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Cheese Stromboli

It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve blogged about something doughy. I’m really weird about blogging and sometimes start to think that I’ve blogged everything there is to possibly blog about. Which is silly because there’s an endless supply of recipes and ideas out there.

So today I’m sharing something I’ve never blogged, never made, and never even eaten before now! I was always kind of confused about stromboli because it seems like every time I see it at a restaurant it looks just like a calzone – folded over pizza dough with stuff inside. But as it turns out, a stromboli is actually rolled up, cinnamon roll style, once it’s stuffed with your choice of toppings. This one is only cheese (smoked gruyere!) but you can pretty much add anything you want. Meat, different cheeses, and veggies.

This dough recipe from Red Star Yeast is pretty fantastic. It’s light and airy and the perfect compliment to all the cheese. I’m a big believer in waiting for a bread to cool completely before cutting for the best texture but with something like this, you just gotta cut into it as soon as it comes out of the oven and the bread doesn’t suffer at all for it.

I’m still obsessed with Platinum yeast and if you haven’t given it a try yet, you absolutely must. It makes baking with yeast completely foolproof! I was able to skip the first step of the recipe (softening the yeast) thanks to the magic of Platinum.

One year ago: Provencal Olive Fougasse
Two years ago: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Three years ago: Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Four years ago: Walnut Sticky Buns

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Cheese Stromboli
from Red Star Yeast
Ingredients
For the dough:
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling and topping:
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 5 ounces mozzarella cubed
  • 5 ounces smoked gruyere cubed
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • olive oil for brushing the dough
Instructions
  1. In large bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water (110-115F). Stir in Active Dry Yeast; let stand for 10 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk in 1 cup flour, oil and salt; beat until smooth.
  2. Using wooden spoon, gradually stir in enough of remaining flour to make soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead for 7-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary.
  3. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
  4. Punch down dough; cover with tea towel; let rest for 10 minutes.On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 16- x 12-inch rectangle. Evenly sprinkle oregano, basil, garlic and cheeses over top, leaving 1-inch border around edges. Starting from long side, roll up into cylinder; pinch along edges and end to seal. Place onto lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until indentation remains after touching.
  5. Remove plastic; lightly brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and rosemary.
  6. Bake in center of 375F oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool on rack.

This post sponsored by Red Star Yeast. 

Cinnamon Twists

Have you ever had the worst craving for a cinnamon roll but been stranded at home because your husband took your car to work because it’s snowing and he refuses to put new windshield wipers on his car? And you obviously can’t make cinnamon rolls from scratch because that would way too long. Plus you would be left with a pan of cream cheese frosting-covered cinnamon rolls and you’re already having trouble buttoning your jeans so yeah. Cinnamon rolls are out.

But these guys? All the taste of cinnamon rolls (without the frosting, obviously) but they’re a million times easier to make. Hands-on time for this recipe was less than 15 minutes!

I made these guys for Red Star Yeast and they are so delicious. It’s basically a soft yeast dough that’s sprinkled with pecans and cinnamon sugar before being rolled out and cut into strips. The strips are twisted and then baked.  The cinnamon twists are incredibly simple to make and like I mentioned, took hardly any time. I used Red Star Yeast’s Platinum and they rose beautifully and pretty quick considering how cold it’s been here lately.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, comforting after-school snack or breakfast or maybe even dinner, you should definitely give these guys a try.

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Cinnamon Twists
from Red Star Yeast
Ingredients
For the dough:
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
For the filling:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
  1. Preheat Oven to 375F
  2. In large mixer bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt; mix well. Heat milk, water and 1/3 cup butter until very warm (120-130 F; butter does not need to melt). Add to flour mixture. Add egg. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
  3. PREPARE FILLING: Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
  4. Punch down dough. On lightly floured surface roll dough to a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with nuts; press into dough. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over dough. Cut dough in half crosswise. Cut each half into 6 strips, 2 inches wide. Twist each strip 2 or 3 times with cinnamon side out. Place twists in greased 13 x 9-inch cake pan. Cover; let rise in warm place until indentation remains after touching.
  5. Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool.

This post sponsored by Red Star Yeast. All opinions are my own.

Country Herb Rolls

Funny story about these rolls: they are so good that the angry husky couldn’t wait for them to bake. She ate 6 (!) of them as they sat on the counter to rise. Yes, she got sick. Yes, she says she’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Anyway.

Easter is next weekend! My husband hasn’t been home for the past 2 Easters so it’s kind of a big deal around here. I’m excited to do a big Easter lunch with ham and cheesy casseroles and maybe even a vegetable or 2. And these rolls, of course.

These rolls would be the perfect savory addition to your holiday meal. They’re loaded with dried minced onion (which I’m obsessed with), garlic salt, and Italian seasoning. I was standing in my backyard as these baked thinking “Who’s making pizza?!” but it was these rolls. My house smelled just like a pizzeria as they baked. And they taste just as good as they smell!

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Country Herb Rolls
from Red Star Yeast
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons oil or melted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active-dry yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
  1. In large pot over medium heat, add oil (or butter), water and milk. Heat until 110°-115°F. remove from heat.
  2. Add sugar and egg; stir in Yeast. Whisk until mixture is smooth.
  3. Add flour, cornmeal, onion, salt and seasoning. Stir with heavy wooden spoon. If necessary, work in a little additional flour with your hands until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead 2 to 3 minutes. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
  4. Punch down, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 24 portions. To shape, roll each piece into a 6 inch long rope. Tie in loose knot. Place rolls into greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Cover and let rise until indentation remains after lightly touching.
  5. Preheat oven to 375F. Brush tops with 2 tbsp melted butter or oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

This post sponsored by Red Star Yeast.

Crescent Rolls

Crescent Rolls – easy buttery homemade crescent rolls. Skip the canned rolls and make your own!

Crescent Rolls - easy buttery homemade crescent rolls. Skip the canned rolls and make your own!

I’m really trying to get back into yeast breads. There was a time when I made every bread we ate and while that’s not really feasible at this point in my life I’d like to at least make it sometimes.

I made these to go with that delicious slow cooker salisbury steak a few weeks back because I was feeling like that old-fashioned meal needed some old-fashioned crescents to go with it.

My family loves those canned crescents rolls – and by “my family”, I mean me. I can’t even buy them anymore because I’ll eat half of the rolls before dinner is even ready. And yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I ate probably half of these before the salisbury steak was ready. But it’s okay because they’re really yummy. Plus I knew everything that went into them, they weren’t from a can, etc etc etc.

Crescent Rolls - easy buttery homemade crescent rolls. Skip the canned rolls and make your own!

They are way less complicated than they look and I think they’re one of those breads that you’d really have to try to screw up. The dough does has a really long rising time but I’d say mine was ready in about half the time called for in the recipe. Just watch it to see when it’s doubled. An easy way to do that is to put a piece of tape on the side of your bowl where the dough originally is.

Your family will definitely be impressed if you put this on the table tonight.

Crescent Rolls - easy buttery homemade crescent rolls. Skip the canned rolls and make your own!

Homemade Rolls Recipes

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Crescent Rolls - easy buttery homemade crescent rolls. Skip the canned rolls and make your own!

Yield: 16 rolls

Crescent Rolls

Crescent Rolls

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 sticks, 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
  • 1/4 cup 1 3/4 ounces granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 cups 20 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

  1. Warm the milk, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is mostly melted and the mixture is about 110 degrees, whisking to dissolve the sugar.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the eggs; slowly stream in about 1/4 of the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the rest of the milk, continuing to whisk.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, yeast, and salt.. With the mixer on low, add the milk and egg mixture. Continue mixing on low until a loose, shiny dough forms, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium about 5 minutes until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm place until the dough doubles in bulk and the surface feels tacky, about 3 hours.
  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work space. Roll into a 20x13-inch rectangle. Use a pastry wheel to trim any unever edges. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut 16 triangles. Before rolling into crescents stretch the dough an additional 2-3 inches in length. Starting at the wide end, gently roll up each crescent, ending with the pointed tip on bottom, and push the ends toward each other to form a crescent shape. Arrange the crescents on a parchment-lined baking sheet; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight at the most).
  5. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and let rise until the crescents have lost their chill and feel slightly tacky and soft.
  6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center and one is as low as you can place it. Place a small baking pan on the lower one.
  7. Whisk the egg white and water together. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the crescent rolls with this mixture. Transfer the baking sheet with the rolls to the middle oven rack and, working quickly, pour 1 cup hot tap water into the hot baking pan on the bottom rack. Close the door immediately and bake 10 minutes; reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking until the tops are golden brown 12-16 minutes longer. Transfer the rolls to a wire rack, cool for 5 minutes, and serve warm.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g

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© Amanda Livesay

Raisin Swirl Bread

The baby of the house looooooves raisin swirl bread. I didn’t know this about him until he started going to daycare and every time they would have raisin swirl bread for breakfast, the girls that work there would tell me that he ate 3 or 4 pieces. One day one of the girls said “I finally had to cut him off! He wanted to eat all of it!”

After hearing that, I had to go home and make some! If he loves something that much, I might as well have some hanging around the house for him. I have heard rave reviews about this particular recipe and it didn’t disappoint. It was light and fluffy with a crisp crust and everyone in the house loved it. Especially the baby!

I wanted to make French toast with it but the loaf was gone before I had the chance so it looks like I’ll be making it again soon!

One year ago: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Three years ago: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Print
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients
For the bread:
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar plus a pinch
  • 1 1/4 cups warm milk
  • 1/2 stick 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
For the swirl:
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to a spreadable consistency
Instructions
To make the bread:
  1. Put the yeast, pinch of sugar, and 1/4 cup of the warm milk in a small bowl. Let sit for 3 minutes then stir.
  2. Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, the softened butter, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix on low speed for a minute before adding the salt, egg, and vanilla; mix for another minute. The mixture will likely look curdled but that's okay. Add in the yeast mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 more minute.
  3. Add 2 3/4 cups of the flour and mix on low speed just until the flour is moistened. If you have a dough hook for your stand mixer, switch now. Add 1 more cup of flour and increase the mixer to medium; beat the dough until it comes together and starts to clean the side, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of flour as needed. Keep the mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the dough is smooth and has a buttery sheen. The dough will be very soft.
  4. Turn the dough into a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
  5. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until it is firm enough to be rolled easily.
To make the swirl and shape the loaf:
  1. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.
  3. Put the dough on a floured work surface and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle.
  4. Gently spread 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over top and scatter on the raisins. Starting from a short side of the dough, roll it up tightly, jelly-roll style. Fit the dough into the prepared pan, seam side down, and truck the ends under the loaf.
  5. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough comes just a little above the edge of the pan.
Getting ready to bake:
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the top of the loaf with it. Place the loaf pan on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with an aluminum foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer the loaf pan to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before turning it out. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Oatmeal Rolls

Homemade Oatmeal Rolls - old-fashioned oatmeal rolls recipe! This creates the most delicious and tender dinner rolls!

So are we loving this weather or what?! (Those of you still have 90+ degree, I am sorry. You can come stay with me.) We actually had snow in our forecast this past weekend and although we didn’t get any, it was crazy cold and definitely soup weather! I made a big ol’ pot of soup and these rolls to go along with it.

These are half whole wheat and part of the reason I wanted to make them was to try out the Red Star Yeast Platinum. The Platinum is supposed to be really good for whole wheat breads since those can to be a little stubborn when it comes to rising. It blew me away! I’ve never had a wheat dough rise so well! I was especially shocked at how well it worked given how cold it was. Seriously, if you haven’t tried Platinum, go get you some!

The rolls were perfect soup rolls! I love oat breads because while the oats aren’t really obvious, they add a certain almost nuttiness to the bread. They were super soft and perfect for sopping up that last little bit of soup left in the bowl.

Homemade Oatmeal Rolls - old-fashioned oatmeal rolls recipe! This creates the most delicious and tender dinner rolls!

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Oatmeal Rolls
adapted from Creations by Kara
Servings: 24 rolls
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup cold water
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active-dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
  1. Stir together boiling water, oats, vegetable oil, and salt. Let side for about a minute; add cold water. Stir until slightly cooled.
  2. Pour into the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add brown sugar, molasses, and yeast. Add all-purpose flour and beat till smooth. Add whole wheat flour and continue beating until the dough comes together. Switch to dough hook. Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 6 - 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
  3. Divide the dough into 24 even pieces and shape into rolls. Place in greased pan(s). Cover and let rise for another hour, or until doubled.
  4. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, or until browned. Brush with butter as soon as the come out of the oven if desired.

This post is NOT sponsored. I just dig Red Star Yeast and their new Platinum yeast.

Everything Bread

I have the hardest time getting back into a posting schedule after taking a blog vacation. My mom was here visiting last week and I had intended on getting a few posts up but yeah… didn’t happen. And then the day after she left, I made the brilliant decision to do a detox so I haven’t been eating and therefore haven’t really been cooking or baking much. So if things are quiet around here for a few days, it’s because I’m too busy sitting on my butt, sipping pineapple ginger juice and wishing I had a cheeseburger.

I did manage to make this Everything Bread and it was complete torture. I can’t wait until Wednesday when I can finally have a slice! I’ve made this recipe in the past though so I can safely say that it is absolutely amazing and it’s perfect for those of us that love the “everything” flavor but aren’t huge bagel fans. Last time I made it – probably a year ago – my husband was at work and I kept taking little slivers off it so by the time he made it home it was completely gone. He walked in and said “It smells like bread in here!” And I was all “Weird, right?!”

My favorite thing about this bread and what sets it apart from other “everything” recipes I’ve come across is that the seeds and dried onion and all that goodness are inside that bread too! So it’s double the flavor!

It’s such an easy recipe and as with most of their recipes, Red Star Yeast makes it even easier on you by giving you instructions for bread machines and mixers. Of course, you can use your hands too! You may want to check out the recipe on their site because they also give you 3 different size options. The one I made is the medium sized one.

My kids, who request bread with no seeds when I’m making sandwiches for them, loved this! My 2 year old broke into “There’s a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy” after his first bite! I guess they were pretty excited that I decided to share the loaf with them this time! Eep!

One year ago: Chocolate Chip Scones
Two years ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

5 from 1 vote
Print
Everything Bread
from Red Star Yeast
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
For the topping:
  • 1 ½ teaspoons water
  • â…› teaspoon cornstarch
  • ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon poppy seeds
  • pinch black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • ½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
  • ¾ teaspoon sesame seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon dried minced onion
Instructions
  1. Whisk together yeast, 1 cup flour, and other dry ingredients.
  2. Stir together liquids and heat to 120-130F.
  3. Combine dry mixture and liquid ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  4. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe, about an hour.
  5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Shape dough into a round loaf. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching, another hour or so.
  6. Combine 1+1/2 teaspoons water and â…› teaspoon cornstarch; brush on top of bread. Sprinkle with topping. Bake in preheated 375F oven 30 to 40 minutes or until tested done. Remove from baking sheet; cool.

 

This post sponsored by Red Star Yeast. I really did eat an entire loaf of this though.
This post submitted to YeastSpotting.

Marbled Chocolate Brioche

This is the best thing I’ve made this year.

I know I’ve probably said that 15 times already but for real. This is it.

I have been in love with brioche since the first time I made it and adding a swirl of chocolate brioche to it just intensified our love. It was flaky, buttery, and extra rich – everything a good brioche should be.

When you make a marbled quickbread, you just dollop the batters on top of each other and then you use a knife to swirl them together. But with a yeast bread, that’s not really an option. So the method for this was really interesting and fun – you stack the dough on top of each other, slice into strips, and then slice again into pieces. Then you take all those pieces and shape them into a ball.

It produced the prettiest swirls!

For being such a good looking bread, it really wasn’t much work at all. I know a lot of people say that brioche is a pain in the you-know-what to work with but I think it’s one of the easiest doughs. It’s silky, smooth, and the large amount of butter means that it really doesn’t stick to anything.

You better believe I’m making French toast with it this morning.

One year ago: PB&J Cookies
Three years ago: Caramel Pecans Rolls
Four years ago: Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots

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Marbled Chocolate Brioche
adapted from The Modern Baker
Ingredients
For the brioche:
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2¼ teaspoons 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
For the chocolate enrichment:
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of ground cinnamon
  • 1½ ounces bittersweet chocolate melted and cooled
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment. Butter parchment.
To make brioche:
  1. Heat the milk in a saucepan until lukewarm (about 110F). Pour milk into a bowl and whisk in the yeast; stir in 1 cup of the flour, making sure it is all moistened. Cover the bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, salt, egg, egg, yolks, and lemon zest until all is combined. Scrape the yeast mixture in and mix thoroughly. Add the remaining flour and mix just until combined.
  3. Remove dough and place on a floured work surface. Divide into thirds. Place 2 of the thirds back in the stand mixer bowl, this time fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on medium and mix until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Return dough to floured work surface and divide into 2.
  4. Place remaining third of the dough into the stand mixer. Make chocolate enrichment before proceeding.
To make chocolate enrichment:
  1. Whisk together water, baking soda, cinnamon, and melted chocolate.
  2. Add the chocolate enrichment to the stand mixer bowl with the dough. Turn mixer on medium; add the 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix until dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Remove to floured work surface.
  3. Press one of the pieces of plain dough into a 5-inch square on the floured work surface. Repeat with the chocolate dough, placing it on top of the plain dough. Repeat with the last piece of plain dough. It doesn't need to be perfectly lined up.
  4. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 3 strips, each about 1¾ inches wide. Cut each strip into ten ½-inch pieces of bowl. Place the cut pieces of dough into a bowl.
  5. Slide your hands, palms upward, under the pieces of dough and toss them gently.
  6. Sprinkle the pieces of dough in the bowl with 1 teaspoon of water. Gently press and squeeze the dough together into a ball. Move dough ball to your floured work surface and press into a thick 4 x 8-inch rectangle. Place the dough in the prepared pan and press to fill the pan completely.
  7. Cover the pan and let the dough rise about 1 inch over the top of the pan, 1-2 hours.
  8. Preheat your oven to 350F about 20 minutes before the loaf is fully risen. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
  9. Bake until the loaf is well risen and deep golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack.

This post submitted to YeastSpotting.

Easter Bread

We got our eggs dyed yesterday. I was trying to wait until this weekend but we had a snowstorm early in the week that forced up to stay inside for a few days. I was desperate for something, anything to entertain the kidlets. So unless I get real brave this weekend and take them to an egg hunt, we’re done with Easter activities. And that makes me sad.

Luckily, I do have this bread to enjoy while I wait for the actual day. If you like hot cross buns, you will LOVE this. It doesn’t have the spice or the sweet glaze that hot cross buns have but it’s full of lemon zest and dried fruit and it makes for a great presentation since it’s braided. The orange marmalade is perfect on top and you must not skip it!

One year ago: Honey Chicken
Two years ago: Broccoli Salad
Three years ago: Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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Easter Bread
adapted from Taste of Home
Ingredients
  • 1 envelope 1/4 ounce active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
  • orange marmalade for serving
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Let stand until foamy. Add eggs, sugar, oil, salt, lemon zest, and 4 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Sprinkle the raisins over top; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl, turning to make sure all sides are greased. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
  3. Punch dough down; turn out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces and roll each piece into a 20-inch rope. Braid the ropes together; pinch ends to seal. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
  4. Heat oven to 350F. Brush the risen dough with the beaten egg mixture. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting. Serve with orange marmalade.

Hot Cross Buns

Easter is probably my favorite holiday (after Mardi Gras, obviously). I don’t know why – maybe it’s all the bright colored eggs or the fun baskets I get to make these days. I just love it.

Another great thing about Easter? Hot Cross Buns! Slightly sweet, yeast rolls studded with currants (or dried fruit of choice) and lots of cinnamon. And as if that’s not enough, they’re brushed with a deliciously sweet glaze. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday so make sure you save this recipe for next week!

The recipe is very easy and the dough can even be made in your bread machine if you’re pressed for time. For the glaze, I brushed it over the buns and then thickened it up with more powdered sugar to make the crosses. So simple and so delicious!

5 from 1 vote
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Hot Cross Buns
from Red Star Yeast
Ingredients
For the buns:
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ butter room temperature
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 3½ cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup dried currants
For the glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 to 4 teaspoons water
Instructions
To make the dough using a bread machine:
  1. Have liquid ingredients at 80F and all other ingredients at room temperature. Place ingredients in pan in the order specified in your owner's manual. Select dough/manual cycle. Currants can be added 5 minutes before the end of the last kneading. Do not use the delay timer. Take dough out after kneading cycle is complete. Follow Shaping, Rising and Baking directions below. TIP: Check dough consistency after 5 minutes of kneading. The dough should be in a soft, tacky ball. If it is dry and stiff, add water, ½ to 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet and sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time.
To make using a hand-held mixer:
  1. Combine yeast, 1 cup flour, and other dry ingredients, except currants. Combine water and milk; heat to 120to 130F.
  2. Combine dry mixture, liquid ingredients, and butter in mixing bowl on low speed. Beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. Add egg; beat 1 minute. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on floured surface 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Add additional flour if necessary. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
To make using a stand mixer:
  1. Combine yeast, 1 cup flour, and other dry ingredients, except currants. Combine water and milk; heat to 120to 130F.
  2. Combine dry mixture, liquid ingredients, and butter in mixing bowl with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Add egg; beat 1 minute. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
To make using a food processor:
  1. Put dry mixture in processing bowl with steel blade. While motor is running, add butter, egg, and liquid ingredients. Process until mixed. Continue processing, adding remaining flour until dough forms a ball. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe.
  2. Shaping, rising, and baking:
  3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 6 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Place on greased cookie sheet, sides touching. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching. Combine 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush buns. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets; cool. Frost with glaze.
To make the glaze:
  1. Whisk together sugar, vanilla, and water until you get your desired consistency.

The post sponsored by Red Star Yeast. All opinions are my own.

Tomato Herb Focaccia

I have a mile long list of things that I want/need to accomplish during this deployment and at the top of my list is “BAKE MORE OFTEN”. And to go along with that: “blog more often”.

So here we go. 9 months of baking!

Bread has always been my favorite thing to bake, y’all know that. But it’s even more important to me these days because yeast doesn’t disappoint me at our crazy high elevation like baking powder or soda does. I’ve been saving this recipe for yummy tomatoes but I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to make it.

Focaccia is probably my favorite bread because of it’s crisp exterior and almost airy inside. I just love it! But putting tomatoes and cheese on top of that focaccia crust that I love so much just sent it over the edge. It was definitely one of my favorites.

The day after I made it, I sliced a piece in half and turned the tomato half upside down to make a sandwich (does that make sense?) and then grilled it on the panini press. Best sandwich of my life.

Three years ago: Rye Pecan Rolls

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Tomato Herb Focaccia
adapted from Taste of Home
Ingredients
  • 1 package 1/4 ounce active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon each dried oregano thyme and rosemary, crushed
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • pinch of pepper
  • 2 to 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 large tomato thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, sugar, garlic, dried herbs, pepper and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, sticky dough.
  2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F.
  4. Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a 13-in. x 9-in. rectangle; place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Drizzle the remaining oil over the dough; use your fingertips to press dimples into the dough while spreading the oil around. Top with tomatoes and cheese.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

This post submitted to YeastSpotting.

 

Cheesy Breadsticks

I was never really a pizza person until we moved to Colorado. We spent a month in a hotel and then another week in our house without our belongings so we ate a lot of pizza and I came to love breadsticks (and stuffed crust pizza but we’re talking breadsticks right now). I suggest ordering pizza these days just so I can get breadsticks.

I saw this recipe and needed to make it ASAP. Ridiculously good. They taste just like the kind of breadsticks you would get at a pizza place and they’re so simple! And cheaper than ordering out because I’m almost positive you have all the ingredients already in your kitchen.

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Cheesy Breadsticks
adapted from Lauren's Latest
Ingredients
  • 1 unbaked pizza dough homemade or store-bought
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Stretch pizza dough to fit 12-inch pizza pan or a regular sheet pan. (Use cornmeal to work with dough if it’s sticky.)
  2. Melt butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Add garlic and cook just for a few seconds, until fragrant.
  3. Use a pastry brush to brush the butter over the dough. Sprinkle the cheeses over top.
  4. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Let cool slightly before cutting.

 

Rosemary Cheddar Cheese Bread

I know, I know… you’re on a diet and I’m talking about bread for the second time this week.

I can’t help it! It’s just all I want to make right now. If I could get away with it I would be serving nothing but fresh bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This Rosemary Cheddar Cheese Bread called to me, not just because it’s layered but because the layers are 2 very different kinds of bread. The bottom layer is a very wheat-y rosemary and the top is a white batter with tons of cheese. I had no idea how they were going to work together.

We adored this bread! Absolutely adored it. The wheat batter’s crust got so crisp like wheat breads tend to do and the cheese batter was fluffy and amazing. It was the best of both worlds! It was good with butter, without, toasted, not toasted. Seriously, make this bread.

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Rosemary Cheddar Cheese Bread
from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion
Ingredients
For the Rosemary Whole Wheat Batter:
  • 1 large egg
  • 1¼ cups 10 ounces milk
  • 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups 10½ ounces whole wheat flour
For the Cheddar Cheese Batter:
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup 8 ounces milk
  • 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups 8½ ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups 5 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans.
For the rosemary batter:
  1. Beat the egg and add the milk and the melted butter. Stir well. In a separate bowl, mix together the baking powder, rosemary, salt, and flour. Add the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Put half of the batter into each of the 2 prepared pans. (The batter is thick - use a spoon to complete cover the bottom of the pan.)
For the cheese batter:
  1. Beat the egg and add the milk and the melted butter. Stir well. In a separate bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and flour. Stir in the cheese, then the egg mixture, stirring until just combined.
  2. Pout half of the cheddar batter into each pan on top of the rosemary batter. (The batter is stick so you will likely need to use a spoon to smooth it out.)
  3. Bake the loaves for 50 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle of a loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Olive Cheese Bread

I’m not sure if you guys have noticed but I haven’t really been in a sugary mood lately. (Which is a complete lie because I killed a box of Confetti Cake Pop Tarts in less than 24 hours this weekend. But I just don’t feel like making anything sugary.) So I’m going to apologize in advance if this week is a little more savory than you’re used to. Let’s blame all the Christmas cookies.

This is one of my all-time favorite breads but I very rarely make it because I am cheap and olives… well, they’re not. I found myself with an extra can recently and knew what they were destined for.

I can’t even begin to describe the amazingness of this bread. It’s cheesy and crunchy and salty. It’s pure heaven. Monterey Jack is one of my least favorite cheeses but it works here with the olives. I’ve also used mozzarella in this and it’s just as good.

My kids won’t eat olives so I normally halve this recipe and then use the other half of the bread for cheesy garlic bread. Perfect for spaghetti nights!

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Olive Cheese Bread
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
  • 1 loaf french bread
  • 2 6-ounce cans ripe black olives, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks green onions sliced
  • ½ cup 1 stick butter, softened
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cups 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
  1. Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.