Still Pictureless

I must apologize for a lack of camera cord, but soon it will be fixed, just give me one more week. This time I even market the day I need to get it on my calender.
So if you have actually read this far with seeing there is no picture you will be happy because I have an incredible weekend breakfast treat, english muffins. I tried these things for the first time and they are incredibly easy. Not to meantion insanely tasty. I will never go back to store bought, ever!

So the recipe I used is here. I did make alterations to make it multigrain.

-1 Tablespoon of honey(added after the egg whites)
-skip the four cups white flour and mix up your grains, I used the following
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups white wheat flour
1/4 flax seeds
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup wheat germ
I added the white and half the wheat flour first. Then the eggs(and honey) as directed. Next I added my grain mix and needed the dough in the remaining cup of wheat flour.

That may seem complicated, but I'm sure it would turn out with any grains you have, just make sure you get some white flour or gluten in there.

Coconut Rolls

I found a recipe at my favorite bread site that sounded so good, I had to make it for no reason. (No reason, meaning a day full of carb loading on coconut rolls.) I have not yet found a recipe/class from the site I do not love. They give step by step classes with pictures even.
This bread is the best "hawaiin sweetbread" I have ever had. So fluffy and moist, yet so easy anyone could do it.

Coconut Bread
adapted from cookingbread.com

2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons shortening ( melted )
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoon milk powder
4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg ( beaten )
2 tablespoon coconut( finely chopped )
4 cups bread flour, I used white wheat flour
1 T gluten

Put the wet ingredients in your bread machine. Then put the dry on top, then the yeast. Start the machine on the dough cycle. Once the cycle is done, roll the dough into tini balls, like big gumball size, and place three per muffin tin. (Makes about 18) Let the rolls rise for half hour to forty five minutes. Preheat oven to 350 and cook for ten to fifteen minutes depending on your oven. Immediately butter the tops when they come out of the oven.

Texas

Recently, me and the little guy were lucky enough to go visit my in laws in Texas while Ryan was busy doing an externship. I hate being alone. I get bored fast, my creative juices are stumped when I am always alone. So we woke up, got tickets and jumped in the car to head to the airport twenty minutes later!! Yes, I am a little nuts. When we left, it was eighty five and humid, so we packed shorts. We arrived, and well froze our hinies for a week. When we got home, we got very sick, we are finally going to the doctor now that we are better.
I share this not to sob(because we are so over that now) but because I have not been able to share any recipes. Sorry people. Well give me a week to get my rear in gear with school and we'll be back at it. Okay now that we have that covered here are a few favorites we threw together in the big lone-star-state.

Chocolate pie, that is to die for, literally!

Italian Wedding Soup, this stuff is amazing! I had to make it when I got home because it's Ryan's favorite.

We made cornbread, but it was a little bit disappointing. You see, I have this recipe I love and nothing has compared to it yet. We added cheese and diced green chilis. Yummy!

Moist cornbread:

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 cup creamed corn
3 egg

Turn oven on to 300 degrees.
In large bowl mix together dry ingredients, first 5 ingredients.
In smaller bowl mix together wet ingredients, last 4 ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to larger bowl of dry ingredients.
Mix well.
Grease an 8-9 inch pan with pam.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Challah Bread and Apple French Toast

I am short on words, great day, but the bed is looking like my best friend. Bread is great, french toast even better. You could even make this baby with wheat flour. And well, yesterdays bread makes tomorrows french toast.
Oh and stay tuned because later this week my friend and I are going to make the most insane turtle cake ever, just you wait.

Click here for the Challah bread recipe I used. I must admit, it is not near as eggalicious when ya use wheat flour, but what can I say, I love me some fiber!

Apple French Toast Casserole

4 tablespoons butter

3 large apples, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 slices bread, 1 inch thick
4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add apples.Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes until apples are tender. Spoon mixture into 13x9 baking dish.Cover apples with bread slices, making sure to cover the entire surface.Trim the bread to fit if you must. Beat eggs until foamy, then beat in milk and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over the bread slices .Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight .In the morning, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let it stand while oven is preheated to 375 F. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until bread is golden and firm. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. To serve on a platter, run a knife around the edges of the casserole, place platter on top of casserole, and carefully flip. To serve individually, use a spatula to remove serving, place serving plate on top of serving and carefully flip so apple side is up.

Best ever Buns

I have made a wide variety of burger buns and not a single recipe came out as amazing as these. Did I mention they taste amazing. They are seriously to die for. Oh and totally healthy. In fact packed with goodness. To top it all off, they are super, duper easy. Did I really just say that? Ya, because they are just that easy and they are my FAVORITE buns EVER!!!!

Hamburger Buns

Bagel-isn't she perty

What do you do for your friends when their sick? I wake up at a rediculous hour and bake my bagels, stop by the grocery store for cream cheese and share these with them. But only when I'm feeling way overly ambitious.

I saw this website and knew I had to try shaping my bagels like stars. Their recipes have the best instructions. Not to mention they taste fabulous. I cannot wait to make the english muffins.

White Rolls for Kaydee

This is a really simple recipe that Stephanie gave me. These are simple and rise to be nice and fluffy. A no fail recipe. Thanks stephanie. Sorry no pictures:(

Easy White Rolls:

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tbls gluten flour, optional
2 packages yeast
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

Mix all the above. In a separate bowl mix and heat to luke warm:

1 cup milk
3/4c water
5 tbls butter
3 C flour

Mix wet and dry ingredients, stir for 5 minutes. Add 3 more cups of flour, if still way sticky add 1 more cup of flour. Let raise 30 minutes. After raising separate into 2 sections and roll out into a circle. Cut like a pie into 12 pieces. Stretch each piece a little until it is a good sized triangle. Roll starting with the widest end. Let raise 30 more minutes.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Bagels and Cream Cheese

Bagels seem to be so feared and thought of as so much work. I find making them fairly doable, highly rewarding and theraputic. I have tried many recipes, but this one with my alterations is my favorite. Our two favorite toppings are cinnamon raisen and Asiago. Be careful if you do asiage though. If you have kids around, they may have the urge to continually dip their hand in your cheese and consume large handfuls at a time....at least mine did. Please fogive half of my bagels for being short on cheese.

Hope the pictures help. Try these out at least twice, the first time is a little confusing.

Asiago Cheese Bagels

adapted from Peter Reinhart

1 teaspoon instant yeast

4 cups unbleached high-gluten flour

2 1/2 cups water, room temperature

1 teaspoon instant yeast

3 cups white wheat flour

3 T wheat gluten

2 3/4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar 1tablespoon baking soda

(2 C. grated Asiago)
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, asiago cheese, cinnamon sugar, kosher salt, rehydrated dried minced garlic or onions, or chopped onions that have been tossed in oil (optional)

To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 2 cups of the flour, the gluten and all of the salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients for a ball, slowly working in the remaining 1 cup flour and 1 C asiago cheese to stiffen the dough. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour - all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 71 degrees F. If the dough seems to dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky. Immediately divide the dough into 3-4 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired

Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter (half of this for a mini-bagel). The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)
Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
The following day, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit. After 1 minutes flip them over rand boil for another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side .While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water. You can use any of the suggestions in the ingredients list or a combination. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels: For cinnamon raisin bagels, increase the yeast in the final dough to 1 teaspoon, and add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon and 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar(the same time I added the Asiago) to the final dough. Rinse 2 cups of loosely packed raisins with warm water to wash off surface sugar, acid, and natural wild yeast. Add the raisins during the final 2 minutes of mixing. Proceed as directed, but do not top the bagels with any garnishes. When they come out of the oven and are still hot, you can brush the tops with melted butter and dip them in cinnamon sugar to create a cinnamon-sugar crust, if desired.

Veggie Cream Cheese:

(This stuff is way better than the grocery store stuff.)
4 ounces light or whipped cream cheese
1 T carrots
1 T scallions
1 T bell pepper
Dice the heck out of the carrots, scallions and peppers. Mix with the cream cheese and serve with your bagel. Or sandwhich for that matter.

Breadmachine Ciabata

I really wanted some bread to make a sandwhich, but I was craving ciabata. I'm picky like that some days. This is a recipe fit for the bread machine I found. I quickly learned that this dough is quite tough to work with. The bread was a little flat, but had great flavor. I am going to try again without using my bread machine, but if you just having a craving, try this.

Breadmachine Ciabatta:

I adapted the recipe from here.

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle, and Start. Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist the temptation to add more flour. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 3x14 inch oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°F. Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust. When the bread comes out of the oven, lightly brush the top with olive oil then top with a little salt.


The crust is fabulous and the inside chewy, what have you to lose?

for a shaping video click on this link

http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2009/03/09/shaping-ciabatta-video/

Hawaiin Sweet Bread

This beauty is made in a bread machine and besides the shape, you'd never know. This bread is oh so fabulous. (Seriously though, I could eat a whole loaf.) It comes out of the bread machine like five feet tall and soft as a feather. My husband said he could sleep on it.

I must admit I love hand made bread more than anything, but I promise this recipe will not disappoint you.

Hawaiin Sweet Bread:

3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons egg
3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour, I use half white wheat and half bread flour
2 tablespoons dry milk, I often skip this and it turns out great
2 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine container in order directed by manufacturer. Cycle: normal, and light.

A few pointers:

I am no bread expert but I have learned a few things. One, don't skip your salt, it counteracts your yeast. Two, don't oversalt, you won't get bread fluffy enough to sleep on. Three the more wheat flour, the denser the loaf. Add wheat gluten if you add wheat flour. This will help the bread compensate for the structure that is broken the pieces of the outer layer of the wheat berry.

Rosemary Bread

Man do I love Macaroni Grill. You should too! They feed you fabulous bread until you can't even open your mouth for another bite. And the food, well its just dandy too, but I can't help but fill up on their fabulous bread before I even see my salad! With the forecast being no eating out for us any time soon, I put together this rosemary bread and man is it good.

Rosemary Bread:

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons rosemary

Place yeast, sugar and warm water in large bowl or Mixer and allow mixture to become bubbly. (By warm I mean hotter than look warm, but the kind a kid could touch, with no pain that is.)
Mix in 1 T butter,(make sure its soft) salt, and 2 cups of flour. (If like me you like to make everything "healthy" and think you can skip the salt, DON'T. Salt is important to help counteract the rising of the yeast. Also don't over add it. Or, do what you want, but don't say you weren't warned.) Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary, you can use a teaspoon of dry if you don't have fresh. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in a mixer about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary.
Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half.
Let dough rest about 5 minutes.
Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves.
Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface.
Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter and cool on a rack.Health note: If you like to amp it up a little try adding a little wheat flour and some wheat gluten to help it rise, about a Tablespoon per cup. (Wheat gluten is flour that helps hold the structure and is definitely needed for rising, I'll tell ya more of what I know later.) Also, you can try white wheat. We love it, not quite as nutritious but makes for a light, yet wheaty bread?