Shortcut Week Day 4: Brie Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade cinnamon rolls have been on my bucket list for years. A quick perusal of my Pinterest boards shows at least 15 different recipes for these sweet breakfast treats. A while ago I made homemade cinnamon roll biscuits that were delicious and allowed me to get them to my stomach table in just over a half hour. But they aren't quite the puffy, fluffy, yeasty cinnabon-like rolls that I'm really craving to make from scratch. The ones I want to make take a long time: typically kneading, two rises of at least an hour each, plus baking. I'm sorry but I do not normally put that much effort into breakfast for myself. Now if you (any of you) came to visit and I had an excuse to get up extra early and make you a special treat, maybe I could convince myself the time was worth it.

Since most normal people don't spend hours prepping breakfast, today's shortcut recipe is a great one for when you want to impress your overnight guests. I cannot take credit for this ingenious idea of stuffing cinnamon rolls with brie cheese. One of my friends totally did this first and as soon as she told me about it, I put cinnamon rolls and brie on my grocery list. Oh it lives up to what you would expect. Delicious! And so easy!

Make this on Saturday. Or Sunday. And say thank you to Alison!

Brie Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
1 package cinnamon rolls with icing
about 1/2 of 6 oz log of brie cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly spray a round baking dish with cooking spray.

Slice the cheese into 6 pieces. There is no need to remove the rind. Pop open the cinnamon rolls. Working with one at a time, unroll the cinnamon roll, place of piece of cheese in the center and reroll covering all sides to seal in the cheese. Place into the baking dish.

Bake for 14-18 minutes until hot and browned. Let cool slightly and then spread the icing on top.

Garlic Sticks

I listen to the radio as I drive to and from work every day which means that typically my entire day only consists of 20 minutes of radio listening. Therefore, I have to pick my station very carefully. In the mornings, I am always hard pressed to find a station playing music constantly so I pick my go-to station by the characters on the morning show. I've settled into a station that I like here and one of the things that they do shortly before 9am (which is typically when I'm finishing up my drive in) is list 5 random facts of the day. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes they make you think, sometimes they are a little gross. But regardless I can start my day off my learning something.

Earlier this week, one of the facts of the day was that not having friends can be hazardous to your health. The study they were quoting apparently said that being friendless is like smoking 15 cigarettes a day. How or why someone measured that is beyond me but it made me thankful for all of my wonderful friends. Throughout all of the stages of my life, my friends have helped to brighten my days and I suppose to keep me healthy. For that, my friends, I thank you. And as I move on to the next stage of my life and make new friends (here's hoping), I want to thank you in advance for keeping me healthy.

So put down those "cigarettes", invite some friends over, and fellowship over these garlic sticks. They are a perfect combination of garlic and cheese and soft and crunch.

Garlic Sticks (Topping adapted from One Preppy Cookie)
Ingredients:
1/5 recipe frozen homemade pizza dough (if you want to up the amount of garlic, when you make the pizza dough use garlic infused olive oil instead of regular olive oil)

1 tbsp freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Let the frozen pizza dough thaw over the course of the day in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature covered with towel for 10-30 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven and baking stone to 500F.

Whisk the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and onion powder into the melted butter.

Roll or pull the dough into a circular shape, as thin as you can; brush with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the preheated baking stone.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crunchy. Let cool for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with pizza sauce (homemade or other) for dipping.

English Muffin Bread

This bread is for my dad. Literally. I made it for him for his birthday earlier in December. You see my dad loves English muffins. So I decided to make him this delicious bread that is very reminiscent of that crackly perfectly toast-able muffin. Instead of individual muffins, it is a slice-able bread. Which makes it SO EASY to make. Easiest yeast bread I've ever made. Truth.

All you do is throw the ingredients into a bowl and mix. Let it rise. Separate into two loaves. Let them rise. Bake. No kneading necessary. This is so easy that I have made it three times in the past few months. The first time I was just trying it out for myself. Second time was for my dad's birthday present. Third time was when I was home visiting the family for Christmas.

Besides being easy, it is delicious. So perfect. My family was begging me to make it again after we demolished Dad's birthday loaf in two days. Hence the third time. This is your gateway recipe to yeast breads if you have never made them. You won't regret it. I promise.

English Muffin Bread (adapted from Foodie with Family)
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp + 1 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tbsp kosher salt
5 3/4 all-purpose or bread flour*
Cooking spray
Cornmeal
Melted butter (about 1-2 tbsp)

Directions:
Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl (the bowl of your stand mixer works well). Let the yeast bloom for about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and flour. Mix until just combined. It should be very sticky and lumpy still. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and drape over the bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm area until very puffy and about double in size.

Spray two bread pans with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal and shake to cover all of the surfaces of the pan. The dough will be very sticky so spray your hands with the cooking spray. Then, lightly punch down the dough, separate two pieces, and place them in the prepared pans. Each pan should be filled about halfway. Cover loosely with cooking spray covered plastic wrap and let rise about 30-60 minutes until they puff over the top of the pans.

Preheat oven to 350 F while the dough is rising. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pans and brush with melted butter. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and brush with the rest of the melted butter. Turn the loaves out on a wire rack to cool.

Serve toasted with butter or jelly or whatever you desire. Or make it into a delicious grilled cheese.

Makes 2 loaves.

Note: If you don't want to eat both loaves right away, give the second one to a friend. Or wrap it completely in plastic wrap followed by foil and place in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.

*I have used all all-purpose flour or a 50/50 mix of bread and all-purpose. Use whatever you have in your pantry.

Pretzel Hot Dog Buns

Another bites the dust. And another one gone and another one gone. Another one bites the dust.

Check another one off that bucket list.

I made hot dog buns!

And to make them even yummier, I made pretzel hot dog buns! Holy moly you gotta get on this as soon as possible. Before summer is done and the barbecue is packed up. On second thought, these may be your excuse for hot dogs any time of the year. Or they'd make one hell of a hoagie today, tomorrow and every day from now on.

Pretzel Hot Dog Buns (adapted from Jeff Mauro on Food Network)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1.5 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp garlic olive oil (or 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 garlic clove minced)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1/4 cup baking soda
kosher salt

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, water, sugar and honey in a microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave for about 45 seconds until it reaches 105 F. Pour into the bowl of stand mixer and sprinkle with yeast. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until bubbly.

Add the oil and flour to the mixer. Mix on medium speed about 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out on floured surface and split into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and place on your baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll each ball into a 7-inch log. Place back on the baking sheet. Cover again and let rest another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the baking soda. Add two buns at a time and boil for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat with the other two buns. Place them back on the baking sheet and immediately sprinkle with kosher salt. Cut slits across the top of the breat.

Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Once cooled, slice down side and serve with hot dogs topped with mustard and pickles (or whatever you prefer).

Makes 4 hot dog buns.

Wheat Garlic Rolls

My sister and her college friends did this thing that impressed me. They made a pact to find a part of their own bodies that they found most attractive. That way any time they were feeling self-conscious or unpretty, they could look at it, smile, and feel better about themselves. This is a great idea for people (not just girls) that sometimes struggle with the physical standards our society holds as attractive. And by a raise of hands, who else has had one of those frumpy, feeling fat and ugly days? I see you all out there with your hands up.

As for my sister, she really liked her forearms. Let me tell you, she has nice forearms.

I have been thinking about this lately and concluded my favorite part of my body is my ankles. I'm not going to lie but they look pretty darn cute when I wear crop pants with boat shoes or sandals. It makes me happy when I get to show them. :) Somehow they are one of the skinniest parts of my body and the bottom of my calf meeting the top of my foot is just attractive. Now, this is probably not the first thing that anyone notices when they see me (actually most people probably don't check out my ankles), but it is the fact that when I see them, I hold my head a little higher, remind myself that I am beautiful, and have a little better day.

Now, I'm giving you homework. Think about your favorite body part. Pick something with which you are always happy (okay, maybe my ankles may turn to cankles if I'm on a long plan ride without walking around much, but that is not very often). Remember this always... especially if you are having a bad day. If you care to share below, I'd love to hear what you have picked.

Now on to delicious garlic bread that can make me smile as much as my ankles. These rolls can compliment any Italian feast and come together quite easily on a lazy day at home. I made them into cloverleaf rolls by dropping three balls into muffin tins. Alternatively, you could roll them into logs for breadsticks or simply make buns.

Wheat Garlic Rolls (adapted significantly from White on Rice Couple)
Ingredients:
a little less than 1 cup warm water (about 115 F)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tbsp active dry yeast
75 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cup)
75 grams whole wheat flour (about 1 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/8 cup freshly chopped herbs (combination of parsley, rosemary, basil)

Directions:
Combine the water, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and knead for about 3 minutes until the flour is completely incorporated. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Lightly punch down the dough and separate into 11-12 pieces. Separate each piece into three equal pieces and roll into a ball. Place three balls into each muffin tin. Cover with a towel and let rise until puffy over the sides of the tin, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, heat the 1 tbsp olive oil and butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped fresh herbs and set aside.

Remove the rolls from the oven and brush with the garlic herb mixture.

Serve warm. Reheat in microwave or oven if you have leftovers.

Makes 11-12 rolls.

Homemade Naan Bread

Remember yesterday? When I posted that delicious chickpea curry that I said was great on sweet potatoes or over rice? You wanna know what it is also great with? Homemade naan bread!! Y'all this is maybe my favorite homemade yeast bread ever. It takes a little longer for the rising time (2 hours) but it is totally worth it. Make it once and you'll be hooked.

Before we get to the recipe though, can we just talk about how spring has finally sprung? I cannot express my excitement for warm sunny days. The gloom of winter in central IL was just bumming me out. Now I am finding myself smiling and basking in the sun (in between the downpours). What are you looking forward to most this spring?

Homemade Naan Bread (adapted from Eat Live Run)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (~100 F)
1 tsp active dry yeast
3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar


Directions:
In a small bowl, gently stir the yeast and sugar into the water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Using a stand mixer, combine the yeast mixture with half of the flour. Mix on low for approximately 3 minutes. Add the rest of the flour and the salt and increase to a high speed for about 6 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for about 2 hours until doubled in size.


Preheat oven to 475 F.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and divide into four sections. Shape each into a rectangle and sprinkle with water. Make dimples using your fingers. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Garlic Breadsticks

Remember that garlic-infused olive oil I told you about? Remember how I also talked about this garlic salt I purchased? Well, I've been playing around with it a little bit and let me tell you, mix it into some butter, spread it on some toast and you'll be in heaven! Alternatively, use it for this breadstick recipe and it will be garlicky goodness reminiscent of those soft pillows of carbohydrates you eat by the basketful at that one Italian restaurant chain.*

They are A to the MAZING straight out of the oven! 

They are even G to the REAT after spending the night in a ziploc bag and being reheated in the toaster oven!

They are P to the ERFECT to round out a spaghetti night!

Garlic Breadsticks (adapted from Simply Scratch)
Ingredients:
For breadsticks:
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup warm water (about 115 F)
1 rounded tsp yeast
about 2 cups all-purpose flour (maybe a little more)
1/2 tbsp thick granule garlic salt (or 2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

For topping: 
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
2 tsp thick granule garlic salt (or 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp garlic powder)

Directions:
Combine the honey, warm water and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or alternatively in a large bowl) and allow to sit for 5 minutes and bubble up. Add the flour, garlic salt and melted butter to the mixer. Mix on low until a ball forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5-6 minutes (alternatively you can knead by hand). Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces and form into breadstick shapes by rolling between your hands. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix the remaining 2 tbsp melted butter with the garlic salt and stir to combine. Brush over the top of the breadsticks. Bake for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with more garlic butter. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes. Brush with more garlic butter when you remove from the oven.

Serve warm. Makes 8 breadsticks (easily adaptable to make 16 if you double the recipe).












*I'm not claiming that these are copy-cat breadsticks only that they taste similar in my opinion.

Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Since I've spent the night completely unplugged from the world, I always check my email and the weather. If I'm feeling extra lazy, like I was this Saturday, I check Facebook and Pinterest while still cuddled under the covers in bed. And this week I learned that February 23 is National Banana Bread Day. Note: I'm pretty certain that there is a food holiday or month or something that we could celebrate everyday. But regardless, I had a few bananas that were on their last legs and I figured I might as well take part in banana bread day. I checked my fridge and found some strawberries that were also calling out to me, so I searched for a strawberry banana bread recipe. To make things quicker I went for a muffin AND I made them mini so I can pop them in my mouth on my way out the door on a workday morning.

What's great about this recipe is the lack of fat. There is a significant amount of sugar so they aren't exactly health muffins but they are better than what you would pick up at the coffee shop. Speaking of which, they go great with a cup or two of freshly brewed coffee.

Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 medium banana, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg white, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 medium banana, thinly sliced
1 cup diced strawberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a mini muffin tray with cooking spray.

Mix together the flour, sugars, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the mashed banana, applesauce, egg white and vanilla and stir until combined but do not overmix. Fold in the banana slices and strawberries. Scoop the batter into the mini muffin tray, filling almost to the top.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 20-24 mini muffins.

Store in an airtight container.

Sunflower Seed Loaf

Science Sunday Post # 2

Food Molecule #2

CARBOHYDRATES.

Probably some of the most beloved food molecules that are a specialty of plants, they make up delicious warm from the oven bread, sugary cookies and cupcakes, fruit, potatoes, and so much more. Carbohydrates sometimes have a bad rap because of things like the Atkins diet. However, they give flavor, bulk and texture to our food. They are made of up simple sugars such as glucose, galactose, and fructose.

Depending on how these simple monosaccharides are combined in polymers known as oligosaccharides different structures and properties result. For example, alpha-linked monosaccharides make up starch that is a large component of potatoes, rice, wheat and corn; most people have no trouble digesting these foods and will get a lot of energy from these foods. On the other hand, beta-linkages of monosaccharides make up cellulose and fiber which we cannot digest. These foods, including fruits, vegetables and bran, are important for our diet because as the cellulose passes through our digestive system, it absorbs water and becomes bulk of mass that helps to clean out our intestines.

To celebrate carbohydrates, I'm sharing with you a recipe for sunflower seed bread. It is great toasted and topped with peanut butter or as a sandwich with your favorite toppings. Mmm. I do love my carbohydrates :)

Sunflower Seed Loaf (adapted from King Arthur's Flour Whole Grain Baking)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup rye flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the sunflower and sesame seeds on the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they begin to brown.

Mix together all the ingredients. Either knead by hand or stand mixer until it is a soft and smooth dough. Place in a bowl, cover with a towel and allow to rise until puffy 1-2 hours.

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough and press into a 9 X 4 inch rectangle. Roll hot dog style so you have a 9 inch log. Place in prepared pan and cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise at RT for another 1-2 hours until puffy.

Preheat oven to 350 F, again (because you probably should leave it on for the 4 hours of rising!).

Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Tent with foil and then bake for another 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly and then remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Dark and Soft Dinner Rolls

So I told you that I did some cooking and baking while I was visiting my family over the holidays. When it came to preparing the meals, I was definitely the bread girl. I made pretzel rolls for our soup night. I made pizza dough for a pizza roll for our snacky Christmas day dinner. And I made these delicious dark and soft dinner rolls for our Christmas eve dinner.

 Before I left for home, I pulled out my handy dandy (aka amazing and you should definitely purchase this if you like to make yeast breads at home) King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook and read a number of the different dinner roll choices for my parents. Since my sister and my dad aren't the biggest fans of breads full of nuts and grains and crunch, we settled on this recipe.

They are marketed to resemble the little loaves of bread you get at a steak house; you know the ones that come on a wooden cutting board with a large knife and a tub of honey butter. I would say they turned out pretty close to those although mine were not quite as dark. They were quite delicious with a hint of sweet and even made a nice sandwich the next day. They are certainly hearty, large rolls so if you aren't big carbohydrate people (who in the world are you and why are we friends? Just kidding) then you could certainly shape them into 15-20 normal sized dinner rolls. If you are a big bread eater then stick to the 10 rolls.

You could probably make them even little larger, grill up a steak, whip up some honey butter, stick a large knife into one of them and split it over a nice dinner date at home.

Dark and Soft Dinner Rolls (adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking)
Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/3 cup orange juice
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/3 cup honey
1 3/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cup bread flour

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast. Once it is bubbly, add the orange juice, butter, honey, salt, sugar and cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Add the flours stirring with a wooden spoon until you cannot stir anymore. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead in the rest of the flour. Knead by hand for 4-5 minutes until you have a medium-soft, smooth dough. Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise until puffy, about 1-2 hours. It will not double in bulk.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Gently deflate the dough and place it on a lightly greased work surface. Divide into 10 even pieces. Shape each piece into 5 by 2 inch rolls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for an additional 1 1/2-2 hours. They will appear to rise more than the initial rise although they will not double in size.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Uncover the rolls and bake until the slightly browned on the bottom, about 25-30 minutes.

Makes 10 large rolls.

Wheat Rolls

Have you heard the good news?

The greatest show EVER is coming back; well, technically it is a whole new show but it is based on the child of two of the main characters and will have some of the same stars. You know what I'm talking about, right? BOY MEETS WORLD! Now we are going to have Girl Meets World!

Can you just imagine Cory Matthews, the first love of my life, as a father? And Topanga, she'll be the prettiest mom on the block. Any thoughts of whether crazy Uncle Eric will have settled down with a lovely lady? What about Grandma and Grandpa Matthews? Will be get to see Joshua all grown up? Will there be a third actress for Morgan? Oh and we could never forget Shawn, Angela or MR. FEENY.

FEENY!

           FEENY!

                   FEE-EE-EE-EE-EENY!

We'll see how it unravels. I, for one, cannot wait! Come on over, I'll make the bread (like these delicious wheat rolls we had for Thanksgiving) and we'll get watching a seven season marathon of BMW!

Wheat Rolls (from King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking)
Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tbsp honey
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup instant dried potatoes (not cooked)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for topping

Directions:
Combine the water, orange juice, cubed butter, honey and salt in a large bowl. Begin to mix in the flours with a wooden spoon, but using your hands when the spoon no longer suffices. Knead the dough until you have a smooth dough, about 8-10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap; allow to rise until it is puffy about 2 hours (maybe less if your house is warmer than mine).

Lightly grease a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.

Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly greased countertop. Divide into 16 equal (or as close to equal as you can get) pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place the rolls into the prepared pan, making sure any seams are facing downward and spacing them evenly. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 2 hours. They will once again get puffy and end up touching each other.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Remove the plastic wrap and bake until they are brown on top, about 25 minutes.* Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

*If you are planning on freezing the rolls: I removed them from the oven, let them cool, covered them with foil and froze them. The day before Thanksgiving, I removed them from the freezer to let them thaw. To reheat, bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes. Then brush with the melted butter.

Wheat Potato Bread

I've gotten into this habit of making breads on the weekends. This is certainly not a bad habit. It's actually a great habit. My house smells of baking bread and I get to enjoy fresh from the oven, soft and chewy bread on a weekly basis. Apparently this week is extra bread-y because this is my second yeast recipe (see baguettes); I didn't actually make them in the same weekend. Just getting to posting them both now...

ANYWHO... One of my goals after starting my postdoc was to experiment with yeast a little more (outside of lab, I'm not working with yeast in lab). I would say that is a goal that I've been sticking with... it keeps me away from campus at least one day a week and experimenting in the kitchen.

I wanted to make potato bread because for some reason, completely forgotten to me now, I bought one of those boxes of instant potato flakes. I know it was for some recipe because I think instant potatoes by themselves taste like wet cardboard, but somehow they got shoved to the back of my pantry and I didn't end up making my planned dish (whatever it was). In trying to find new things to do with this box o' flakes, I came across this potato bread recipe that used either leftover mashed potatoes or instant potatoes. Obvi I went with the instant ones. I decided to sub in some whole wheat flour for some of the all purpose.

The potato bread was good and worked for sandwiches and toast, however it doesn't quite have the feel of normal sandwich bread. It is a little more dense and flaky bordering on a quick bread. But I still enjoyed it.

I can't wait to experiment more with yeast. Come along on the journey with me :)

Wheat Potato Bread (adapted from The Frugal Girl)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup mashed potatoes (rehydrated instant flakes as described on box, or leftovers)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 - 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
Combine the warm water and yeast in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes until foamy. Stir in the potatoes, sugar, oil and salt. Stir in the whole wheat flour and enough of the all purpose flour to make a sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes, adding more all purpose flour as needed, until the dough is smooth.

Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel and allow to rise 1 hour. Punch down the dough and roll out into a large rectangle about 8 inch by

Whole Wheat Baguettes

Ok I just realized that Thanksgiving is next week! W-H-A-T?! How did that happen? Where did November go? Take that back-- where did September and August go?

Have you planned your Thanksgiving meal yet? Are you a traditionalist or are you trying something new this year? At my parents' house we typically follow the same recipes but in their old age they are becoming more adventuresome so we are trying out a few new things this year as well. Don't worry I'll be sure to share everything with you.


Speaking of new things, my love affair with freshly baked bread is continuing to flourish. I'm currently making my way through this cookbook from King Arthur Flour dedicated to whole grain baking (it will take me some time since it is a giant book!). The first recipe I tried was these baguettes. I mentioned yesterday that I served them with pulled pork when my folks were visiting ad they really liked them. I also dunked them in soup, toasted slices and slathered them with peanut butter, and made them into garlic bread, enjoying each and every bite. You can store them (I still have one baguette left) in the freezer and they reheat very well, so definitely make the whole batch.

You'll note that the recipe from start to finish takes three days because there are two overnight steps. They are totally worth it though; I'll certainly be making this recipe again!

Whole Wheat Baguettes (from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking)
Ingredients:
For pre-ferment:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cool water
pinch of instant yeast

For dough:
All of pre-ferment
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp cool water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Directions:
Mix the pre-ferment ingredients in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest overnight at room temperature.

Transfer the pre-ferment to a larger bowl and add in the rest of the ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon until you cannot mix it anymore. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is cohesive, about 7-10 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise 3-4 hours. Approximately every hour, gently deflate the dough and turn it over.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 pieces. Shape each piece into a flattened oval. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Starting with one piece of dough, fold  in half lengthwise and then seal the edges. Flatten and fold and seal again. With the seam side down, gently roll the dough into a log that is about 16 inches long. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough. Place the logs on the prepared pans. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from fridge and let the loaves rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 425 F about 30 minutes before baking.

Uncover the loaves and place the baking sheets on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes. Tent the baguettes with foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until they are golden brown. Turn off the oven, crack it open and allow the baguettes to cool complete in the oven.

Use immediately, or cover with aluminum foil and freeze. To refresh, thaw if frozen, bake wrapped in aluminum foil for approximately 10 minutes at 350 F.

Makes 3 loaves.

Pretzel Rolls

And now what you have been waiting for-- PRETZEL ROLLS!

Y'all, I'm not kidding you when I say these may be my favorite yeast-based home-baked recipe thus far in my life. They were perfectly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. They were great for soaking up the chipotle cheddar ale soup. They also made a great little sandwich stuffed with sharp cheddar, deli mustard, spinach and red onion:

Now I wish I had more.

I cut the recipe from the original source in half because I didn't want them to go bad before I was able to finish them. No worries though, they literally only lasted for 24 hours in my apartment. The recipe below reflects my adaptions. I made two sandwich rolls and one bread bowl. It could have made two bread bowls or four sandwich rolls. Or you could certainly double, triple, quadruple, duodecuple* or centuple** the recipe to adjust for how many you want to make. As with most yeast recipes, you don't have to double, triple, quadruple, duodecuple* or centuple** the yeast exactly, it just may take a little longer for the bread to rise.

Do whatcha want.

Especially if that includes making and eating this adorable little dudes.

Pretzel Rolls (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients:
For dough:
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
a little over 1/2 cup hot water (around 130 F)

For baking:
Cornmeal
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp liquid egg whites, beaten until foamy
kosher salt

Directions:
In the bowl of your food processor, pulse together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. While on low, stream in the hot water until a dough ball forms. Pulse for an additional 1 minute to knead. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in it, turning to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 35 minutes to 1 hour (depending the temperature of your kitchen and the activity of your yeast).

Spread flour on a work surface. Punch down the dough and turn out onto the surface. Knead until smooth. Separate into however may pieces you want to make (I divided it in half for one bread bowl and divided the other half in half again for 2 sandwich rolls). Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place on the floured surface and cover with a clean towel. Let rise for another 20-40 minutes until puffy. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross into the top of the buns.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the baking soda and sugar to dissolve (be careful, it will foam).

Add the buns (as many as can fit without touching each other). Boil for 30 seconds, then flip over using a slotted spoon and boil for another 30 seconds. Remove the buns to the prepared baking sheet with the cut sides up. Brush the top and sides of the rolls with the egg whites. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until browned. Cool and serve.

Makes 2 bread bowls or 4 sandwich rolls.

*I just learned that duodectuple is twelve fold.

**Also learned that centuple is one hundred fold. Which would be A LOT of pretzel rolls.

Homemade Wheat Pitas

I own this off-white sweater that I've had for a long time. I wear it a lot in the winter because it is a nice warm cardigan that I can pull on over any of my 100 or so t-shirts and wear into lab. The sleeves are not too long that they fit under my lab coat. One of the buttons has fallen off, but if I'm honest, I barely button it anyway. Since the weather has cooled down, I've pulled the sweater out of the back of my closet and started wearing it again. Today I noticed that the elbows are very worn!! What?! I've never worn a hole into the sleeves a shirt before! You can totally tell that the stitching is stretched and sooner or later I think it will wear through completely. Talk about bummer. My bet is that the Gap no longer sells this cardigan since I've had it for so long (I cannot remember when I bought it nor can I really remember when I didn't own it... probably sometime in college, if I had to guess).

Have you ever worn through a sweater?

Would you like to buy me a new one? ;)

I made these pitas a few weeks ago. I'm just now getting to posting them. Not because I didn't like them, but because I'm lazy. Or something. Really, they are great and now I can share with you another recipe that I used to fill up the pita pockets. Plus I crossed something else off that bucket list.

Man, I'm really enjoying freshly baked bread and playing around with yeast. The experiments will keep coming, I promise.

Wheat Pita Bread (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Ingredients:
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
cornmeal, for dusting

Directions:
In a large glass bowl, gently stir together the yeast, honey and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir in 1/4 cup bread flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour until smooth. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until super bubbly doubled in size (picture 1 above), about 45 minutes.

Add the remaining water, the oil, salt and most of the flours. Mix until it starts to get sticky, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (picture 2 above).

Punch down the dough and separate into 8 pieces. Form each into a ball and then flatten into a disc about 7 inches round. Place the rounds on a work space sprinkled with cornmeal. Loosely cover with a clean towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes at room temperature until puffy (picture 3 above).

Preheat your oven to 500 F.

Bake the pitas directly on the oven racks (you may need to do two batches) for 2 minutes on one side. Flip over and bake for another 1 minute. Cool completely on a wire rack (picture 4 above) and store in an air-tight container. You can cut a pocket into the pita by using a sharp knife down the side. Or you can just fill the pita flat and fold it (like a taco).