Category Archives: bread

by

Eggnog Streusel Muffins

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
28

Hello, December!

The holidays are in full swing over here, as this is my ever-fave time of the year. One of my favorite holiday flavors is Eggnog. The thing is…I’m not so much into drinking it. In a latte? Totally. In ice cream, hell-to-the-yes. Cookie, cakes, etc…yup.

Even though eggnog is basically melted ice cream–drinking it is just too much for me. The viscosity gets to me every time. I love to add eggnog to a baked good–like these super soft cookies or this pretty cake. It replaces the dairy in many recipes like a dream. The richness and subtle nutmeg spice is perfect for holiday baking. I threw these muffins together, using my favorite recipe as the starting point, over the weekend. The muffin is tender and fragrant with eggnog flavor. The streusel has hints of nutmeg and the sugary crunch is perfection in top of the tender muffin. They come together quickly and are perfect with a cup of coffee on grey-sky mornings.

Eggnog Streusel Muffins

adapted from this recipe. 

Makes 8 standard or 24 mini muffins.

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons eggnog

3 Tablespoons browned butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel:

2 Tablespoons browned butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

tiny pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350*f and line your desired muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.

Brown the butter for the muffins and streusel. Melt 5 Tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Heat over medium until the butter becomes foamy, continue heating–swirling or stirring the butter–until the milk solids become dark golden brown and fragrantly nutty. Remove from heat and divide accordingly into two bowls. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl mix the streusel together by combining the 2 Tablespoons of browned butter with the flour, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Set in refrigerator until ready to use.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg.

In a large measuring cup whisk together the egg, eggnog, 3 Tablespoons of the cooled browned butter, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry and fold until just combined. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, divide streusel evenly over the tops of each muffin and bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean–about 13-15 minutes for minis and 16-20 for standard muffins. I would check them both after the earliest suggested time and go from there. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

by

Pumpkin Bread with Bourbon Icing

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
34

It’s just a few days before Eat-Fest-USA, aka Thanksgiving, aka only one of the best holidays ever.

It’s just Sean and I this year, as we are staying put, and I’ve had the menu planned for a few weeks now. I’ve ordered our turkey and picked it up, planned the sides, shopped the pantry goods, written my produce list, and picked out the wines. I was going to bake up another batch of this pumpkin bread for Thursday morning, but I’m thinking we’ll go the fruit and cheese route for breakfast and snacking.

Not that this pumpkin bread wouldn’t make a lovely, easy breakfast to share with your fam and friends this thankful holiday. It would be perfect sliced and set-up next to plenty of coffee and/or tea to begin Thanksgiving day and kick-off the feast prep. This bread is super moist–and, I know we don’t all love that word–but it is what it is. And, I channel my inner Jesse Pinkman as I type this…

This bread be moist, yo.

The moisture comes from pumpkin puree, olive oil, and greek yogurt, there’s a bit of whole wheat flour for wholesome goodness, just a little spice, and a buttery layer of bourbon icing just for kicks. I also added some candied ginger to the top, for good measure. Maybe the icing and ginger are a little much but, they fancy-up this super easy quick-bread, making it holiday breakfast AND dessert appropriate.

Pumpkin Bread with Bourbon Icing

Makes 1, 9×5 inch loaf

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Since this is a quick bread, it comes together very quickly with few dishes. The bread also tastes great, maybe even better, the next day. This recipe makes 1 standard loaf of pumpkin bread–however, I baked this batch up in a 6inch round pan and a mini-loaf pan. Either way, this bread is delicious. Feel free to make this bread sans icing for an every-day breakfast bread sitch. I use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour in this recipe, you could us less whole wheat or go with just all-purpose with great results. I would be wary of making the entire recipe out of whole wheat as it may result in a very dense and even gummy bread. 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

2-4 teaspoons bourbon

milk to thin

Preheat oven to 350*F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or other baking dish, well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, salt, sugar, baking powder, and spices.

In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, olive, oil, beaten eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix well to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold to incorporate until just combined and there are no longer any dry flour streaks. Be careful to fold the batter and not overmix it. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the center of the oven for 50-60 minutes (about 45 for the round pan) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

For the icing, whisk together the melted butter, bourbon, and powdered sugar. Add milk to thin to desired consistency. Spread icing over cooled bread. Sprinkle with chopped, candied ginger if desired.

Will keep for 2-3 days wrapped well at room temperature.

 

by

Apple Walnut Pull-Apart Bread

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
19

I love working with yeast.

It seems a lot of you have a little bit of yeast-fear…and I totally get it. The idea of wasted ingredients and failed baking endeavors is always a bummer. Nothing gets under my bakers-skin like a failed mess of a recipe that either ends up being thrown angrily into the trash whilst swearing, or, ends up languishing in the refrigerator for weeks until I begrudgingly toss it into the trash–though with less anger, yet more resentment. It’s no fun.

I mean, I know yeast can be scary–sometimes it dead before you even begin, sometimes you just don’t know what’s going to happen. Will it rise, deflate and fall flat, come out dense and heavy and flavorless?

The thing is, working with yeast–as scary as it may seem–is incredibly rewarding. It’s where science and domesticity converge to create something amazing. For me, there is nothing like working with a smooth, elastic ball of dough…and not to get too weird, but I absolutely LOVE the way it feels in my hands (thats’s why you don’t see any bread-machine recipes here…not that there is anything wrong with a bread machine, promise!).

I just have to feel the dough–plus, it’s the best way, over time, to figure out exactly what you are looking for. At this point, I know exactly how sticky I want an unrisen dough to feel–and that, friends, feels like a major accomplishment. So, if my “I-wanna-touch-all-the-bread-dough-in-the-lands” didn’t freak you out, and maybe you want to do a little more yeasted baking, I have a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

Is it ALIVE?! Your yeast can die on you. If it’s been lounging in the pantry for who-knows-how-long, it could be inactive. Meaning, all your efforts are completely wasted ’cause those little dudes are D-E-A-D. You can avoid all that heartache by sprinkling a pinch of yeast into a cup of warm water–if it doesn’t start to foam, ever, it’s done-zo.

Bulk up–buying yeast in bulk is super economical  If you like to bake yeasted goodies, it’s definitely the way to go. I buy yeast in bulk–like, Costco style. I keep it in a screw-cap jar in the refirgerator where it will last for daaaaaays. Like, well over a year. You can also freeze yeast and possibly even extend its life further.

Feed your yeast. If your recipe calls for some sugar–granulated, honey, etc.–add some to the liquid while you proof. It will feed the yeast and get it started a bit faster. Add your salt to the dry mix, don’t add it to the yeast as it will inhibit it from doing it’s thing and it may just die on you.

Perfect isn’t everything. Maybe you’re looking for the perfect artisan-whatever-bread. It’s probably not going to happen the first time. I worked as a baker, mostly cookies and cakes, but the bread baker was a pro. He’d been doing it for almost as long as I’ve been alive and would still phone his consultants and take classes. It’s a learning process and the more you do it the better you’ll get. Really though, few things beat warm, homemade bread–even if it is imperfect.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is, if you are a bit of a yeast-a-phobe–don’t be too scared. It’s only bread, don’t let it defeat you because it is SO worth the effort–even if only every once in a while. Plus, everyone you share your baking-spoils with will think you’re like a baking champion or something…which is totally worth mowing through the self-doubt and yeast-fear.

Apple Walnut Pull-Apart Bread

Adapted from this recipe. 

Yields , 9x5inch loaf

I added some whole wheat flour to this version, though it can certainly be made with just all-purpose. This bread is the very best the day it is made, still warm and slightly gooey. Make it when there are people around for sharing, as you might find yourself in a bread-coma, otherwise. The apples and walnuts make for a messy filling, if they fall out from between the layers, just tuck any stray bits in between the folds of dough after you have placed them into the pan. I streamlined the original steps in the recipe to make it a bit easier to pull together. 

Dough:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (or 1 envelope)

1/3 cup whole milk

4 Tablespoons (2 oz.) butter, unsalted

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs, room temp, beaten lightly

Filling:

1 large apple, peeled and diced small (I used a Honeycrisp)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 Tablespoons (2 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

Icing:

3 Tablespoons butter, browned

1 cup powdered sugar

milk to thin

To make the dough, heat milk with butter in a small saucepan just until butter has melted. Add the water and sugar, set aside to cool for a minute–you want it to be just warm, not hot or the yeast will die. Once it has cooled (to about 120*F), stir in the yeast and set aside until foamy–about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flours and salt. Stir the beaten egg and vanilla into the yeast mixture and using the dough hook, or your strength and a sturdy spoon or bowl scraper, mix the wet into the dry until a dough forms. Knead–either with the mixer or by hand–until you get a fairly sticky and tacky, but well mixed dough.

Grease a large bowl (the one you mixed in is perfect), place the dough inside and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, melt the butter for the filling, pour into a small dish and set aside. Brown the butter for the icing in a skillet–heat butter over medium until the solids turn deep brown and smell like nuts and toffee. Pour browned butter into a bowl and set aside. Add the diced apples to the skillet and sauté with a pinch of salt, until softened slightly–3-5 minutes. Set the apples aside to cool. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the filling, set aside.

Deflate the dough (at this point you can recover and place in the refrigerator overnight and continue the next day).

On a lightly floured work surface roll out the dough into roughly a 12 X 20 inch rectangle (erring on the side of smaller is okay here as the finished dough will rises considerably, filling in any gaps). Using a pastry brush spread all of the melted butter over the dough. Cut the dough North to South in strips (12X4 in pieces). Spread 1/5 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture onto a rectangle of dough followed by the apples and walnuts, stack another rectangle on top and repeat. You can reshape and maniupulate the dough as needed to make a nice stack.

Preheat the oven to 350F and place rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9X5 loaf pan.

Slice the stack through the five layers into 6 equal sections, about 2X4 inches. Fit the layered strip into the loaf pan, cut side down…as if it were a loaf of pre-sliced bread. Cover the pan in plastic and allow to rise another 45-50 minutes until nearly doubled in size. If you poke the dough and the indentation stays it is ready to bake.

Bake until the top is golden and brown and the insides are done (you can test this with a thermometer, it should read between 189-190*F). Check it after 30 minutes or so…this loaf took about 45 minutes to bake–if it starts to brown too much before the interior is done, tent the top with foil and continue baking.

Make the icing by stirring together the browned butter and powdered sugar, adding milk to thin to desired consistency.

Turn the baked bread out onto a cooling rack while it is still warm and glaze.

 

 

 

by

Pint-Size Chicken ‘n’ Waffles

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
25

There are certain things that always get me flavor-wise: sweet + savory, bonus points for spicy, lots of crunchy texture, a little novelty and a little fun. Make it mini, and I am sold!

These Pint-Size Chicken ‘n’ Waffles, from Tiny Food Party by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park of the blog Spoon Fork Bacon, are everything mentioned above, in a perfect, pint-size bite. Chicken and waffles is a totally novel dish, a little kitschy, yet totally delicious. Maybe, somehow, this poultry+breakfast item craze has escaped you. Maybe it’s a little too weird and the idea of breaking into a chicken-leg-on-top-of-a-waffle-drizzled-in-syrup seems a touch cumbersome, then I urge you to make your first foray into the world of chicken and waffles a miniature one.

I have made chicken and waffles at home before, and ordered plenty in restaurants, but Sean and I both agree, these are definitely the best ones. Not just because of the recipe–I mean, I used a frozen mini-waffle here–because, it makes the most sense. It’s a two-bite miracle; no wrangling of chicken bones or dinner utensils required. I swapped the honey butter suggested in the recipe for a mix of honey and tabasco sauce. The honey brings floral sweetness, while the tabasco brings tangy-vinegar heat, and pairs up perfectly with the crunchy-savory chicken and waffle.

I made these for a fun lunch on an easy weekend, but I’m thinking they would be really fun for a game-day spread or any festive gathering…I mean, who can resist? It’s a tiny, crunchy, sweet-savory, Pint-Size Chicken ‘N’ Waffle Wonder!

Pint-Size Chicken ‘n’ Waffles

Makes about 30

Recipe from Tiny Food Party by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park

You could purchase a tiny-waffle-maker, I nearly did but stopped myself from becoming a single-use-appliance hoarder. I still kinda-sorta-really want that dang waffle maker, but my will is maintaining some integrity and, for now, frozen mini-waffles work perfectly. Below I have included the suggested honey butter, as well as the spicy-honey sitch that I favor. Do both, do either, or make your own thing. Happy Tiny Food Party-ing! 

10 chicken tenders, cut into 3 equal pieces (or a couple boneless chicken breasts, 2-3 depending on size)

2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups vegetable oil

30 mini waffles, or regular waffles cut into 30, 1-inch pieces

Honey Butter:

4 Tablespoons softened butter

2 1/2 Tablespoons honey

Whisk until combined.

Spicy Honey:

3 Tablespoons honey

several dashes Tabasco sauce

Whisk until combined, add as little or as much Tabasco as you like.

Place the chicken in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Cover, refrigerate, and soak the chicken in the buttermilk for several hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375*F. Place waffles on a baking sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes.

In a shallow dish, whisk together flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, remove chicken from buttermiilk, dredge through flour mix, shake off excess , and carefully place chicken pieces in hot oil, cooking about 5 minutes per side or until golden, crunchy, and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

Spread honey butter onto waffles, if using, and place 1 chicken piece on each waffle. Drizzle with spicy or plain honey and serve warm.

 

 

 

by

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
35

I know that I just lamented about pumpkin, but, truth be told…I’m not even close to being over it yet.

I’ve been eyeing this recipe for Chocolate Swirl Buns since I saw them on Smitten Kitchen over the summer, but I wanted to wait until the air was crisp and the leaves were fallen before I delved into it. There’s just something about baking with yeast when the cooler months start rolling in, that I cannot resist…I can’t resist pumpkin right now either…surprise!

So, given my love of fall-time baking AND pumpkin AND chocolate, these buns were a no-brainer-mega-hit. I had 3, THREE, the day I made them. My husband had a few himself, and the rest got sent to his office and out of the danger zone–aka, my face. The dough is super-soft and tender, lightly flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon, and slightly sweet. The spiced chocolate filling is the best thing when still warm–gooey, melty, and just spiced. The egg wash and sugar crust make for the best crisp-crunch on the tops of the buns. I love the way the buns unravel, allowing you to eat layer-after-layer of perfectly tender, yeasted dough, with bits of crunchy sugar topping, and rich, gooey pockets of chocolate. Though these buns may be nice for an ultra-decadent weekend brunch, they would be perfect along side an afternoon pick-me-up, as well.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Buns

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 12 buns.

This recipe calls for a bit more liquid and flour than the original and yield buns that are a little larger. I also switched the sugar in the dough and filling to brown, but regular granulated sugar would be perfectly fine. The dough is pretty soft, so work gently and flour the counter and rolling pin liberally to keep things from getting too sticky. Though these are best eaten soon after baking, you can pop leftover buns in the microwave for 10-15 seconds–mimicking that ‘just-baked’ warmth. 

Dough:

1/3 cup warm milk

1/3 cup plain pumpkin puree

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tablespoons unsalted, softened butter

Filling:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

8 ounces (1 cup) chocolate chips, or chopped bar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1 Tablespoon cream

sugar for sprinkling

In measuring cup, combine milk with yeast and a pinch of sugar. Allow to proof 5 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and the egg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attatchement, combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the yeast-pumpkin mixture and mix on low to combine. Add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, mixing until the butter is incorporated before adding the rest. Scrape dough from the paddle, add the dough hook attachment  and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky and stringy. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough rises, make the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, process all ingredients until all of the butter is distributed and you have an uneven, gravely mixture. Set aside.

Liberally butter a 12-cup muffin tin. Set aside.

Once dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and gently deflate. Allow to rest 5 more minutes, before rolling the dough out into a large rectangle, the short end measuring about 12 inches–the long edge can be about 18-22 inches. Sprinkle the chocolate filling evenly over the rectangle, it will be bumpy, and begin rolling from the short end all the way up into a 12-13 inch log and pinch to seal. Gently saw off about 1-inch spirals, placing each into a prepared tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350*F.

Whisk together the egg and cream, brush gently over the tops of the proofed buns and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 15-25 minutes. Mine took closer to 25 minutes to bake. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

by

Nutella-Filled Doughnuts and Adventures in Frying

Tags: , , , ,
24

Last weekend there were lots of fried things, waffles, beers, chatting, and shopping. I went to Megan’s on Saturday and after a waffle breakfast and some browsing through Anthropologie and Paper Source, we got our fry on. Not only did we make these nutella-filled doughnuts, but we also beer battered some pickles and fried those (post soon!).

But, about the doughnuts, these are really a weekend dream. Make the dough the night before (thanks Megan!), roll it/cut it in the morning, and while you chat over coffee or do some errand running your doughnuts will rise, after that you can just fry them up, dust the still warm doughnuts with sugar, and fill with nutella. We did have more than one mishap trying to fill the doughnuts–so, I would suggest using a good quality piping bag fitted with a tip that can pierce the outside of the donut. These are best eaten fresh and warm–the outside is crunchy and sugary, while the insides are soft, tender, and buttery.

Click over to Megan’s blog, Take A Megabite, for the recipe and her pictures :D