This wasn’t difficult, I made it last weekend to go with my Pork Chops and Country Gravy.

Cheddar Garlic Bread

• 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 c. flour
• 1 T. yeast
• 1 c. milk
• 2 T. butter or margarine
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 c. shredded Sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 c. flour and yeast.

2. Add the milk, butter or margarine, sugar and salt to a small saucepan. Heat until warm and the butter is completely melted. Add to mixing bowl and stir by hand or beat with an electric mixer until combined. Slowly add remaining flour until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Add 1 1/4 c. cheese (reserve remaining cheese) and garlic until combined. Knead for 5-8
minutes.

3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for at least 1 hour.

4. Punch dough down and remove from bowl. Form dough into an oval-shaped loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped.

The garlic in the bread is purely a matter of taste. Feel free to add more, less or omit all together. You could also cut it into slivers instead of mincing it if you prefer chunks of garlic. Using garlic powder is fine as well.

I love making these. They are quick and simple to make. I only do a half portion of these. I just use one sheet of puff pastry, add the garlic and cheese, fold it over, then cut and twist. This is inexpensive as well. Add as much garlic and cheese as you like.

Parmesan Garlic Twists

STEP 1:  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle half of the flour onto a clean work surface. Unfold one sheet of pre-thawed puff pastry onto the floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet out with a rolling pin until it is about 25% larger (if you don’t have a rolling pin you can skip this step)

STEP 2:  Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of the pastry with water to help the filling adhere. Sprinkle half of the garlic powder and half of the parmesan cheese over the entire sheet of pastry dough. It will be easier to evenly distribute the garlic powder if you do not premeasure it but rather shake it directly from the bottle. The small “sprinkling” holes in the cap will help prevent large piles of garlic powder. You really only need a small amount dusted over the whole sheet. One half teaspoon per sheet was an estimate.

STEP 3:  Fold the sheet in half to enclose the fillings. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the folded pastry dough into strips. I got twelve strips per sheet of pastry. The pastry already has creases from being folded into thirds in the box so I simply cut each third into four slices. They may look short (about 6″ long) at this point but they will elongate slightly as you twist them.

STEP 4:  Pick up each slice and, holding each end, twist into a spiral shape. Place the twisted sticks onto a foil covered baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until nicely browned. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry dough.

Simple and tasty dinner biscuits. I served these hot with honey butter. Make sure your butter is cold. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to grate it in. The last few biscuits were a bit funny looking because the kitchen was getting hot and I was running out of dough. Still tasty though!

Big Flaky Dinner Biscuits

4 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup cold butter
2 cups milk
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using a box grater, shred cold butter into mixture and stir to distribute it evenly through dry mixture. Add milk gradually, stirring just until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 15 times. Pat or roll dough out to a 1-inch thickness. Cut biscuits using a large glass dipped in flour. Keep patting remnants of dough together and cutting biscuits until all dough is used. Brush excess flour off biscuits and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

These turned out like baseballs the first time I made them. Why? Because I didn’t follow directions. I preheated the oven instead of just putting in the pan of boiling water, adding the rolls, THEN turning it on. I did it this time around and these turned out perfectly. Crusty on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. These are quick and easy to make.

Crusty French Rolls

Ingredients
5 teaspoon(s) (2 packages) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cup(s) warm water
6 1/2 cup(s) (to 7 1/2 cups) bread flour
1 tablespoon(s) salt
2 tablespoon(s) cornmeal

Directions

1) Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and let stand 5 minutes in a warm place. Add 4 cups flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Beat with the paddle of an electric mixer or mix by hand until a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl forms — about 10 minutes. Let the dough rest 10 minutes. With a dough hook and the mixer running, add remaining flour and knead another 5 minutes. Alternately, work the remaining flour into the dough by kneading for about 10 minutes. Add more water if necessary to form a soft, elastic dough. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place away from drafts until doubled in bulk, up to 2 or more hours. Punch down the risen dough and reform into a ball. Cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size – about 1 ½

2) Form the rolls:  Place a pan filled with hot water on the floor of the oven or on the lowest rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Form each piece into an oblong shape and place on a baking pan lightly dusted with cornmeal. Loosely cover and let rolls rise for 30 minutes.

3) Bake the rolls:  Rub a little flour over the tops of the rolls. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, make a 1/4-inch-deep slash on the top of each roll. Slide the baking sheet into the upper third of the oven and bake until dark golden brown — about 2~minutes. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to two days or freeze for up to 1 month.