Breads | Fake Ginger

Wheat-Oat-Flax Buns

April 25, 2012 in breads

Part of the reason I bake bread so often is pure laziness. It’s just easier to bake a loaf than it is to strap 3 kids in carseats and get in and out of a store. And that’s exactly what happened with these buns – I realized I had all the ingredients to make a burger I had been wanting to try but no buns. Normally I would’ve just slapped the burger on some sandwich bread (which we had) and called it a day but if I wanted to blog about the burgers, I had to make it pretty!

(Yes, that means the burger recipe is coming soon. It’s gooooood.)

These buns are packed full of good-for-you ingredients – ground flax seeds, whole wheat flour, oats – and yet somehow they don’t really taste like they are. They are great for burgers but I think they would be fantastic for regular ol’ sandwiches too.

Wheat-Oat-Flax Buns

5.0 from 1 reviews

Yield: 12 buns

from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole flax meal
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg yolk, white reserved for topping
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 to 7/8 cup lukewarm water
For the top:
1 large egg white, reserved from dough, whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water
rolled oats, for topping

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until just combined – you are not kneading here, just making sure all ingredients are moistened. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to give the grains a chance to soften. Then knead — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, soft, elastic dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it’s almost doubled in size.
Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; pull and flatten each ball into a circle about 3″ across.
Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about 90 minutes, until almost doubled. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F.
Brush the buns with the egg white/water mixture. Sprinkle with oats.
Bake the buns for 21 to 25 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Store in an airtight container.

This post submitted to YeastSpotting.

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The Bread Baker’s Apprentice – Sourdough

April 21, 2010 in BBA, breads

Sourdough is officially the thorn in my side. This loaf was my 3rd try at the Bread Baker’s Apprentice version. I tried it when I first bought the book and it broke my stand mixer. Granted, it was no Kitchenaid but it wasn’t exactly a dinky mixer – it did make brioche for me. I threw my starter away after that and vowed not to try sourdough again. Then I joined the BBA group and knew I’d have to try again. I made another starter and ended up with flat, hard sourdough. My starter had failed me. The starter was working fine on it’s own so I wasn’t sure what happened. For the sake of the challenge, I tried again and added a tiny pinch of yeast to the dough. It did the trick but I’m still feeling like a sourdough failure.

I made this bread a couple months back and since then I’ve had to throw that starter away. I’m working on yet another starter to finish out the sourdough breads in the book but can I tell you how frustrated I am by sourdough? I consider myself a fairly decent bread maker and it’s super annoying that there’s a bread I just can’t conquer.

The bread was good. Not as sour as one that had been made with only wild yeast but it was still obviously sourdough. I would actually love to make it again once I get my starter issues worked out.

If you’re interested in trying Peter Reinhart’s sourdough formula check out The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and then visit the BBA blogroll to see how the other bakers are doing.

Tags: BBA, breads
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Lime & Cardamom Sweet Rolls

April 20, 2010 in breads, breakfast

Up until a few weeks ago, cardamom was the one spice missing from my collection. I don’t know if you guys know this, but cardamom is freakin’ expensive! The cheapest I was able to find it around here was $5 and that was from a bulk bin! I lucked out recently when I found a huge bottle for $2.99 at World Market and I immediately knew I wanted to make these rolls. I’ve had this recipe saved for well over a year, I was just waiting for inexpensive cardamom.

Cardamom is a strange spice. It almost smells citrusy to me, even though is technically part of the ginger family. I thought the taste was very subtle and next time I make these (because they will be made again) I might add a little extra cardamom so it stands out more.

I thought these were fantastic and so did my 3 year old. Everyone else who tried them gave them a “Ehh… they’re different…” review. They were lighter than the lemon ones I did recently and I think they would be perfect for a warm weather brunch.

Lime & Cardamom Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (100F to 110F)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces), divided
Cooking spray
For the filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Instructions

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.
Combine yogurt and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Gradually stir yeast mixture into sour cream mixture. Lightly spoon 2 1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour to sour cream mixture, stirring to form a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel slightly tacky).
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85Â°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)
To prepare filling, combine brown sugar, rind, and cardamom. Divide dough into two equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough into a 12 x 10â€“inch rectangle; brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle half of filling over dough. Beginning with a long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal (do not seal ends of roll). Repeat procedure with remaining dough, 1 tablespoon butter, and filling. Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up, in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Uncover dough. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack.
To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls.

adapted from Cooking Light

This post submitted to YeastSpotting.

One year ago: Baked Brie

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The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge – Pugliese

April 13, 2010 in BBA, breads

I’ve been putting this BBA bread off for awhile just because the picture in the book bored me. From the picture you can’t tell that it’s baked as boules or that you get to mark it with a pretty design. Now if the picture had shown me that instead of boring looking slices next to some grapes, I probably would’ve gotten to this one a lot sooner.

Like most breads in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, it wasn’t difficult but it did take 2 days. Day 1 was mixing up a biga and after fermenting for a couple hours, it’s refrigerated overnight. Day 2 involved a little mixing, a little folding, and a whole lot of waiting.

This bread isn’t kneaded at all. It’s stirred vigorously and, like I mentioned, folded a few times. The only issue I had with that is that when I went to shape them into boules I degassed them way too much which gave me a fairly tight crumb instead of big, beautiful holes.

Right after these came out of the oven (and I sliced into one to make sure it was edible), I took a loaf over to my grandparents house because I know my grandfather is a huge fan of bread. He told me that the bread was terrible as he sliced his second piece. ;)

When the loaves first came out of the oven the crust was very crispy and delicious but overnight it definitely softened up and is more chewy than crispy. The book mentioned this would happen but I’m still a little disappointed.

The Pugliese is on page 222 in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and is definitely worth checking out. Make sure you visit the BBA blogroll to see how the other bakers are doing.

Tags: BBA, breads
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Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

April 10, 2010 in breads, breakfast

Once every few months I’ll see a recipe and won’t be able to get it out of my mind. I try to fight it because normally it involves an obscene amount of heavy cream but I never win. Like this one – I saw it and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then just when I had started to move on with my life, Katie from goodLife{eats} started Tweeting about it. That was it. It had to be made.

If you’ve been reading for awhile you’re probably aware of my love affair with anything rolled. Cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, random creations inspired by Christmas candy, I love them all so this was an obvious winner from the start.

They were everything I hoped they would be. Sweet and tart all at once. I was actually shocked at how much I liked them since I’m not found of fruit and yeast bread together.

These would be perfect for a weekend breakfast. Just mix the dough and shape them into rolls, retard in the fridge overnight, and bake off in the morning! I guarantee whoever you’re baking for will be so excited to see these on the table!

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients

For the lemon roll dough:
1 envelope (0.25 ounces, or 2 1/2 teaspoons) yeast
3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 100F or warm but not hot on your wrist
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 lemons, zested
2 eggs
For the sticky lemon filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 lemons, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
For the lemon cream cheese glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, zested

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and let it sit for a couple minutes. With the mixer paddle, stir in the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.
Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and pliable.
(If you do not have a stand mixer, stir together the ingredients by hand, then turn the soft dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead the dough by hand for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, pliable, and stretchy.)
Spray the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled â€“ about an hour.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the nutmeg and ginger, then work in the lemon zest with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles wet, soft sand. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon. (Reserve the juice of the second lemon for the glaze.)
Lightly grease a 13Ã—9 inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle â€” about 10Ã—15 inches. Spread evenly with the softened butter, then pour and spread the lemon-sugar mixture over top. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls, and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.
Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour.)
Heat the oven to 350F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 190F.

from The Kitchn